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Posts Tagged ‘Guttering & Drainage<’
 With no sign of an Indian Summer this year, it looks as if autumn is well and truly upon us and time to prepare the home against the ravages of winter. Mr Skill has prepared a checklist below of the most common jobs that need to be done around your property at this time of year to ensure that, when the spring arrives, your home is still in good condition and you do not have to make costly repairs.
Dealing with the 4 Seasons
The October Checklist
Draught Proofing
 One of the biggest and most expensive wastes of resources this winter will be the heat that escapes through your un-draught proofed windows and doors. As well as wasting around £25.00 per year in lost heat, once you have properly insulated your doors and windows, you will be able to turn the thermostat down a degree or two and safe another £50.00 over the winter months.
You can get free quotes from handymen in London for draught proofing your doors and windows through our Tradesmen´s Directory, or tackle the job yourself with a little help from the Mr Skill Project Advice section.
Replacement Doors and Windows
 If doors and windows themselves are in a poor state of repair, it may be time to consider replacing them. Typical tell-tale signs are when doors and windows stick or squeak when you try to open or close them, and installing new doors and windows can add to the kerb appeal of your property as well as saving you money by being more energy efficient.
We have a number of highly rated local window fitters in London listed in our Tradesmen´s Directory, or you may choose to install a replacement window yourself with assistance from Mr Skill´s Project Advice pages.
Central Heating Systems
 An inefficient central heating system will cost you money throughout the next six to none months and potentially have its life span reduced if rust deposits and air-locks hinder the flow of water and induce pump failure. Flushing your central heating system is the best way of improving your central heating system´s performance, but it may only be necessary to bleed your radiators to ensure your house remains warm throughout the coming months.
It is a busy time of year for companies providing gas fitting services in London, so it is recommended that you use the “Post-a-Job” facility at the top of each page to get plumbers quotes from heating engineers in London.
Trees
 If you have trees in you garden, it is the right time of year to prune them back and remove any weak branches that may fall during high winds and heavy rain. As well as the safety aspect of not having great weights of wood crashing through your car windscreen or damaging you patio furniture, pruning your trees in autumn will allow more light to enter your home, potentially saving you money on lighting. Local gardeners in London would also suggest that the dead and decaying would is not just thrown away, but used to make stumperies for your garden´s wildlife.
Walls
 You should do a regular inspection of the walls surrounding your home – garden walls and the brickwork of the property itself – to check for cracks and damaged bricks which may suffer from the freeze-thaw effect over the winter. Our “Post-a-Job” facility will enable you to get quotes from bricklayers in London should you need to replace damaged bricks or repoint your brickwork. If the weather is kind in your area over the next couple of weeks, you may also want to consider re-painting the exterior of your property – but only once you have read our blog about “What the Exterior Colour of Your Home Says About You”!
Guttering and Roofs
 It is also the time of year to clean and repair guttering on roofs, garages and conservatories. Gutters can easily be blocked at any time of year by leaves, moss, feathers, dirt and other rubbish which has blown into them and the guttering runs can age prematurely when water fails to flow away. Whilst you are up the ladder, it is also a good opportunity to check for damaged or displaced roofing tiles which will allow the rain in and potentially cause a damp problem. A good selection of local roofers in London is available in our Tradesmen´s Directory should you find that you roof could benefit from a professional´s opinion.
Tags: brickwork, Central Heating, doors and windows, energy efficiency, Find a Bricklayer in London, Find a Builder in London, Find a Gardener in London, find a handyman in London, Find a Plumber in London, Find a Roofer in London, freeze-thaw, Guttering, Guttering & Drainage, Home Improvements, Home Maintenance, Insulation, Kerb Appeal, tradesman, windows
Posted in Dealing With The Four Seasons | Comments Off
Posted in Bricklaying, Carpentry & Joinery, Electrical Work, General Building, Handyman Services, Plastering & Drywall, Plumbing, Heating & Gas, Roofing, Gutters & Drainage, Tiling & Flooring, Window & Door Fitting on Sep 15
 According to research conducted by Saga Personal Finance, more than a third of UK homeowners over 50 say that their homes are in need of repair, and an alarming one in seven state that they cannot afford to fix their problems.
London appears to be the worst hit area, with 42% of respondents from the capital saying that their houses needing some sort of repair, with the most common complaints being inadequate roofing, blocked gutters, and failed central heating systems – jobs that the elderly are unable to do themselves and need a handyman in London to perform.
The findings disclose that as many as one in five women over 50 living on their own are forced to let their homes deteriorate as they cannot afford to make the necessary repairs, whilst over half have to reluctantly dig into savings, as their pensions are inadequate to cover the cost of home maintenance.
Although Saga Personal Finance suggest that the way forward for these London homeowners is to take out equity release on their homes, we would suggest that anybody requiring a home roofing repair or central heating service done before the winter sets in should use the “Post-a-Job” facility at the top of the page to attract quotes from tradesmen in London and get the best deal to prevent your London home from falling apart.
Tags: Central Heating, find a Heating Engineer in London, Find a Roofer in London, find a tradesmen, Guttering, Guttering & Drainage, Heating Engineers, Home Maintenance, home repairs, Roofing, tradesmen london, tradesmen quotes
Posted in Bricklaying, Carpentry & Joinery, Electrical Work, General Building, Handyman Services, Plastering & Drywall, Plumbing, Heating & Gas, Roofing, Gutters & Drainage, Tiling & Flooring, Window & Door Fitting | Comments Off
 At least once a year, you should get up a ladder and inspect your guttering to ensure that it is free from debris that may create blockages and prevent rainwater from cleanly running down the drainpipe. It is also a good opportunity whilst up a ladder, to check that your guttering does not have any rust or cracks, and an excuse to ensure that the brickwork at the top of your house is in good condition and that there are no obvious problems on the roof.
To Clean a Gutter
Cut a piece of card or plastic into a “V” shape which will fit inside the gutter run, and fix it to the end of a long stick or broom handle.
Climb up a ladder and use your home made scraper to push debris into small piles. Scoop them up and put them into a bucket. You should not try to push the debris down the drainpipe as it could block it up.
Run water along the gutter to wash it down and check that the water is flowing freely down the drainpipe and not getting trapped inside it. Also check that there are no leaks in the guttering or at the joints.
If the drainpipe is blocked, try using the handle of the broom to unblock it (make sure you have tied it to a piece of string so you can retrieve it!). If this fails to work, you may need the services of a local roofer in London to clear the blockage.
To Repair a Gutter
The best way to repair a broken or leaking section of plastic guttering is to remove the section from the fixing clips by squeezing the top edge of the gutter until it comes away.
Inspect the outlets and joints in which it was sitting and fill any cracks, splits and holes with a mastic sealer.
If the section is too badly damaged, you may have to replace it with a new part available from a London roofing service company.
Replacing the repaired or new section of the guttering is done by reversing the process that you used to remove it. Simply squeeze the top edges of the section together and snap back into the fixing clips.
With new sections of guttering and (replacement parts for cast iron guttering assemblies which have rusted), try to keep the colours and textures the same. By economising and replacing broken guttering with the first piece of plastic that comes to hand, you could be reducing the appeal and value of your home.
To Realign the Pitch
The guttering pitch is the angle at which the rainwater runs along the guttering and into the drainpipe. If the pitch is to shallow, the rain will not run away fast enough and will overspill onto your walls and windows below. If the angle is too steep, during heavy periods of rain the water will speed towards the end caps of the guttering and splash over the top, rather than going down the drainpipe.
Usually the pitch is incorrect when a loose bracket has come away from the brickwork or wooden board at the edge of the roof.
To realign the pitch, lift the affected section(s) of the gutter to the correct height and support by hammering a nail into the wall.
Refix the bracket that holds the gutter using new screws and raw plugs. Brick fixed brackets may have adjusting nuts which will make finding the right pitch easier.
Check that you have the pitch right by running a hose into the far end of the guttering and watching it run away.
Safety Tips
Have somebody strong holding your ladder
If possible, tie or secure it to the wall (not the drainpipe)
Do not work up a ladder if you are tired
You should not work up a ladder in high winds or in heavy rain
Be careful not to overreach
Wear protective goggles and gloves
Although this jobs can be done yourself, if you lack confidence when up a ladder or feel that some of the jobs may be too strenuous for you, please use of the recommended local roofers in London as featured in our Tradesmen´s Directory.
Tags: brickwork, dampness, drainpipe, Find a Builder in London, Find a Roofer in London, gutter supports, Guttering, Guttering & Drainage, Home Maintenance, Kerb Appeal, plastic gutters, Roofing, safety recommendations, sagging gutters
Posted in Cleaning Services, Handyman Services, Roofing, Gutters & Drainage | Comments Off
 Labour saving devices are always big news in the States, and this gutter cleaning robot caught our attention as a really useless way to spend your money. Costing about £50.00* (and not yet available in the UK so the postage would be horrendous) the iRobot Looj operates via a remote control device – which doubles up as the carrying arm – to manoeuvre itself along the inside of your guttering, sweeping and cleaning as it goes. (* Prices start from $69.99 and go up to $199.99 depending on the model)
Although we can see the sense in having a device which saves you having to reposition your ladder a dozen times in the process of cleaning your gutters, we wondered where all the sludge and debris goes. Having reviewed the video below, we can only assume that the time you save climbing up and down a ladder is now spent collecting the debris out of your neighbours´ gardens, cleaning all the sludge off their walls and windows and working out how so many light, dry leaves managed to find themselves lodged in your guttering in the first place!
Call us cynical, but we believe your money would be better spent using the services of one the local roofers in London listed in our Tradesmen´s Directory, or tackling the job yourself and using the money you save to find other ways to improve the appeal and value of your home.
Tags: Cleaning Services, Guttering, Guttering & Drainage, Home Maintenance, Kerb Appeal, Roofing
Posted in Cleaning Services, Roofing, Gutters & Drainage | Comments Off
 Dryer times of the year present an ideal opportunity to get some of the more labour intensive, exterior jobs done around the home. One such job is cleaning your gutters.
Gutters can easily be blocked at any time of year by leaves, moss, feathers, dirt and other rubbish which has blown into them. A London roofer would also point out that seriously neglected gutters may have weeds growing in them, trapping a high volume of debris and blocking rainwater from accessing the downpipe. This then overflows onto the walls and windows of your home. Excessive leaking or overflowing from your gutters will cause damp on the outside of your house and mould on the inside when the rainwater is absorbed by the bricks.
Cleaning your gutters regularly will enable rainwater to flow away quickly and easily, and will prevent these expensive and unsightly problems from occurring. When your gutters have been cleaned out, you may want to consider covering your gutters with a fine wire or plastic mesh. Specially produced gutter guards and covers are also available from London roofing service companies, and these precautions will prevent quite so much debris landing in your gutter and reduce the need for cleaning in the future.
Dirty gutters may not be the only reason that rainwater drips from your guttering. Leaks and cracks in the guttering sections (“runs”) and misaligned joints may also be allowing water into your home or splashing down on the entrance to your front door. Cast iron guttering can look attractive, but also rusts after a period of time, and loose brackets attaching the guttering to the wall of your property will affect the angle (“pitch”) of the guttering runs, and either not allow the rainwater to drain away, or – if too steep an angle – create a splash-over scenario in heavy rain, when the fast travelling rainwater meets the end caps. You should repair and replace as necessary, using the services of a local roofer in London if the work is too demanding for you.
While you are cleaning your gutters, it is also a good time to cast a watchful eye over the condition of your roof to ensure that there are not any loose or damaged tiles, and also to check that your brickwork is in good order for the winter ahead and does not required repointing. If you notice that your roof is damaged or the grout between the bricks needs replacing, use the “Post-a-Job” facility at the top of the page to receive tradesmen´s quotes from local roofers in London and local builders in London.
Cleaning and repairing your gutters is a job that those with a head for heights might wish to take on themselves. Alternatively, there is an excellent selection of tradesmen in London featured in our Tradesmen´s Directory who would be happy to offer you a tradesman’s quote for getting your gutters cleaned quickly and efficiently.
Tags: brickwork, dampness, drainpipe, Find a Builder in London, Find a Roofer in London, Guttering, Guttering & Drainage, gutters, mould, repointing, sagging gutters, tradesman
Posted in Dealing With The Four Seasons | Comments Off
Posted in Hiring Advice on Aug 06
 Mr Skill is a well established web portal with a directory of skilled and highly rated tradesmen in London. These local tradesmen are experienced in most aspects of building, electrical, gas and decorating work and when you are looking to get a specific job done, the best way to get the right tradesman at the right price is to use the “Post-a-Job” facility available at the top of each page.
In order to use it to its best advantage, we have compiled a number of tips so that your specific job is seen by the right people.
Registration. There is no need to register before you “Post-a-Job” as the registration is integrated with the job posting and you will receive an e-mail with your log-in details for future reference. This is useful for the next time that you “Post-a-Job” on Mr Skill because it means that you will not have to enter your personal details again.
Job Title. Please be clear about the job you what doing. For example, the job description “Swimming Pool” does not distinguish between building a swimming pool, providing the plumbing and drainage for it, tiling the walls or just cleaning it. Although you have the opportunity to elaborate more about the job in the next section, a very well qualified and economic local tradesman might overlook your job posting because of its initial description. Please note this field requires a minimum of three words
Describe the Work that needs Doing. This section actually has the capacity for a small novel. The more you explain about the job you would like to be quoted for, the quicker a local tradesman capable of doing the job will get back to you and the more accurate their quote will be. For example, if your pool “needs cleaning”, does it just need the leaves skimming of the top with a pool net? Is the water looking murky, and you need a chemical specialist to visit and adjust the level of the Ph in the water? Are the filters completely jammed and consequently green mould is developing on the walls of your pool?
Other considerations in your job post should be the dimensions of the pool, if it is only accessible at certain times of the day (Ph treatment for example works better when the sun is not shining on the pool!) and if there are any other considerations that you feel our rated tradesmen should know about. You have the option of attaching up to four images to your job posting, so please use this opportunity to take photographs of your pool to assist our local tradesmen in giving you an accurate quote.
You may also want to use this section to include further details that cannot be included elsewhere. For example, if you are having a swimming pool built from scratch, you will need a project manager, builder, tiler, plumber, electrician (for the pumps and lights), possibly a garden landscaper and cleaner. The “Job Type” section does not allow you to choose multiple professions, so please account for that when describing the work that needs doing (and enter the “job type” as “General Builder”).
 Please note this field requires a minimum of ten words.
Job Type. We have tried to make this as simple as possible and defined the categories as clearly as we can. We appreciate that there are many different fields in each trade, so if you cannot find one which exactly matches your job requirements, please select the closest and use the description field (above) to give more details.
Post Code. Please insert the post code of where you want the job done if different from your home address. For example, if you live in Barnet, but the job posting relates to a job you want performed in Harrow, it would be advantageous to insert the Harrow postcode to attract tradesmen local to that area.
Your Name. You need not insert your full name if you are unhappy to do so. We are all pretty friendly at Mr Skill, so just your first name will suffice.
Your E-Mail: It is important that you complete your e-mail address accurately as this is where your future log-in details are sent and how we will be in contact to inform you of any tradesmen´s quotes which are received.
Your Contact No. It is not important to enter a contact number at this stage because it will not be displayed on your job posting – initially all contact is done by email. However, it may speed things up when you have made contact with a local tradesman is he has access to a number straight away. If there are certain times at which it is inconvenient to talk, please note this in the job description section.
How do you know about Mr Skill? Please complete this part as it helps us with our marketing and enables us to attract the better rated tradesmen to our site as well. If none of the categories are suitable, please click “Other” and at least we know you enquiry was not generated from any of the other sources.
Before submitting your job, please review our “Member Agreement” (particularly section 7 regarding posting a job on Mr Skill) and our “Privacy Policy”. If you have any questions about either of these sections, please use our “Contact Us” link at the top of the page before clicking “Post Job Now”.
When the new page opens, you will see your job posted and a default period of 20 days available for local tradesmen to post their quote, which is then automatically emailed to you. If you want to extend the period beyond 20 days for receiving quotes, you can do so via your control panel (details of how to access this will be included in your welcome e-mail), and if you would prefer a shorter period, please mention this in the job description.
You will also see your name showing as “new-user XXXX”. You can change this to your name or other pseudonym through the user control panel. This window also displays any questions that have been asked by local tradesmen and any quotes that they have submitted.
 Do not get anxious if you have not heard from a local tradesman within a day or two. Mr Skill features the highest rated tradesmen in London and their work diaries are often full. Thankfully, they are sufficiently responsible not to promise to do a job they know they cannot fit into their schedule. However, by following the above tips and posting your job carefully, you can be sure you will be receiving the fullest attention of the highest qualified tradesmen just as soon as they are available – and would you want your job attended to by somebody rated less than the best?
Go to Post-a-Job >>
Tags: Bath & Heating, Brick & Stone, Building, Carpentry, Cleaning Services, concrete, Decorating & Interior Design, description, Disposals & Waste Removal, Electrical Work, Extensions & Conservatories, Gardening & Landscaping, General Builders, Guttering & Drainage, Handyman Services, Kitchen Fitting, Locksmith & Security Systems, Moving Homes & Hauliers, Painting & Decorating, Planning & Consulting, Plastering & Drywall, Plumbing, Post a Job, registration, Roofing, Tiling & Flooring, Tradesmen´s Directory, user control panel, Window & Door Fitting
Posted in Hiring Advice | Comments Off
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If doors and windows themselves are in a poor state of repair, it may be time to consider replacing them. Typical tell-tale signs are when doors and windows stick or squeak when you try to open or close them, and installing new doors and windows can add to the kerb appeal of your property as well as saving you money by being more energy efficient.
An inefficient central heating system will cost you money throughout the next six to none months and potentially have its life span reduced if rust deposits and air-locks hinder the flow of water and induce pump failure. Flushing your central heating system is the best way of improving your central heating system´s performance, but it may only be necessary to bleed your radiators to ensure your house remains warm throughout the coming months.
You should do a regular inspection of the walls surrounding your home – garden walls and the brickwork of the property itself – to check for cracks and damaged bricks which may suffer from the freeze-thaw effect over the winter. Our “Post-a-Job” facility will enable you to get quotes from bricklayers in London should you need to replace damaged bricks or repoint your brickwork. If the weather is kind in your area over the next couple of weeks, you may also want to consider re-painting the exterior of your property – but only once you have read our blog about “What the Exterior Colour of Your Home Says About You”!
It is also the time of year to clean and repair guttering on roofs, garages and conservatories. Gutters can easily be blocked at any time of year by leaves, moss, feathers, dirt and other rubbish which has blown into them and the guttering runs can age prematurely when water fails to flow away. Whilst you are up the ladder, it is also a good opportunity to check for damaged or displaced roofing tiles which will allow the rain in and potentially cause a damp problem. A good selection of local roofers in London is available in our Tradesmen´s Directory should you find that you roof could benefit from a professional´s opinion.
