Install a BEKO Slimline Dishwasher.

BEKO Slimline Dishwasher

In order to install the dishwasher, I first had to source it. 
The couple are in their very late years and time is taking its toll. Vision is fading, and falls are frequent. They need something robust and simple. No huge array of flashing lights and tiny touch screen buttons, but SIMPLE buttons ON - OFF - WORK. It doesn't have to be any more complicated than that. At home Trish and I  have a Bosch Logixx automatic dishwasher. A fabulous machine with DOZENS and DOZENS of different programmes. We use ONE. We want the dishes clean that's all. We don't want to fly to the moon. It goes on standard wash come hell or high water. One programme. Talking to the vast majority of my customers who use dishwashers and washing machines, they do the same. 
But I digress...
I went to Langney Domestics (opposite the Salvation Army) and sourced a slimline model with 3 proper controls. On/Off  Stop/Start  Programme 1/2/3. No stupid screen in 10 different languages.
Langney Domestics is a family run electrical retailer celebrating over 40 years of trading. 
Ken helped find the right sort of dishwasher for somebody with fading sight. The dishwasher was in stock (as is almost everything they sell) and I was able to take it straight back to the customers house. The unit slotted into position and fitting it was simple It was soon up and running, and the lady was happy. She can now operate the dishwasher by touch when her eyesight deteriorates further.
If you'd like to email me on this or any other topic CLICK HERE

Genuinely! NO JOB TOO SMALL

This post is written with the kind permission of the client
"I've lost my false teeth!" came the lisping voice out of the earpiece. "I had them in a glass and knocked them over this morning. Now I can't find them."The voice had a hint of desperation. "Can you come and have a look for them." The carpet's the same colour as my teeth, and with my eyesight and bad back I'll never find them." 
The Eastbourne Handyman Extraordinaire was about to live up to his promise of NO Job too small. Ten minutes later I was there, and was invited into the lady's bedroom straight away (Oh yes, it's one of the perks of the job! :D). Me, on my hands and knees, and she in her slippers and nightie. It only took a couple of seconds (to find the teeth) and then I was on my way. When I say NO JOB TOO SMALL I mean it. 


If you'd like to email me CLICK HERE

Rats continued, Traps, Pest Control, Eastbourne

Thought you might like an update on Ratus Ratus and friends. The householder is in her 70's and was aghast that rats were in her loft. Apparently it's very common. They'd come in through the drains, up the stink pipe, along the roofline, under the tiles, and into the loft. Don't start to get smug... it's VERY VERY common and can and does affect any household. That's what the heroic Eastbourne Council Pest Control Officer said.
He was punctual friendly polite and helpful, and explained what he would do and how he was going to get rid of them.  He set traps and laid bait and will be back to make sure the problem is gone. In short, he was the hero of the hour.
If you want to find out more about this very common problem click here. to read an article by Rentokil.

Fix a dripping overflow discover a rats nest

Spotless house.
Not a speck of dirt anywhere.
A place for everything and everything in its place.
The overflow in the loft was pouring water onto the ground outside.
In the loft two cisterns.
One for the hot and cold water.
One for the central heating.
Set up the step ladder.
Lift up the loft hatch. Switch on loft light. Start climbing into the loft.

Changing a ballcock in a storage tank is simple work. Its the getting to it and the finding what's there that causes the headaches. In this case it was very easy. Plenty of light, solid floor, and easy to get to. The pipework had a stopcock fitted so it was simply a matter of turning the water off. Undo the mains tap connector. Undo the back nut. take the old valve out and replace with a new one and then reverse the process.

The smell, immediately recognisable, everywhere, intense, pungent, biting the back of the throat.
The stench of urine. Over by the chimney the droppings. Long. Cylindrical. Rats it can only be rats.

I could smell them, but I had no intention of going after them. Their droppings were over by the chimney, so I stayed well away. Having changed the valve and checked for leaks, I was off out of there. The lady of the house had heard some noises over the months but thought it was birds nesting. She called Pest Control straight away and they will be there tomorrow afternoon to lay poison and traps. Let's hope they get the blighters.

Sally Bee

If like me you've started thinking about your health and more specifically your heart
take a good lookat this website
http://www.sally-bee.com/

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.

I've bought myself a builders apron!

I've been told, by the boss, to stop wearing those baggy trousers with the dozen pockets, that I love, and that I've worn for years, and are really comfortable, and replace them with something else. 
 I don't know about you, but I've found it really good practice, to do what the boss wants. In order that peace will continue to reign I searched the internet and came across this builders apron. Having only ever having worn an apron under duress it will be an interesting experiment in engaging with high fashion. According to Vince (the owner of www. aprons.net it'll be posted out on Tuesday from the foothills of the Sierra Nevada in the town of Placerville, CA, USA. I'll let you know what it is like when it arrives. 

WATCH THIS VIDEO! I think its absolutely fabulous

Click the arrow to watch.

To play this amazing sequence in full screen click in the top right of the video.

If you haven't discovered TED yet -
Now is the time to do it. http://www.ted.com/

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.

Back in the saddle again!

Yes I'm back and at full strength.
After nearly two months of taking it very easy (I had no idea how frustrating taking it easy can be) I am now back to work at full strength). There is quite a lot to catch upon so I will make a series of short posts. This being the first one!

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.

Dressmaker and Curtainmaker in Eastbourne

For anyone who needs clothing or curtains altered give Jill Besey a ring on Eastbourne 729804 or visit her website http://www.alter2fit.co.uk/
She is situated just off Seaside.
Her full details are
Jill Belsey,
The Dress Shed,
43 Bexhill Road,
EastbourneEast Sussex
BN22 7JJ

Tel: (01323) 729804,

Email: alter2fit@btinternet.com
Website: http://www.alter2fit.co.uk/

Strip putty and paint from a window using steam!

I could not believe what I was seeing and yet there it was right in front of my eyes. With a few quick strokes 30 year old putty and paint literally fell away. I was so disbelieving that I went out to my workshop, grabbed my steam stripper and tried it for myself. It works... in fact is is simplicity itself.
The window I tried it on was an old crittal window complete with age old sun-baked hard putty painted over with dozens of layers of paint. The normal procedure to get the glass out is to hack it out with a hacking knife. It is very labourious, and there is a high risk of breaking the glass.
With steam it took a couple of minutes and the hardest part of the whole job was scratching my nose because I had developed an itch.
If you want to see how easy it is take a look at this video.
Having now tried it on several windows, it is fast becoming my favourite method to get a pane of glass out of sashes I am restoring.

New email form

If you look in the right hand column you will see a link to email me from this page. Please feel free to contact me about anything "handyman-ish". I look forward to reading your emails.

Resealing a shower tray.

From the phone call it sounded simple enough.
"I've tried sealing the shower tray several times - but it is still leaking!" So went the call. I called to investigate - and opened a can of worms! The plumbing was sound. In fact the Eastbourne plumber who had been called in to renew the shower valve had done a very nice job. That wasn't the problem. The shower tray was enclosed on three sides. and someone else had obviously used several tubes of silicone, and had added those ghastly, useless trim seals to it. It was - in the homeowners words - a mess. The shower tray pedestal panel was removed and yes, it was definitely wet under there. The shower tray was in fact being held in place by the silicone because the floor in one corner was completely rotted away!
And so the nightmare on Schofield Way Eastbourne began.
In order to renew the floor and reseat a new shower tray (The old one was finished) the tray had to come out. Tiles had to be removed and walls cut back to free the tray, and then more of the walls needed to be cut back some more to allow the new (deeper) tray to 'slip' in. It doesn't sound difficult on paper - but believe me it was a nightmare. Not a job for the faint hearted. It was much akin to me trying to fit into the size trousers I wore two decades ago. With much grunting and puffing and swearing the new shower tray is firmly in place and ready to be tiled on Monday.
Now it's just a case of making good and the job is complete. All nightmares end. Jim'll Fix It 07930 335 937

Rain stopped play

What a miserable week (weatherwise) last week was.

It rained, and rained, and rained, and then it rained some more. My plan had been to complete the basement porch. Someone must have heard about my plan, and smiled. Then that someone let it rain for forty days and forty nights... No, that was someone else, wasn't it? It just felt like forty days and nights.

What I did manage to do was catch up with other workloads.

I've changed several light fittings, renewed sockets, switches, and a cooker hood, replaced washers on literally dozens of taps, rehung a couple of doors, restored two of my customers computers to fully functioning former glory, replaced a hand rail, built some flatpack, custom built a kitchen cabinet to hide a boiler, hung some curtains, and wired up a door bell. The one thing I didn't do last week was stop and offer a lift to a young teenage girl standing at a lonely bus stop in the pouring rain.

Why not?

Prejudice and cowardice!

I'm a 55 year old man driving a builder's van.

She was about 11 - 16 (who can tell?) and drowning at the bus stop.

Driving along the road, I was approaching the bus stop and saw her standing there, trying to hide behind the bus stop pole for protection against the rain.

I started to slow down, intending to offer a her a lift.

The windscreen wipers were having difficulty keeping up with the rain.

In the same second as I started to slow down, I made the decision to continue on without stopping. I don't think she even noticed me or the van.

Twenty years ago I would have stopped.

Ten years ago I would have stopped.

Five years ago I would have stopped.

But last week I didn't.

As I prepared to slow down, my thoughts were purely selfish.
She'll think I'm some sort of pervert.

She'll be afraid.

She could accuse me of something afterwards and I will have no defence.

and many other scenarios filled me with disquiet.

I have found the whole thing strangely sad.

She will never know that it made me feel wretched.

What has happened that we have developed into a society where I, and people like me, don't do what comes naturally (to offer help), because we are afraid of what might never happen.
Am I getting older and wiser, or simply older and more afraid?

Flatpack and customer service

I had three calls from regular customers today, all needing flat pack assembled.
Two of the items were standard flat pack type furniture units; simple and straightforward enough.
The other one was a "self assembly" fitness bike.
You know the things I mean...
They stand in many a home, unused, except in the first flush of enthusiasm.
Thereafter they become silent clothes horses.
Well this (next year's clothes horse) needed to be assembled first.
"It's for my daughter" she explained.
The man who sold it to her said it only needed four pieces put together to complete the assembly, and yes she would be easily capable of doing it.
Well I am here to tell you that the salesman had either no idea what he was talking about (in which case he is at best a nitwit), or else he was maliciously mendacious.
It took me the better part of 30 minutes to sort the thing out.
It would have taken the lady, by her own admission, more than 30 hours!
In another life I was a highly successful Direct Salesman.
For those of you who don't already know direct sales is a feast or famine game.
Some weeks you'll feast on roast chicken
other days all you'll have to eat is feathers.
The pressures to perform and reach targets are unrelenting.
It's a very exciting way to live.
The temptation to dupe is huge and ever present.
It is purely down to an individual's personal integrity which way they go.
My erstwhile mentor in sales was a guy called Greg Barnes.
He used to say that the "tools" of the salesperson and the "tools" of the con artist are the same....

The ONLY difference between a sales person and a con artist is intent!

A salesperson does things to help a customer reach a decision that is good for the customer.
The con artist does things to make the customer reach a decision that is good for the con artist.
People with good intent and personal integrity, aren't those the type of people we all want to deal with?
The lady has said she will never go back to that shop again.
I think she's right to think like that, don't you?

Introducing Snap Shots from Snap.com

I've just installed "Snap Shots" on this blog. It gives you visual previews of any links I suggest. Sometimes Snap Shots bring you the information you need, without your having to leave the site, while other times it lets you "look ahead," before deciding if you want to follow a link or not. Should you decide this is not for you, just click the Options icon in the upper right corner of the Snap Shot and opt-out.

Reka Dom

Trish was down in Devon on business last week and stayed at what she called a wonderful B&B in Topsham (on the outskirts of Exeter). To call it a B&B conveys a slightly distorted picture. It is in fact a very large 17th century house, with several superior self contained apartments. Since she got back Trish hasn't stopped telling everyone how lovely it all was. Take a look at the photos above and follow this link to see their website. The accommodation is of a very high standard, the food is divine, and the hostess both charming and elegant. That's Trish's opinion and her recommendation.

Hailsham and the Eastbourne Handyman

In a previous life - about 20 long years ago,

I was living in Germany, driving European Road Trains
(which make UK trucks look like Dinky toys)
from Germany to Morocco, Denmark to Tunisia, Sweden to Portugal, or any other combination of European and North African countries you might care to think about.

I used to drive thousands of miles a week.

I'd be at home for two, possibly three days a month, and I loved it.

I used to love to travel to new destinations.
It was like being on holiday, and getting well paid for it!

I had huge amount of fun.

But everything has a price tag.

It only cost me a good marriage and a lifetime of guilt!

Why am I telling you this?

Nowadays I virtually never work outside of Eastbourne!

Two main reasons

1. Absolutely no need

There is lots of work available on the doorstep in Eastbourne

2. Absolutely no desire

I can't think of one good reason to travel any sort of distance.

Having said all that, I now find myself going up to Hailsham (that's a huge journey of about 7-8 miles - ONE WAY!!!) on a regular basis.

It started when I got a phone call from a lady who had read this blog.

"I need some work done, can you help?" she asked.

"The answer's 'Yes, what's the address" I replied.

When she said "South Street" I already had a mental image of a road in Eastbourne.

"Hailsham" she said.

I was about to say "I don't operate outside of Eastbourne" (my normal reply), when she said "I've read your blog and I think it's great!"

What a sucker punch!

I'm no different to anybody else - I love having my vanity stroked!

I swear, any other reason would have failed - miserably.
But because I was flattered, I now find myself going up to Hailsham every week to do carpentry, plumbing, and electrics. The lady and her family are fabulous to work with, and I really enjoy going up there. They want a lot of work done, so expect a few posts from Hailsham over the coming months.

Whoever said flattery doesn't work is a fool!

Washing Line "Designer" ware

I was asked to put up a new washing line by a customer the other day.

Rotary dryer
When I first saw it, I was impressed.
It's nicely packaged.
The concept is, at first glance, great.
It has a neat appearance
The quality appears to be good
I would imagine that for anybody who has only a small amount of space available to dry clothes on it would seem ideal.

Here are a few things that came to mind as I was fitting it.
1. Fitting is simple but unnecessarily fiddly.
2. Most outside walls I've come across are rough - in a moderate breeze anything larger than a set of ladies undies are likely to be scraping against the wall. A man's shirt, or a ladies dress would almost certainly be slapping against the wall. The maximum distance from wall to end of dryer is 6' (pic 1).
3. It folds away to a small size (pic 2). The rain cover is held on by two press studs (pic 3). I wonder how many fingers are going to be scraped on the wall getting the cover on and off.
4. The release mechanism (pic 4) to close it up will at some point snare a finger or two.
5. My understanding of a rotary dryer is that it spins - this dryer doesn't, so I don't understand why it's termed a ROTARY dryer.


"Powder and paint, makes the thing what it ain't" is a phrase my father used to use to describe a lot of things. I wonder if he would have used it in this case.