Handyman in the Newbury/Thatcham area?

[David W.E. Roberts]

Just a quick question.

Does anyone know of a reliable handyman in the Newbury/Thatcham area?

Many hands make light work - although the main requirement is hanging doors.

Cheers

Dave R

[geoff]

In message , David W.E. Roberts writes

What part of "DIY" do you have problems understanding ?

[Roger Mills]

Perhaps he thinks it means "Do It Yesterday" - but he can't do it until Tomorrow - and thus needs to get a man in?

[Bolted]

Or maybe it is for someone else, one of those "'can you just' - 'no I can't, well I can, but I don't want to and won't'" things?

The only one I know of is in the Medway area, he sounds like it but f*ck knows if he is actually reliable.

[geoff]

In message , Roger Mills writes

Then he should post his request in uk.getamanincozizalazytwat

[The Medway Handyman]

I make a point of being reliable. It gets me a whole load of work. Simple really, turn up on time to give estimate, turn up on time to do the job. Call if I'm going to be late.

Hardly a sophisticated plan, but few others seem to do the same around here.

[David W.E. Roberts]

Perhaps I didn't make myself clear.

I am capable of DIY and have even done some, quite a bit of it recently. This is one reason why I am subscribed to this news group.

However I find myself with "so much to do, so little time".

I need to sub-contract some of the outstanding work and am looking for recommendations - we are also asking local friends and other contacts for recommendations.

Cheers

Dave R

[Lobster]

For hanging doors I think I'd be looking for a joiner rather than a handyman TBH

David

[David W.E. Roberts]

Thanks - we are looking at joiners but have other stuff that may be 'beneath' a joiner so we were hoping to find someone who could do straightforward joinery like hanging a door and also do other things as well.

I suspect that joiners may also be a bit more expensive than the average 'handyman'.

We do have a local 'jack of all trades' but he has back trouble at present.

Cheers

Dave R

[Stuart Noble]

Take Lobster's advice. Hanging doors is not a job for a handyman. Get a proper chippy

[David W.E. Roberts]

:-) Getting conflicting advice here :-)

Elswhere I appear to be taking some stick for not doing it myself but a decent handyman (one for instance who maintains rental properties well) should be at least up to my level of expertise (I think).

Someone who does gardens and lays patio slabs may not be up to it but this is not the level I am looking for.

A chippy would be best, I agree, but a good JOAT should be able to handle it.

A general builder/handyman should be a combination of brickie, plumber, chippie, plasterer etc. Perhaps they don't make them like that anymore. I remember my parents had a builder who could turn his hand to anything, including soldering lead water pipes which was fascinating to watch (and enabled me to do a bit of it myself some years later from watching him).

However I have gathered by now that there isn't anyone with a little treasure they are willing to share in this particular area.

Cheers

Dave R

[The Medway Handyman]

I agree - thats what I tell customers who want doors hung. I will sort out doors that stick or don't open properly, but thats about it.

[Andrew Gabriel]

If you can find a chippy in the South East who is prepared to come out and work on less than 5 new houses, you're doing better than I did. Several turned me down flat "too busy", and one said yes, but after several postpones said he was in too much demand from builders who suddenly want 5 new houses doing, which he couldn't turn down to do a single job for me.

Someone else in the family has tried using some of the new Eastern European chippies a few times, but they've all turned out to be completely unskilled and had to be sent packing. There probably are some skilled ones, but finding them by trial and error isn't viable. A friend in another area did have success with one.

[Andy Hall]

The essence of all of this is doing what you say that you will do, but that if circumstances beyond your control prevent that, to notify the other person as soon as possible so that they can mitigate for it.

It's called providing a proper service.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Not surprising, really. Why would anyone who uses a handyman read this sort of group? You'd likely do better with a local group.

FWIW, fitting a door properly from the word go requires skills above what I'd expect of a handyman. You do need a chippy. Of course anyone can fit one badly.

[The Medway Handyman]

Explain that to Mr Firth for me please :-)

Absolutely right. I don't fit doors, I tell people to get a joiner in.

[Roger Mills]

Yes, I see from you website that you don't - and found it a little surprising. Is there a specific reason for your decision? Is it simply that it's not your speciality, and that a joiner could do it quicker and cheaper?

I think I have fitted every internal door in my house - and even an external one a long time ago (which was subsequently replaced when the whole house was double-glazed). It's not really rocket science, and I would have thought it was a job which should be within the capabilities of any competent DIY-er - and, hopefully, of a 'Handyman'.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

To make a really good job - letting in hinges and locks, trimming to fit, perhaps even moving the stops to get a perfect fit - isn't of course beyond DIY. Same as any skills, really. But not all craftsmen are multi-skilled in the same way as a good DIYer. Just look at an average plumber's wiring. ;-) Kitchen fitter's plumbing.

I'd really think of a handyman who only does tasks at the bottom end of DIY. That's not to say he can't be an expert at some. In the same way as we will all have things we are better at than others.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Well I'd have said door fitting IS at the bottom end of DIY, in that patience and care is all it takes..there is no specal manual skill or indeed vast intelligence involved. Its just a matter of cutting shapes in wood.

Mostly with a hammer and chisel, and maybe a planer.

[Stuart Noble]

And if you were skilled enough to hang new doors, you'd probably be doing it full time. Not all chippies are that good at it either. Those who are tend to do nothing else, and work for builders or supply and fit door shops.