I ended up doing the bathroom myself full rip out floors and walls , followed all your videos used all the abacus items and backaboard , got a tiller in and he said it’s a privilege to work on a bathroom that’s been properly prepped , I now have a dream bathroom that I’m confident in thanks to you 👍

@eddiereed5025

2 жыл бұрын

As with most work in your own home being carried out by a (competent diyr) it will far outlive a job carried out by the cowboys employed by the shall i say abc letters of the alphabet sheds .

@georgeanastasi7729

2 жыл бұрын

This is exactly my plan too

@paulpitt4098

2 жыл бұрын

If it wasn't for Roger I wouldn't of done my bathroom only used a great tiler and plumber to do the stuff I didn't feel comfortable doing

@AaaaandAction

2 жыл бұрын

@@robjonson629 I love it when smart-arses correct spelling. Thanks from all of us. 👍

Even if you don’t have the capability to do the job yourself, I would say research how to do it. Then at least you can spot when it is not being done properly and also ask for items such as in this case the shower flange/ bracket / backplate to be included in the installation. I did my own shower apart from connecting up the power shower. The plumber was amazed when he saw the chunky solid flange I was using. Cost a lot from the German manufacturer but boy I know its solid and will outlast the rest of my house. Homeowners check out the shower maker websites for installation information. Very useful in my experience. When getting quotes for the job you could specify “installation in accordance with the manufacturers recommendations.” I ordered a wickes kitchen, before doing so I spotted the bad reviews for their installation services and decided to do it my self. For me working alone it was too big a job . I got there in the end however and saved a boat load of money. I think all the frustration and pain of doing it myself would have been far less than chasing wickes to come back to fix things. As it was we did have lots of issues with faulty parts. Customer service was very bad until we hit them with Facebook reviews. They have a special team monitoring social media which is much more responsive. I wonder why! So to the homeowner in this case, put a post on the relevant company’s Facebook page. No need to comment just the picture should do it as it is absolutely damming in my opinion. Perhaps Posing a question such as “does this installation adequately reflect the standards of workmanship that your company provides?”

Its not just 'cowboys'; we had a Jaga Strada DBE radiator that seemed to have stopped working. After 2 plumbers - Absolute Plumbing Feltham (£1000) & Pimlico Plumbers (£324) we were told the new pipes were blocked and probably the radiator (actually a convector) had failed. The minimum ballpark estimate to fix it was £5k & would involve ripping out 2 radiators (not just the one not working), 4m of pipe that ran trough a wall, etc. Jaga were mortified & sent one of their people to see if the unit was faulty & he fixed it in 10 seconds. All that was 'wrong' was someone had turned off the lockshield valve. Neither firm would give a refund & claimed their experienced and highly trained engineers had done their best. It wasn't worth chasing them through the courts but it just goes top show how poorly trained and managed many plumbing firms are.

@PaulSmith-pr7pv

2 жыл бұрын

Sorry to hear that Richard

The trouble is, and I speak as an honest tv repair engineer, retired, there is a massive problem with finding an honest, respectable tradesman. If I was the sort of person that conned everyone, I might be rich and living in the sunshine. I am not, I am me, living rented (just) with a clear record and happy to walk the streets, without 'avoiding people.'

@jonjonesongasstationdickpi6179

2 жыл бұрын

Please get engineer out of your job title, your were not an engineer, you fixed tvs

@cosmoguzaldo439

2 жыл бұрын

@@jonjonesongasstationdickpi6179 triggered

@muddyfunker3014

2 жыл бұрын

@@davebryant6905 At what cost? By ripping off people and preventing them from enjoying the nicer things in life with their family and kids?

@memyself7413

2 жыл бұрын

@@jonjonesongasstationdickpi6179 sorry that you are offended by that, maybe you should get out more.

@bobby5634

2 жыл бұрын

@@muddyfunker3014 You don't need to rip people off. Just do a good job & charge a fair price. Plumbers are supposed to be paid well.

Shocking! What an absolute shower!

Remember on first self build there was Two Plumbers /One heating engineer when you looked inside the tank cupboard that the plumber chap had fitted. It looked like someone had a bag of scrap in the back of the van and just threw it into the cupboard. The copper pipes where everyway and anyway no clips on any pipe it was a pile of scrap. (looked like it) On the other hand the Heating Engineer boiler cupboard looked like one large musical instrument "The Tuba" would be best way to describe it The pipework was a work of Art it was amazing (Told heating engineer to leave the boiler cupboard door off for all to see it was so good ) In the same house the plumber fitted radiator tails these looked like kettle handles coming up from the floor. (maybe there is Art in there somewhere) Depends who fits your plumbing /heating what you get.

Pro tiler here and i'm pretty confident looking at the tiles where they came from. Not gonna say which company but it rhymes with nicks.

@MrJimtimslim

2 жыл бұрын

Love it how people won't say....🤣 They're from wicks I think. I await the forthcoming litigation.

@tilerman

2 жыл бұрын

@@MrJimtimslim Hi James, yeah i know mate, just having a giggle! I knew instantly when i saw them, and not having a cheap pop at Wickes but those tiles are terrible quality. Really really poor and i always run a mile if a customer gets them.

@randomtask9029

2 жыл бұрын

Pricks?

@Speedkam

2 жыл бұрын

@@tilerman the big competitor with „&” in its name any better?

@tilerman

2 жыл бұрын

@@Speedkam No, tile wise, even worse.

A lot of these DIY stores sub-contract out which squeezes the cost further. No staff on the books, no quality control. Still, inexcusable!

@chrisb4009

2 жыл бұрын

100% this, subcontractors who are constantly being squeezed to work cheaper and cheaper, poor treatment and it ends up that the only people what will work for them are low skill/inexperienced.

@ChezzzuK

2 жыл бұрын

R

@maccaukandy5415

2 жыл бұрын

100% correct. I was approached by the big DIY chain to fit bathrooms for them. The pay isn't that bad but there is no one checking any of the work simply because most of the staff don't have a clue.

At this point if you have the time and some skill it’s worth doing everything yourself. Nobody would do a better job than you. All the bits you don’t see are the most Important and the bits that are cut by tradesmen. I was made redundant just before Xmas 2020, had a guy in to fit a kitchen. Within 2 hours I knew he was a cowboy or at least not up to my standard. Gave the guy 150 quid to leave and did it all myself using KZread as guidance. It’s flawless and couldn’t be happier. Probably took me 3 times the time to complete but I know it’s done right.Since then I’ve replaced all my windows, fit 2 showers etc etc. what I’ve learned in the last 2 years will probably save me more in the long run than the wage I would have got.

@andrewsimpson7554

2 жыл бұрын

I'm with you, I've had so many bad experiences with tradesman that now I do everything I am allowed to do legally myself. I take my time and do a lot of research to find the best methods, parts and materials (that's how I found the Skill Builder channel). I converted my bathroom to a wet room following Rogers videos and even did the tiling. When the sparky came round to second fix the down lights he said it was the best DIY bathroom job he'd ever seen (thanks Roger) and he's been a sparky for 25 years. I would recommend anybody who wants to give DIY a go to just go for it, do your research, take your time and if you start losing your patience with something take a break and come back to it.

@JamesUKE92

2 жыл бұрын

Totally agree. I don’t trust any trades full stop. Did my own kitchen and just putting the finishing touches to the 2nd of 2 bathrooms that I’ve been doing concurrently. I’ve used Roger’s design with all the Abacus kit and very pleased with the results.

@normanboyes4983

2 жыл бұрын

Could not agree with you more. 👍

@rowifi

2 жыл бұрын

Yep... very few trades care about their work these days. I'd sooner buy some quality tools and do it myself... which I've essentially been doing for 40 years. Takes me ages.. but I know how it's put together and do it belt and braces. Never tackled roofing though.

@nectafarious8842

2 жыл бұрын

@@rowifi Roofing is easy if you are properly scaffolded and have the correct safety gear. I did my own house with two long valleys and 3 dormer windows in 10 x 6 concrete tiles, miles of batten and tyvek membrane. Not a Paslode in sight either. Took me a while, but it's a far better job than my garage roof I paid a roofing firm a fortune to throw up without a care in the world. I even learnt to weld lead.

Looks like a Wickes tile with a Bristan shower, the Wickes sub contracted installer will have got £126, -20% CIS to fit this inc his materials. Wickes are part of the furniture ombudsman, if your not happy start a case with TFO it costs you nothing and you can ask for an independent inspection and they are bound by the results of the inspection. A quicker method to get it fixed is to complain on their twitter or Facebook page, they don’t like bad publicity and someone from their customer relations team will take over and get it resolved.

@markrainford1219

2 жыл бұрын

Looks like £126 worth to me.

@andybrace4983

2 жыл бұрын

Everest grey slate 😆

A trick I've used with those overhead showers is to put a cutting disc against the back of the plasterboard and then tighten the nut on. Some may consider it a bit cowboyish but it works really well and the hole is the exact size to suit. I've used worn diamond discs and new fibre discs. 9" is best but 4½" also work fine in reality.

@acciid

2 жыл бұрын

Nice idea. What do you tighten the nut onto? It's just 15mm coming through is it not?

@oldboy5001

2 жыл бұрын

Quirky way to do it, but I can see why that would give good support. Would be better with cement backer board though.

@stegra5960

2 жыл бұрын

@@acciid Not the ones I've done it on. I reckon 40-50mm of thread on those. I do remember once having to widen the hole in the fitting once and solder a bit of copper pipe in because there wasn't enough thread left for connector; but it didn't need much widening, just a couple of minutes with a mini flap wheel.

@acciid

2 жыл бұрын

Ah ok. Thanks

@Yourtruthmightnotbemine

2 жыл бұрын

Yeah pick up your horses shit on the way out cowboy 🤠

Shouldn't that pipework have been boxed in as well, bearing in mind it's in a cupboard? We had our bathroom installed by Wickes, they use their 'approved contractors' & the standard was absolutely abysmal. After a long battle, a year later they ripped it out completely & did it again, this time a different guy was used & he did a good job. It shouldn't be a lottery the standard you get, especially from a large company. We were compensated a paltry 500 quid for our stress & inconvenience.

@acciid

2 жыл бұрын

What I would do as a DIYer is cut out the plasterboard along the middle of the studs, do the pipework inside, providing structure where needed and then cover the whole thing with a flush piece of ply. You could plasterboard and skim it of course but it's a cupboard so having things accessible is not a bad thing and the way it looks is less important.

@stevem815

2 жыл бұрын

Oh shit, i thought they just hadn't sheeted the wall yet! But you're right, its just on the outside of the wall. That's ridiculous. Thats the problem with big companies, people think they're reputable but in reality everyone is underpaid and no-one gives a crap. What you really need is a tradesman that a friend has used that did a good job for them.

@Palo-jm7xc

2 жыл бұрын

@@acciid That is exactly how i would do it. I'd even bet it's probably easier to do it this way as you'd have something to actually fix the pipework to.

@steveg2479

2 жыл бұрын

TBH, I would have expected tile backer of some sort to be used, so the plasterboard could have been removed, pipework hidden in the wall. A proper support for the head could have been installed at the same time. No need to go in the cupboard at all.

@Palo-jm7xc

2 жыл бұрын

@@steveg2479 I think everyone is talking about how it can be fixed without having to remove the tiles etc. or at least i was. Obviously you wouldn't do it on plasterboard if it weren't done already and there would be no reason to go in the cupboard like you said.

That's why I DIY, takes ages because I'm not skilled. my bodges are my bodges. When you pay good money to get a job done ...you want it doing right!

@treborriam6191

2 жыл бұрын

🤣🤣🤣

Dang…my husband and I who have never fixed up a house in our entire lives ripped out our 2 bathrooms that shared a wall and re-did everything down to the rotten subfloor, replaced cast iron drain pipes, replaced everything to PEX, bracing for sinks and fixtures, heated floors, everything! Surprisingly it looks incredibly professional. I don’t think anybody would be able to tell it was just us. If anybody asks who did the bathrooms, I’ll tell them it’s not professional, that’s OCD 🤣 and we are mechanical and electrical engineers so we have quite a bit of knowledge about this sort of stuff but residentially zero experience.

@Graham_Langley

2 жыл бұрын

Electronics engineer by profession here. I put in a new boiler when we had a £400 scrappage scheme for old inefficient boilers here in the UK some ten years back. Had a different person do the first service to the one who did the bits I couldn't legally to do when installing it and the first thing they said on seeing it was "That's neat!". Made my week.

Wickes, I think I recognise the tile

@ChoppingtonOtter

2 жыл бұрын

Yep. Spent this afternoon tiling my own bathroom in the very same tile. The pattern is called Everest .

@Martin19956

2 жыл бұрын

LOL! went there the other week about a bathroom install, and was told there is a 4 month waiting for instalation, must be all the court cases holding them up!

@forbiddenknowledge5722

2 жыл бұрын

100%

@jrainbow83

2 жыл бұрын

Yup. Same tiles in my old bathroom. All from Wickes. Everest.

@darrenburns16

10 ай бұрын

Woman in my work is having horrendous issues with Wickes, ok a kitchen, but they are absolute cowboys.

We had BQ install two bathrooms, the first was fantastic the second…everything leaked and more than once - toilet, sink, shower it would have flooded the house if we hadn’t noticed water running down the wall on the way out. BQ gave us a few hundred pounds by way of compensation but the people they used for that install were shocking, I could have done better and I have no idea. However, we were smart enough to photograph and record every single problem and present it to BQ😬

They’ve got shares in pushfit fittings but with a spare bit of bent copper to use up too (lovely jubbly) how horrendous 😡😡

Seeing things like this all the time in new builds

That shower wasn't fitted by a plumber. It's probably the tiler or the plasterer that's done that.

@SkillBuilder

2 жыл бұрын

Bathroom fitter who does it all I would suggest

@stepbackandthink

7 ай бұрын

@@SkillBuilder A bathroom fitter knows how to solder copper. This was not a bathroom fitter.

As a retired electrical contractor I know what ever you do the cowboys still come crawling out the woodwork . Yes as Roger rightly says they may indeed be under pressure because of limited time , but in my experience the work has probably taken more time to do badly than if done correctly in the first place . And I’m afraid ultimately the core reason is totally lack of ability in the first place . Companies are so desperate to fill places they would higher anyone who can hold a spanner . As my late departed gaffer would say Just because someone has been to college and got the certificate to prove it , doesn’t mean mean there any good at it . And that simple saying can apply to every job in life you can think of . Best wishes to your good self Roger

@davidelliott5843

2 жыл бұрын

Many DIY plumbers are way better than whoever installed this mess. Unfortunately, they don't have the experience to work at the necessary rate..

@officedotie

Жыл бұрын

why do people , keep accepting there under pressure and under payed . Customer pays for it to be done correctly. it the plumbers problem/fault for thaking the work at a cheap price.

I’m a DIY plumber, electrician, painter, bricklayer, car mechanic to the family cars and I find I do a better job that most tradesmen. I know I can spend time on a job, because I’m not earning a living on my own work on my own home, but where’s your professionalism, where’s your pride in the work you do? I look at my work and smile.

@peterryan7827

2 жыл бұрын

My wife and i are both in the exact same position, we do practically everything ourselves apart from getting on the roof, and that's only because i am now 74, and that seems a bit old ,but most of the reasons apart from cost is trying to find someone you can trust to do a decent job,thanks for your post.

There's too much substandard work these days, so please call the bad guys out!

The problem with the sheds is they usually outsource installation to the cheapest fitter. When I worked in a DIY shed during my student days they charged £2k for a bathroom install and £3k for a kitchen install. The management gave the installations to a mate and paid him £800 so they pocketed a minimum of £1200 extra on every kitchen and any hiccups they blamed on the guy that installed it. Head office knew what was going on but didn't care. You can have a cheap kitchen installed well or a expensive kitchen installed badly. Do your homework and don't be afraid to complain at the first cockup

I've just ripped out my old bathroom and installed a new one myself, I've never done it before but i know what's right and what's wrong. I took it right back to the brick work, re plastered it, new floorboards, did all the copper pipework myself, wastes etc, battened around the bath, used better/longer/stronger fixings over what was provided for things like the shower screen, radiator. I over engineered it and i couldn't imagine getting someone in to do it as i know the majority would just want to get it in as fast as possible and be done with it. I wasn't willing to risk that.

Didn't even have the sense to box it in to hide the shoddy job.

😔 2 feet of plasterboard to take down and conceal the pipework jeeze. I bet the fitter says to the clients, trust me I've been doing this for 30 years. What they don't mention is they've been doing it wrong from the beginning. Hats off to a DIY person who is willing to learn, use the right materials and take the time to do the best they can. The amount of trades that I've seen have the f it attitude, it'll do . Does my swede in. Thanks for another eye-opener Roger👍🏼just when I think you couldn't make it up lol

I'm refurbing my bathroom myself, including joists etc.. not a tradesman, my pipework is better than this, I'm comfortable Roger or James would check it and say " it's ok" and maybe offer tips. When I removed my old shower 🤦🤦🤦 the valve was screwed into an old cupboard door, and stud work was pick n mix of old wood. Roger and James and actually Robert C videos has helped me alot so thanks for thu guys! 👍

Cracking pipe work. My bathrooms are to that standard :-)

I can't imagine any contractor here in the US that would think that exposed plumbing like that would be acceptable. Not to mention the holes in the ceiling they ran the pipes through. It reminds me of plumbing I have seen in some countries where they just aren't taught proper practices so they just make it work.

@SkillBuilder

2 жыл бұрын

I don't think it is acceptable here either which is kind of why we made the video.

It's probably a trick of the camera and angles, but it looks like the shower arm is mounted too close to the ceiling to twist it on correctly. What I've done in a similar scenario is to mount a drop ear on a piece of 2x6 mounted towards the back of the studs and then added a 2x4 to the front of the studs for added support during rough-in. You could probably get away with 2x4 in the back but I wanted extra wood for more screws. Mostly, I was worried about the extra leverage of 16"-20" shower arms that many of the rain-fall shower heads require.

@SkillBuilder

2 жыл бұрын

I don't think it is screwed into anything I bet there is a straight female to compression connector in there and it is all that is holding the arm,

@chrisford8403

2 жыл бұрын

​@@SkillBuilder Seems that hacks/cowboys exist in all corners of the world. LOL! The sad part is, doing the job correctly is often the easier route. I would've ceiling mounted the shower head but, I doubt the installer could handle the mud work. As a side note, thanks for the great videos, Roger! I'm a remodeler by trade in the US. My current customer wants wall mounted toilets and the only reason why I took on the job is because of your vids on the Abacus wall frames.

That is not good enough as it has been left, but in defence of the fitter, shower heads and mixer valves often come with no fittings to secure them, so on a retrofit can be tricky. Incidentally, what's wrong with push fit?

That is horrendous. I dread to think what other corners have been cut.

@JohnSmith-kb5ku

2 жыл бұрын

They definitely didn’t cut anything to brace it. That’s for sure.

That is an unbelievable installation.

@number9956

2 жыл бұрын

🤣🤣

We just had our bathroom redone by B&Q and couldn’t have been more lucky with our fitter. He was brilliant and did a superb job, going over and above throughout to give us an excellent finish. Sadly the treatment he has had from B&Q recently has pushed him to do only private work. Seems that the only people that will carry on working for them will be fitters/subcontractors like the one shown in this video.

@SkillBuilder

2 жыл бұрын

We do not know which DIY store it was so we will wait to comment on that

@tectorltdcarpentrybuilding7554

10 ай бұрын

They are terrible the cost to fitt stuff is slave labour

Not good!!!

I had exactly the same thing with an overhead shower install by a largish local company. The showerhead was bodged in with scraps of wood and plastic pipe had been used and not dressed in at all. Big lengths hanging loose in front of the water cylinder. I refused to pay the remaining 50% for the job and got into a bit of a phone battle with them which ended with the boss of the company calling me so I said, "come up and if you are willing to put your company's name to this work, I'll settle today" so he charged up to my house all full of piss and vinegar, took one look in the airing cupboard, and said "Keep it."

arnt we lucky to have Skill Builder, want a super hero

I’ve seen many jobs that have simply looked like a lay person has had a stab at it. Supposed ‘professionals’ who, when you confront them absolutely lose their shit. “I’ve been a plumber for thirty years and I’ve never had anyone complain! This is the way I’ve always done it!” So, you’ve always done a shonky job then? Bad trades people rely on clients not having the confidence to question their work.

Looks like that bottom block of wood is being used to hold the valve in place you can just see the copper spacer they put in behind the wood

That is shocking. Hopefully get it sorted.

Rough that tbf no preparation whatsoever by the look of it! Going to end in tears 😭

Lol what the hell. I am so glad I did my own pipe works. I also used push fit and copper but only when it was needed on odd hard to reach places. under the bathroom floor making sure all fully secured and no leaks and fully tight with a small finger touch of expansion foam on the twisty bit so doesn't undo over the years (I've noticed hot pipes on push fit it slowly undo but very tiny probably takes about 8years till you will notice) Have had no leaks for last 12years. Funny how relatives get theirs done by professionals but end up having leaks within less the one year. They ask me to do it but expect me to do it for free so I stay out of it. Till they try the blame game. Ill just say well in life everything isn't free. Strange they happy to pay strangers but not their own.

@David-bl1bt

2 жыл бұрын

Yep, relatives jobs always cause friction. They dont want cowboys but dont want to pay a professional professional money. There is ALWAYS difference of opinion as to what is value. A relative asked if i would fit 6 new internal doors. I said yes, @£10 per hour, thats half that of a professional joiner. They agreed, then on the friday before I was due to go to do the job the following monday they advised me that they have arranged for a "mate to do it" for them for £15 a door. I had already booked time off to do the job for them and bought some materials. A month later, when visiting them, I inspected the doors that the "mate" fitted. The bathroom door had been overcut on the width so there was a gap on one side, so they nailed a strip of wood in the rebate to make up the bodge. Another diir had been trimmed on one side only instead of both sides, consrquenty it exposed the chipboard core. All had been ruped using a circular saw, the edges hadnt been planed nor sandpapered, so the edges were rough as fu¢$. The toilet door was cut too short leaving a huge gap at the top and wasnt even cut straight. None of the hinges had been rebated into the edge of the door, just surface fitted, some with only 3 screws, some with odd screws. Later in the evening, enquiring whether they were pleased with their new doors, they sheepishly said " not really" and could i take a look at them to "make them fit better" ! Im sure you can guess my response! I now decline any relative requests to do work for them.

I recognize those tiles , I used the same in my en suite ...well known name starts with W and rhymes with sticks...I followed all Rodgers videos and ripped it out to the stud and made good the Abacus element board solution......

@ZenBasses

2 жыл бұрын

My first ever attempt at a bathroom refit

@g7mks383

2 жыл бұрын

Why are you afraid to say Wickes?

The piece of wood is probably holding the shower valve to the wall by wedge force...

That's some of my best work there that's being picked on! 🤠😂

10 to 1 the plumber was presented with a built and tiled shower and told to get on with it. No chance to fit the necessary reinforcing plates. Add the time pressures and this is what you get.

This is the rocket since from genius installers! They took into account reactive force from the water jet which compensates gravity force from the water keeping the setup in equilibrium. That's what happen when you wasting your time in uni instead of taking proper plumbing qualification.

@David-bl1bt

2 жыл бұрын

They will likely have a plumbing qualification... Two weeks on a fast-track college course and you get yer certificate to earn good money 🥴.

Looks like wickes. I done a couple fits for them, if the customer pays 5K for install, we get 2.5K and wickes have the rest. The rates were awful. They even made us pay for hippo bags at the same cost of a decent sized skip... needless to say it didn't last long

@GavinLawrence747

2 жыл бұрын

Was the 5k charge just for labour?!

@paulrayner4514

2 жыл бұрын

I used to sub for Wickes, I never had to pay for a hippo bag.

@nobodydoesithalfasgoodasyou

2 жыл бұрын

Never used Hippo but afaict their business model relies on everyone having heard of them because both times I've needed a ton sack of rubbish clearing there were vastly cheaper alternatives available locally

I reckon I could do a better job fitting that pipe work and the most I’ve done is odd jobs around my current home! Prep for a lead pipe swap over to MDPE and an external tap and that’s the lot! I had my kitchen fitted by Wickes. Lovely kitchen design and products, fitters were a nightmare and I was left without a working kitchen sink for over a month because we kept getting sent one which ended up getting withdrawn due to a manufacturing fault which meant it couldn’t be fitted. Parents had a similar design 6-12 months before I did and it looks fantastic. Fitter went to a real effort despite not being the most personable. Mine looks night and day compared to those with many oversights and aspects of poor workmanship and it still winds me up to set foot in their kitchen! Looking now at an extension and I’d happily buy their products but I wouldn’t go near their fitters again.

Bodge, bodge and bodge again. I got one plumber in as I was too busy to do it my self, ended up I had to train him how to do compression fittings. Then had to take all the stuff he had done out and start again, so net result was longer.

Take the cover cap of the wall arm to see if it’s fixed, duh !

well said roger. 👍

My neighbours employed a plumber who had 'learnt' his trade through a six week course. His previous occupation? Hair dresser! I'm a carpenter and they asked me to reinstate the bathroom floor so I saw the results of the guy's work. What a shambles. Anyway, he soon got his marching orders. Hopefully he's gone back to cutting hair.

@David-mb3eq

2 жыл бұрын

Thats the difference In labour cost £80 a day plumber who done a 6 week course or 200-300 a day for time served well experience plumber who is fully booked a couple weeks in advanced 😉

@Speedkam

2 жыл бұрын

@@David-mb3eq it’s true. People are greedy and then complain at poor craftsmanship

What I don't get is why, when they're using push fit elbows, they are using copper pipe. They must be using it to try and get some structure out of it. Either that or that's what was kicking about in the van.

@paul756uk2

2 жыл бұрын

Yeah I always think that. Either do it all in plastic or all in copper.

@stuartmolyneux64

2 жыл бұрын

I think that sometimes they just want to say that it's been done in copper, but the "plumber" has never learned how to solder so this is the only option they have. Still shocking that people get away with this stuff.

@acciid

2 жыл бұрын

To be fair, this wasn't done by a cowboy. A cowboy would try to cover it up so it wouldn't be discovered until it all fell apart. This guy was just an idiot.

@ChoppingtonOtter

2 жыл бұрын

I'll bet its actually the only way they know how to join pipes. No way was that a proper plumber. That's not even decent by DIY standards.

@Palo-jm7xc

2 жыл бұрын

I reckon it's because the "Plumber" couldn't solder and instead of buying a whole roll of plastic they can just buy what's needed in copper 3m lengths, or because plastic is a pain to get to sit nice without clipping it loads. At least all the pipe and even the fittings could be reused as they have never been soldered.

I'd have taken out the plasterboard between those studs out to get the fixings rock solid and get the plumbing looking neat and boxed it in, but what do I know I'm just a DIYer.

The good points, Nothing is leaking or so it seems, also the fact that he has formed a couple of copper offsets that give me the idea he knows his job to some extent, but the rest of it looks shall we just say a mess, plus that Flexi,i am not sure what that's about at all, am i right in assuming most plumbers today do actually connect all basin taps toilet valves and probably, baths mixers with flexi,s but these are all neatly hidden away,thanks for this post we all enjoyed watching it ,PS the tiling looks ok,

@SkillBuilder

2 жыл бұрын

My suspicion is that he has re-purposed the existing pipework from the old shower. I don't think those bends were done for this job. It is hard to be sure but something is wrong

@peterryan7827

2 жыл бұрын

@@SkillBuilder Yes agree thanks so much for pointing this out .

Continuous Tile pattern not matching either by the looks of it?

Shower fitted "BETWEEN" Tiles in the grout. ding ding ding, Alarm bells.

Defo wicks. Did a massive recruitment for fitters a year ago. Called every bathroom fitting company in the Uk. And spent bundle’s on tv adds. There equipment is comprised of kitchen wall cabinets with legs for bathrooms furniture. Trust me I fitted them. There bad. But to make it worse they charge the fitter 1100 as a admin fee. Lol.

Same guy must have done my shower lol

kin' hell the state of that!

They should have faced the plasterboard wall with Viva board before tiling.

Wow!! That IS a crap job without a doubt. I hope they weren't paid.

I'm currently tiling a bathroom and they do look the same tiles that came from Wickes

@SkillBuilder

2 жыл бұрын

Those tiles are very common.

@normanboyes4983

2 жыл бұрын

@@SkillBuilder Yeah but there is no accounting for taste.😉

Great tiling and bathroom finish, let down by a tragic 'plumber'. I recognise those tiles, wow, shocking that they have no quality control.

Woop woop flexi Friday 😂😂

Yah, I know a few maintenance men who do shabby stuff like this then they call me to correct it after having a catastrophic failure. It is flustering to me, but they pay

@SkillBuilder

2 жыл бұрын

Wickes bathroom

I have a feeling one of my customers used the same company to fit a bathroom for them, needless to say they had to call me in afterwards to put a couple of things right including ventilation!

@michaelbalfour3170

Жыл бұрын

What was wrong with the vents?

that's absolutely terrible! worst case scenario is that they should have built the wall out in order to put the pipework in, not stick it in the cupboard where it's on show for all to see the mind just boggles at how they thought they could get away with that shoddy fitting

The fitters are probably working to a tight set price , its no excuse - but im sure the DIY store is making more profit .

All these comments about 'cowboys'. Roger is correct, people need to wise up. Paying top dollar to a retailer means the retailer takes a fat cut and pays a sub that the customer doesn't know, what little is left. Why do this when you can find a reputable local specialist at the same price? I'm a pro bathroom fitter myself and I've seen the rates these chaps are working to: I couldn't do it and make a living without cutting corners.

Wow. That's pretty appalling.

Done mine similar 15 years ago and it's still fine, seems a bit picky considering some of your older videos of watch especially of screening. Some people learn just like we all did. It might not be ideal but if it works and lasts what the problem 🤷🏽‍♂️

Do you think these boys were around in the 70's Roger ?? ...... There was some REAL Plumbing Antics going on 'everywhere' back then - (Rusty steel nails supporting copper pipes under floorboards/in the attics etc)..... Along with all the other trades as well of course on the Bovis, TaylorWoodrow, CharlesChurch, SNW .... etc,etc,etc 😉😊 ....... Loved the 70's dedication to Hard WORK! ..... BUT!! 🤔🤫

How any self-respecting "tradesman" could walk away from that is beyond me, why didn't he bring the pipework down between the studs?

When you pray for rain you’ll need to deal with mud too

Good on you Roger, use your forum to do some good in the sector. We may think at first that 'name and shame' is a bit below the belt, but what is wrong with making someone answerable for the job they have done.

@SkillBuilder

2 жыл бұрын

It was Wickes

It's a handyman looking job really!. I know solder is heading towards £30 a roll now, maybe the guy ran out of gas in his gas torch or something?. There's a lot more plastic being used these days unfortunately. It's sad it's been thrown in!!.

@chrisford8403

2 жыл бұрын

There's nothing wrong with plastic but, people do the wrong thing with it all the time.

I agree with what you are saying but using a brass 90 would not be possible as you could not screw the shower head arm in because it is to close to the ceiling.

@SkillBuilder

2 жыл бұрын

The arm screws in and then the head is put on. We do it all the time.

@treborriam6191

2 жыл бұрын

@@SkillBuilder sorry Roger, but your reply worries me, yes, I screw the arm in but you can not if it is to close to the ceiling as you have a 90 degree extension on the arm, please think about it before you reply, it makes you look silly, I love your videos.

Why I did my full bathroom reno myself.

Looks like a temporary fix not a new install 😳

@ashbashbaby2

2 жыл бұрын

Looks like a bad DIY job

Wicked 👿 …..I mean Wickes

They would have been better off fitting a ceiling head but it probably still would have been botched. The pipework looks like it wasn't done by an experienced plumber. This is typical work seen in many installs by "bathroom fitters".

Why use push fit fittings, on copper pipe, shocking

Roger - I noticed how carefully you enunciated "Ask Skill Builder". Most of us run it all together and it ends up sounding like "Arse Kill Builder" - not a fate I would wish on you!

@SkillBuilder

2 жыл бұрын

Hi Ian That is great and I am sure some people will hear that. When I first started doing tele the sound man said to me "You are typical of your generation in that you run all your words into one, slow down and imagine you are talking to your deaf Aunti Maud". It is advice I try to remember particularly as many Americans say they find it hard to understand us.

@thegrandmuftiofwakanda

2 жыл бұрын

Hi I'm Rory Frisby from the Arse Pill Dildo channel.

Tiles look shite too - no attempt to match the pattern

@SkillBuilder

2 жыл бұрын

you should never try to match the pattern because at some point it won't work, then it screams at you

People need to say company names instead of hiding the name. They can't sue just for mentioning their name.

Very messy i prefer solid mountings and all soldered joints for something like this wow

I love your videos thanks

Absolutely shocking!!!😆😆😆

This spitting out plumbing work can be put together in one hour. All with closed eyes

if you remove the escutcheon from the wall on the rain-head, it will give you really good idea of how it is fixed to the wall (hopefully it is)

@SkillBuilder

2 жыл бұрын

You are so right but I was thinking they siliconed it to help take out the sag

All you need to do to strengthen the rainfall head is cut a large hole in the plasterboard put a metal plate over the spigot with a 3/4" hole in it and put a 1/2" back nut on it, repair plasterboard hole. job done. can't comment on rest as not enough to see.

Omg unbelievable

Rougher than a badgers......

There’s nothing wrong with push fits and plastic pipe....but did look a bit rushed.

@cornishplumber5051

2 жыл бұрын

A bit.....lol

Customer s want to deal with just the one tradesmen and this many times leads to unqualified people doing certain trades . No way a plumber done that work

No need for that board to be cut and pipework done in cupboard at all do all pipework from bathroom shower wall side with irons mounted on timber between studs for shower head re board that wall cap outlet get tiller in then come back and 2nd fix once all tilled no need for any of that and that flexi a big no no just do it in copper and do it right

What are the chances the tiling is ok? Looks good, but …

A decent jobber would do a better job than that dogs breakfast. I am a retired Joiner & have done more professional plumbing jobs than that ,while I was doing my own job at the same time . That shower has not been installed by any plumber ,the contractor has obviously got a cowboy chancer from the alehouse & paid him cheap cash in hand & pocketed the rest .

@SkillBuilder

2 жыл бұрын

It is a Wickes installation

@maskedavenger2578

2 жыл бұрын

@@SkillBuilder These DIY stores usually have contractors to install kit ,for punters who can’t or don’t want to have a go themselves for extra charge . Some of the dodgy contractors hire chancers cheap cash in hand ,& make on the deal by charging the DIY stores full banana . This usually results in examples of bodgery like we see here .