DIY ahead

[stevewool]

Its been a long time since i have got stuck into any work on the house but there are things to do now, is it just me or when you sit there looking you think, it looks fine to me ,
Well it seems every room needs changing in some way or another,
I had a builder come round the other day to get on the roof and i am going to have a chimney capped and a few slates sorted out, he is also going to replace a few bricks in the walls that have corroded with frost and water damage , i have no idea about the price and yes its a job i could do but when and how long would this take me , he will do it all in 1 day, so its better to pay and get this done,
Decorating a few rooms and a lick of paint here and there too, garden to change a little moving plants from here to there ,
All this work should keep us both busy and the cost i have a rough idea , bloody hell i tied already , time for a coffee and look at all this again

[Terpe]

As most folks know, we are in the process of a complete rennovation of our Marikina house.
I think I can do most of the jobs myself. But to be honest, at my age and the humidity here, I'd much rather pay someone else to do it. Well at least most if it.

Given the really low cost of labour here, it's better I have someone else do what I want exactly the way I want it
than toil and sweat myself for hours on end not getting anywhere.

For all of us there's a limit at sometime between cost and benefit

[SimonH]

If a jobs worth doing, then pay a professional to do it

[Terpe]

If a jobs worth doing, then pay a professional to do it

Not so many trusted 'professionals' here.
Need to be careful

[Arthur Little]

If a jobs worth doing, then pay a professional to do it

... if you can afford to do that! Tradesmen of ANY sort don't come cheap these days ... ... probably never did.

[stevewool]

Well the builder rang the other day and said he will be round the next day just after 8am will you be in,
Well no but i will make sure someone is there i said, luckily Emma is working lates so she would be there all sorted,
He was there on the dot and Emma left him a spare key to lock up after him, i do know the builder very well he knows the family and i have used him before too,
I came back home tonight and the jobs he did look great, capped of the chimney with a vent replaced some bricks and done some re-pointing and he even washed and cleaned the floors outside too,
I had to call him and say where is the bill and like the last time all i got was what is the rush , anyway the bill was £260 and i am going to take it round to his house tomorrow,
Its good to know there are still some good people who you can trust

[Terpe]

Well the builder rang the other day and said he will be round the next day just after 8am will you be in,
Well no but i will make sure someone is there i said, luckily Emma is working lates so she would be there all sorted,
He was there on the dot and Emma left him a spare key to lock up after him, i do know the builder very well he knows the family and i have used him before too,
I came back home tonight and the jobs he did look great, capped of the chimney with a vent replaced some bricks and done some re-pointing and he even washed and cleaned the floors outside too,
I had to call him and say where is the bill and like the last time all i got was what is the rush , anyway the bill was £260 and i am going to take it round to his house tomorrow,
Its good to know there are still some good people who you can trust

That's great Steve
Just the way it used to be in our small village back in UK

Here it's a little different.
When you find a trusted and good quality tradesman keep a contact and keep them happy.

Our builders were highly skilled and highly trusted. We paid their air tickets from Cebu to Manila and back.
We even paid them at a rate for 7 days per week even though many Saturdays and/or Sundays were paid holiday.
Labour costs here are not expensive.

[stevewool]

The funny thing is Peter, Emma made him a sandwich before she went to work, but I think he was embarrassed and he did not eat it, so guest what I had for last night's dinner,
On about good tradesmen over in the Phil's. I am hoping to use our builder if we are wanting things to be done, we still have his phone number

[Terpe]

The funny thing is Peter, Emma made him a sandwich before she went to work, but I think he was embarrassed and he did not eat it, so guest what I had for last night's dinner,
On about good tradesmen over in the Phil's. I am hoping to use our builder if we are wanting things to be done, we still have his phone number

My advice is to hang on to them.
Do you still have a contact ?

Next time you are here make a point of contacting the foreman. It always helps to keep stroking.

[stevewool]

Yes Emma has his number