Rotten greenhouse base

Boy, did I have fun today!
Despite the weather.
The task today was to replace the rotten wooden base of a 8x6 greenhouse.
The greenhouse had never been anchored to the ground, and so, in the high winds of this winter, looked like a flexible Triclinic crystal, and had waltzed half way across a very large garden. As you can see in the picture, it was just a matter of jacking the whole thing up; moving it back onto it's concrete platform; removing the old base; installing a new base, and then screwing and bolting it all down so that short of a major earthquake (which doesn't happen very often in Eastbourne) it ain't going to move anywhere for some time to come. It wasn't too much for two people to do - the only trouble was - I was on my own! It took most of the day, but in the end I got the job done! Despite all the winter storms buffeting, all of the waltzing across the garden, and all the moving I did with it, only three panes of glass were broken, and in case you don't know it - greenhouse glass is very thin and fragile!!!

All those small jobs area lot of work

Lots and lots of small jobs today. Plumbing in a new dishwasher; changing ceramic tap heads; making a dresser child safe (is that possible?); replacing some missing flashing; building flatpack bunk beds; installing a bath panel; removing a shower; and not fogetting renwing silicone sealant around two shower screens. It's a grand life being Eastbourne's Jim'll Fix It!

Flatpack Cabin bed and MFI wardrobes

Assembling a cabin bed can be a two cups of tea job. Assembling a cabin bed in a box room only just big enough for it to fit in adds a layer of complexity and another cup of tea. But assembling a cabin bed in mirror image to the way it's been designed adds at least three extra cups and a complete packet of Jaffa cakes. This cabin bed has a wardrobe on the right hand end. Flat pack comes with pre-drilled and cut boards. What's on the right is supposed to stay on the right, and what's on the left is meant to stay on the left.

Now that's alright if there's plenty of space - but if the bed is 76" long and the walls are 80" apart, a small problem starts to raise it's ugly head.

How do you get clothes into the wardrobe?

After a bit of "what do we do now" puzzled expressions, and a couple of minutes nose scratching we (I) decided to reverse the layout.

On the left hand side of the room is a window, and by reaching around its possible to use the window opening to put things in and out of the wardrobe. Admittedly it's not a comfortable solution, but when the customer has £259 of paid for chipboard and screws on the floor, a solution has to be found. Blind holes had to be drilled through and through holes had to be stopped. Working from Chinese flat pack plans can be difficult enough but working in mirror image makes it just a tad harder! To be fair the plans were very clear by chinese standards, and so, after a couple of hours more than planned for, the cabin bed was ready for use. As long as the child doesn't put on weight he will be able to use the wardrobe for quite a few years to come.

By comparison the two large MFI wardrobes that needed to be put together, went up in a quarter of the time the cabin bed had taken. But I've always found MFI stuff is easy to assemble.

Waste Disposal Units

I arrived home today spattered from head to foot with gunge from a WDU (commonly known as a waste disposal unit). The smell was awful. I'd received a 'help' call from a distressed eighty year old lady, who'd been told by two 'experts' that her WDU was dead and in need of replacement. She didn't believe them and called me, and so, changing into my alter ego, I became "Superhandyman". With my underpants pulled up over my Lycra leggings, my stomach(sorry that should read sinews) bulging under my skin tight vest I sprung into action. In a flash I flew down Upperton Road and arrived at the high rise block of flats known as Hamilton House. In my younger years, I would have scaled the side of this building to get to the distressed damsel; but today I am older and wiser; and so I decided to take the lift to the top floor instead. The smell of rotten everything filled the air. The lady was clearly upset. The smell brought tears to my eyes too.
A waste disposal unit is a fine thing when it works, but a nightmare when it goes wrong. This one had been in situ for 30 years. A quick intake of breath and I dived under the sink. But wait! First I had to clear out all the bottles of toxic chemicals that lie buried in the depths of her kitchen sink cupboard. The labels were faded; over the years the liquids had congealed to a glutenous substance of indeterminate use. Here a tin of 'Duraglit', there a tin of 'Vim', at the back, a box of rock hard 'Tide' washing powder.

It's amazing what a trip down memory lane you can find in an old ladies drawers.

Having cleared the cupboard it was time to tackle the problem. Removing a recently fitted WDU is simple enough. Removing a WDU that has sat undisturbed for 30 years is a whole different ball game. Years of expensive technical training in the world's leading academies has given me skills beyond the measure of mere mortals. However, when finesse and clever solutions fail, reach for a big hammer. After ten minutes and a skinned knuckle the WDU was sitting on the worktop. The stench was unrelenting. Superhandyman was covered in sweat.
The real advantage of 'old' equipment is that it can generally be repaired. Taking the WDU apart I quickly discovered the problem. A dish cloth was wrapped around the crushing, cutting, grinding, shredding blades of the WDU, which meant that the blades couldn't crush, cut, grind or shred. The cloth was buried under a mound of broken egg shells, disintegrated tea bags, and fats and gristle of indeterminate age. The stink level was now into the danger zone, and Superhandyman wanted to wretch. With a strong tug on the cloth the blades came free - and so did the gristle, teabags and eggshells. Being a super hero I took the full force of the blast. The sink now looked like an example of modern abstract fit for a Turner Prize exhibition. The artist Tracy Emin would have been proud to have it in her Portfolio. The look of disgust on the lady's face told me I would not be allowed to use her good towels to clean myself up.

The rebuild took only a few minutes; the refitting of the WDU a few minutes more, and then came the moment of truth... The sound of a thirty year old WDU coming back to life was music to Superhandyman's ears. The clean up took another 15 minutes. Super handyman had done it again. Soon he was on his way home to clean up and return to his day job certain in the knowledge that he had left a serene smile of contented satisfaction spread over the old lady's face.

What I do and how I work

I work as a general handyman and am able to do a wide variety of jobs.
Although I have the skills and knowledge to build you a house, I no longer choose to undertake any large projects.
Many customers tell me I am particularly good at problem solving.
I can custom build wardrobes and bookcases, hang doors, assemble flat pack, make wooden windows open that have stuck for years, install cat flaps, fit washing machines/dishwashers, fix leaking taps, toilets, and ball cocks, in fact there are not many jobs I cannot do.
My skills cover most things carpentry, plumbing, or electrical
Please note I am not a registered plumber or electrician
All electrical work carried out by me will be approved by a fully registered electrician If and when certification is applicable he may charge a fee for the certificate.
I do not personally do Gardening, Painting, Decorating, Plastering, Tiling, Central Heating or Gas, but I do know very reliable tradesmen that do. These tradesmen are known to me and have been tried and tested by my many customers. The people whom I introduce, or whose numbers I give you, are completely independent from my business. Make sure that you feel happy with them and negotiate with them for their work directly.
Any estimate given whether verbal or written will be for my advice, labour, and expertise only and does not cover unforeseen circumstances, additional works, or work to be carried out by any other tradesmen.
All materials are in addition to the estimate and must be paid for in advance.
If you wish I can take you to my trade suppliers, where you can take advantage of my trade discount accounts.
Any rubbish will need to be placed in your general household rubbish bin, if a large amount of rubbish is expected then I would advise that you arrange a skip to be on site. Alternatively I can give you the telephone number of a man who does rubbish clearance.
Payment will be agreed before I commence work.
I do not give credit in any form.

How many internal doors in your house?

I was hanging doors today. Oh bliss! The doors were top quality; the tea and biscuits were plentiful; the weather was fantastic (in the sun!); and the work was hard (on the knees) but good. It was a good day to be alive. Come to think about it - any day is a good day to be alive - the alternative is not worth thinking about! The people were very pleasant. The one thing that struck me was the number of doors in the house. On the phone the lady told me that she wanted all five doors changed. When I arrived at the house the husband also told me that we needed to change all five doors. When I went around with the tape measure to size up - I found six! Here's the question... Right now - without thinking - how many doors do you have in your home. Now go and count them. Most people misjudge the number. I find it strange that we can own a property for years, decades even, and still not know how many doors we have.

Re-arrange the kitchen

One of the jobs I've done this week was to revamp a kitchen layout. The old units were still in good condition and after a little bit of thought were able to be re-arranged into a completely new layout. I had to cut down a larder unit that would otherwise have been surplus to requirements, and made a base unit from the carcass which now fits under a new worktop. Electrics needed to be re-routed and appliances placed into new positions. During the rebuild the place looked chaotic. Bits and pieces were lying around all over the place. Appliances were moved here there and everywhere. The whole thing only took half a day to complete, but even so, at the end I was absolutely 'nadgered'. Material costs were only£60, and now, the lady has a new kitchen! She's very pleased - and yes I do mean very pleased! It doesn't need to cost thousands to put a smile on a lady's lips.

Slavery

Have a look at this

it's from the BBC

it doesn't have anything to do with handyman things

but it's interesting nonetheless

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/6476645.stm

Outside lights

This evening I had arranged to fit an outside light for a home owner.
The old unit had given up the ghost.
The homeowner was an electronics researcher, who in daily life gave presentations at conferences on electronics, but freely admitted that he preferred not to handle screwdrivers if he could possibly avoid them. It seemed somehow strange to fit a simple light for a research fellow in electronics, but I've done many strange things in my life, so one more mildly surreal thing simply didn't faze me.
In the course of conversation we did discover that we both had a healthy disdain for "designers" and their apparent lack of common sense. It takes just as long to design something well, as it does to design it poorly, so why do so many designers (and architects) design so poorly?
Is it malevolence, ignorance, or stupidity?
If you want to see what I consider a prime example of ghastly design go down to the corner of Whitley Road and St Philips Avenue. There you will see a large building (St Philip's Church of England church) that is "architect designed". How could anybody associate themselves with such a miserable confection - unless of course they wanted to become known for poor quality prison punishment block design? It is at best an eyesore - but I suspect it is probably feted throughout the designer community, as what can be readily achieved with the right level of complete disregard for one's own self respect.
Professionals!
I think not.

Well that's my rant for the day

Oh by the way. the light works now.

Laminate flooring

Wasn't the wind bitter? I was so glad to be working indoors today.
I had to lay a laminate floor in a kitchen. Good quality laminate can be incredibly hard wearing. At home we have it throughout most of the bungalow, including the kitchen. Because our house is very well insulated we're able to heat the whole house from a single cast iron stove in the living room (Yes, that's right - we don't want central heating). The only disadvantage of a stove is that embers fall out of the firebox when I decide to poke around too enthusiastically, however even after two years of falling embers the laminate remains totally unaffected. It seems far more hygienic than carpeting, and is so easy to keep clean. The one thing that no laminate seems able to cope with is wet. Even bathroom laminate "lifts" if soaked once too often. My suggestions are therefore don't use it where it may get very wet. and DON'T BUY CHEAP LAMINATE unless you have a lot of money. Laying laminate floors in a large room is much easier than in a hallway. When examining a laid floor don't bother looking at the middle of the floor, look around the door frames - that's the trickier area - and will most likely show the level of competence of the installer. If you need help with laying laminate flooring call me on 07930 335 937

Squeaking creaking floorboards

Sovereign harbour is full of them. Today I was in a house in Tasmania Way, and the creaking from upstairs when anyone moved about was - horrendous. For many, the classic way to try and stop this creaking is to whack a few screws into the offending area in the hope that it will stop it. In the "good old days" before the advent of central heating and the demise of "proper" floorboards, that worked more often than not. But now, with vast arrays of central heating pipes buried just under the chipboard flooring it is not to be tackled without a large element of caution. In the harbour most of the floors are chipboard panels, tongued and grooved, and nailed down with powernailers. Over a period of time, and with the large amount of 'settlement' that new builds seem to have, many of these floors don't just groan and moan, they scream and yell. This particular creaking was finally relieved by lifting a whole section of the floor (2' wide by 12' long) where the pipework ran, trimming the floor panels by a saw blade's worth, and then relaying the offending section of floor. If you decide to do this yourself at home be careful not to slice through any pipes, otherwise it could get very messy. If in doubt call me on 07930 335 937.

Power showers versus electric showers

Fitted a replacement electric shower this afternoon. The old one had given up the ghost and had been tripping the fuse. I 'm not a great lover of these types of showers because it's virtually impossible to get wet under the things. The flow rate even on the best ones is little better than a drizzle. Give me a power shower any time. When it comes to getting wet (which is the whole idea of showering isn't it?) then the cheapest, nastiest, power shower is far far better than the most expensive electric shower. When either will do I suppose there must some good reason for installing an electric shower, it's just I can't think what they could be. Having said that, they are very popular. Oh well, to each his own, as they say.

It's good to know people

What an interesting day!
Dave Grooms of HMA Business Growth Solutions held a very informative free seminar in Eastbourne today. As the company name suggests, it was all about growth and marketing. I went to the morning session and was very pleased I did. Nowadays, Jim'll Fix It runs very smoothly. Most of my work comes from referrals of satisfied customers, and new work comes in at a comfortable level. Because of that it's very easy to get complacent and fall into a rut. I'd realised that I was "too comfortable". I wanted to have a look at what I'm doing, and what I ought to be doing. Hence the seminar came along at just the right time. Sure enough, during a two hour presentation Dave hit several "aha" buttons. One of the thing I picked up was to remember to stay in touch. It's easy to forget that clients can loose phone numbers too (and I thought it was just me!). It made me wonder how many good clients I may have temporarily 'lost'. By the end of the session I decided one of the things I'll be doing is to distribute my cards more frequently. So be warned - you may be getting a visit!

All seats at the session were taken. Many businesses were represented: builders suppliers; marketing companies; insolvency practitioners; bespoke kitchen manufacturers; solicitors; meat distributors; pie makers and me. A real cross section of people. One of the attendees on the seminar was Sam of Elsby Solicitors. Now this is one interesting guy to know... If you have, or you know someone who has suffered a personal injury, I reckon you would want to be in touch with this guy. I've taken the following from his website. Sam Elsby is a thoroughly professional, sympathetic and approachable lawyer who qualified as a solicitor in 1984. He has undertaken personal injury work exclusively since 1990 and has been a member of the Law Society’s specialist Personal Injury panel for more than 10 years. His firm was one of the first to be Accredited by the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) in 2005.
He formed his own law firm in early 2003 to provide a highly specialised and personal legal service dedicated to assisting accident victims. Since then, he has recovered compensation for clients ranging from a few thousand pounds to £2.7 million.
He represents clients throughout England & Wales although most are from the south east of England including Kent; Sussex; Surrey; Essex; Herts as well as Greater London. However he has travelled as far apart as Yorkshire and South Wales for cases. Every client is offered at least one home visit. Many of the claims result from accidents at work or road accidents and he has particular experience in both child and adult head injury cases. He regularly represents families at Coroner’s Inquests in fatal accident cases.
Visit his website, read the testimonials, and make your own mind up.
It's good to know the right people!

A tough week ends with a deserved Sunday rest

This week has been so hectic that I didn't have time to keep up with this blog.

The whole week has been one mad rush and my knees, and leg muscles are telling me I've worked hard.

Apart from putting up curtains (if there's anybody out there who thinks it's women's work should try taking down heavy drapes on your their own and replacing them with equally heavy drapes -- it ain't light work!).

I've also been hanging two front doors; replacing the roof felt on two shed roofs; dismantling 36' of larch lap fence with 3" posts, and replacing it with sturdy close board fencing with 4" posts; scarf jointing some rotten frame work; replacing a rotten porch post and sill plate (it was only ten years old!); hanging a garage side door; changing a toilet cistern; fixing two leaking washing machine connectors; and repairing a video security system. That's on top of all the other bits and pieces that came along, like building from scratch, a new door, drawer box, and draw front, in pine, on a damaged Ducal sideboard. The lady had been surprised at my estimate for custom building the two fronts, but now that it's finished, is delighted with the result, and hasn't stopped telling people. It's great when that sort of thing happens.

Add to that my time planning was a bit wonky this week - I'd underestimated how long a couple of jobs would take, and the wind and rain on Tuesday didn't help. I took a few photos this week, meaning to publish them on this site, but managed to delete them instead of transferring them to the computer. My apologies to those who expected to see their photos here! It's been a tough ol' week.

Artists, Elderly Ladies, Drains, and Bell pushes

To avoid Monday morning blues I decided not to work this morning! It worked fabulously - I didn't hit a single Monday morning hitch. I recommend this amazing methodology to all those wanting to avoid Monday morning blues.
I had several calls over the weekend for emergency repair work. It must have been one of those weekends. Could the lunar eclipse have had something to do with it? One of the calls was from an elderly lady who had a flood in the back yard. By the time I got there the "flood" was receding. A plastic shopping bag had blocked the drain cover. All I did was pick up the plastic bag and all trace of the flood disappeared. How much should I have charged her for a Sunday afternoon visit? The fact is I didn't - couldn't - wouldn't charge her, but I bet some of these "emergency plumbers" would have - but that's another story for another day.
Today I met the president of Eastbourne Art Society. He's 69 and spends his days demonstrating painting techniques to societies all over the country. He's a prolific artist and loves what he does. His father had insisted that he get a proper job and so he became a physicist! He told me he hated every minute of it (perhaps a slight over statement). At the age of 29 he gave it all up and became a professional artist. For the next 40 years he did, and still does to this day, what he loves to do. Paint! What a lovely way to live.
This evening I had to see a man about a doorbell. The bell didn't work. I have found that at least 80% of bell problems lie with the door bell push. Water gets into the housing and rusts away the switchgear. It's very simple to do. All you need is a tiny screwdriver, and the job is done in 5 minutes. Now before you rush out to get a new door bell push for £2.39, a small word of warning. The cable to the push is almost always very short AND very brittle. Be careful not to break it otherwise you'll spend another hour going back and forth to the store for new cable and clips. What should be a five minute job can, within the blink of an eye, turn into an hour of fiddling and fumbling, on top of the hour wasted going back and forth to Homebase etc. Be warned! The other way, the simpler way, is to call me, and I'll do it for you. Call me on 07930 335 937 or email me at handyman@seehawk.co.uk

Kids, Jet Skis, Handrails, and Door Closers

Well after the last post, lets get back to the real world.
I had a nice light day today. Fit an electric shower, put up two handrails on a very steep stairwell, install an automatic door closer, and put up a couple of floodlights. All in a days work. The installation of the shower was almost a carbon copy of the last shower I put in yesterday. Same issue different house. Why?
My second call of the day was to a great lady who seemed to have similar ideas about kids as me. It's not the children who are to blame for poor schooling or discipline, it's the parents. The teachers have the responsibility for the kids for 40 hours a week max. Parents have them for 128 hours a week. I'm lousy at maths, but common sense tells me, simply by looking at the ratios of time, the fault MUST lie with the parents. Here's a quote I saw somewhere -- "What we do to kids now, they will do to society later". (Whoops, I'm on my soap box again. Sorry!) Where was I? Oh yes! Putting up lights. I had three sets of lights to put up, and was given three cups of tea -now that's what I call a GOOD ratio. I asked why she needed so much light and she said she needed it for her jet ski - ask a simple question, you'll get a simple answer.
A pig's ear handrail ( that's not a moan - it's called a pigs ear because in profile it resembles a pig's ear.) is a doddle to put up. The most difficult bit was manoeuvring a 4 metre long pole into a narrow stairwell at the end of a room filled with bone china, glasses, and other highly breakables. It only took about an hour to install them both, but now it has made going up and down a cellar stairwell much safer. I should be in line for a halo soon!!!!!!
The door closer finished off the week. This weekend we've got family over from France and I need to have a chat with my son in Germany. Oh yes, we're very EUropean in our household.
Can't get over the Jet Skis.

What is a Quaker?

Today I was asked "what is a Quaker", which left me pondering for some time. As you know I am a Quaker, but for me to explain it is not so easy. I'm probably the worst example of a Quaker I can think of. But I do try. But how to explain .... hmmm... well here goes...
What are Quakers?
Quakers are members of the Religious Society of Friends, a faith that emerged as a new denomination in England during a period of religious turmoil in the mid-1600's, and is practiced today, in a variety of forms, around the world.To members of this religion, the words Quaker and Friend mean the same thing.
Quakers are: an active, involved, faith-based community living in the modern world. We are a diverse people consisting of several distinct branches. We continue our traditional testimonies of pacifism, social equality, integrity, and simplicity, which we interpret and express in a variety of ways. Today, many Friends include stewardship of our planet as one of our testimonies.
Quakers are not: Amish, Anabaptists, Shakers or Puritans--we come from a separate tradition than these other groups. We don't dress like the man on the box of oats anymore. If you're looking for definitive answers about Quakers, Ie will have to disappoint you -- there aren't ANY definitive answers..! All I can do is offer you personal viewpoints and so enable you to build your own picture of what Quakers are..
What must you believe to be a Quaker?
The way to membership of most religions is the acceptance of a statement of belief. Quakers have never required any particular statement of belief, no matter how simple or general.
Historically this dates from the times when Christians of one persuasion or another would demand that others assented to their creeds. Quakers suffered much because they would not accept any of the statements which others put forward, and they were firmly resolved that they themselves would never adopt any formulae which could be used against others.
Later they realised that creeds are always smaller than the truth which they try to express, and that they encourage a static point of view rather than a developing faith.
For this reason there is no statement anywhere of what a Friend must believe, or of the minimum that one must accept to be eligible for membership.
This is not to say that beliefs are unimportant; Quakers see belief as so important that nothing second-hand will do. The authority for what one accepts is known within, and is not accepted from anyone else, whatever their status.
The Quaker emphasis is on a shared search for truth, and a working out of faith within a challenging but supportive group. At its best, a Meeting may include people whose theological views are mutually incompatible at many points, but who nevertheless work and worship together without any disharmony.
Are Quakers Christians?
It is still a matter of controversy and there is no simple answer. It is a fact that many Quakers consider themselves as Christians, and it is a fact that many do not.
If we used a creed or other test of belief we would be able to draw a line, perhaps one that other churches would accept as a valid distinction, but it is not our way to exclude those who can work and worship with us.
If we could only ask an applicant one question about this matter, it would not concern what they believed about Jesus, but whether they sought to follow his way.
The first Quakers considered, somewhat naively, that they had returned to the ways of the early church.
Present-day Quakers often seek to recover the spirit of that church, and believe that it is easier to understand who Jesus was if one discards much of the traditional theology that grew up in the Christian church over the centuries.
Quakers are not exclusive. We expect to find 'that of God' in all peoples, cultures and religions. We do not believe that revelation ceased when the ink dried on the last word of the New Testament. This is sometimes a source of disagreement with other Christians.
All churches accept the authority of scripture, of tradition, and direct revelation, but the emphasis placed on each differs in different churches.
Quakers put the authority of the Inner Light first.
What must Quakers do?
People become Quakers when the desire to attend meeting turns into a commitment. All of us are likely to go through periods of dryness, of being angry, or tired, or spiritually cold. In accepting membership we take on an obligation to persist even through such difficulties.
At times there may be other priorities, and age, health, distance from a meeting, or other responsibilities may make attendance difficult. Under such circumstances Quakers will try to gather enough like-minded people together to hold a meeting, or will make a quiet space in their lives to tide them over until they can next attend a meeting with others. The practical commitments are much the same as for any other organisation. People are necessary to do the work to keep it functioning and money has to be found to keep it solvent.

To try to put it in a nutshell. Quakerism is something that must be experienced. I would never claim to be a GOOD person, I simply want to listen to the good that is within me, and give it room to grow. I'm not a religious preson but I am a spiritual person. I want to follow a path where I think more about my affect on others and the world around me. I could do it by any number of ways, I chose to follow this way. And so endeth the sermon for today.
Find out more about Quakers by speaking to people far brighter than me. If you find out what it's all about please let me know. Visit here or here or here

Kitchen doors, saloon doors, and showers

The morning started of well. I went to a house in Langney. I walked in the door, the lady pressed money into my hand and told me to go and spend it. I like to please, and so without further ado off I went. She wanted a face lift - I told her she didn't need it - but she insisted she did. Her kitchen was only a couple of years old, but she didn't like what she had inherited from the previous owners. White and shiny she said. So white and shiny she got. Replacing doors on a kitchen is generally simple. Draw fronts can be a little trickier. But the main advantages of revitalising a kitchen that way is the speed of change, the minimal disruption, and the reduced labour charges. It was like a before and after makeover programme on television. All done in a morning. Luckily she liked the worktops, so they stayed. That would have been a different game. The lady was happy with her face lift and by half past one I was on my way to the next job.
This afternoon I made a set of saloon style doors to separate a kitchen area from the dining area. The doors were cut from a single sheet of 25mm MDF then a pattern was routered into them to make them look the part. Ian at Alsford Timber sourced the double action spring hinges for me and a couple of hours later the job was done. The client was delighted, and friends of theirs who saw the doors in action made all the right "oohs" and "ahs" that makes a boy like me happy.
By late afternoon I was starting to flag but I still had to get to my next customer. An electric shower swap. Like for like. If that were the case I would be heading home within the hour. But it was not to be. For reasons I don't understand, you can get an electric shower from the same maker, the same model, with the same output, and the same outward appearance, and yet the internals are in completely different places. This one needed to be re-plumbed. The inlet was on the other side, and the shower rail was longer. Instead of getting home for seven I managed to crawl through the door about eight. But the day was not over yet. The messages needed to be answered, and the paperwork done. By nine I was finished. It's great working for yourself.