Beyond Blue Home Improvement Thread

[geoff]

Hi everyone. I'm Geoff and have been a dedicated Volunteer on the forums for 13 years. I am proud to have stopped some of the stigmas that are associated with mental health as well as doing my best to help others too

Before my health went south I was a builder in all aspects of home construction and renovation. If you don't have a handyman around I hope I can offer you some tips that may be of help. I have had many years of experience in home renovation and will do my best to help you out if you are stuck and need some advice

I hope my experience may be of help to the people on Beyond Blue and make their life a little bit better. Even if you need help with the most basic painting job or putting up a shelf I can help there too with some tips

I will do my best to get back to anyone that has a question when I can as this is social yet important thread

Geoff

[geoff]

Hi RX, doing repairs with fibreglass is not much different than doing anything else and by that I mean you will give anything a go, just like anyone else who has commented on this thread.

I'm in tomorrow and will be typing with one finger again for a few weeks on Friday.

Best wishes and good luck.

Geoff.

[Guest_1584]

Sorry geoff l forgot to get back but l hope the hand is coming along.

All th best. rx

[geoff]

Hi RX, you never have to apologise.

Today I'm back to the Outpatients and hope they can reduce the size of the cast on my hand and up my wrist, too early for stitches to come out, maybe next week I hope, typing with one finger is awful, never mind that's life.

Best wishes.

Geoff.

[geoff]

Hello Everyone, years ago I was told by my brother in law (my side) that I should learn how to hammer a nail with both hands just in case you are not able to use your strong hand due to an injury, this has been a great benefit for me over the years.

The same applies to a screwdriver, clamp or any other tool because we can never be sure if an injury is going to stop the work we're wanting to accomplish.

Slip slop slap.

Geoff.

[Guest_1584]

Hey geoff.

Great idea . Worked with a guy once that could hammer with either. l can't myself. but l have taught myself to use different hands with other tools and drills that l use a lot at work. l tend to strain my right arm a lot otherwise , and that's really paid off too.

[Hanna3]

Hi Geoff,

I initially posted on the BB Café last night but someone suggested I post here to you for advice..

I moved into a (Pubic Housing) fibro house a few months ago. It's an old fibro house, probably circa 1950s I guess. It has a tiled roof. No awnings over the windows which get full sun in the afternoons unfortunately. I've put up blockout curtains but can't put in airconditiong or ceiling fans due to the fact that it's fibro. (Also I can't afford it).

I'm in an area that now gets very hot summers (they used to be cooler and shorter) and very cold (it snows) winters. I haven't lived in a fibro before and didn't know how hot they get. We've had a few days of temperatures around 40 and the temperature isn't dropping at night, so nasty heatwaves.

My problem is everything inside the house is now so hot. The carpet is hot to walk on. My bed is hot to sit or lie on. The toilet seat is hot. Even my toothbrush on top of the bathroom vanity is hot to touch. The couch is hot to sit on. The heat inside the house has become intolerable. My little dog became quite ill last night, today is lethargic, restless, and won't eat since yesterday.

I've been lucky enough to be able to stay today at a friend's house while she is away which has air conditioning. It's an old weatherboard with an iron roof and verandahs that shade the windows. I don't know the age, it has the rosettes pressed ceiling decorations if that's any guide. Anyway what strikes me is while the air inside the house is warm without the aircon on (because it's very hot outside) her furniture doesn't feel hot, the floors aren't hot, etc.

My neighbour, who is elderly and has lived next door to my house forever, told me she thinks Housing repaced the insulation in the roof a couple of decades ago...

Have you any advice whether this is normal in a fibro house? It's making me ill and my dog is now ill. I'm also wondering just how cold it's going to be in winter now! Should it be so hot inside that my furniture is actually hot to use? Do you have any advice? I'm thinking I may have to go to Housing and tell them I am finding it unlivable. I don't know how to take recordings of the temperatures inside the house, all I have is a digital thermometer.

Would really appreciate any ideas? Any experience of fibro houses? I can Google that they're cold in winter but nobody seems to say anything about how they are in summer. Thanks for any help!

[geoff]

Hello Hanna, and my apologies for being so late, but your comment interests me.

The fibro house you are living in may have walls and roof tiles made of asbestos, but it's OK if it's not broken, drilled into or sawn and because it's very hot I don't whether there is any insulation in the roof.

Where I live the housing have demolished all the fibro houses and rebuilt units on the same block and that's the reason why they won't allow air conditioning to be installed simply the fibro has to be broken/sawed.

Are you able to apply for a transfer and tell housing as you've said 'tell them I am finding it unlivable.'

Let's start there and hope to hear back from you.

Best wishes.

Geoff.

[Guest_1584]

Hi Hanna .

Yep l've lived in an old fibro house, man , know what you mean.

One simple solution though is better rubber back curtains crikey they make a huge difference surprised yours aren't helping , you can often get great used sets at op shops for a few bucks a set maybe another layer will help just on the afternoon windows.

The other biggest thing l found is just one of the square little pop in the window air cons. Got one in this house costs nothing to run but will chill right down a 40% day. lt's about 30yrs old rattles away but man she does the job.l shut off both halls it can only keep up with the lounge and kitchen but not complaining.

you can pick them up a 2nd hand on gumtree 20 or 30 bucks - 2 or 300. mines just got a piece of ply in the gap left in the window or if your handy or know someone they could fit it in a window a bit nicer than that.

Good luck

Another thing is

[Hanna3]

Hi Geoff and Hi randomx,

Thanks so much both of you for replying. Randomx do you mean a portable airconditioner? I've got one second hand on wheels but by about 40 degrees it's useless. It goes out the window but sits on the floor on wheels.

Geoff, the elderly neighbour who has lived here forever thinks the ceiling insulation was replaced about two decades ago! I've got blockout curtains on the windows and even foil and bubblewrap, but we've reached tempertures of around 47 day after day and it's like an oven in here.

I think I will have to talk to Housing, the other accommodation they have here are the nastiest looking units in the worst part of town, I wouldn't live in them in a fit, so I would have to know where to go and where I an afford to move first.

So I don't know if old insulation is the problem as well as I guess the fibro holds the heat in? Someone told me they used to live in one and cooled it down at night by hosing down the outside walls, but we're on extreme water restrictions so no hope of that. I'm just wondering how cold it's going to be in a place where the winters snow... eeek. Thanks for posting, any further advice? Thanks both of you...

[Guest_1584]

Hiya hanna.

Not sure why fibros get so hot geoff would know more about that but yeah reckon the hosing down would help , shame.

But nah not those wheel ones they aren't much chop, they usually aren't real air cons so to speak , mum had one , useless. l think the proper rectangle shape window or hole in wall air cons were the ones before reverse cycle types , again geoff would know .

Anyway , my lounge gets the peak arvo sun full on but yeah , she does a great job.

Best of luck. rx