dodgy electrics....legal !!.

[middi]

Thames TV phoned me at the begining of the week, as they had seen my restoration programme, wondered why I had not entered the restoration for grand design of the year award. I didn't have a clue as to what they were talking about untill the young lady explained. I said would go on their webb site and look at rules of entry and criteria.

After reading loads of waffle in the small print I ended up browsing their homes disc.forum. A topic posted by one of their new members requested advise on how to claim back the electricity which he had paid (for the past four years) for his next door neighbour( which he was very friendly with)

The neighbours lived in converted house flats which the landlord had purchased ( already converted) . One of the neighbours was having serious problems because the RCB kept tripping, he called an emergency electician which tested the system .He found out that the double socket below the kitchen w/top was wired back to back into his next door neghbour kitchen and connected to his ring main. His neighbour was running an electric cooker and the washmachine from it. ( :shock: :? :lol: :lol: :lol:
:lol.

Apparently everybody shug their shoulders when asked for some reibursement. The consensus in the relies appeared to be that he may never get the money back.

( I only mentioned this post because it reminded me of Penners and his cooker).

 

[MdB]

I'm not sure if I posted this here before but I had a friend who's house managed to get wired to the local street lights. They ended up with a stupidly large bill which they complained about. The electricity board wouldn't believe the cause was the street lights until they finally sent someone around at night and watched them switch the street lights on and off using the master switch on their fuse box. They got their bill scrapped but I never found out how on earth this wiring mistake could of occurred in the first place.

 

[KN]

Middi if you enter the GD awards beware, they expect you to pay for your own travel and hotel in London even if you win. Then the prize is a night in a Novohotel :lol: Bradford being one of the choices :shock:

Good luck.

Karen

 

[middi]

Apparently they will pay for travel expenses "to be agreed beforehand" , they say.

I wished that the first prize was a hotel in Bradford, Karen, according to them all one gets is a GD plaque which one can " proudly" display on their property ( BIG DEAL !!!!!).

 

[KN]

No plaques last year mind you we would need Ancient Monument Consent to put it up I just had a lump a big bit of steel round London for the weekend. Did you notice they want you to open your house up to the public as well.
In fact I remember we were entered with out being even asked.I was really annoyed that we won and they still wouldn't pay the train fare. So are you entering, do you still have to pay to enter?

Karen

 

[Ian Bond]

Middi if you enter the GD awards beware, they expect you to pay for your own travel and hotel in London even if you win. Then the prize is a night in a Novohotel :lol: Bradford being one of the choices :shock:

Good luck.

Karen

Pity poor Bradford!

The lucky winner could come and visit Bolling Hall, and perhaps see the spooky ghost ....

http://www.bolling.net/ghost.html

 

[middi]

No entry fee required( just as well !!!).
I E-mailed them all the bits & pieces as requested. let's see what happens ( not a lot if I am going to be out of pocket !!!).

They did say that I would have to open the house to the public for a few hours on a day of my choise. I am OK with this, a lot of people come and go most of the time anyway.

It breaks the monotony of permanently working on the restoration of my daughters cottage just opposite.

 

[Gervase]

Oops, we were contacted too. I'm afraid my child bride told them to bog off as the place still wasn't finished because I was doing other people's places. Then the fraffly naicely-spoken gel at the other end (Chlamydia Strangely-Browne, I think she said) asked if any of those other people would be willing to have their houses in the GD conservation section, and M-J then had to explain that none of their houses was finished either. In then end the poor researcher conceded with a heartfelt sigh, 'I suppose it's something that goes with doing up an old house...'

 

[Nemesis]

Um - I got asked if I knew anyone interested in entering, I forgot to ask here.

If anyone is interested in entering the conservation bit I have the details or contact Catherine at SAVE.

 

[middi]

I might be wrong but, the vibes I get is that they are struggling to get the applicants simply due to the reasons that Gervase mentioned, they also asked me about suitable applicants and i gave the same reasons as Gervase, not finished, not started, taking too long or just that some people cannot be bothered mainly due to the lack of of any real reward for the eventual winners.

The rules and conditions for application are very strict and quite professional. Let's face it, it is another advertising money spinner in a well established home series.

The deadline has been extended for a couple of weeks ( I think )

As far as I am concerned it is all a bit of unexpected fun. ( as long as it does not cost me anything !! )

 

[KN]

Middi if you entered will you go to the £180 a head evening do? All the short listed entrants will be there, have they said that they will pay for that?
Last year there were tables of mainly Architects and corporate people hoping to win and put a sticker on their stands and the Exhibition. All the winners where interviewed afterwards too for a video.

Hope you win

Karen

 

[middi]

What ?????. £180 evening do. Only if they pay for it. They didn't mention anything about that.

Let us see what happens. ( it is getting less and less attractive considering the time one has to give up for a "gong" )

As I said, I do not want to be out of pocket whilst contributing to people keeping their jobs whilst they smile at you. It must be free fun as far as am concerned.

 

[KN]

Don't forget you need to buy a dinner jacket too as it's black tie do and the wife will need a new gown :shock:

Karen

 

[Penners]

the prize is a night in a Novohotel in Bradford

Second prize is two nights in a Novotel in Bradford.

Thanks for remembering my cooker problem Middi. It came to a head last week when Mrs P switched on the cooker switch on the wall, and a blue flash shot out of its accompanying plug socket!

When I dismantled the switch (installed by our predecessors here, I hasten to add) I found (a) no yellow/green sleeving on the earth conductors, and (b) the live and neutral insulation nicked in several places, and the wires crossed so that they touched. At one of these nicks a dead short had occurred. Needless to say there was a lot of black mess and the neutral conductor was pretty much powder!

I have been undertaking a programme of inspection of the rest of the plug sockets in the house!

Thank goodness for MCB's and RCD's.

 

[Penners]

Chlamydia Strangely-Browne

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Did she have an infectious laugh?


I'd love to see you win, Middi, but it does sound like something of a poisoned chalice.

 

[KN]

Well at least 2 nights is an improvement on last year. We never used ours as it had a time limit of end of 2007 and with finishing the house and starting the B&B there just wasn't time. I did think it would be great to use it at the abroad ones rather than Bradford but it wasn't allowed :?

Everyone said why would you want to go to a novohotel when you can stay in your own house for a night

 

[Penners]

Everyone said why would you want to go to a novohotel when you can stay in your own house for a night

It's a fair question...

 

[middi]

I dont think they are that bad Penners.

( The winners just get the chalice, the poison is not free :wink: )

 

[Penners]

( The winners just get the chalice, the poison is not free :wink: )

Hopefully you'll save yourself some money, then!