Builders' Merchants

[Andy Burns]

People would assume it was a way of casing the joint!

[dennis]

My tame builder won't use the sheds unless there is no choice. His preferred BM is Staffordshire BS in Ocker hill.

[dennis]

There isn't much demand for major building works to be done at xmas. Most want it finished before or started in the new year.

Builders just get in the way.

[dennis]

There's not many handymen around here.. there is no money in it.

I just had some electrical work done and it cost less than TMH charges and I got a certificate for it. Nothing much just a new consumer unit, SWA to connect it, lighting, mains, AC for £140. Also not immigrants.

[ARW]

Why not DIY it?

[ARW]

I agree for most domestic stuff. The only job I had to do between Christamas and New Year was a rewire 1st fix at an empty property. Although there was demand for electricians at work due to a hospital that needed a ward rewiring and it helps if the ward is closed:-)

[dennis]

Too busy.

[ARW]

Fair enough. And was the work up to the standard you wanted? I am guessing this is an additional CU and not a CU swap. Fully earthed SWA at both ends are a must when I work with it (apart from TN to TT installs).

[chris French]

Well TMH seems to be doing OK. The two longstanding chaps I know of in our village were both operating when we moved here getting for 9 years ago.

I've one a couple of times, useful for smaller jobs I want done quick and ust don't have the round tuits. I think I'm going to get him back to sort out a bit of dodging guttering/downpipe which I'm just not finding the time to do and it's leaking all over the place.

Not a job most handymen would do anyway as they are less likely to be regged.

Sounds pretty cheap

[The Medway Handyman]

I suppose that's because you live in a slum area?

[dennis]

You can get qualified trades to jobs around here for less than TMH charges. I expect the trades either don't exist in Medway or charge a lot more.

That's what I thought, I went to work and earnt enough to pay for it and I enjoy what I do more than drilling holes and pulling cables through.

Its done OK, quite neat really. I did have to drop the metal box the SWA is terminated in by ~3 mm when I added another one to it as the the screw holes didn't line up very well.

BTW three core 6mm SWA is a real PITA but its all I have left to run a new outdoor supply. A bit OTT for a 20A supply I think.

[ARW]

I hope that is not an euphemism:-)

There is a trick to that. You install the lock nut first and then offer up the SWA armourings into the back nut.

I have some 95mm 5 core going spare if you fancy a challenge!

[The Medway Handyman]

Unbelievably, Dennis has become even thicker in 2014.

That's probably because you live in a slum.

A unitary authority with a population of 264,900, 30 miles from London - and there are no tradesmen?

[Nightjar]

Then I would define my normal working hours as 10:00am to 11:00am on Mondays, which is when I am almost always in the office.

My staff is me, so if I take leave the business has to close down.

Colin Bignell