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Posted in Handyman Services on Jul 10
At Mr-Skill we often talk to our members who represent just about every trade you could think of. Sometimes, they comment on their tools of trade. One very useful tool that gets the thumbs up from every direction is the pop rivet gun. In fact, each one of our London handymen can’t imagine life without this amazing gadget – it has so many practical uses. 
Popular Applications
This is one gun that every DIY enthusiast should have, and make use of regularly too. Pop rivet guns are incredibly useful for just about anything requiring quick, sturdy fastening. From mechanics in the car-repairing business to a myriad of jobs around the home, these tools are indispensable. Generally used for fastening lighter metal surfaces together, the “blind rivet” is so-named because you can’t see the one end of the rivet once in position. Did you know that you can find a handyman who’s a pop rivet specialist on Mr-Skill?
Riveting Stuff
Cylindrical in shape, and manufactured from aluminium, copper and sometimes steel, pop rivets are placed in a pre-drilled hole and squeezed through the metal surfaces using a gun to create the pressure. The shaft of the pop rivet acts in much the same way as a nail, but the main difference lies in the gun-squeezing action which compresses the rivet tightly. The name “pop rivet” comes from the snapping or cracking noise it makes while being squeezed into place. Basically, the rivet breaks at the required point. Once in position, a rivet creates an incredible bond between metal surfaces, and the only way of removing it is by drilling it out.
Loading the Gun 
Start by loading the narrow end of the rivet into the gun. Squeeze the nose-end of the rivet into the pre-drilled holes in both sheets, and then it’s time to pump the gun handles together until the rivet pops. This may require a couple of attempts as the rivet shaft can be quite resistant. The rivet pin should then break at a pre-weakened point, which is when you will hear with the popping noise. What remains is the flattened rivet head forming a perfect circle. Sometimes rivets pop at the wrong time. Check to see that you are using the correct size shaft for the operation and then load up a new rivet.
Not everyone takes to a rivet gun easily, and if that describes you, log on to Mr-Skill and get a handyman quote to do the job for you. Who knows, you may find some excellent bargains around just because it is summer!
Tags: action, aluminium, copper, drilling, fastening, find handyman-services, gun, load, london handyman services, pop rivet gun, pop rivets, practical, pump, quote for handyman services, rivet head, securing, shaft, steel, tool, trade
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Posted in Handyman Services on Nov 16
I wish that I could to Find a Handyman on Mr-Skill for every weekend of the year. There are so many jobs waiting for me around the house, but the wife thinks that being busy keeps me fit and healthy. The more I say “we have the money” the more I’m told to get on with the work myself. So all that I can do is dream of what might otherwise have been.
First Weekend
 The first job every month would be to deal with water run-offs. I’d have the gutters and downpipes cleared out and wiped down nicely. Then we’d rod out the storm-water drains and get rid of all weeds together. What a pleasure. Come on rain.
The Second Weekend
No doubt the weather would hold off now that the drains were cleared, so the next job would be to sort out the garage. Not even a pair of London Handymen would know exactly where to put things, so I guess my participation would be unavoidable
Weekend Number Three
There’s never been three rain-free weekends in the UK since time began or so I’m told. This time I think the handyman could wipe all the interior woodwork down, and get rid of all that mould. I’d get on with  something else nearby, just to keep an eye on things, if you know what I mean?
The Fourth Weekend
By then, of course we’d be quite a team. I’d know the other person’s skills and start getting extra mileage from their Handyman Quote. There’s nothing quite like having an extra pair of hands around the house, especially when it comes to carrying things.
In practice this would never happen, and if it did the wife would say “now what’s the point of Getting in a Handyman on Mr-Skill when you do half the work yourself’? Sometimes it seems that only another man would understand. Or did I perhaps overlook something in my haste?
Tags: busy, carry, downpipe, drain, find a handyman, garage, gutter, hand, handyman quote, house, job, london handymen, month, mould, rain, skill, team, water, weather, weed, weekend, wipe, wood, work
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Posted in Handyman Services on Oct 23
I was looking around my yard the other day and just couldn’t believe the number of odd-jobs waiting to be done. It’s not the lack of wanting that’s holding me back, it’s the lack of time. I think I’m going to take my own advice and get a London Handyman estimate. And then I think I’ll accept it and then get on with things.
•  Clear out the gutters on the house. They’re full of leaves again! I’m fortunate to have a bungalow but just don’t feel like climbing up a ladder. Besides, how much can this cost?
• Clean the outside window frames. These looked so crisp when I had them put in a few years ago. They’re UPVC. They’ll just need a good wash with detergent.
• Tidy up the back porch. Five years of muddy boots have taken their toll and the spiders have done the rest. That’s one Handyman Quote I’m definitely going to accept!
• Tidy up the path around the back and sides. Paths under the eaves provide a valuable service by handling rainwater run-off. My house is hardly new, and I think it’s time to sort out the cracks before the weeds take hold. Don’t you too?
•  Sort out the garage. While I’m at it, I think I’m going to Find a Handyman to give the garage roof and door a make-over. I’m planning a new car next year, and I’m sure it will appreciate a near-new place to sleep at night.
That’s enough for now. I’m really looking forward to getting in a Rated Handyman from Mr-Skill to catch up on my backlog. The twin advantages are that I’ll be getting a better price, and will be able to review feedback from other previous customers too.
Come on all you Handymen. I can’t wait to see my garage door looking half as smart as this again!
Tags: backlog, block, car, clean, detergent, door, estimate, find a handyman, frame, garage, gutter, handyman quote, handyperson, house, job, ladder, leaves, london handyman estimate, mud, odd job, oddjob, path, porch, price, quote, review, roof, spider, tidy, time, want, wash, water, window, yard
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By now we hope that you have the assurance that every one of our handy men and ladies has been personally assessed by us, and that we monitor their performance, as we do with all our other trades. That way, when you ask for a Handyman Quote from us,  you already know that they know what they are about.
But we also believe that there is more to choosing a handyman than simply that, and this is why we recommend that you get several quotes and interview all three. The chemistry must be right between the two of you, and they must fit in with your lifestyle as well – or else there could be unintended distractions.
o Will they get on with Rover? Dogs are supposed to mistrust strangers and can refuse to be friends with anybody they don’t like. In fact when I had a lot to do with London Handyman Services some years ago, I always let my Bulldog Winston be the judge of character. If he licked and snuffled I knew the handyperson would be okay. If not, why then I took the dog’s advice, and I must say he never let he down.
o Do they Smoke (If you do not? I don’t know about you, but ever since I gave up smoking, I have found the smell that hangs around even non-smoking smokers pretty offensive. If you feel this way too, then you have the right to make your own decision – in fact you could even add non-smokers preferred to your requirements.
o Is the Handyman a Missionary? I’m not taking about religion here, in fact I’m talking about any  point of view that some people like to hammer in to me as if it were a nail. It’s quite easy to detect too – just ask the leading question what you do in your spare time towards the end of the interview, and then see where the conversation rolls. I’ve personally never understood why I should pay to be converted to some other person’s of view.
I thought I’d share these ideas with you on the subject of how best to Find a Handyman that suits you best. I’ve found from my experience that if I, the dog and a service provider don’t get on famously, then the quality of the job could suffer, which is the last thing we want to see happen at Mr-Skill.
Tags: assess, assurance, character, chemistry, choose, dog, find a handyman, handy, handyman quote, hope, interview, job, judge, lady, lifestyle, london handyman services, man, mistrust, monitor, quality, quote, select, smell, smoke, suffer, trust
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Posted in Handyman Services on Jun 28
There is no end to ideas for paving jobs now that summer is here and the ground has finally dried out. Why not pave over a dead spot in the garden where nothing grows, or create a  pathway to create definition and depth. When you Find a Handyman on Mr-Skill, you could be taking your first step to a new experience in your garden, and here are a few ideas to get you going.
o If you have an area in your garden that’s overshadowed by trees, then a circular patch of paving can be especially effective. You could finish it off with a feature in the centre, or lay it around a tree trunk and finish off with a circular bench.
o If your garden lacks definition or interest then why not ask us to arrange a few Handyman Quotes for you, with ideas for creating a winding pathway that draws the visitor on. An added advantage is that it encourages feet to stay out of flower beds and vegetable patches, and keeps the wheelbarrow out of trouble too.
o  Do you have an alleyway down the side of your house where walls and fences keep the sunshine out, and nothing grows? This is common in the City where Handymen in London create cobbled details and concrete statues that make alleyways almost like wandering through a second Pompeii. There are so many different things that you could do here.
A touch of paving makes a difference in just about every garden, and can be surprisingly inexpensive when you use recycled pavers with the patina of age. Other good news includes the fact that we have rated handymen at most common UK postal codes, and that the chances are good that we could find one for you too.
Well, always like the ruins of Pompeii, if you insist. But the thought was there.
Tags: alley, alleyway, bed, bench, circular, cobble, detail, feature, feet, fence, find a handyman, flower, Garden, handyman quotes, handymen london, job, path, pathway, pave, paver, paving, round, shade, shadow, spot, sun, tree, vegetable, wall, wheelbarrow
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Posted in Handyman Services on May 30
I have several friends who call in a Handyman from time to time even when they could do the job themselves. In fact one of them is a builder and another is extremely good with her hands. I decided to  ask around and find reasons why people like this still prefer to Find a Handyman, and this is what I found.
o Not enough time to do the job. This was a common reason and I suppose it makes good sense too. Most of us are busy in this frenetic world, and when we come home from work or business we would perhaps prefer to just relax.
o It’s a dirty job was yet another popular reason and I must agree here. My youngest son is a motor mechanic yet he does not service his own car. I have to sympathise. I was an electrician once but now I am tired of climbing ladders.
o  I’d rather be playing golf (or bowls or tennis) is another popular alibi I heard quite frequently. This one makes sense to me too. After all, if one can afford to pay to have the work done, why not choose between a pair of Handyman Quotes and enjoy Saturday afternoon off instead.
o The one I liked the most was I’d like to help the youngster out (but not out of charity) and I especially liked it too. Many of us started out in life doing odd-jobbing, and have a debt to repay by helping others now.
Did I give you sufficient reasons to Look for a Handyman on Mr-Skill? I really hope so, because it may improve the quality of your lifestyle while helping somebody else as well. That is reason enough for me to pass the favour on to another well-deserving person.
Tags: builder, busy, dirty, electrician, find a handyman, hand, handyman, handyman london, handyman quote, help, job, ladder, relax, time, work
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Posted in Handyman Services on Feb 09
A home handyman’s life is never easy what with the skills they patch up as they go along and you-know-who in the  background complaining about the slightest bit of dust. Before you tear your hair out in frustration here are a Ten Top Tips to make your life a little easier. Still sorry you took on that difficult job? No worries – just ask Mr-Skill for a handyman quote.
1. Never build on a weak foundation. That includes not covering a loose floor, or tiling directly onto vinyl. If your surface preparation is dodgy, so will be the finished job.
2. Look after your notes. Don’t scrunch them up in your pocket of trample them on the floor. Write your measurements neatly on a piece of paper and pin them up where you will be working with prestik or something similar.
3. An old man I know who has retired from being a Handyman in London still always carries a magnet in his pocket. I do so too these days, ever since I dropped a tiny nut and bolt into a shaggy carpet.
 4. To drive a tiny screw into a hard-to-reach hole attach it to a screwdriver with prestik or masking tape. Tapping in a pilot hole with a hammer and a nail can turn a nightmare into a dream job.
5. If you come across a screw that is locked in tight try heating the screw head with a soldering iron – sometimes this works and the screw comes out a whole lot easier.
6. A badly rusted nut and bolt will separate easily after you soak what you can see with (can you believe it) coca-cola. Give this time to soak in for a few days before applying spanner pressure.
7. Extension leads are the bane of my life as I am always tripping over them. Before you break a leg and need to Find a Handyman put a few temporary hooks in the wall and drape the extension cord between them.
 8. When mixing plaster add the plaster to the water and not the other way around to avoid creating lumps. It will spread a great deal smoother too.
9. Keep a box with you for storing the tools you are using regularly on a job and stop spending your time looking for the hammer or the screwdriver. A smaller box inside it for tiny things is a great time-saver too.
10. When measuring make sure the tape is between the two closest points. This means keeping it level and between two points the same distance from the corner of the room.
These are just a few more good ideas from Mr-Skill, the homeowner’s friend. Aren’t you pleased you found our website?
Tags: bolt, box, coca-cola, dust, extension lead, find a handyman, foundation, frustration, good ideas, handyman, handyman london, handyman quote, locked, loose, magnet, masking tape, measure, measurements, nail, notes, nut, plaster, prestik, punch, screw, skill, soldering iron, spanner, surface preparation, tape, tight, tip, tools, vinyl, water
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Posted in Handyman Services on Jan 25
 Even by British standards the weather really has been awful so far this winter. With the year-end holidays behind us (and perhaps a quick flip to warmer climes for the lucky ones) the long slog continues through to that spring day when the crocuses and daffodils finally pop up through the never-ending snow. Tempers flare sometimes in cramped conditions stuck inside and watching telly – what about some handyman-related activities the whole family can share this weekend?
o For starters, how about tackling that cupboard under the stairs. I know things can get bad in there, but do you really need to find a handyman? Dad can lug out the heavy stuff while Mum makes two  piles. The children have fun discovering what is waiting for them in the corner.
o After that, what about cleaning the inside window frames and glass? It can be fun looking at the snow outside and waving to the neighbours. Thanks heavens for double glazing or our fingers might stick to the frozen outer panes.
o If you are living in the City you could ask Handyman London Providers to send a fellow around to clean the outside glass as well. Personally I think it’s a miserable job to ask anybody to do, which is why I don’t think I’ll bother.
That’s enough work for the family to do next weekend I should think. If anybody has any further ideas may I suggest getting a handyman quote on Mr-Skill and staying out of trouble? Or else the family could send you outside to shovel snow!
Tags: activities, clean, cold, cupboard, double glazing, family, find a handyman, frame, glass, handyman london, handyman quote, inside, outside glass, pane, stair, weekend, window, winter
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Posted in Handyman Services on Jan 17
Just imagine if you had the services of a rated Handyman to help you finish off five jobs at home. Well you could find a Handyman on Mr-Skill and pay them a  fair rate to do the job. But just for now, let’s pretend the Handyperson has arrived – what shall we give them to do? These would be my five absolute must-have choices.
1. Tidy up the storage place under the stairs. It’s amazing how much junk ends up in the little corner at the back. Stuff you forget you had and could never get at anyway. Its time to declutter and send the unwanted things down to the charity shop.
2. Adjust all the cupboard doors in the kitchen and bedrooms and fit soft-closing pads. I have to tell you that doors that close softly are almost as good as having new ones.
3. Clean out the roof gutters. I hate the black gunk that collects up there and would rather let them overflow than get up on a ladder. If there ever was a time to get Handyman quotes, surely this is it.
 4. Sort out the garage. I had to include this one, although I doubt English garages will ever get tidied until we start putting cars back in them again. When I suggested this to my partner all I got was “and where must I put all that junk”?
5. I have a mate who works for Get-a-Handyman London who tells me that one of the most popular jobs in the City is repainting the front door and polishing up the brass. Seems folk there don’t like to be seen working outside – what will the City think up next?
Well, that was a nice dream for a cold winter’s evening. Did you enjoy it? Unfortunately it won’t come true unless you find a Handyman on Mr-Skill, and give them all your unwanted jobs to do. Until then, you’ll just have to dream on.
Tags: adjust, brass, choices, cupboard, declutter, door, find a handyman, garage, gutter, handyman london, handyman quote, home, jobs, junk, pad, paint, roof, set, soft, stairs, storage, tidy
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 Most of us have garages, and some of us have storage sheds too. The problem is that we store so much junk in them that the car ends up outside, and the bicycles in the rain.
What about using the space between the car roof and the ceiling instead? Before you let the money that a decent racking system costs scare you away, compare this with the cost of just two months rented storage elsewhere. If this makes sense to you, read on. Do not worry if you think you are unable to do the job yourself – Mr-Skill will help you find a handyman right for the job.
Garages with pitched roofs have oodles of unused space above the car. This is because architects design them to blend in with the house even though a car is less than door height in the house. In  essence, all you have to do is install some mezzanine racking at the right height, cover it with timber, and you have a new crawlspace storeroom above the car.
You could also hang your mezzanine floor from the ceiling – the risk here is that it could come loose, or the rafters could get loaded with too much weight. That is why I agree with handymen from London that you build it up from the floor like a tree trunk. It may cost more, but it will do more work too.
You will be surprised how much extra space you can create for so relatively little money. Your garage will look tidier, and you will be able to find all your tools again. How is that for another good idea from Mr-Skill? Now its time to get cracking with handyman quotes.
Tags: build storge inside the garage, car, costs, crawlspace, find a handyman, garage, handyman quotes, handymen london, junk, mezzanine, racking, roof, roof space, shed, space, storage
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