http://www.buildersbox.co.uk/blogs/builders-fun-stuff/ Fun stuff for and about builders - video, games, competitions, and weird stories about construction, building and builders. en Copyright 2008 Fri, 07 Mar 2008 11:29:00 +0000 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss It would not be a shock to learn that most of you probably have no idea what your carbon footprint is. Maybe you don't care, but then again, maybe you do. If the latter is the case, then it is worth checking out the government's latest online carbon calculator. BuildersBox quickly found out that the most important factor was flights, whether long haul or short haul. If you haven't taken many plane journeys recently, chances are that you have a low carbon footprint, regardless of what else you have been up to. ]]> http://www.buildersbox.co.uk/blogs/builders-fun-stuff/2008/03/check-your-carbon-footprint-1.html http://www.buildersbox.co.uk/blogs/builders-fun-stuff/2008/03/check-your-carbon-footprint-1.html Games carbon calculator directgov government website Fri, 07 Mar 2008 11:29:00 +0000 You probably know them well, in fact they probably share an intimate part of your life and memories, but they're not real. The character of a builder has consistently been popular throughout the history of drama on television. It is undoubtedly because the builder can be used to portray an everyman figure for a variety of purposes, not all of them good; sometimes the character is bigoted, angry and violent, sometimes the fall guy, sometimes a pathetic loser. BuildersBox had a long hard think about what are not only the most well known fictional builders, but also the most controversial. The underlying question has to be: do these characters reflect badly on builders in real life? ]]> http://www.buildersbox.co.uk/blogs/builders-fun-stuff/2008/02/top-five-fictional-builders.html http://www.buildersbox.co.uk/blogs/builders-fun-stuff/2008/02/top-five-fictional-builders.html Weird building stories australian soap Coronation Street drama Eastenders fiction Joe Scully Natalie Imbruglia Neighbours soap Television Thu, 14 Feb 2008 09:10:43 +0000 For all of you that have kids, this may be the ideal Christmas present. Sorry to mention the dreaded word so far from its date, but this was just too good to miss. Made by the aptly named American company 'Flying Peas', these construction 'tools' will lighten up the roughest of sustenance. ]]> http://www.buildersbox.co.uk/blogs/builders-fun-stuff/2008/02/constructive-eating-1.html http://www.buildersbox.co.uk/blogs/builders-fun-stuff/2008/02/constructive-eating-1.html Toys building toys cutlery eating Flying Peas food photos plant Mon, 11 Feb 2008 07:38:39 +0000 The only people likely to invest in zero carbon homes are those that believe that they will get similar creature comforts to a normal house but with more environmentally friendly credentials. In order to achieve this, extra money would have to be spent, not less. It would seem that a solution has been made to this economic issue; the mud house. In fact it blows away the other zero carbon opposition as it only costs 300 quid. Whether you would want to live in it though is a different matter altogether. BuildersBox's opinion is that it would be better to spend your money planting a whole forest and carbon offset than live like a medieval peasant. ]]> http://www.buildersbox.co.uk/blogs/builders-fun-stuff/2008/01/the-300-quid-zero-carbon-house.html http://www.buildersbox.co.uk/blogs/builders-fun-stuff/2008/01/the-300-quid-zero-carbon-house.html Weird building stories aluminium energy efficiency Festival of Xtreme Building zero carbon homes Mon, 28 Jan 2008 12:32:11 +0000 Now here's a turn up for the books. It would seem that children are to learn about the pitfalls of shoddy building work and cowboy builders. ]]> http://www.buildersbox.co.uk/blogs/builders-fun-stuff/2008/01/kids-get-taught-about-cowboy-b.html http://www.buildersbox.co.uk/blogs/builders-fun-stuff/2008/01/kids-get-taught-about-cowboy-b.html Cowboy builders Three little cowboys Thu, 24 Jan 2008 14:55:10 +0000 In the grand tradition of using comics to assist kids in learning, the Apollo Group has created the 'The O'Tooles' to illustrate how dangerous building sites are. ]]> http://www.buildersbox.co.uk/blogs/builders-fun-stuff/2007/12/meet-the-otooles.html http://www.buildersbox.co.uk/blogs/builders-fun-stuff/2007/12/meet-the-otooles.html Photos Apollo Group comics construction safety HSE the O'Tooles Thu, 06 Dec 2007 14:30:26 +0000 Here is a bit of a silly one. Some one on YouTube has created a little timelapse film of themselves building a Lego house. But there is a sinister twist in the plot. ]]> http://www.buildersbox.co.uk/blogs/builders-fun-stuff/2007/11/legos-build-it-1.html http://www.buildersbox.co.uk/blogs/builders-fun-stuff/2007/11/legos-build-it-1.html Lego YouTube Fri, 09 Nov 2007 14:44:10 +0000 Everyone likes to make excuses. If you are a builder, the temptation may be there more than in other industries. But what are the best, the most elaborate, or the most silly excuses that builders have ever made for poor work? Sickness, general poor health, 'it's a technical issue', the list runs on and on. Here are a few: ]]> http://www.buildersbox.co.uk/blogs/builders-fun-stuff/2007/10/top-5-builder-excuses-1.html http://www.buildersbox.co.uk/blogs/builders-fun-stuff/2007/10/top-5-builder-excuses-1.html Photos bodges builder building joke video Sat, 13 Oct 2007 11:51:07 +0000 Most offices constantly undergo radical redesigns of space every couple of years, but this example is probably the most extreme that BuildersBox has ever come across. ]]> http://www.buildersbox.co.uk/blogs/builders-fun-stuff/2007/10/the-cheapest-office-cubicle-in-1.html http://www.buildersbox.co.uk/blogs/builders-fun-stuff/2007/10/the-cheapest-office-cubicle-in-1.html Photos booth office photos wooden phones WTF Fri, 12 Oct 2007 11:05:36 +0000 Power tools and pumpkins anyone? Well, it's that time of year again, when people get dressed up in silly costumes, and kids come to your door wanting their next hit of e-numbers. But the real question has to be: how do you carve your pumpkin? ]]> http://www.buildersbox.co.uk/blogs/builders-fun-stuff/2007/10/extreme-pumpkins-1.html http://www.buildersbox.co.uk/blogs/builders-fun-stuff/2007/10/extreme-pumpkins-1.html Weird building stories DIY horror photos Power tools pumpkins Fri, 12 Oct 2007 09:48:14 +0000 The Gripfill Girls are now back due to popular demand. Now gloriously titled the 'G-Force' girls, the company is using them to run a marketing campaign whereby you could win an on-site photoshoot with the buxom ladies. Phoar! BuildersBox doesn't think there are many of you that would turn that offer down. ]]> http://www.buildersbox.co.uk/blogs/builders-fun-stuff/2007/09/the-gripfill-girls-are-back.html http://www.buildersbox.co.uk/blogs/builders-fun-stuff/2007/09/the-gripfill-girls-are-back.html Photos construction joke g-force Gripfill photos promotion Fri, 28 Sep 2007 11:21:16 +0000 What? Books? For builders? That's right, and there are some good ones out there as well. Whether it be a few jokes for the back pocket or a comprehensive guide to building anything, you are sure to find what you are looking for on the web. ]]> http://www.buildersbox.co.uk/blogs/builders-fun-stuff/2007/09/top-five-builders-books.html http://www.buildersbox.co.uk/blogs/builders-fun-stuff/2007/09/top-five-builders-books.html amazon Building books Building Regulations building site jokes Penguin Wickes Mon, 24 Sep 2007 15:31:21 +0000 We all love a good flick, but its even better when we see something that we can relate to. Builders don't get a lot of coverage in films, as their jobs aren't glamorous enough for the bright lights of Hollywood, but every now and again there is the occassional builder nugget for us all to feast on. ]]> http://www.buildersbox.co.uk/blogs/builders-fun-stuff/2007/09/top-five-builderrelated-films.html http://www.buildersbox.co.uk/blogs/builders-fun-stuff/2007/09/top-five-builderrelated-films.html Video Bob the Builder Casino Royale drills Killdozer tools video YouTube Mon, 24 Sep 2007 11:35:45 +0000 More and more nowadays, building and construction finds itself on television. Whether it is DIY or large scale construction projects, there is a wealth of shows across terrestrial and satallite TV. ]]> http://www.buildersbox.co.uk/blogs/builders-fun-stuff/2007/09/top-five-builder-related-telev.html http://www.buildersbox.co.uk/blogs/builders-fun-stuff/2007/09/top-five-builder-related-telev.html Video ABC BBC Changing Rooms DIY SOS Extreme Makeover Home Improvement lifestyle Mon, 24 Sep 2007 10:55:17 +0000 cup of tea in Britain is the worst in the world. ]]> http://www.buildersbox.co.uk/blogs/builders-fun-stuff/2007/09/top-five-builder-teas.html http://www.buildersbox.co.uk/blogs/builders-fun-stuff/2007/09/top-five-builder-teas.html Asda breaks food Make mine a builders Tea Tesco Tetley Yorkshire tea Mon, 24 Sep 2007 10:28:05 +0000