Post by woodbine66 on Apr 7, 2021 20:32:47 GMT
I wouldn't buy anything newer than 70s, preferably earlier. My parents bought a new build in 1961 and still live in it. All the plumbing is quality and you can see the effort and good quality materials put into making something that would last. Just as well, as my old man is tight as 2 coats of paint and most of the plumbing is still there. Heavier gauge copper pipes all sweated joints just as good as the day they were installed. Original CI stack and still got original copper waste pipes and copper trap under original kitchen sink. Had to change the original kitchen pillar taps 6 years ago, as they were just too worn out to be serviced again. Threads gone in the valve - as I said, 2 coats of paint. 
Still got original rads in hall and bathroom, but I've changed the others as the system was changed over from solid fuel BB and primatic (BB had split in it) to combi in 1986 - in went a Vaillant Sine. Then changed to Turbomax in 2004.
Still got original rads in hall and bathroom, but I've changed the others as the system was changed over from solid fuel BB and primatic (BB had split in it) to combi in 1986 - in went a Vaillant Sine. Then changed to Turbomax in 2004.I remember when they built a massive new housing estate on edge of Bristol in late 80s/early 90s and they were throwing the houses up. Lovell Homes fcked up with their mortar mix which made walls weak. Saw on tv news you could just push a garden wall over with bare hands. Quite a few houses had to be demolished because they couldn't remedy the mortar in the house walls.
There's a council estate near me, mainly built in 30s and 50s, and the houses are built properly. Lots of people are buying these, and the semis are quite expensive. Even council houses were built better than the private houses they knock up these days. (No disrespect to the artisans involved today who must have to lower themselves to have to work with such low grade materials. 
)
) Social Housing is just as crap as the Spec Builds these days. Council Houses pre 1970 were quality builds.
Second oldest son bought a ex-Council house(circa. 1965) in Welwyn Garden City, it’s like a brick shit house, really well built👍👍
Most Council House Sites had a COW & then used quality materials.
The house bashers on New Builds are semi-skilled, fuck all is Level, Straight or Square. Most are Timer Frame, it shrinks & twists.
Takes years to dry out & the soft wood they use is complete crap!! All the doors, skirtings, facings etc are all MDF - cardboard shite!!
Me & most of my colleges are a bit Old Skool & try to leave a good job, but the young Pups don’t give a fuck & throw it in!!
I do lots of Second Fix & Water testing etc.......If you don’t know who’s thrown it in, you have a pack of Glass Wool insulation to hand to mop up the floods!! But there’s a couple of us, where you can turn the water on & walk out the door. It’s fun & it suits me, good money & stress free.
I know an old painter and decorator who started on council maintenance from school and did his apprenticeship there. Even council maintenance was properly done then, he tells me of spending several years of his early apprentice as a dogsbody burning paint off all day with a blow lamp. Can't imagine taking that kind of time these days.
Yes, the Sine was quality, but wasn't it ever complicated? Only Vaillant and a handfull of few really skilled engineers knew how they ticked. It got too expensive to maintain when it started getting older. Remember the videos when even someone like Heating Geek was tearing his hair out with a Sine. The Turbo Plus is a much better boiler in that it is quality, but really simple too. 17 years old now, and runs as good as new. Few new bits over the years, but nothing major. Just a pump and couple of di valves. Many more years of life left in it.
