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Posts Tagged ‘string<’
Posted in Handyman Services on Jul 04
Trellis is the word we use to describe a latticework of crossing panels made from treated wood. Not only does it make for a visually pleasing experience, it also offers better privacy too. Solid pole-fences or brick garden walls are not as aesthetic and will cost a lot more too, especially when you add the price of labour. Trellis is available in standard panel sizes and many wood finishes too.
One of our regular London handymen says that if you’re not the DIY type, Mr-Skill is the best place to start your search for a skilled tradesperson. He goes on to advise that you need to visualise what you are trying to achieve, before erecting this type of fencing.
The Raw Materials
Typically, wood lattice panels are stock items, and come in 2 x 4 foot, 2 x 8 foot and 4 x 8 foot sections. The standard panel thickness starts at 3/8 inch, then 3/4 inch, and thicker. Common patterns include square, diamond and weave finishes with both large and smaller viewing gaps. Don’t forget the poles that you’ll need to plant for support. If you prefer, find a handyman here on Mr-Skill and leave the rest to him.
Steps:
- Use builder’s string and stakes to lay out your fence line. Then, you can mark your post positions along this line, allowing for a maximum gap of 8 feet between your poles. Now, dig a hole deep enough to bury the pole footing – not too shallow or the fence may bend. Plant the pole and check it is standing straight. Fill the hole around the post with concrete, being sure to keep the upright plumb. Allow the poles time to settle, and the concrete to set.
- Check that the post height above the ground does not exceed 6 feet, the normal height permitted by your local authority. Use the string to line up the poles and trim off any excess height.
- Trim top and bottom battens to fit horizontally between the poles, and secure them as supports for the lattice panels.
- Place the lattice panels in position with the right face showing, and centre between the uprights. You are now ready to secure the trellis fence to the framework, filling any left and right gaps with panels trimmed to the correct size.
If you haven’t erected a fence yourself like this before, it’s time to pat yourself on the back if you got this far. If this sounds all too difficult then check the Mr-Skill home page and get some handymen quotes instead. Then, switch on the telly and take in Match of the Day while you wait for the professionals to complete your stunning new fence.
Tags: aesthetic, concrete, fence, fencing, find handyman-services, Garden, garden walls, holes, horizontal, london handyman services, panels, poles, privacy, quote for handyman services, spacing, stake, string, trellis, trim, uprights
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Posted in Bricklaying on Mar 12
Bricklaying is an art as well as a science. Don’t go it alone. Get a bricklaying quote by clicking on this link to Mr-Skill, where you will find bricklaying experts. It’s not just about the vertical and horizontal dimensions. A good bricklayer will also be checking joint widths, mortar consistency and brick-course levels continuously.
 Foundations – This is the start point of any building project, and stability is paramount. Excessive ground moisture or insufficient compaction could lead to problems with the brick face, and that will not be the bricklayer’s fault. Keep in mind that lack of tensile strength between bricks and mortar inevitably results in cracks – and possible collapse too. Make sure your London bricklayer knows that the City sits on clay.
The Mortar is Too Dry – Mixing mortar correctly is not quite as simple as it looks, and the results of a poor mix could spell disaster. Too little water, and the mortar will not bond correctly between the bricks. The golden rule is that the slower the mortar mixture dries, the better the bond. One trick is to soak each brick in water before building. This method ensures that the mortar will dry slowly where it attaches to the brick. The end result – a stronger wall!
 Plumb or Dumb – A decent plumb line is essential when constructing a brick wall and the age-old trick of suspending a weight on a taught nylon string is hard to beat. The bottom line is that the side of your wall needs to be at right angles to the end. If it isn’t, then the bricks will not combine to form a single structure. The greater the angle of error in your brick wall, the more the pressure on the mortar and the risk of failure of the structure.
It’s far wiser to find a bricklayer on Mr-Skill because we’ve interviewed them personally and you can find out what our other customers think of them too.
How’s that for a good idea. And what’s more it’s completely free of charge to you!
Tags: bond, brick, brick laying, bricklayer, bricklaying, bricklaying quote, collapse, consistency, crack, dimension, expert, find a bricklayer, foundation, horizontal, joint, level, measure, moist, mortar, plumb, right angle, stability, strength, string, vertical, wet
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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
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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 Carpentry & Joinery on Jun 27
Like most things in life, a satisfactory timber deck begins with a solid foundation. Similarly, a successful career may begin at a good primary school, and a victory in a debating competition often depends on  well-founded logic. I myself am sometimes equally guilty of wanting to get started without planning properly – do this when contemplating a wooden outside deck and you really do invite trouble.
An old hand I knew as a lad and who was a Joiner in London loved to say that every journey begins with the first step, and that when it came to woodwork that first step was down to the timber yard in his mind. After all, it is pointless planning a job unless you can get the right timber, and in the lengths your job needs too. Plan your spacing correctly and help save trees as opposed to accumulating off-cuts.
At this stage in the project there is no substitute to mocking things up on the ground with string or whitewash so that you can visualise exactly where things will go. If you Find a Joiner that you hired setting in the support posts without doing this first and discussing the results with you, best you cut your losses and start again.
 A Joinery Quote must define the type, treatment, dimensions and quality of the timbering to be used on a wooden deck, and the quality of the fixings too. Insist on timber cut from the heart of a tree, and materials that will not rust. While this may increase the project cost by 50%, it could more than treble the lifespan of the finished product.
With everything agreed and the posts set in concrete, the frame should be built up in a matter of days. Inspect the work as it goes along and do not allow any planks to be attached until you are completely satisfied. Keep an eye on the planks themselves too. They must not be split, warped or twisted. Reject those that are, because you specified the best.
The rest should be plain sailing and you can probably leave it to the decking firm to continue undisturbed for the rest of the job. This will be partly because they can see that you know what you are about, but mainly because you found them on Mr-Skill.
Tags: concrete, deck, decking, find a joiner, fixing, frame, joiner london, joinery quote, length, mark, mock up, plan, plank, post, quality, reject, rust, split, string, support, timber, tree, twist, warp, wood, wooden
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Posted in Handyman Services on Feb 08
Sometimes it is necessary to cast a small non-load bearing concrete slab outside in the garden. There are many reasons why you may need to this of which the following are just a few examples.
 o A foundation for a tiled sit-out
o A floor inside a garden shed
o A base for a small garden frame.
Before getting Handyman Quotes, here is how you could do the job yourself instead.
1. After carefully selecting a suitable site and considering water drainage mark the area out with string. Remove an area of earth slightly larger than required, and deep enough, and line the area with strips of wood or other suitable shuttering.
2. Back fill the space outside the shuttering carefully for this is what will determine the outer edge of your finished slab. Compact the earth inside the strips of wood, adding earth and a little water as you go. Do this several times on at least two consecutive days until the surface is the right depth and as hard as a clay tennis court can be (one full brick height is about the right level of thickness to target). Line the space with pvc plastic right across and up all four sides.
3. Make up a good strong mix of concrete ensuring that the ingredients are thoroughly blended. Fill the space inside the shuttering half-way up. Lay pre-cut reinforcing bars across at regular intervals, tamp these down and add the rest of  the concrete. Use a straight edge across the shuttering to get things nice and level (sometimes Handyman London use a steel roller instead).
4. After a few hours when water is no longer lying on the surface scribe a line between the top edge of the concrete and the shuttering to prevent the joint from drying out. Six hours later or the following morning you will be able to gently tap the strips of wood away and remove them completely.
5. You now have the final opportunity to gently remove any surplus concrete with a metal float. Don’t be too hasty to tile over it though as concrete takes thirty days to fully cure.
Are you feeling tired already? Is your favourite television program calling you instead? Never mind about all that, just Find a Handyman on Mr-Skill to do a tidy job for you.
Tags: backfill, base, brick, compact, concrete, drainage, earth, find a handyman, float, floor, foundation, Garden, garden frame, handyman london, handyman quote, mix, pour, PVC, reinforce, reinforcing, scribe, shed, shuttering, site, slab, string, strip, surplus, tap, thickness, water, wood
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While indigenous shrubs sourced locally often survive a harsh Winter without any help from gardeners, tender plants with juicy stems from tropical climes must be wrapped to survive the cold. Although it is not difficult to do the job your self, this can be time-consuming. If in doubt or faced with many other things to do why not contact Mr-Skill for gardener quotes. The best time to do the job is in late Autumn, before the cold Winter arrives.
The material used for wrapping plants is burlap (a coarse weave of  flax, hemp or jute fibres). You can buy this from your local hardware store by roll or length. If the sales clerk does not know what burlap is, tell them that it is the same as hessian, and that you want to wrap your plants for Winter in it. If you cannot source burlap locally, you could also try to find a gardener who could be prepared to sell some to you. I very much doubt though that professional gardeners in London would.
First, give your precious plants a good long drink before you bed them down for Winter. The easiest way to do this is to let the hose trickle slowly until the ground is thoroughly soaked. You could also use a watering can or bucket to add the water slowly without letting it run away.
Second, cut a piece of burlap to size and lay it around the shrub at ground level, remembering that you will pull it upwards later so that you do not move the branches out of shape. This will take a little practice to get right.  If the piece of burlap turns out to be too small, lay it aside for a smaller plant, and start again.
Third, pull the burlap up around the plant to make a tight bundle that hides every part of it. Where it overlaps, and at the top, use string or nails to attach it to itself. Make sure that the bundle remains tight while doing this, or it could slip down later. That’s all there is to wrapping plants.
Where would you be without Mr-Skill? You just need to find a gardener now to help you wrap your precious plants.
Tags: autumn, bucket, burlap, find a gardener, find a landscaper, flax, frost, gardener quotes, gardeners london, hemp, hessian, hose, jute, landscaper quotes, landscapers london, nail, plant wrapping, snow, soak, string, water, watering can, wateringcan, winter, wrap plant
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Posted in Carpentry & Joinery on Jul 31
 Contrary to popular belief, balusters are no more than an ornamental feature on your staircase. They provide no support to the handrail at all (this is done by the newels) and consequently are fairly simply to remove and replace. Depending on how broken a baluster is, you may be able to repair it by gluing the fractured elements together, inserting a doweling rod and securing with glue or you may need to arrange with a local tradesman for a completely new baluster to be made.
Removing the Baluster
Balusters are more usually attached to the stair tread by glue and/or nails, and inserted into a hole cut into the handrail. If your baluster has a clean break, you should be able to pull both sections out with the aid of a screwdriver to prise away the baluster from any glued areas. Thereafter, you can use a little wood glue to fix minor damage and allow to set overnight. For more severe damage, cut a two to three inch piece of doweling and, using a drill bit with the same diameter, bore two holes into the damaged section of the baluster. Insert the doweling and secure with wood glue – again allowing the glue to set overnight before attempting to replace it.
Replacing the Baluster
To replace the baluster, insert the top end into the hole beneath the handrail and using a wood block and club hammer, tap the bottom section back into place gently. The bottom of the baluster should be secured with wood glue and nails driven in at a 45 degree angle to clamp the baluster tightly.
When a baluster is so damaged that only a replacement will do, you have to consider that balusters on the same step will be of different heights because of the angle of the handrail and it is better to take the broken baluster to a local tradesman to have a replica made, rather than trying to buy one “off the shelf”.
Should you suffer the misfortune to have several broken balusters, you may wish to use this opportunity to give a new breathe of life to your staircase with a completely new look. In our “Inspirations” section we have a feature on how a new staircase can transform your home and you may also like to read how a new staircase can improve the appeal and value of your home in our blog. Finally, if there is any further advice you need on staircases and their elements, consult our “Staircase A-Z” or one of the highly rated tradesmen in our tradesmen’s directory.
 A few ideas from our "Inspirations" page
Tags: baluster, banister, building regulations, bullnose step, curtail step, finial, good impressions, handrail, Home Improvements, interior decoration, newel, nosing, planning permission, refurbish, riser, sell your property, spindle, spiral stairs, staircases, stairs, string, tradesman, tread, winder stairs
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Posted in Carpentry & Joinery on Jul 31
 Stairs Glossary - See the section on Staircases in our Building A-Z for more information Stairs are built to last and when they get damaged or start to age, you may often be worried about their structural security. However, there are a few quick remedies that can prolong the life of your stairs, and your local builder will be able to make these quickly and efficiently. If you wish to attempt these projects yourself, they will far easier and safer with a second pair of hands.
Squeaking Steps
Squeaking Steps is problem which is more commonly found in older homes and is a symptom of aging wood losing its suppleness and shrinking over time. The “squeak” is caused by a loose or shrunken tread (step) rubbing against a riser (the vertical part of the step) or a stringer (stair support). Although this is a repair job which you can easily take on yourself, if you discover significant cracking in the wooden stair and supports around it, you may need to replace the whole stair or seek professional advice from a local tradesman about the extent of the problem.
The quick fix for a squeaking stair is to establish where the friction is being caused and secure the stair against the riser or stringer with a wedge. This is far simpler to do from beneath the stair (if you have access) and means that your repair is less likely to show. Using wood glue, fix a wedge into the angle between the tread and riser. Tap it tight with a hammer, and then screw the wedge in taking care not to force the screws through the exterior surface of the tread.
 Tightening Up at 45 degree angles helps clamp the wood and prevent future movement If you cannot get beneath your stairs to do the repair, it may be possible to stop the squeaking by “tightening up”. Ideally you would have somebody standing on the stair to compress the tread and riser together, and then insert nails at 45 degree angles to clamp the tread into position. If you need to nail the tread into the riser, it is better to first drill thin guiding holes in order to drive the nails beneath the surface of the tread, and then fill with some wood putty.
Although these procedures may sound straightforward, it is possible to cause more damage to the stair if your wedge is mis-aligned or you drive the nails in and split the support wood in either the riser or stringer. If you have any doubts about making sound repairs to your staircase, speak to one of the highly rated tradesmen listed in our tradesmen’s directory for further advice or to ask them to pop round and do the quick fix for you.
Broken Tread
If you establish that the creaking is coming from a tread which is so damaged that a quick fix will be insufficient, you need to consider replacing the tread. Staircases were not built to come apart easily however you may be able to extract the broken tread by using a crowbar and prising the tread away from the risers and strings. From the front of the damaged step, start prising from the soundest part of the tread and moving along making small raises as you go. You may find that the tread is secured to the rear riser by wood screws, and these can be removed if you have access beneath the stairs and saved for the replacement tread.
 How to install triangular wedges from beneath the tread. You can see that they would look unsightly above the tread. If you do not have access to the back of the staircase, inserting a new tread may well be complicated and leave an unsightly finish, as it will require the application of triangular wedges to secure the new tread (see illustration). Depending on the construction of your staircase, it may be necessary to remove a number of balusters. This is not a particularly difficult job – see our project advice on broken balusters – however complications arise when treads are glued into mortises cut into the stringers on each side, or where the treads are held in place by newels. In these circumstances, the partial disassembly of the staircase may be required and it is recommend that for a job of this scale you take advantage of the services offered by the local tradesmen featured in our tradesmen’s directory.
Tags: baluster, banister, building regulations, bullnose step, curtail step, finial, good impressions, handrail, Home Improvements, interior decoration, newel, nosing, planning permission, refurbish, riser, sell your property, spindle, spiral stairs, staircases, stairs, string, tradesman, tread, winder stairs
Posted in Carpentry & Joinery | Comments Off
 Second impressions count for a lot! There is a saying that you “Never get a second opportunity to make a good first impression”, but when it comes to showing your property to potential purchasers, the same can be said about the second impression. If you have a property on the market, hopefully you will have already reviewed our articles on “Kerb Appeal” and the importance of “Renovating the Outside of Your Home” which deal with taking advantage of the services offered by local tradesmen to create the right first impression. However, once you have enticed your viewers inside your home, what is the first thing they are going to see?
Lost the Sale so Soon?
Picture the scenario whereby you open the front door to your home, and your “guests” are greeted by a shabbily decorated hallway and a dilapidated staircase. Although they may be too polite to turn around and walk straight out, you have already lost the sale and this is the reason why your staircase is one of the most vital things to concentrate on when preparing your home for sale.
Although the perception may be that replacing a staircase is a major operation which involves a lot of disruption and inconvenience, the truth of the matter is that a completely new staircase can be installed by a highly rated builder within a day, and the cost of replacing an eyesore with an attractive feature may be no more than the price of a decent washing machine. Certainly, the amount you invest on replacing an old or unsightly staircase with a new modern design will be rewarded many times over in the speed in which you sell your property and the price you attain.
Space and Light
 Consider stair storage to create space You can also use the opportunity to add more space and light to your property by speaking with you local builder about introducing a different style of staircase – you could replace a straight staircase with a quarter-turn or winder staircase, leaving you with more room by the front door. Your local builder might suggest that you exchange the existing wooden balusters and newels with something more contemporary, and maybe even remove the risers or replace them with storage drawers. There are a large number of elements on a staircase that can be replaced or renewed by your local tradesman to bring new life to your hallway.
If you are looking for a few ideas of how this could work for you, have a read of our “Inspirations” page about staircases and also have a look through our “Staircase A-Z” for some details about what you can and cannot do. Finally, when you have looked at the entrance to your home from a purchasers’ point of view, speak with one of the highly rated tradesmen listed in our Tradesmen’s Directory to get a builders quote on creating that favourable second impression.
 A few ideas from our "Inspirations" page
Tags: baluster, banister, building regulations, bullnose step, curtail step, finial, good impressions, handrail, Home Improvements, interior decoration, newel, nosing, planning permission, refurbish, riser, sell your property, spindle, spiral stairs, staircases, stairs, string, tradesman, tread, winder stairs
Posted in Improving the appeal and value of your home | Comments Off
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