Boxing in a gas back boiler ?

[Andy Dingley]

Happened to be watching TV yesterday. I don't have one myself (rants passim) but I was visiting a friend who is always glued to the house p*rn channel. Linda Barker was on, repainting someone's house. It was quite a funny show anyway - it looked like Changing Rooms had only just left, but la Barker proceeded to cover the kitchen cabinet doors with ugly dark brown woodgrain sticky-backed plastic and take it right back to the worst of the '70s.

The weirdest part was a nice lounge, spoiled by an ugly gas fire with back boiler. As the inhabitants apparently never used it as a fire, they proceeded to entomb the whole thing in some faked-up mantelthing of MDF. And for ventilation they left about half-a-dozen 3/4" (at most) driled holes.

Any of the resident gassers care to comment ?

[BillR]

Wasn't it one of those progs where they are only tarting up a house to sell it?

[Andy Dingley]

"House Invaders", AFAIR, and I think they were planning to stay there.

[Reestit Mutton]

From what I've seen of these programs they'd better damn well be planning on staying as noone in their right mind would touch anything that is advertised as "as featured on BBC daytime TV" with the proverbial bargepole.

Worst of the lot is "trading up" which is fronted by two rather effeminate scots guys. They find a property for a potential buyer, and help the owner do it up before the buyer comes to view. Invariably, the program always seems to end along the lines of "well, this buyer may not have been interested but the property will surely appeal to someone else". This particular program could do with a "whatever happened to...?" update as it would be hilarious to see the number of properties where their work had to be undone in order to sell.

RM

[Andy Dingley]

But don't you just remove the thing entirely, and have a flush wall ?

-- Die Gotterspammerung - Junkmail of the Gods

[Reestit Mutton]

Not if you're too tight to actually pay for the work and you think that inviting the BBC into your home is the cheapest/best way to tart up your home in under 48 hours.

RM

[John Stumbles]

And a RIDDOR, don't you think?

-- John Stumbles

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-+ procrastinate now!

[Ed Sirett]

Decommissioning is not the same as removal. Perhaps the owner did not have sufficient funds to have the BBU+fire removed - but the contraption is no longer in use? Besides there is no small ammount of making good likely to be required after the BBU has been lugged out.

[Ed Sirett]

Yep! Bringing one of those media bods to book for wrecking someones home and turning it into a TV set would be almost as heart warming as the gas fire itself. 8-)