Back in the 4th floor flat again today, one of the jobs was to fit a bath
panel.

Lady had the bath installed 2 years ago by an installer suggested by MFI
(where she ordered the bath).

Panel was 2" too short. Not surprising as the bath 'feet' were on 2" thick
timbers.

Conversation with the lady revealed that the installer had promised several
times to return & fit the panel.

Turned out that the tiles above the bath were already in place & the
installer had raised the bath by 2" so it met the tiles, obviously not
considering the size of the bath panel.

The mind boggles.


--
Dave
The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk
01634 717930
07850 597257

The Medway Handyman wrote:

Back in the 4th floor flat again today, one of the jobs was to fit a bath
panel.

Lady had the bath installed 2 years ago by an installer suggested by MFI
(where she ordered the bath).

Panel was 2" too short. Not surprising as the bath 'feet' were on 2" thick
timbers.

Conversation with the lady revealed that the installer had promised several
times to return & fit the panel.

Turned out that the tiles above the bath were already in place & the
installer had raised the bath by 2" so it met the tiles, obviously not
considering the size of the bath panel.

The mind boggles.

Some tradesman would be best advised to cease trading before they lose
everything. Some people just dont know how much they dont know. Just
be grateful he didnt leave an array of 1" sharp screw points sticking
out at the customer.


NT

wrote:
The Medway Handyman wrote:

Back in the 4th floor flat again today, one of the jobs was to fit a bath
panel.

Lady had the bath installed 2 years ago by an installer suggested by MFI
(where she ordered the bath).

Panel was 2" too short. Not surprising as the bath 'feet' were on 2" thick
timbers.

Conversation with the lady revealed that the installer had promised several
times to return & fit the panel.

Turned out that the tiles above the bath were already in place & the
installer had raised the bath by 2" so it met the tiles, obviously not
considering the size of the bath panel.

The mind boggles.

Some tradesman would be best advised to cease trading before they lose
everything. Some people just dont know how much they dont know. Just
be grateful he didnt leave an array of 1" sharp screw points sticking
out at the customer.

In the guy's defence, it's conceivable that he *might* have originally
offered the customer the alternative of a proper job, ie including
retiling, or a cheaper option as carried out (although if so, it doesn't
excuse not fitting the bath panel).

David

"Lobster" wrote in message
...
wrote:
The Medway Handyman wrote:

Back in the 4th floor flat again today, one of the jobs was to fit a
bath
panel.

Lady had the bath installed 2 years ago by an installer suggested by MFI
(where she ordered the bath).

Panel was 2" too short. Not surprising as the bath 'feet' were on 2"
thick
timbers.

Conversation with the lady revealed that the installer had promised
several
times to return & fit the panel.

Turned out that the tiles above the bath were already in place & the
installer had raised the bath by 2" so it met the tiles, obviously not
considering the size of the bath panel.

The mind boggles.

Some tradesman would be best advised to cease trading before they lose
everything. Some people just dont know how much they dont know. Just
be grateful he didnt leave an array of 1" sharp screw points sticking
out at the customer.

In the guy's defence, it's conceivable that he *might* have originally
offered the customer the alternative of a proper job, ie including
retiling, or a cheaper option as carried out (although if so, it doesn't
excuse not fitting the bath panel).

I recently stayed in a B&B where the bath had been replaced
and a single row of non matching tiles had been stuck
above the bath on top of the old tiles. It looked b****y
stupid!

tim

).

I recently stayed in a B&B where the bath had been replaced
and a single row of non matching tiles had been stuck
above the bath on top of the old tiles. It looked b****y
stupid!


And another thing...
....When you get a tiny square shower cubical why don't
they fit the shower head at or near one of the rear corners
instead of the middle of the back wall.

And why we are at it, why is the toilet paper holder in
the most inaccessible place.

At least they don't "chain" the TV remote to the bed-head
anymore. I haven't seen that done for a while.
It used to be quite common even in quite posh hotels.

--
Graham.
%Profound_observation%

On 2007-09-12 14:30:00 +0100, "Graham." said:

).

I recently stayed in a B&B where the bath had been replaced
and a single row of non matching tiles had been stuck
above the bath on top of the old tiles. It looked b****y
stupid!


And another thing...
...When you get a tiny square shower cubical why don't
they fit the shower head at or near one of the rear corners
instead of the middle of the back wall.

And why we are at it, why is the toilet paper holder in
the most inaccessible place.

At least they don't "chain" the TV remote to the bed-head
anymore. I haven't seen that done for a while.
It used to be quite common even in quite posh hotels.

Try Formule 1 in France.

These have the TV remote in a plastic box and you operate the buttons
through holes.

Fortunately Accor has some better brands where this isn't the case.

Unfortunately I stay in far too many hotels to describe any of them as
"posh". It's more a case of which are the least bad.

"The Medway Handyman" wrote in message
. uk...
Back in the 4th floor flat again today, one of the jobs was to fit a bath
panel.

Lady had the bath installed 2 years ago by an installer suggested by MFI
(where she ordered the bath).

Panel was 2" too short. Not surprising as the bath 'feet' were on 2"
thick
timbers.

Conversation with the lady revealed that the installer had promised
several
times to return & fit the panel.

Turned out that the tiles above the bath were already in place & the
installer had raised the bath by 2" so it met the tiles, obviously not
considering the size of the bath panel.

The mind boggles.


--
Dave
The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk
01634 717930
07850 597257



Since the tiles were already in place it was hardly the previous guys fault
ie he had to raise the bath on 2" noggins to bring it level with the tiles.
Who knows what the excuse was about the panel being short and lets face it
certainly wouldn't have been left undone if the woman had the bill to pay
when the job was completed?

On Tue, 11 Sep 2007 22:50:51 GMT, "The Medway Handyman"
wrote:

Back in the 4th floor flat again today, one of the jobs was to fit a bath
panel.

Lady had the bath installed 2 years ago by an installer suggested by MFI
(where she ordered the bath).

Panel was 2" too short. Not surprising as the bath 'feet' were on 2" thick
timbers.

Conversation with the lady revealed that the installer had promised several
times to return & fit the panel.

Turned out that the tiles above the bath were already in place & the
installer had raised the bath by 2" so it met the tiles, obviously not
considering the size of the bath panel.

The mind boggles.

Get her to report him to trading standards.

--
http://www.orderonlinepickupinstore.co.uk
Ah fetch it yourself if you can't wait for delivery
http://www.freedeliveryuk.co.uk
Or get it delivered for free

"The Medway Handyman" wrote in message
. uk...
Back in the 4th floor flat again today, one of the jobs was to fit a bath
panel.



By the way what did you do for the job?

George wrote:
"The Medway Handyman" wrote in
message . uk...
Back in the 4th floor flat again today, one of the jobs was to fit a
bath panel.



By the way what did you do for the job?

Fixed some timber to the floor to bring the panel up so it would tuck under
the bath, primed it & sealed it with silicone. Lady will top coat it.

Didn't look too bad at all.


--
Dave
The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk
01634 717930
07850 597257

On 2007-09-12 16:25:34 +0100, "The Medway Handyman"
said:

George wrote:
"The Medway Handyman" wrote in
message . uk...
Back in the 4th floor flat again today, one of the jobs was to fit a
bath panel.



By the way what did you do for the job?

Fixed some timber to the floor to bring the panel up so it would tuck under
the bath, primed it & sealed it with silicone. Lady will top coat it.

Didn't look too bad at all.

What about the panel?

On Thu, 13 Sep 2007 05:33:35 +0100, Andy Hall
wrote:

On 2007-09-12 16:25:34 +0100, "The Medway Handyman"
said:

George wrote:
"The Medway Handyman" wrote in
message . uk...
Back in the 4th floor flat again today, one of the jobs was to fit a
bath panel.



By the way what did you do for the job?

Fixed some timber to the floor to bring the panel up so it would tuck under
the bath, primed it & sealed it with silicone. Lady will top coat it.

Didn't look too bad at all.

What about the panel?


yea marks out of 10?

"The Medway Handyman" wrote in message
. uk...
Back in the 4th floor flat again today, one of the jobs was to fit a bath
panel.

Boy, you get all the big jobs don't you :-)

tim

tim..... wrote:
"The Medway Handyman" wrote in
message . uk...
Back in the 4th floor flat again today, one of the jobs was to fit a
bath panel.

Boy, you get all the big jobs don't you :-)


I don't want big jobs. I regularly turn down complete bathrooms or
kitchens.

I can earn more doing 2 or 3 smaller jobs with less hassle.


--
Dave
The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk
01634 717930
07850 597257

"The Medway Handyman" wrote in message
.uk...
tim..... wrote:
"The Medway Handyman" wrote in
message . uk...
Back in the 4th floor flat again today, one of the jobs was to fit a
bath panel.

Boy, you get all the big jobs don't you :-)


I don't want big jobs. I regularly turn down complete bathrooms or
kitchens.

That I can understand.

But there's small and there's *small*!

I can earn more doing 2 or 3 smaller jobs with less hassle.

Can you really get enough work just doing small jobs
(genuinely interested).

tim

tim..... wrote:
"The Medway Handyman" wrote in
message .uk...
tim..... wrote:
"The Medway Handyman" wrote in
message . uk...
Back in the 4th floor flat again today, one of the jobs was to fit
a bath panel.

Boy, you get all the big jobs don't you :-)


I don't want big jobs. I regularly turn down complete bathrooms or
kitchens.

That I can understand.

But there's small and there's *small*!

I can earn more doing 2 or 3 smaller jobs with less hassle.

Can you really get enough work just doing small jobs
(genuinely interested).

Absolutely. I'm currently booked solid until the 8 October with more jobs
coming in every day. Smallest job I've ever done is to change a single
light bulb - albeit 30' above a stairwell.

Two jobs today. Lady with a blocked gutter on an extension & some flatpack
drawers that had falled apart. Second was a church with a door parted from
the top hinge & a Yale lock that wouldn't shut properly. Took £180 labour
only.

Thats where the niche market is for me. Lady called today, wants 1 x
mirror, 2 x pictures & 2 x shelves fixing to walls. She had called 6 other
firms who all said the job was too small. That will take an hour for £45
leaving most of the day free for other jobs.

Sparkies are all Part P organised, plumbers are all CORGI registered, so
can't afford to take on smaller jobs. Putting up a new light fitting or
changing a tap washer are jobs they can't be bothered with.

My charges are geared to pay me more for smaller jobs see
http://www.medwayhandyman.co.uk/charges.htm

Three calls came in today for small jobs, 1 of which I've probably lost
because I can't do it for 3 weeks.

My 'tag line' is "For all those little jobs that need to be done".

If I get a call asking for an estimate and they say they have 2 other
companies giving quotes, I just turn it down - can't be arsed to compete.

The market for small jobs is huge & very profitable. That's the secret to
this handyman malarky.


--
Dave
The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk
01634 717930
07850 597257

"The Medway Handyman" wrote in message
. uk...
tim..... wrote:
"The Medway Handyman" wrote in
message .uk...
tim..... wrote:
"The Medway Handyman" wrote in
message . uk...
Back in the 4th floor flat again today, one of the jobs was to fit
a bath panel.

Boy, you get all the big jobs don't you :-)


I don't want big jobs. I regularly turn down complete bathrooms or
kitchens.

That I can understand.

But there's small and there's *small*!

I can earn more doing 2 or 3 smaller jobs with less hassle.

Can you really get enough work just doing small jobs
(genuinely interested).

Absolutely. I'm currently booked solid until the 8 October with more jobs
coming in every day. Smallest job I've ever done is to change a single
light bulb - albeit 30' above a stairwell.

Two jobs today. Lady with a blocked gutter on an extension & some
flatpack drawers that had falled apart. Second was a church with a door
parted from the top hinge & a Yale lock that wouldn't shut properly. Took
£180 labour only.

Thats where the niche market is for me. Lady called today, wants 1 x
mirror, 2 x pictures & 2 x shelves fixing to walls. She had called 6
other firms who all said the job was too small. That will take an hour
for £45 leaving most of the day free for other jobs.

Sparkies are all Part P organised, plumbers are all CORGI registered, so
can't afford to take on smaller jobs. Putting up a new light fitting or
changing a tap washer are jobs they can't be bothered with.

My charges are geared to pay me more for smaller jobs see
http://www.medwayhandyman.co.uk/charges.htm

Three calls came in today for small jobs, 1 of which I've probably lost
because I can't do it for 3 weeks.

My 'tag line' is "For all those little jobs that need to be done".

If I get a call asking for an estimate and they say they have 2 other
companies giving quotes, I just turn it down - can't be arsed to compete.

The market for small jobs is huge & very profitable. That's the secret to
this handyman malarky.

That's interesting.

It's just that it's the opposite of what the guy from Cambridge
who came here 3-4 years ago said (I wonder if he's still
lurking?).

Some of you will remember that he moved over to trying out
being a handyman, as he was then finding little work in IT
due to ageism (which is pretty much where I am now).

After about 2 years he gave it up because he couldn't find
enough small customers to make it worthwhile. He said
that there was enough work if he was prepared to take on
the bigger jobs but that he didn't want to (or couldn't) do
that.

I wonder if your high density location is the difference?

tim

On Wed, 12 Sep 2007 21:26:37 +0000, The Medway Handyman wrote:

tim..... wrote:

Can you really get enough work just doing small jobs
(genuinely interested).

Absolutely. I'm currently booked solid until the 8 October with more jobs
coming in every day. Smallest job I've ever done is to change a single
light bulb - albeit 30' above a stairwell.
....
The market for small jobs is huge & very profitable. That's the secret
to this handyman malarky.

Agreed but how do you juggle the timings? The problem I find is that the
job that ought to take 5 minutes takes half the day and then you're phoning
up the next person to put them off. Or the half day job takes 5 minutes or
the client is out or whatever and you've got to find something else to do.

My ideal is to have a biggish (bread and butter) job I can go to when it
suits me and book in a small one first thing (my jam), moving onto the b&b
one when I'm ready.


--
John Stumbles

Procrastinate now!

"The Medway Handyman" wrote in message

The market for small jobs is huge & very profitable. That's the secret to
this handyman malarky.


--
Dave
The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk
01634 717930
07850 597257








But there is not enough hours in the day to make a real profit doing the
smaller jobs.

Most of wasted time is based around getting to and from the next job, an
hour or so is wasted discussing with the punter what they want and getting
your tools on the job and then getting them together in the van for the next
job and also you might end up having to stretch a 1 hour job which usually
ends up being 2 hours.
You then could find getting to the job you have to leave the job to go and
get items required for the job which amounts to another hour or so?
I bet if you were to do a time and motion study for one week or even one day
your hours amount at least 3.5 to 4 hours lost due to none related work,
thats not forgetting the dinner hour also.

Been there and done that and ended up taking on the 1 or 2 larger jobs in
the past.