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Posts Tagged ‘price<’
Misting or fogging in double-glazed windows is quite common in older homes where the guarantee has expired. Owners often put up this, because it is a cosmetic problem that they feel is not worth the money to repair. As a London Window Fitting Expert I’m often asked what causes this irritating problem, and I thought others might like to know why too.
 Some condensation is natural in the space between two glass panes, because of the difference between outdoor and indoor temperatures. In earlier days this drained naturally away. These days another plan is put in place in the interests of thermal efficiency.
- The moisture-absorption material used instead is known an silica – that’s the same stuff as the tiny white balls found in little bags and shipped with electronic goods.
- This silica is in the separation bars that keep the double-glazing panes apart. You’ll find them right up against the inner window frame. The idea is that the silica absorbs the moisture in winter months, and dries out again in summer.
- Unfortunately, this is not always the case, and sometimes the silica becomes water-logged in less
 than five years. Most double-glazing is guaranteed for ten years though. If you are lucky enough to have the original warranty then you may have a claim.
If you are unable to prove the claim and want your unsightly problem solved, then I suggest you Find a Window Fitter to do this for you. Many people prefer to have a drain hole inserted instead, because this is half the price of a complete Replacement Window Fitting Quote.
The window fitter who contributed this advice is listed on Mr-Skill. Like our other skilled artisans in all UK trades, he has a reputation that goes back for years, and he is registered as required by law too. Please contact us in the event that you require Professional Window Fitting Quotes.
Tags: absorb, cause, claim, condensation, cosmetic, double glazing, find a window fitter, fog, frame, glass, guarantee, hole, home, indoor, insert, log, london window fitting, mist, moisture, money, old, outdoor, pane, price, repair, silica, spacer, summer, temperature, thermal, warranty, waterlog, window, window fitting quote, winter
Posted in Window & Door Fitting | Comments Off
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
Posted in Handyman Services | Comments Off
Posted in Tiling & Flooring on Sep 21
Wood-Effect laminate flooring has become popular in recent years, as folk discover how quickly they can change a room around, and how easy these floors are to keep clean too. But everything has its downsides and laminate flooring certainly is no exception. The only way to protect yourself from  problems is to Find a Floorer who does the job correctly in the first place.
• Peaking occurs when boards are too tight up against each other and the centres begin to bulge. This is almost invariably causde by a lack of free expansion space around the perimeter of the room, and can be corrected.
• Buckling and Warping are the result of water damage or moisture that could come from underground or might even be in the air. For this reason I have yet to meet a Flooring Firm in London who would consider laying laminate flooring in a bathroom, especially near a shower. Another possible cause of buckling and warping is the absence of an effective balancing substrate.
• Gapping between boards should not occur at all providing they are allowed to acclimatize before being laid. If they do open slightly under very cold conditions, the chances are that gaps will close as the room warms up again.
•  Mould and Mildew are warning signs of high humidity that ought to be carefully controlled, not simply cleaned away. The solution is to root cause the underlying problem and address it.
• Chipping on corners is a sign of abuse during installation. Make sure your Flooring Quote describes the manner in which the work will be done. If it mentions the use of a mallet and tapping block (which are unnecessary in the first place) move away and look again. If the damage happens subsequently, then I’m afraid you bought a poor quality floor.
Another way to avoid these hassles is to Find a Reputable Flooring Firm on Mr-Skill. That’s because we reference-check our tradespeople to make sure their lower prices do not come with loss of quality. How’s that for winning both ways.
Tags: avoid, board, buckle, bulge, cheap, chip, clean, cold, control, damp, expansion, find a flooring firm, floor, flooring firm in london, flooring quote, gap, humidity, laminate, mallet, mildew, moisture, mould, peaking, poor, price, problem, protect, quality, strip, substrate, tap, tight, warp, wood, wood effect
Posted in Tiling & Flooring | Comments Off
Posted in Handyman Services on Sep 14
What Makes a Good Handyman?
Let’s face it. There are plenty of so-called handymen and handywomen around in Britain these days, what with the recession and the rate of unemployment, and the industry is totally unregulated too. That’s  where Mr-Skill can help you Find a Handyperson you can rely on in a world so populated with strangers. Here are a few criteria we recommend when choosing one.
- Do they come recommended by anyone you know? Be careful of hiring a person directly off the street, and for obvious reasons too. When you consider hiring help that’s been rated by Mr-Skill and our customers, you are making a sensible start.
- What skill levels do they have? You’re unlikely to find a qualified tradesmen doing lower-paid work as a handyperson, so it’s impractical to expect formal qualifications. You are entitled to expect proof of related experience though – unless you are prepared to let them do their learner’s on your precious home.
- Are they organized people? The last think you need is a muddler inside your defences, so try to assess their personality when reviewing Handyman Quotes. Is their van tidy inside? Are they reasonably well dressed? Such things are often mirrors of the soul.
- Do they have an established client base? A good handyman can be as scarce as hen’s teeth. I know of London Handymen who never have to advertise. Be a little sanguine about an odd-jobber who can begin a job right immediately. Perhaps nobody else has uses for their services?
Tough talk from Mr-Skill today I guess, but straight talking for a reason. We receive letters every day from people who made the mistake of hiring a stranger off the street. Our Database of Rated Tradespeople is yours for free, and their prices are exceptionally fair. Doesn’t this make an awful lot of sense?
Tags: britain, client, dress, employment, establish, experience, fair, find a handyperson, handyman quotes, handymen, handywomen, hire, learner, london handymen, organize, price, proof, qualification, rate, recession, recommend, rely, scarce, sense, sensible, skill, stranger, tidy, van
Posted in Handyman Services | Comments Off
Posted in Handyman Services on Aug 22
Do you need to Find a Handyman in London, or in any other place whatsoever across the length and breadth of Britain? Then you need look no further than Mr-Skill, because we have a huge database of Handymen that you can access when you just click here. Of course you could also look for one yourself, although from what we know you’ll battle to find one yourself that’s  half as good, or at a better price than ours either.
Notwithstanding this, here are a few tips to get you started…
o Does the handyman in your sights have some form of technical qualification, best of all a trade of any kind? Alternatively, do they have some form of practical experience? If the answer is no on both counts, then they could be about to do their learner’s licence on your home! And don’t be afraid to ask for proof either. The ones who squeal the loudest are the ones to avoid the most.
o Take a good hard look at their business card. Is there enough information on it to track them down, assuming that the job does not turn out all that well? And while you’re at it ask them about their guarantees, and whether or not they are insured.
o  Make sure that all Handyman Quotes list materials and labour separately, and in terms of unit prices and actual hours provided for too. I’m not saying that they are not allowed to make a decent profit, just saying that an indecent profit is a bridge too far for me. And while you’re at it, make sure the information on their quote and business card is consistent. If it’s not, then find out why.
o I’ve always believed that the condition of the places where men store their things is an indication of the quality of their work. When you have a chance without being sneaky, take a look in the cab and load bay of their van.
Life is about choices, and if you need to Find a Handyman anywhere in England you could save yourself a load of trouble by doing so on Mr-Skill. We check all our tradesmen out on your behalf, and, in the event of an unlikely problem, we are as close as the other end of the telephone.
Tags: britain, business card, cab, choice, experience, find a handyman in London, good, guarantee, handyman, handyman in london, handyman quotes, handyperson, hour, information, insure, labour, load bay, material, price, problem, profit, proof, qualification, quotation, quote, save, technical, telephone, trouble, van
Posted in Handyman Services | Comments Off
Posted in General Building on May 30
We choose our Builders on Mr-Skill with great care and are proud of the reputation they enjoy. It may however happen from time to time (but thankfully very seldom) that things  do not work out quite as well as everybody hoped. When this happens, we investigate circumstances very carefully to continually improve the quality of our service, and to make sure our customers Find a Builder who suits them.
Almost inevitably we find that the root cause of the problem is a natural misunderstanding that developed between a Builder and their Customer, often as a result of one of the following classic problems:
o The Customer did not explain requirements sufficiently or the Builder did not understand them. In our experience there is only one way to avoid this, and that is a written specification signed off by both parties.
o The job took longer than the Customer expected. There are usually two reasons for this, namely unexpected snags and inclement weather. Unfortunately these are both beyond the control of either party. The best way to avoid a problem escalating is to agree a strategy when negotiating Building Quotes.
o  There is disagreement about the final price charged after the work is completed. Again co-operation is the only way to really avoid conflicts, and that means agreeing all escalations before they apply.
o I may have mentioned the Builder in London I know before, but I must say that I always find his advice well-worthwhile repeating. He reckons that marriages and building contracts have at least one thing in common, and that it to beware of bad body chemistry (but not the way you could be thinking).
He believes that the secret to avoiding building disputes is to avoid doing business with anybody who does not feel quite right as he puts it. When he finds a client with whom he knows he really can work well, he approaches everything thereafter as if they were both business partners and friends.
This is why we always say team up with your builder too, for the simple reason that this really does make the difference.
Tags: agree, builder, builder london, builder quote, building job london, building quotes, choose, customer, dispute, escalation, explain, feel right, find a builder, find a tradesman, friend, hope, misunderstanding, partner, price, problem, reputation, requirement, sign, snag, specification, team, tradesman london, tradesman quote, weather, work
Posted in General Building | Comments Off
Posted in General Building on Apr 29
A good builder can be a blessing, a bad builder a curse not even in disguise. This is because despite all the laws passed in London, and the efforts of all the king’s horses and men  too, the UK sometimes still seems awash with cowboy builders. The safest bet is still to Find a Builder on Mr-Skill. If you choose to exercise your right to find one yourself though, then you could be well advised to consider the following first.
o Do you know enough about the job to supervise it? If you do not, then how will you know whether the right techniques and materials are being used? It is one thing to rely on a builder who comes with recommendations from our huge customer base, but another thing completely to trust a stranger off the street.
o Does the builder know what they are doing either? Have they done a similar job before? The last thing that you need is to have someone do their learner’s licence on your precious home. Insist on seeing similar work done for other local people, and pop by there without the builder present too.
o  Trying to decide whether a Building Quote is reasonable is difficult too. You have the benefit of a closed bidding system on Mr-Skill. Out there, builders often collude when quoting. Some even divide the turf so that there is no genuine competition at all. Can you afford to pay an excessive price for substandard work? Especially when we have so many competent tradespeople waiting to do Quality Building Jobs in London and across the breadth and length of the United Kingdom too?
Why don’t you come home to Mr-Skill, where you always get good service from friendly competent artisans, and often pay up to a third below regular prices as well? That way, you can get on with your life in peace, and with the knowledge that you chose your builder wisely.
Tags: artisan, bad, bid, builder, builder london, builder quote, building job london, building quotes, choice, choose, competent, competition, cowboy, find a builder, find a tradesman, home, job, law, licence, material, price, recommend, stranger, supervise, technique, tradesman london, tradesman quote, tradesperson
Posted in General Building | Comments Off
A New Year is a time to make resolutions to catch up on all unfinished projects like an outside barbecue for summer months, a new patio or a decent pathway down to the shed. Why wait longer when Mr-Skill provides outstanding opportunities to find a tradesman who is rated to be able to complete a competent job at a fair price.
It is really easy to get builders quotes these days if you use the facilities offered by our website. It just takes moments to register and type in what you have in mind at no cost and  no obligation to you either.
Shortly afterwards, you will start receiving enquiries from craftsmen who may have already completed a building job in London and elsewhere too and can prove their competence. Their prices will all be competitive because they will know that you are comparing prices so you will save money as well as time.
It’s that easy to get that backlog of building jobs at home right up to date with Mr-Skill. Why not list an enquiry today? If you decide not to accept an offer there is no charge, and we will welcome you back again.
Aren’t you glad that there is such an easy site like Mr Skill that you can use to get tradesmen quotes so quickly? It really does take the pain out of the process and there is the added advantage of working with recommended people too.
Tags: barbeque, builder(s) london, Builders Quotes, building job london, building quotes, competence, competent, competitive, cost, easy, enquiry, find a builder, find a tradesman, free, home, house, inquiry, no cost, offer, path, pathway, patio, price, quotation, quote, register, shed, summer, tradesman london, tradesman quotes, unfinished
Posted in General Building, Inspirations | Comments Off
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