Damp!
Yet another reaction from yours truly after watching Rogue Traders on BBC1 last week. What a great result the bad men got put away for years. Rightly so because for years they had been playing the oldest trick in the book - conning old people into thinking that the walls were damp by putting their fingers over the damp meter pins at the same time as holding against the wall. The moisture from the fingers sends the reading high and the buzzer goes and the red light comes on. Panic sets in and the conman can talk thousands of pounds for work that doesn’t need doing or in any case is done badly.
I am sending you to the Triton Chemicals site www.triton-chemicals.com. As mentioned before I have worked with these guys (Kevin and Paul are the technical team) for years and they have been a great help in letting their customers know what is happening out there in the market place. There are new products on offer that give better results than some of the old solutions.
The trouble with damp is it can come in from a variety of sources and it is dangerous to think that one thing is going to solve all problems. I went to a customer of mine many years ago who had been quoted £8,000 for a new roof. I said I would have a look. I fixed the problem and charged him a cup of tea. Above his wardrobes he had a lot of games from when his children were small. There was no room for air to move and this then resulted in moist air causing mould spores to be seen on the wallpaper. Easy fix and no need for a new roof!
A friend of mine recently had a view that there was a major amount of work to be carried out on his daughter’s house. We managed to fix this one remotely. All that needed was to hang the washing outside or use a dryer with an outside vent. If a family has a couple of wash loads a day, there are gallons of water that remain within the environment. We have so many surfaces these days that are waterproof - worktops, floors and paints that the water just hangs around. I have so often been involved in projects where there is no alternative but to strip everything away and start again with a major refurbishment but it does not mean it is like this every time. Careful consideration needs to be taken before embarking with such a major project and don’t be frightened of asking more questions from different sources. Once underway a damp problem can cause further work when floors are lifted or rot is found behind skirtings. Be prepared is the motto here. A quick fix might not solve all of the problem but might make the contractor a quick buck. The whole problem needs solving or you may as well not do anything. Look at the combination of problems. Seek professional advice from a recommended source. Read testimonials carefully. These letters could be Mrs. X from Anytown and don’t hold any value whatsoever.
Finally I just wish Rogue traders would get away from the childish humour. The matter is too serious for this nonsense. It is prime time TV and the time would be better spent advising others not to get caught in the same way as the unfortunate people on the programme last week.
I am going to come back to this subject again and again I can feel it happening!
Got Our Own Back!
Sometimes we all have our turn to be the focus of attention whether we want it or not.
My friend Graham Ridgewell is a rep for a large decorating merchants. Many moons ago which is a long time around these parts Graham went to give a demonstration for Rocal. Rocal make paint for line marking, tennis courts, car parks that sort of thing. He had to see the Headmistress of a very posh public school. All went well with the sales pitch until the moment Graham put the can in the machine. You got it the paint went every where all over the carpet, the mahogany, wood panelling and almost every thing except thank goodness the Head Mistress. Embarrassment, absolutely! Guys at the branch nick named him Rocal Ridgey. Graham didn’t tell em about this episode but the rest of them couldn’t wait.
Time then came to pass and I was being very patient. Then the opportunity came for my moment to strike. We were on a busy project with lots of us having tea when Graham came around to see us. He began by holding court and having a laugh at us all in the most light hearted way. When He was about ten minutes into the repertoire I decided to go for the killer blow and brought the whole episode of Rocal Ridgy to the fore. Be sure your sins will find you out. These are the times that I always look back at with fond memories. Just to let you know that I have too made such a fool of myself I thought it only right to share with you. Many moons before the Rocal episode which is way back to the time I was seventeen. I had a skip on site in the front garden of a house. I had the ladder erected in the space between the skip and leaning against the house with the foot of the ladder being against the skip, are you with me still. This was fine until I came down the ladder caught my foot on the skip and ended up falling into the skip, it was empty! All I could hope for was that no one saw me and I could get out quickly. Not a chance across the road was a bus stop serving an all girls school. There were probably sixty girls laughing at me so I took a bow and walked to the rear of the property to feel sorry for myself!
See even the best of us do it. Speak soon Graham if you will still talk to me!
Loada Rubbish!
When you are next sitting there musing over the extortionate price you think your builder has quoted just remember they also get unwelcome mail. My skip company today has put a price increase (again). This is not just because certain costs are going up but due to additional reasons.
From the 1st April 2009 Landfill operators will not accept plasterboard in skips in the normal way. We must separate the plasterboard waste into a separate container. This will not only mean twice the price for two skips instead of one, with probably both going not filled but also double handling. Many sites which I work on are actually houses where people live and one skip outside sends panic to them regarding parking issues. Now almost certainly one will be outside involving etc costs for licences and lights and aggro etc. We will carry on trailers because we have a licence and bring to my yard. Not all builders will comply of course. The financial gap between the genuine builder responding to these changes and the fly tipper (tipping rubbish wherever) will grow. The councils will get more flytipping which then in turn puts up the council taxes. To the client the lower estimate levels may just be worth not worrying where their rubbish will end up. The honest builder will again end up justifying the costs.
We all want green and we should all be prepared to pay for it but enforce the rules fairly to make a level platform and don’t beat up the builder for decisions taken outside their control.
And whilst I am whinging about fair play what about this senario. I undertook a job recently which involved removing asbestos waste. Now unless you have not read a paper or had a television ( which now costs an extra £5 to dispose of by the way) asbestos is bad for you. I know that we all know that. Of course it’s not that bad that we shouldn’t have it in half our schools I mean that would be silly but none the less it is bad. People have suffered for a long time and deserve all the help they can get when they get sick. Now tell me why I have to get a licence giving all my details including the operatives the measures being taken the address for me the address for the site the three days in advance warning to the tip when the skip is being collected, plus the extreme costs involved when you the householder can smash up asbestos put it in the back of your car in open bags and take it down the tip!!!
P.S. does anyone know where I can get rid of my soap box, one careful owner for a good price. Please respond on a recycled postcard.
Supporting The Big Issue
Anyone who has ever invested in property or is thinking of it is bound to be interested in this event being organised by Judith Morgan of The Money Gym in London on March 21st, all ticket monies being donated to The Big Issue charity for the homeless.
http://judithmorgan.com/2009/03/11/money-gym-property-investors-hope-to-raise-4500-for-the-big-issue
Right Tools for the Right Job
It is always important in my mind to have the right tools for the job. This ethos has never been more exposed than the occasion when I failed one of my workers with inappropriate equipment. The background to this comes from when I was working on the Manor project in Oxfordshire. I had got to know a lot of the locals during my time and many of them became good friends. One such local originated from Ireland and came over to England to live his dream of working with horses. The area In Oxford I am around is famous for its horse culture. So Fitzy as he is known with affection by all around the village came to come to work for me when he needed a break from the horses. I knew he would be honest and hard working because he had proved that for years showing the discipline of getting up and riding out at some unearthly time in the morning.
Day one sure enough he was there at 6.00am. The one problem he has is his accent is so strong we ended up getting him to sing to us so we could be sure to understand him. He worked for me for several months and I have to say it was a joy having him around, nothing was too much trouble. The beers in the evening were great as well. When nearing the end of his time with us we had a day when he was going to help me on the decorating front. I was prepared for hanging lining paper in the Hall way. So we were all set up and Fitzy was going to cut and paste (that is not a computer term) in these circumstances. In the Long room we were set up for the cutting and pasting of the paper whilst I would hang it in the Hall. This way we all have plenty of room to work in. I asked for some small areas to be cut and pasted around a hatch and all went well. I then asked for some full drops to be done. I asked Fitzy for 9 6′ lengths cut and pasted. All was quiet. Fitzy asked me several times if I had got the measurements right. I knew I had got them right but attention was elsewhere. When I did not get my paper coming through for me to hang I walked into the other room to check on my willing helper. He was stuck and complained that the problem was that the table was only 6′ in length and therefore impossible to put a 9′ something piece of paper on such a short table. I have not stopped laughing since! I wonder where we would get a table to do the 20′ plus drops! His mindset did not include folding the paper. It was my fault for not providing adequate training and too short a table of course!
When that night I had to tell everyone what had happened, and to give him loads of credit he has laughed more than anyone else at himself, we knew it was one for the records! I have never taken him up on his offer to teach me to ride, I think the RSPCA would be informed if ever I got on a horse!
