Hi folks,
Welcome to my seventh spending report where I'll be bringing you up to speed on my progress during the summer months of 2018.
Just in case you're new to this, I'll explain a little bit on what it's about.
Below is a detailed list of all the jobs I've completed during June 2018, split into the little and not-so-little projects. The major projects are ones that take me more than 5 days, the minor ones take 5 days or less.
I've gone into a little detail on each, and will eventually do some detailed how-to blog posts on them in time. Although I don't keep an exact tally of the time it takes me to do each DIY project, I have put a pretty accurate amount of days against each. I've also estimated how much I reckon I've saved by not paying a professional to do the work.
To the right (or below if looking on a phone) is a summary of the whole page. You'll notice that I keep a running tally of the figures that occurred in previous spending reports to give you a good idea of the whole costs.
That's it, enjoy reading folks and I hope you find this information valuable if you're about to start a similar project...
DIY SPENDING SUMMARY
During Summer 2018: £1470.86
Total so far: £16411.91
ESTIMATED MONEY SAVED
During Summer 2018: £2100.00
Total so far: £16875.00
TIME SPENT ON DIY
During Summer 2018: 14 days
Total so far: 100.5 days
NUMBER OF DIY PROJECTS
Small DIY Projects completed in Summer 2018: 0
Total so far: 10
Large DIY Projects completed in Summer 2018: 1
Total so far: 5.5
Decking
I've been taking full advantage of the sunny weather and doing some much needed jobs in the garden. Actually it was just decking, and I dragged it out all summer.... I like building decking!
One of my favourite types of trades is carpentry and joinery and I much prefer working outdoors. This decking took up most of my summer weekends, and I loved it. I decided to go to town and make curved edges so that it flowed around the shrubs.
- Total cost of DIY Project: £1470.86
- Estimated Money Saved: £2100 (14 days for a good carpenter @ £150/day)
- Time Taken: 14 full days
- 1 Large DIY Project
I formed the frame using pressure treated planed all round structural timber and the posts are pressure treated 100mm sq. sawn softwood. The decking boards are Yellow Balau hardwood decking, attached to the frame using stainless steel screws. The joists are spaced about 280mm apart to give a truly solid feel beneath the feet. I've cut the edges in arcs so that it wraps around the existing shrubs nicely.
DIY COST BREAKDOWN (all incl. VAT)
- 26No. lengths of 3.6m long 6" x 2" pressure treated C24 joists - £304.20
- 3No. 2.4m long 100x100mm sq. pressure treated post - £32.22
- 1/2 pack M5 x 50mm long Super Drive screws (Box of 200) - £2.61
- 1 pack M5 x 70mm long Super Drive screws (Box of 100) - £3.79
- 4 packs M5 x 100mm long Super Drive screws (Box of 100) - £22.90
- 1/2 pack M6 x 20mm long Super Drive screws (Box of 50) - £3.13
- 1/2 pack M6 x 150mm long Super Drive screws (Box of 50) - £4.75
- 5No. M10 x 180mm long bolts & nuts - £3.54
- 5No. M10 x 240mm long bolts & nuts - £3.51
- Waste (soil from the post holes - £free (redistributed about my garden)
- 1No roll 1mx15m weedban membrane - £15
- 20No. postcrete bags - £72.36
- 1No. 750ml tin of Ronseal end grain protector - £12.46
- 1/2 tin Black waterproofing paint - £6.00
- 6No. galvanised metal joist hangers - £5.11
- Yellow Balau hardwood deck board 21mm thick x 145mm wide - £909.28
- About 650No. 5.0x60mm Stainless steel decking screws - £70.00