Wafty shed base

[Tim Watts]

That was the idea...

Just another idea. That's why I said "make friends with" not "employ".

[The Medway Handyman]

Looking at the finish it couldn't have been a float.

[tony sayer]

Seriously .. the residents of the Medway town's can' change a light bulb ;?,

theres gotta be a joke in there somewhere;!...

[Dave Liquorice]

You may not have any trouble standing on a chair to do it but wait until you are older when and standing and taking a few steps is hard work. Let alone lifting ones foot high enough to get it onto a chair in the first place...

[D.M.Chapman]

Have you ever *been* to Chatham highstreet? ;-)

Darren

[The Medway Handyman]

I had 4 basic concepts when I started;

No stock. No premises No cash flow problems. No staff.

Having seen these 'four horsemen' destroy many a small business in the past.

By & large it works out. I have a few quids worth of tools, a minor amount of screws, fixings, silicone, gripfill, brackets etc.

I work from home & the van.

I am currently owed - nothing. I currently owe - £73 which will be paid off on Monday.

I only bring in labour for larger jobs like decking. My mate Desmond is self employed & gives me an invoice, I pay him with a cheque.

Thats the way I like it. KISS.

:-)

[The Medway Handyman]

Commercial premises. Light bulb? H&S issue innit. Needs proper access equipment, warning signs, risk assesment.

I laugh all the way to the bank. Paid to change them & a good mark on the lamps/tubes.

[ARWadsworth]

And wireless doorbells:-)

Adam

[Tim Watts]

Fair enough. As you've set down those principles in stone and they work, it's probably best not to bend the "rules" :)

Very admirable. Think how much better Britain would be if all businesses stuck to the "not owe and not be owed" principles...

[Tim Watts]

BTW, is Pembury (T Wells) far enough away from your patch that you wouldn't consider it cheeky if I point a mate at your website for inspiration.

He's trying to do something a little similar to you but over here to suppliment his retirement (his background is solid WRT to maintenance and plumbing). He's had moderate word of mouth work but is maybe looking to expand his customer base.

[The Medway Handyman]

I don't operate that far away, in fact I turned down a job from Tonbridge last week. If you reckon he is any good I'd be happy to pass over any leads.

He can e-mail or ring me direct if he wants any advice. Happy to help.

[The Medway Handyman]

:-) Yup I did once install one of those for a customer! And I've fitted a new plug onto a sink chain :-)

Along with putting up shelves for a Mr & Mrs Handy, sorting out a leaky sink waste for Mr & Mrs Plumb and changing electric sockets for a Mrs Sparks!

[Owain]

Lubricate your angle grinder.

Owain

[tony sayer]

Actually since I split my femur last year its getting that way a bit;!..

Makes U wonder why their children can't do that sort of thing for them but I suppose there're too busy paying their massive mortgages;?..

[ARWadsworth]

Or living 200 miles away.

And have the neighbours arms and legs dropped off?

Adam

[Bruce]

And if I apply too much, I can clean it off with the pressure washer.

Sorted. ;-)

[Bruce]

No company or individual would ever do contract work for public sector clients if businesses followed those principles. The clients might have contract terms that promise payment within 30 days, but that's only there to ensure that they get their 2.5% for early settlement.

The trouble is, they take the 2.5% discount and then don't pay for at least three months, and sometimes as much as six months. And the bar stewards still take their 2.5%!

This has been going on for as long as I can remember - since the early

1970s - and probably for far longer.

[Dave Liquorice]

So the client invokes their statuary rights under the Late Payment of Commercial Debt. Interest charged daily at 8% above BoE base rate(*) on the full debt from the day payment becomes late until the debt is fully repaid, along with a penalty charge of =A340 for debts up to =A3999.99, higher for larger debts.

course one may have these rights but actually getting the cash out of someone may still pose it's own set of problems.

(*) The default interest rate is actually set for 6 month periods based on 8% above the BoE base rate on the 31st Dec for Jan to June or 30th June for Jul to Dec. So paying late is not a cheap, or free, loan to ease cash flow.

[Dave Liquorice]

Assuming they have children and assuming said children, if they exist, are less infirm than their parents.

300 miles as was the case for me.

This is probably a sad reflection on todays society. People just don't pay much attention to their neighbours. I know when I lived in a close on a reasonable estate in St Albans of the ten or so houses nearby, we only ever saw 4 or 5 of those households and only really spoke to 2 or 3.

[dave]

Having read this thread so far, I am wondering why no one has mentioned using treated wooden sleepers to sit the shed on, two by four the width and a bit of the shed should be enough. All sheds need ventilation under them.

To these sleepers attach blocks of the same wood and plane them down to accomodate the hight difference across the concrete. The fact that the concrete slopes is an advantage to stop rot and rust forming.

Dave