Water water everywhere and not a drop to drink!
It has been a mad week and at last I find a minute to blog. The past couple of weeks have been manic for Revival and consequently so too for the companies involved with them. After the big freeze, the big thaw. As I have said before some things are not a surprise, night follows day, warm weather follows cold and boom will follow bust. When the pipes did thaw out we found out which were the leaky ones.
The damage the impact causes to the recipients is devastating. We have all run out of dehumidifiers, I couldn’t get any rubble sacks and everything becomes urgent. I guess one up side is that I could give skip suppliers who have been struggling a little in recent times a bit more business. I had to use a new skip firm for a new area today. I got one skip just when I wanted it. When at midday the guys told me it was full and needed a change the company got it to me in an hour. What service! Please keep it up even when things improve. The last thing we need to do is strip out rubbish, put it on the floor and pick it up again that is a chore we can do without.
These houses will take weeks and months to dry and then the reinstatement can begin. It is quite exciting when life is so busy but it just brings you down to earth with a bump when you see the client and you try to reassure them that it will all go back together in time.
Company Image
A great deal in life revolves around the first impression. We all place a lot of store in its value and the marketing gurus play on it like the holy grail. I, as the leading guru marketing man in our company, well at least on the days when Kilian is off, have always thought you only get one chance at the first impression. Whether it is the dress code we use or the vehicles we drive and the way we walk and talk, it all counts. I decided to get the guys to wear the same uniform comprising of red shirts and sweatshirts with black trousers as I thought it was both practical and smart. I got the Snickers workwear from my friends down at TVE see link.
The guys seem happier wearing the right gear and looking professional. Some, of course, are more concerned what they look like than others. We had a project on in Ascot early last year and the family we were working for often were away on business and holiday. I had a reason to talk to one of the neighbours about access to a drive when we were in the middle of works. I asked, as I always do, were the guys well behaved (not that I have to doubt but its polite to ask), were we causing too much noise or too many vehicles around delivering etc. The other reason I want to to communicate with neighbours is I want the aspect of security to be in mind. The neighbour can help look after my interests on the project - if they see strange people around they will call me. The house holder also has the benefit of the neighbourhood watch taking place here.
Anyway back to the point, my guys all turning up in the same clothes and in recognised vehicles puts others at ease. I always ask the team to speak and say hello to neighbours and passers by. A friendly rapport can be invaluable. Oh and the other good thing that came out of this meeting was another job! If people see you turn up smart on time and polite you have already won some admiration and allayed fears often associated with builders.
I digress, not like me! The reason my vehicles look smart is because I spend hours every week cleaning them. Actually I get a great guy called Nick Bamford from Reflection Professional Valeting & Detailing (07912 143882) to do them. He does the vans and the cars to a brilliant standard, just like they have come out of the showroom. I feel the money is not a cost but an investment. We all spend a lot more time in the vehicles as our operating area keeps increasing as the company increases in size. If we are to spend hours each day it is much better in a clean vehicle and motivates us all to keep them clean.  If you are in the South Oxfordshire area give him a call and get the benefits that we have.
Sofa So Good
We got a late call yesterday to a flood in Slough. It wasn’t one of those a little stain on the ceiling ones but a full scale water pouring everywhere one. Ceilings hanging down paint blowing off plaster skirting coming away from the wall and carpets floating on their own accord. I got to the site several hours after the four guys had made a start it was still a mess. Now I am not having a go at them just so much to do. On these occasions I have learned it’s best not to be first in anyway. I think the guys noticed though! I did feel sorry for the owner of the house. He was watching all this activity with a sense of depression. He has a wife and three children being put up in a local hotel. Three skips later and we were still left with sofas in the street (look at the title) with locals eyeing them up for themselves. They are on the skip as I write so probably after this blog there will be thousands of people scouring the streets of Slough (delusions of importance on my part to think a thousand will read this)! If I get there in the morning and they are gone I am straight round to Ricky Gervais’s house to check his furniture.
I bet Mr K is glad he is insured though, what kind of mess would he be in if not properly covered? Check yours out to be sure of your cover. Mr. K said to me he thought this would only happen to others and didn’t appreciate the loss of everything and the disruption to everything in his life at the moment.
Cowboy Builders Episode 2 - Building Inspectors
I watched the “Cowboy Builder” programme again this week on channel 5. This time a builder took nearly £28,000 for an extension from a single mother. Why did she pay £28,000 in the first place? Why do people not pay part and interim payment methods? Anyway the point is the guy made a bodge of the job. No not a bit of paper off the walls or the colour not being just so but electrics to kill people. Drains were blocked for not only the house but also blocking the drain run serving other properties as well. The foundations (or lack of them) was just frightening the lintels sat on soft blocks sitting on paper and rubbish - yes I know what I just wrote but that’s how it was.
The builder brought in by the team, (the same as last week), said it would all have to come down and be started again. Of course you would have to do so - how could you trust what this guy had done?
A twist to the tale this week was that Dominic Littlewood caught up with the Building Inspectors who oversaw the job. I do not understand how they were let off the hook by Dominic. The house holder pays the council for this service, it isn’t free. There should be a control on these builders from the council employees. The whole purpose of them being in existence is to safeguard the home owner who does not need to have any expertise of building and ensure that the building is safe for the paying customer to live in. I know that the roof etc was in place and that they may not have been called in for that but the problems were at the very start not half way through. If Melinda Messenger could see it was wrong why could the inspectors not see it? One of them said that in hindsight maybe something should have been done earlier. What an understatement! They could have reduced the time of the aggravation alleviated some of the danger and reduced some of the put right costs that were then incurred. I hope they can sleep easy.
None of this releases the builder of his responsibilities for robbing a woman of money. He still hasn’t paid her even after making promises to do so.
DONT PAY SUCH SUMS UP FRONT! There we are plain and simple there is no need to pay a builder all of the money up front. Work out a plan in advance and both parties will have to stick to it that way.
Thank you goes a long way
Today I received a text message from a customer. To fill in a bit of background - after a bit of a malarky we had managed to arrange a job to start straight after Christmas and New Year. We had all arranged to replace a ceiling damaged from a water leak (insurance claim). Once ceiling changed and plastered, the whole room has been redecorated with colour twice (customer wasn’t happy with first colour choice). All done furniture back and all in the time we said and in the manner I was able to say I would do it in.
Result is a happy customer texting to say thank you to myself and all the team. I tried to say to them it was all down to me but to no avail! I know how it made me feel to get the appreciation so it is important to pass it on. The good thing here is that not only is the client happy enough to consider me for a much larger project but she has informed the loss adjuster and insurance company how delighted she is. Win win situations are good for all concrened the loss adjuster doesn’t want any aggro, just to be able to approve the costs. Will they be happy to use us again? I would like to think so.
I have always been known to speak my mind and let people know when I am not happy about things but it is important to let people know when something good happens. Make it a habit not to forget to say thank you.
Thank you for reading this blog. Thank you Mrs. C from Binfield, Berkshire
Structural Engineer
One of the costs that always appears to seem an unnecessary expense is that of architects and structural engineers. It can prove to be so, and again it is getting the right person on side with you during a project.
I have been very lucky over the years to be working with several good structural engineers. For the past seven years John French from Glanville Consulting Engineers has been a source of support during a particularly difficult project requiring all sorts of drawings and solutions to a very old Manor house restoration. A lot of the problems we had to face were unusual for various reasons. We needed to make the building safe but within the remits of sympathy of the house and the costs involved.
To get a builder who wants to take the responsibility himself is a risky venture. I do not possess the knowledge for the calculations required to do the job properly. I and the team can easily put in place the drawings given but it is not something to take a guess at. We are after all talking hundreds of tonnes of building materials to be supported in a variety of ways. The danger to the occupants doesn’t bear thinking about and some of the problems we uncovered from the original build left us wondering how it had stood up for over three hundred years. I know that many stories will unfold from this project as I blog in days and weeks to come.
The council required the builders own insurance had back up from an engineer to ensure all is as should be. The house holder’s own insurance company should be informed and would normally require copies of work undertaken. There will be a separate blog regarding insurance to come.
I want to share with you a story from many years ago as to why we need expert help sometimes. I received a call at around midnight from a lady who I had done a bit of small works for. She had a sense of urgency in her voice and blurted down the phone could I get to her quickly. As a builder with a sense of concern I dashed over at midnight to see what was wrong. I was thinking flooding or fire as these are the two most common causes for panic to a house owner. When I arrived at 12.15 I could see the husband standing in the hallway covered in dust and rubble all over the place and down the stairs. I immediately wondered had a boiler blown up or the chimney had collapsed and fallen through the roof. What had actually happened was Bob the house holder (not Bob the builder!) had decided at 11.00 at night that he wanted a bathroom and toilet combined instead of two separate rooms and decided to knock the dividing wall down. His effort of precision had also excluded the covering or, better still, removal of any sanitary ware . There was rubble and dust throughout the house - the suite was covered with rubbish and had chips all over it and the ceilings were hanging down between the two rooms. Bob in his wisdom had not checked to see if the wall was actually supporting anything above, like roof beams. It was only his wife having a sudden smattering of concern that got her to call me in. They were lucky that it wasn’t a supporting wall.
When I was drinking my tea at now around 1.00 am They asked me for the phone number of Vic a painter who used to work with me. When I asked why the answer I got was “well he would be cheaper than you and we want to save the money you will charge” ! What a thank you to me for the efforts I had put in at the wee small hours. I left them to it, after having put them straight on the cheek of their requests!
If in doubt get a professional out.
Weather!
No Surprises its cold! That’s because its January which in the UK is winter. For many years now we have had winter and most of them have some period of cold within them! As always we are caught unaware and again the news comes out stating the obvious as if it is the first time this has happened.
For millions of years this part of the world has had temperature changes from the freezing to the unbearable heat. Why we don’t prepare properly is about as silly as the train companies not understanding leaves fall in autumn. Now you know that my scouting badge of “understanding the weather” was not a waste of time we can begin to prevent most of the likely problems.
Insulation: check out grants but even if you do not qualify for one invest in your property. The one good thing about this expenditure is that you will get your money back without fail, be patient. There are good sites to go to to get recommendations of how to insulate various parts of the house.
Know where your stopcock is - don’t wait until you need to turn it off to start looking. It is no good knowing where it is and then not being able to turn it off because it is too stiff - get it sorted. Don’t put a panelled cupboard and food units in front of it. It is not that ugly to be able to see it when you open the cupboard door! Tell those looking after your house where stopcocks, gas taps and electric meters are. They may need to know to save your house in the event of an emergency.
Remember that this is becoming more of a crucial part of expectation when selling your house a prospective buyer will be more likely to be impressed if you have thought of these issues and will assume that the rest of the work you have put in to your home will have been done with thought and care.
Servicing of boilers although this should have been carried out prior to the winter months, but do it before it breaks down. A well serviced boiler will save money as it runs more efficiently although please make sure that you get a qualified engineer, this is an area not to take chances with a DIY approach or a rogue fitter. Get a magnet fitted on to your gas or oil feed pipe (link to be posted). Â These units can be fitted easily and can save considerable amounts for a once only fit to a supply line.
Keep your house from freezing. Don’t go away for two weeks and let the heating go off completley. The whole fabric of the house including all the furniture gets too cold. When you come in and turn the heating on again it will take much more fuel to start up from cold. The materials in a house don’t like to get cold and wet. Condensation will cause you aggravation in the long term. Keep the heating on low for at least some part of everyday or night is even better when the temperature drops even lower.
If you do get a freeze believe me the inconvenience is really a pain and then you could end up out of the house for a long time whilst the drying process takes place and then there is the refurbishment of damaged areas. I have over the years been involved in insurance work caused by floods due to burst pipes. The interruption to life far outweighs the benefit of having a new colour for the hallway. A company I have worked with over the years is Revival. They can be contacted to help with drying out and or furniture storage and restoration. Should the worst happen give them a call for advice they will be able to help you.
When all your work at saving money through insulation is considered it should be in conjunction of the price you pay for the utilities in the first place the best prices consistantly come through the Utilities Warehouse.
Happy Ending
I don’t know if you caught the Channel 5 programme about “Cowboy Builders” the other night? I normally raise my hackles as I feel it will be another one of those slam the builders entertainment shows. I was happily surprised at what I saw.
To give you a brief run through of the programme as follows. A man with three daughters found himself trying to bring them up on his own as his wife had very sadly passed away in recent times. He wanted to look after his girls in the best way he could. I can fully understand that whilst he could not bring his wife back, he could attempt to make a practical side of life a little easier. He wanted to extend the house where he lived to give the girls a bedroom each. With so much going on it is easy to find a builder who promises the world and creates a dream for you. The reality hits home all too quickly.
Not only did the builder take a considerable amount of money but started out on the project which was obviously beyond his skill level and moral beliefs. When the cameras rolled on a tour of the house it became clear that not only had the client been duped for money but his family had been put in danger for the quality of work left plumbing and wiring in a lethal condition and the floors were a death trap. This is all doom and gloom and a story all too often repeated in the papers and on TV.
What I liked about this programme was not just the way it was filmed but they carried on filming whilst trying to find a solution. With Dom Littlewood doing what we all wanted to see by catching up with the builder from Hell who had scarpered with the money and also boasted of his exploits of bending the system abroad as well we felt that he was getting some embarrassment and exposure for his misdemeanours.
On the brighter side we had Melinda Messenger who was trying to find practical solutions for the problem in hand. She persuaded local suppliers to provide materials free of charge and some at no profit and arranged for a builder to carry out the majority of works at a ridiculously low charge. When the builder could do no more she managed to persuade another Kitchen fitter to come in and do the Kitchen for nothing. Maybe Melinda has a charm to leverage builders kind nature that I would not have but none the less these guys did work for free or cost only.
The finished works were to a very high standard and all who worked on it should be very proud of themselves.
As for Melinda and Dom I take my hat off to them both as they displayed a genuine concern for the man who owned the house, Melinda was moved to tears when he ended up in hospital because of the stress and for their pursuance of the guilty party. It showed that people should be wary about builders out there because they are hellbent on robbery. Thank goodness the man did not have a fatal heart attack brought on by the stress and leave the girls orphans. It is not just the money it is about peoples lives and well being.  The other side is of the good guys who can stand tall and prove to the public that not all tradesman are out to catch them.
The moral of the story is to check out the builder in as many ways as possible before parting with any money.
