Sash window repair, broken cord, and top sash stuck.

No sooner had I arrived at the house to start work this morning , than I had to turn back to home because I'd forgotten to bring the most important bit of kit - dust sheets. Thankfully it was only a couple of miles there and back.
The next couple of hours were spent sorting out a sash window with broken cords and a top sash that had been painted shut. It's a routine task for me, but it must be disturbing for  some home owners when they see their windows being taken to bits. The hardest part of the whole operation is the removal of decades and decades of old paint that clog the slides and hold the sashes firmly shut. 


If you'd like to email me on this or any other topic CLICK HERE

TV Sky Multi Media and DVD cupboard

A customer wanted something to keep his TV and various gizmos in one neat unit so I came up with this. Its everything in in one place. He loves it! He's going to paint it himself to match the colours in the room.


Click images to enlarge.

If you'd like something similar call me or to email me CLICK HERE

WIP... Fitted bookcases in alchoves

 

If you want to email me CLICK HERE

wardrobes continued...

 

The woodwork is finished...
The customer has chosen Tom Ware Painters from Bexhill to finish the wardrobes in Satinwood white. Tom hopes to have them finished by Tuesday! I've really enjoyed doing this job.  I can hardly wait to see the finished result.  


To email me follow this link

Wardrobes continued...

The second (right-hand) "internals" for the wardrobes went up this morning. building the drawers was time consuming (drawers always are). As you can see from the picture one set of wardrobes has four drawers the other has three.
The cabling for the blue ray and the satellite receiver is linked through the chimney breast to the TV and had to be routed through channels in the wardrobe sidings so that the minimum of cable will be  visible.  It all takes time, but we'll get there.
Tomorrow, I'll build the doors and hang them. Then it'll be time to make a start in the living room on the display units...



To email me follow this link

Built in Wardrobes

I'm working up in the Meads all this week. It's a substantial property close to where Shackelton once lived. The rooms are large, and the alcoves either side of the chimney-breast  in the bedroom are in need of wardrobes. 

This afternoon I've built the internals.
Where once bare walls were, now stands the outline of the first wardrobe.

Long hanging for Ball Gowns are catered for, as is hanging space for blouses, jackets and skirts and trews. Four large drawers and ample shelving will make this a good sized wardrobe.  
I'll post more as the build progresses
Click the image to enlarge.
 
To email me follow this link

Computer Help, Leaky taps, Bathroom Heater

It's been a day of many talents today. One of the things I did was show a lady how to set up a blog. Easy when you know how, but daunting when she'd only just started using a computer in the last two months.. Basic computer lessons and home computer help is something I've been doing for quite a number of years. In a previous life (I've had so many!) I used to train people for a living. I don't have the educational qualifications to be a teacher, but many people tell me that I'm a very good trainer. I've found that if you concentrate on getting the basics, the fundamentals, right, the rest is a lot simpler. She was an avid traditional diarist, and wanted to start doing the same on her new computer. She'd tried a computer help forum  but only got more confused (Hey, that's happened to me too) Blog help was what she wanted, and so blog help is what she got.
After an hour she was flying solo, and so I was free to go on my way to the next call.

Which was - you guessed it - a leaky tap. Dripping taps are so annoying, and yet so easy to fix - most of the time. This one was not to be ignored. It wasn't dripping. It was pouring.
Imagine a Victorian mansion, sub-divided into flats. Over the years so many alterations have been made to the property that Stop Cocks are buried under many layers of remodelling. In other words - not to be found.
As the water pressure was so low I decided to do it "live". Open the taps in the flat to reduce the flow even further. Take the tap head off. Undo the barrel. Change the washer. Reverse the order. Hey Presto! Job done. WARNING! Don't do this unless you know what you're doing. Because it can go wrong. And then you need to know what to do next. Leaky pipes. Non flushing cisterns. Fitting bathroom heaters. Changing bannisters on the stairs, and helping people with Technology. It's all in a days work for the Eastbourne Handyman.

Here is a resource you may find useful if you have a good background knowledge of  using a computer. Some lessons get a bit to technical for the majority of users, but it's a very good place to start.

A day in the life of Eastbourne Handyman

Had a great day today.
Phones are constantly ringing and lots of small jobs are coming in.
By 10.30 I'd already helped four households out of trouble.
I can't tell you the number of times I've heard people say they can't find anyone to do the small jobs.
I love doing the small jobs,. It's what I do!. For example, very often when carpet fitters fit new carpets, doors need to be trimmed. It only takes a few minutes to do - when you've got the right tools. If you haven't - you're stuck - quite literally. Because I've got the right equipment (so to speak), it only took me 15 minutes to do 3 doors this afternoon and then I was on my way to the next job, which was looking at a house with 35 sash windows to un-stick, re-cord and draught proof. Today I've worked in 7 different houses, and drunk so many cups of tea that I need to stop now and fix another leak!
Whether it's fixing dripping taps, overflow dripping, leaky washers, fuse blown, door sticking, or any other annoyance you can think of, Jim'll Fix it.

Mirrored sliding doors

Worked with a lovely family today installing some sliding doors. The man of the house had done all of the roughing out, and the double door units were more or less in the right spot. I had to get it all running properly and "dress" the opening to finish the job.

After you've done a couple, fitting mirror sliding doors is not difficult. The main thing to remember is to make the height of the opening just 2-3 cm larger than the door height and the frame width 2-3 cm smaller than the double door width. . There's a good range of vertical adjustment that will take up any play.

The adjustment range can accommodate even quite wonky walls. Everything should slide smoothly and butt up parallel to the frame.

Tea was offered (and gratefully accepted). We talked about the theme of the week.... snow snow snow... and the time just flew by. In what seemed like an instant I was back on the road and onto the next job... Nice home, nice kids, nice people... all in all ... nice.

New Mantlepiece

I've been back at work for a while now.

It's great to be back in the saddle.

Since getting going again I've been very busy catching up on some very nice jobs.

Here's one I made earlier!

Just to let you know

From January 2010 the new home page of "Jim'll Fix It Services" will be www.rwjsear.com.
As always, whatever you need I can help. If I can't help - I'll know someone who can!
Whether its property maintenance, or a computer problem that needs solving

give me a call on 07930 335 937.

Flatpack self assembly?

Harveys had delivered it.
Third floor of a 'Robert Nash' style town house.
I'm so glad they delivered it - the thought of all those stairs still leaves me weak.

Eight metres (26 feet) of wardrobes and drawers.
When I saw the pile of bits my heart sank at least two floors below.
It took the whole day to put this lot together (plus umpteen cups of tea, and not just one or two bikkies!)
By flatpack standards it was simple enough to put together, and because the panels were so large it was really a two man job. And so to save having to get an extra body the client offered to be the 'gofer'. By the end of the day we were both well and truly knackered.
We became such a co-ordinated team I almost offerd her a permanent job.

Just to let you know

From January 2010 the new home page of "Jim'll Fix It Services" will be www.rwjsear.com.
As always, whatever you need I can help. If I can't help - I'll know someone who can!
Whether its property maintenance, or a computer problem that needs solving

give me a call on 07930 335 937.

Stud wall partition

Through lounges, and lounge diners have been popular for years, but have you noticed that as the winter weather approaches how much more expensive they are to heat?
With the almost criminal rise in gas and electricity bills over the last few months, more and more people are going back to 'proper' rooms.
Monday's job was one such job. An 'L' shaped room was divided back into two rooms. The partition was insulated with Rockwool to provide a thermal and sound dampening barrier.
I suspect I will be doing more of this type of remodelling over the coming months as the credit crunch and the winter weather bites.

Just to let you know

From January 2010 the new home page of "Jim'll Fix It Services" will be www.rwjsear.com.
As always, whatever you need I can help. If I can't help - I'll know someone who can!
Whether its property maintenance, or a computer problem that needs solving

give me a call on 07930 335 937.

Installing a new loft hatch ladder

In many houses, getting up into the loft can be a real contortion act.
Developers, Specifiers, and Architects have, since time immemorial, maliciously set out to cause injury to anyone who would be so presumptuous as to want to get into the loft space. It's that or simple blind indifference. Why else would they design loft hatches so small, and then put them in such awful positions?
My customer wanted to get into his loft, without taking his life in his hands.
He knew what he wanted...
A solidly built wooden loft ladder - not one of those wobbly aluminium contraptions...
He also wanted easy access... He was tired of trying to get a 2' box (and himself) through a 2' hole.
I suggested a very neat solution.
The Fakro Loft Ladder
It's a folding ladder made of quality pine, it's supplied with an insulated hatch door, and a handrail. There's loads of wide tread space which makes stepping onto the treads easier. Safety grooves are cut into the treads to prevent slipping. They are relatively easy to fit, and feel really safe to use. All things considered, it would be my personal choice every time. Below is a video of the loft ladder in use. It is taken directly from the Fakro website. If any one wants to have one fitted, give me a call on 07930 335 937.

Just to let you know

From January 2010 the new home page of "Jim'll Fix It Services" will be www.rwjsear.com.
As always, whatever you need I can help. If I can't help - I'll know someone who can!
Whether its property maintenance, or a computer problem that needs solving

give me a call on 07930 335 937.

Arched top box sash window repaired.

And another one bites the dust.
Yet another sash window painted shut.
This one had a Vent Axia ventilator in the top sash.
Why? I will never know
It had never been wired up!

It can take a surprising amount of time to get things right

KB Glass did the arch top glass.
It took over an hour to get the old glass out and 30 minutes to cut and set the new glass in.
The rest was down to me.
Now with the window re-corded, re-glazed, and draught proofed it slides up and down like a dream.

Just to let you know

From January 2010 the new home page of "Jim'll Fix It Services" will be www.rwjsear.com.
As always, whatever you need I can help. If I can't help - I'll know someone who can!
Whether its property maintenance, or a computer problem that needs solving

give me a call on 07930 335 937.

Don't screw sash window staff beads - nail them!

Box Sash Windows are relatively simple to work on... but some people make the simple very difficult. I have just come across one such case.

To do most work on a sash window invariably means first removing the staff beads.

These are generally nailed on. It's a simple process to remove the beads with a few well placed taps using a hammer and chisel, pry bar or sharks tooth.

HOWEVER...

Occasionally some nut decides that it would be better to screw them down, drive the screws below the surface, fill in the screw slots, and then apply several coats of paint over the top. How do I know this ... because today, I had to re-cord seven windows, and they had all been screwed down in the aforementioned idiotic manner. What should have been just a few minutes work turned into an age of mutterings and expletives and curses on the head of the previous installer.
I can only imagine that the installer had just bought his first power screwdriver and wanted to show the world how good it is.

Please, please, please, where appropriate, nail staff beads in place.

Just to let you know

From January 2010 the new home page of "Jim'll Fix It Services" will be www.rwjsear.com.
As always, whatever you need I can help. If I can't help - I'll know someone who can!
Whether its property maintenance, or a computer problem that needs solving

give me a call on 07930 335 937.

Sash window repair in one of Eastbourne's prestigious houses

Huge, heavy, very fragile, and stuck very firmly shut.
That about summed up the state of the 100 year old window.
9' high x 4' 6" wide it was not a job for one man.

The carpet was a lighter shade of cream.
Most of the furniture was very upmarket antique.
Letters of recommendations from HM (and I don't mean the record store!) adorned the walls.
This was serious stuff.

It took all day to fine tune this window, and by the time we had finished the sashes glided up and down as smoothly as when they were first installed. The new brass sash catches, sash pulls, d handles, and new Ventlock hardware gleamed. Add to that, the virtually invisible draught proofing (It was quite amazing what a difference to outside noise reduction it made) and all in all, it was a job well done!
I wonder if there are any knighthoods going?

Just to let you know

From January 2010 the new home page of "Jim'll Fix It Services" will be www.rwjsear.com.
As always, whatever you need I can help. If I can't help - I'll know someone who can!
Whether its property maintenance, or a computer problem that needs solving

give me a call on 07930 335 937.

Made to measure radiator covers in Eastbourne

I've made quite a number of made to measure radiator covers lately. The pictures above are of the latest couple (click on pictures to enlarge). These were made of MDF and then oiled to the colour the customer wanted. I could have made them in wood, but there is a considerable additional material cost involved. Radiators, including designer radiators, come in all shapes and sizes, and because of that, the covers and cabinets have to be made to fit. There is currently no good way to make a 'one size fits all model'. Radiator cabinets from the manufacturers can be very expensive (it must be said that there is a lot of work involved). Obviously they have large costs to carry. By contrast, I am able to keep costs low, making them myself. A sheet of MDF costs about £20. If you want any radiator covers or radiator cabinets, give me a call on 07930 335 937 or use the email link box in the right hand side bar.

Just to let you know

From January 2010 the new home page of "Jim'll Fix It Services" will be www.rwjsear.com.
As always, whatever you need I can help. If I can't help - I'll know someone who can!
Whether its property maintenance, or a computer problem that needs solving

give me a call on 07930 335 937.

Fuse box cupboard

Fuse boards always seem to be in the most awkward places. Too high up, too low down. In full view, or tucked away around a corner in some obscure hole. This time it was in a kitchen, high up on the ceiling, in full view. No wonder the lady wanted a cupboard around it. The cupboard was made to match the kitchen units. By the time I'd finished it looked a whole lot smarter than when I started. If you need a meter boxed in call me on 07930 335 937.

Just to let you know

From January 2010 the new home page of "Jim'll Fix It Services" will be www.rwjsear.com.
As always, whatever you need I can help. If I can't help - I'll know someone who can!
Whether its property maintenance, or a computer problem that needs solving

give me a call on 07930 335 937.

Guide prices for sash window repairs

The box sash window restoration side of things is now going so well that we're in the process of setting up another business "Eastbourne Sash Window Restorers" to deal with all the repairs that are flooding in. Here is a rough guide to how inexpensive it can be to return your windows to how they should be.
Re-cord
Replacement of sash cords on either bottom sash only or both sashes.
From £50.00 bottom sash
From £70.00 Top and bottom sashes

Basic Overhaul and draught proofing
For windows in generally good conditionRemoval of beading, sashes and weights, making minor repairs,Replacing with new sash cord and beading machined and fitted with draught proofing.Windows will still require primer/undercoat/finish coat.
From £120.00

General Overhaul and draught proofing
For windows in generally good condition
Removal of beading, sashes and weights, making minor repairs,
Replacing with new sash cord and beading machined and fitted with draught proofing.
Sanding down mainly to remove flaking paint
(On a general overhaul we do not attempt to strip paint work)
Cleaning and priming with acrylic primer/under-coat.
Windows will still need finished paint work.
From £160.00 Depending on size.

Replacement Sashes
where appropriate - ripping out old aluminium/plastic window
and re-instating with new traditional glazed sashes fitted into the existing box frame,
includes laminated glass, and general overhaul as above
From £425.00 Depending on size.

Bespoke Full Restoration Service
including stripping to bare wood, repair replacement of bad timbers, laminated re-glazing,
new/renovated pulleys and hardware, rebalancing, Simplex hinge fitting, draught proofing, prime/undercoat/finish.
POA

Optional extras
Sash catches
Sash lifts and handles
Security stops

Why draughtproofing?

Contrary to populist belief, double glazing is not the best way to reduce noise - full stop.
It is just one expensive way to reduce some noise.
If traditional single glazed sash windows are the only barrier between you and the traffic you can tackle a major part of the problem by simply installing draught proofing.
As well as draughts, draught proofing also reduces airborne noises which find their way through the smallest and least noticeable gaps.
The next step is to replace the glass in the sashes.
There are many types of acoustic glass, available in various thicknesses, and designed to control various levels and types of noise.
Developed and tested by the larger glass manufacturers (e.g. Pilkington Glass) the results are often not as impressive in real life situations as they may be on paper.
Sound insulation is probably best achieved via well fitted windows with good draught strips, laminated safety glass 4.4mm or 6.4 mm thick may not be quite as acoustically efficient as the best specialist glass but, at a fraction of the price, it will dramatically assist in overall noise reduction.
For more comprehensive advice on your sash windows call me on 07930 335 937 or email me using the link on the left hand side.