Trev

thanks all, the missus found somewhere online that sells home mover packs. wasn't cheap but its one more thing to tick off my 6 foot list of things to do.

Where's the cheapest place to get large rolls of bubble wrap and large cardboard boxes? Have a house move on the cards and we need to start packing up our belongings.

Looking for a removal firm for a full house (4 bedroom) from S13 to SR6. No confirmed completion date as yet but we're aiming for mid-November.

Thanks for the feedback all, its greatly appreciated We did think about de-personalising by removing family photos/pictures but the estate agent advised against this stating it would appear 'unlived in'. Given several of you have suggested this i think we will give it ago anyhow, got nothing to lose. We will also tame the kids bedrooms by re-painting them with a more neutral colour. Other than removing pictures i'm not sure how else we can de-cluster. We're pretty minimalistic and don't have many ornaments, chints, etc. In regards to location I agree Woodhouse isn't quite on the same par as Ecclesall or Whirlow but at the same time your not going to get a 4 bed detached house for around £200k in those areas. We moved to Woodhouse 7 years ago and have never had any problems. The neighbours are friendly and everyone keeps their houses well maintained & tidy. The estate is also surrounded by Smelter woods and is fairly picturesque considering its an urban area. We haven't had very long to give a fair opinion of Pinks but so far they pretty much seem like all other estate agents. The only difference is you are expected to do the viewings but this is understandable considering they only charged £600+vat fee (upfront). Blundell's on the other hand wanted upfront fees + completion fees totalling roughly £3k. I suppose you get what you pay for? Also, given Christmas is now is less than 4 months away, I assume the property market will start slowing down now? Is September still a fairly busy time or have we seen the best of it already? Thanks again to all

We have had our house on the market for around 7 weeks now. I know this is relatively a short time and we have had 6 viewers to date, however, we have yet to receive an offer. In terms of feedback we have only managed to get a response from 2 of the viewers, which were: "slightly too small for their needs" and "too far from their children's school". Any constructive opinions or suggestions on presenting the property better or making it more appealing? We have reduced the price significantly and its now £10k below the lowest of 3 valuations. http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-35459316.html

Thanks all. I passed in 98. Just dug out my license and it states category B and B1 so looks like I can only go up to 3.5 tonne. To be fair not sure if i'd fancy driving anything above that. Any recommendation on cheap local van hire firms? Also, as mentioned I've driven a Luton a couple of times in the past but it looks like the Sprinter offers the same capacity. Is one easier to drive than the other?

What's the largest van your can hire with a standard drivers license? I've had a Luton before but was wondering if there's anything bigger you can legally drive with a standard drivers license. Also any recommendations on van hire firms at good rates?

Bought our current house almost 10 years ago so we're a bit out of date with the whole house selling/estate agent game. I think we sold our previous house on 2-3% commission arrangement with a no sale no fee clause. Is this still the norm? Also, a friend used 2Roost who charged a much cheaper up front fee and managed to sell in a week. However, i'm a little put off as there's a house down the street that's been advertised with 2Roost for 5+ years. Looking at their website it looks like there's little incentive for them to sell your house once they've got their up front fee? Any advise or tips would be appreciated.

Anyone know of an appliance/kitchen store that stock built-in ceramic hobs in or around Sheffield. Managed to break ours last night and now struggling to find anyone who stocks or can deliver within a day or two. Tried Currys, Argos, B&Q, etc but they're all online order only with 2-3 weeks delivery. Naturally our old hob is a bit of an odd size (750x490mm) so we need something of the same dimensions otherwise we'll have to replace the worktops too.

our car is due a service/mot in the next week or two and the missus pointed out this groupon deal (must be back on again). seems like a very good price but just wanted to know if others have used this garage. don't want to use them if they give me a good price for a service then charge me inflated prices for mot/repair work etc.

Anyone know where I can buy acrylic rods in or around Sheffield?

Yes I tried the reg on the Toyota site and it was also saying 'full+'. Once I put the reg in it doesn't allow me to change the service type. I even had an argument with the receptionist at Burrows but all she said was they used a Toyota computerised system and it saying it has to be a full+ service. As mentioned the full+ includes a air filter and spark plug change but costs £75 more. I know the air filters cost less the a tenner and the car has only done 34k, spark plugs not due to be changed for another 26k! I couldn't be bothered to mess about so have just booked it in. It wont be going back there next year as the warranty will have expired.

After a few sheets of glass or acrylic cut to a specific size. Where the cheapest please in Sheffield/Rotherham to get this done?

Just been stuck £285 to get the other half's car services & mot'd (is under warranty so used a main dealer garage). I now need new discs and pads fitted (front and back) on my Vectra C. I've rang a couple of local garages and best price I've had so far is £240. I know the parts cost less than £80 so that's £160 for a couple of hours labour. Does that sound about right or could I do better?

Yeah both Burrows and Gordon Lamb have said its 'Toyota fixed price servicing'. According to Toyota a 4 year old Aygo needs a 'Full+ Service'. The only difference between a full and full+ is the spark plugs and air filter, oh and about £75. The bit that really pee's me off is its only done 34k mileage. Toyota recommends the spark plugs are changed every 60k. Its all just money making process, needless to say I will be using small independent garages next year as it will be 5 years old and no longer under warranty anyhow.

Looks like a 4yr service on an Aygo is a full one. Just tried Gordon Lamb and they're quoting a similar price as to Burrows. I'm sure a main dealer service and a back street garage service are different. The dealer probably adds smaller items and unnecessary quick/simple checks to give the impression your getting more for your money.

I've just rang the first Toyota approved garage that Google suggested which was Burrows. They want £295.00 for a 4yr service and mot. The back street garage down the road (not Toyota approved) quoted £115.00, less than half price... shocking!

The wife's Aygo is due a mot & service. As its got a years warranty remaining i'm led to believe it needs servicing by a Toyota approved garage. I've always found the main dealer garages over priced. Any recommendations or suggestions appreciated

Need some high gloss kitchen cabinet doors for a cabinet I'm making. Where's the cheap place in south Yorkshire to get these?

Dragging up an old post here but thought i'd share my findings for anyone interested in Marine/Reef suppliers in the area: - Sea Store Aquatics (Rotherham) fair range of stock, probably best in the South Yorkshire area - Reef Store Aquatics (Dinnington) recently opened and looks promising. I think its ran by the previous owner of the above. Only been once so far and they were still in the process of stocking the tanks/shelves but prices were good. - Mastin Moor Aquatics (Chesterfield) mixture of tropical and marine stock. - Mill Pets at Mill Gardens (Chesterfield) good range of stock but a little pricey. - Sheffield Aquatics (Sheffield) limited marine stock and imo needs a tidy up. - Dobbies Garden Centre (Chesterfield) limited marine stock but worth a visit if in the area. - Viscum (Doncaster) fair range of stock but a little pricy. If you're willing to go further a field then Abyss in Stockport is great, Wharf Aquatics in Pinxton and Interfish in Wakefield aint too bad either.

Just to add to this, I've just ordered a 4ft customer built tank and sump from Jungle Pets based in Buxton. Very competitive prices and should be arriving in the next week or two. Will confirm quality

I also came a cross these guys who are based in Sheffield http://www.fitfiltration.co.uk Seemed a little pricey to me but maybe worth looking into.

Not sure what you class as 'cheap' but there's a guy based in Leeds who makes acrylic tanks. These are usually much cheaper than your traditional toughened glass aquarium. I think he can pretty much do any dimensions and also advertises on fleabay too. Can’t vouch for him or acrylic tanks, just something I came across a few months back when looking for a new tank.

Sheffield Aquatics has a very limited selection. Seastore Aquatics is a great new shop, lots of selection. Having just finished cycling my first marine tank i'm going back there myself this weekend for some live-stock and supplies.

Sorry to drag up an old thread but having recently got into saltwater fishkeeping I was wondering where people go for local marine supplies/stock these days? I've been to Sheffield Aquatics, Wards Garden Centre and recently Sea Store Aquatics in Rotherham to gets bits and pieces but now need some live-stock. I've heard good things about Wharf Aquatic, is it worth the trip or is there anything closer (I'm in S13) which is just as good and/or more reasonable.