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Posts Tagged ‘build<’
Posted in Carpentry & Joinery on Sep 24
Oftentimes the simplest things are the most enjoyable. Like a small child playing with a paper boat in a stream, or a couple walking hand-in-hand along a river bank. To me though, the gentle sound of a bamboo wind chime resonating gently in the garden is the best sound of all. The good news is that these delightful inventions are so easy to make, that there’s no need to Find a Joiner this time at all.
•  Obtain some lengths of bamboo from the hardware shop or garden centre. These need to be dry so that they resonate nicely, and be of different diameters too.
• Cut different lengths of bamboo from each source. There are two principles here. The diameter affects the depth of resonance or tone, while the length affects the pitch. Remember to ensure that there are no segments within the length you cut, or else the sound will not travel between the ends.
• Knock the lengths of bamboo together gently to check results. You can even tune them by adjusting lengths. Some pieces will work better against each other – these are the ones you need to juxtapose as some do at better London Joining Firms.
• Finish off your bamboo pieces with shaped lower ends like organ pipes. This is done by removing one-half of the last inch or so and tidying up. Some say this affects the pitch. Others like me just think it just looks better that way.
•  Drill holes through the top ends for the hanger-strings. Remember to make these parallel to the bottom detail, so that these all present the same by facing outwards. Attach the strings ensuring they are of the same length, and tie the ends together neatly before hanging the set in an appropriate place that will catch the wind.
• Obtain a spreader disc of an appropriate diameter, and notch it deeply to receive the hanger strings. Set this in place between the strings and hey-presto you have a wooden wind chime. Finally, secure the strings to the spreader disc with hot-melt glue.
How’s that for a bit of fun for a Sunday’s home entertainment. And you don’t need Carpenter Quotes either. Although Mr-Skill is a serious business that matches clients and skilled tradesmen, we also like to give good ideas away. You can decorate your bamboo wind pipes any way you want. Did you notice how easy it is to rearrange the pipes.
Tags: adjust, bamboo, build, carpenter quote, chime, cut, decorate, diameter, drill, easy, end, find a joiner, finish, Garden, garden centre, gentle, hand, hardware shop, juxtapose, knock, length, london joining firm, make, notch, pitch, resonance, resonate, segment, simple, spread, string, test, tone, tune, wind, wind chime
Posted in Carpentry & Joinery | Comments Off
Posted in General Building on Sep 20
According to consumer group “Which”, as many as 2.6 million people may have had a dispute with a decorator or a builder in the UK in the past 2 years. While clients who Find a Builder on Mr-Skill seldom have a similar problem,  we thought the salient features in the Consumer Group were still well worth repeating.
o The most common disputes reported include late starts, delays and sites left untidy after completion.
o Another common complaint received was builders still expecting full payment up-front, and many consumers not even being given written Builders Quotes.
o In extreme cases there was not even a written agreement regarding what the customer might expect.
o  As a consequence of these glaring oversights, two out of every five UK consumers felt bad done by, with a quarter of these feeling short-changed by at least £500. These statistics were as common among the customers of London Builders, and those working in the countryside.
Given that this is such a common problem it is hardly surprising that Mr-Skill has such a growing customer base. We believe that this is largely because we insist that our builders provide a written quotes and agree a formal contract. As a result of these and other rigid standards that we apply, it has been a while since we received complaints along the lines of those reported by consumer group “Which”.
Find a Builder on Mr-Skill. The project partners you can trust. Get good value. Be fully satisfied.
Tags: agreement, build, Builders Quotes, Building, client, common, consumer, contract, customer, delay, dispute, expect, find a builder, formal, full payment, late, london builders, oversight, payment, problem, quote, standard, uk, untidy, writing, written
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Posted in General Building on Jul 12
If you are planning to build a perimeter wall around your property then we recommend you Find a Builder who knows the ins and outs to help you make this happen. This is because the Council will have to approve the job, and  your neighbours will definitely become involved too.
If, on the other hand, you have something simpler in mind somewhere in the garden itself, perhaps a low retaining wall or a screen to hide the compost heap, then this may well be a job that you might like to attempt yourself – provided that you are not in a hurry, and are willing to accept a slightly rustic finish for the lack of a better word.
o Mark out the wall with pegs and string and have the inevitable family discussion. After the dust has settled, dig out the foundation trench which should be 300mm wide by 300mm deep, and backfill this with 150mm of concrete. Tamp this down carefully to ensure that it levels out.
o Start laying bricks at the easiest end first by putting up a vertical plank that will act as your guideline. Make sure the bottom course is absolutely level in both directions too, as this will affect the entire job as it goes along.  Do not be in a hurry to add more bricks. Concentrate on building a perfect end, stepping up until you reach wall height.
o Repeat the process at the other end, using string and spirit level to make sure that you will top out exactly level with the corner you already built. Using string again as your guideline, gradually fill in the space between the corners until the wall is complete.
Sounds easy, does it not? Actually building even a simple wall is no easy task and things can literally go pear-shaped before your eyes. There are two ways to avoid this happening. The first is to have the courage to partly take down the wall and start again. The second way, of course, is to Get a Building Quote from Mr-Skill. You will be so glad you did!
Tags: approval, approve, brick, build, builder london, building quote, concrete, corner, council, course, dig, end, fill, find a builder, foundation, Garden, lay, level, mark, neighbour, peg, perimeter, retain, screen, simple, spirit level, string, trench, vertical, wall
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Posted in Plastering & Drywall on May 17
When people built new homes in days gone past, especially right after the Second World War ended they seldom realised how long their work would last. Walls were not quite as damp-proof  as they are today, and plaster mixes were not quite as adhesive either. The result is often mouldy cracking rendering falling off in places. Where this is bad, the whole lot must come off so that you can Find a Plasterer to start all over again.
o Proper preparation is half the battle won when it comes to applying rendering, and this is why some tradespersons will not even quote for Plastering Jobs in London until the old covering is chipped away. They know of many possible sins beneath the surface that may even double the time a plastering job can take.
o First cover the floor from edge to edge with a tarpaulin or thick plastic sheet, and tape this thoroughly in position. Large pieces of rendering may come down in single pieces, and you need to protect the floor. Moreover the last thing you need to hear is the sound of something scrunching beneath the sheet directly on a polished surface.
o  Take safety precautions before you start. Wear eye and face protection to avoid harmful chips and dust. Wear heavy duty gloves and boots and make sure that your tools are in good order too.
o Start at the top of a wall and have a plan of what to do if a large section or rendering comes loose. Work slowly and carefully making sure that you remove all remnants as you go along. If you do not, then you will have the worst bit left over just as you thought that you had finished.
After the last piece of plaster is removed you can tidy up and get Plastering Quotes from Mr-Skill, secure in the knowledge that your preparation is good, and that you have saved yourself a tidy sum of money, hopefully had some fun and learned a few new useful tricks and skills along the way.
Tags: adhesive, boot, build, built, careful, chip, cover, crack, damp, dust, eye, face, find, find a plasterer, flake, floor, glove, hide, job, plan, plaster, plasterer london, plasterer quote, plastering job London, plastering quote, plastic, preparation, prepare, protect, quote, render, sheet, slow, surface, tarpaulin, time
Posted in Plastering & Drywall | Comments Off
Posted in Kitchen Fitting on May 09
In our busy sometimes hectic life we get used to things too easily. Like the petrol gauge dropping lower and the cookie jar  getting empty. Too soon we find that the lawn has become unkempt, and that the windows need cleaning too.
Pretty much the same applies to plumbing fittings in the bathroom (and in the kitchen too). Scale, which is a limestone deposit in the water builds up over time and can conceivably end up blocking pipers. It also builds up in our kettles and could cause a boiler element to overheat.
But that is not all. As scale builds up it covers the body residues we leave behind in baths and showers, and could cause a lung infection when it chips away and we inhale the myobacterium avium dust it hides. Do not panic, and do not use antibacterial sprays that kill the good bacteria that are our friends. Solve the problem in a natural way instead – that way you are unlikely to need Bathroom Fitter Quotes either.
o  Remove the tap heads and shower rose
o Fill an old pan with water and half a cup of vinegar and bring it to the boil. Do not inhale the fumes.
o Soak the shower rose and tap heads in the liquid for twenty minutes
o Rinse the fittings under cold running water and replace them. Repeat the process if the scale is deep, and diarise to do the job every three months.
Unless your hands are stiff and sore you should be able to do this job yourself. If not, then Mr-Skill would be delighted to Find a Bath Fitter to help do this for you. Then you could enjoy your shower in perfect safety.
Tags: bath, bath fitter london, bath fitter quote, bath fitting london, bath fitting quote, bathroom fitter london, bathroom fitter quote, bathroom fitting london, bathroom fitting quote, bathroon, boil, build, build-up, chest, chip, disease, dust, find a bath fitter, find a bathroom fitter, fitting, head, inhale, kitchen, limestone, myobacterium avium, natural way, remove, replace, resudue, rinse, rose, scale, shower, soak, tap, vinegar, water
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Posted in Bricklaying on Mar 04
A garage is a useful asset on any property and every UK house should have one. Few people ever seem to use them to store motor cars though, meaning that the design of any garage should be multi-purpose. A good garage design provides  for a home workshop, safe dry storage, a place to park the car and perhaps a combination of all three too.
o There are two ways to go about having a garage built. You could do it yourself – and hope not to make too many mistakes or fall foul of Council rules. Or you could Find a Builder on Mr Skill to do it for you, and keep the hassles out of your life.
o If you decide to do the job yourself then there are two ways to proceed. One is to go on a block-laying and roofing course, and perhaps lose money along the way. The other way is to order in a pre-fabricated garage – the truth is that these usually look core-blimey awful, and there are no options to tailor-make things the way you need. As my old mate who does Building Jobs in London likes to say, when you pays pennies, its pence value that you get.
 o It stands to reason then, that the smart way to build a garage is to get a Rated Builder Quote on Mr Skill. That way you can have your garage built the way you always wanted, and review Builder Ratings by past customers before you choose.
Garages cost thousands of pounds and that’s no secret. However accepting the cheapest building quote is seldom wise. The advantage of using Mr-Skill to Find a Builder is that when they quote they know you are comparing. They’ll also do a good job for you besides, because you are a member of a large customer base called Mr-Skill that they need to keep sweet.
Just imagine how it will feel to have everything so neat and tidy. You’ll almost think you were in Dreamland. Thanks very much for visiting Mr-Skill.
Tags: block, build, builder london, builder quote, building job london, building quotes, bulder, car, cost, do it yourself, dry, find a builder, find a tradesman, garage, good job, prefabricated, rated bricklayer, rated builder, roof, storage, tradesman london, tradesman quote, workshop
Posted in Bricklaying | Comments Off
Posted in General Building on Sep 10
From time to time every property owner decides to attempt a small building project, perhaps a retaining wall, small shed or built-in barbecue. Inevitably, some sort of foundation is required. This article is about preparing a trenched foundation – throwing a slab is a separate subject. A small foundation can be a perfect weekend D.I.Y. project. For anything larger, rather find a tradesman on Mr-Skill.
 o First, determine what is required in terms of local building regulations, and obtain local planning permission too. It may be tempting to avoid what may seem an unnecessary delay, however fines are high and you will often benefit from a building inspector’s experience.
o Mark out the trenches to be dug using pegs and brightly colored string. If your dimensions are flexible, adapt them to the size of the bricks or blocks you plan to use, remembering to allow for mortar between. This avoids the irritation of cutting small pieces.
o Did out the foundations to the width required by your local building regulations, setting the soil aside for later use. Be especially careful to avoid collapsing the sides, as this will result in extra concrete when you pour. Good London tradesmen know the trick of keeping the soil moist as they dig, to prevent the sides crumbling. Hammer in a few metal rods so that just the pour-depth part remains above the bottom of the trench.
o When you have prepared the concrete mix (or at least the first batch) moisten the trench lightly. The idea is to prevent the cement leeching out of the concrete mix, not to add more water, so do this carefully.
o Pour half the required concrete throughout the trench. Add any reinforcing bars and then top up to the markers that you hammered in. Work the concrete thoroughly with a spade using a chopping motion to settle it well and get it level too. The next day you can begin to build.
That is not too difficult, is it? However, please do not be tempted to take on too large a job. Rather shop for tradesmen quotes on Mr-Skill.
Tags: bar, barbeque, block, brick, build, Building, chop, chopping, collapse, collapsing, dig, find a tradesmen, foundation, inspection, inspector, mark, pour, regulations, reinforcing, retaining wall, rod, shed, side, spade, tradesmen london, tradesmen quotes, trench, trenched foundation, trenches
Posted in General Building | Comments Off
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