Newsletter No. 3

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Hello again.  In this Newsletter you will find out about new capabilities, I will showcase a couple of recent, jobs and later I will detail a discount for your next piece of work.

I must say the variety of work you all throw at me is what makes my job so interesting.  I am enthusiastic about every job you throw at me. Well almost every job.

NEWS


Book new jobs online at any time of day or night.


I have added the ability to BOOK A NEW JOB directly from the Handy Work website.  You will be able to pick from 4 types of jobs based on how long you need me and also pick the day and time for the job to start, that suits you, within normal business hours.  The four job lengths are:

  • Site Visit to get advice and perhaps an Estimate of the cost of work you want done
  • 5 Days plus of work - which is at the cheapest hourly rate
  • Full Day of work - meaning more than 7 hours up to 5 days work.
  • Part Day of work - for short jobs



This exciting new feature aside, phoning me to book jobs will likely remain popular.  The BOOK A NEW JOB capability however, allows you to check my diary at any time that suits you, whether day or night and make a booking which will automatically end up in my diary.

 

Van upgrade makes jobs faster and cheaper


Unfortunately the little bread van looking Caddy reached the end of its life and has been sent off to spare parts heaven.

I am now driving a new VW Transporter, Long Wheel Base van, which is enormous compared to the Caddy. Almost twice the storage room.  A lot of planning went into getting the internal racking just right.  Packing at the end of the job is a breeze now.  This new van is the epitome of the phrase "everything has a place and there is a place for everything". So I am working a little faster and am out of your hair even quicker now.
 

Demolition Hammer Upgrade

A much more powerful and robust mini jack hammer / masonry drill is in the new van, which has the capability to demolish brick walls, concrete, takes up floor tiles and removes wall tiles in half the time and can now drill up to 40mm holes in concrete and brick.

Where I will still need to hire a heavy duty breaker (jack hammer) for breaking up thick concrete slabs, this new demolition hammer will do 95% of the masonry and demolition work I am asked to do.
 

High Pressure Water Blasting


I have had a powerful, petrol driven water blaster for a few months now.  It has the power to clean the grottiest of areas quickly, yet has the finesse to gently clean almost any delicate surface.  It is very handy for cleaning or as preparation for other jobs.

 

Job Showcase

Sunny Garden Deck


Typically when I build a deck, I do it everything from go to whoe.  In this case, I simply built the structural items, including the screening posts and the shade cloth ring beams and my client did the decking, the screening timbers and the shade cloth.  He sent me photos of the finished job the other day.  He did a fabulous job.

This idyllic North Curl Curl backyard faced south, so sun never hit the existing deck attached to the back of the house.   It just wasn't inviting in winter.  So they specified the new deck was to be built in the back corner of the yard to catch the winter sun where it also acted as a wonderful backdrop to their beautiful grassy yard.
 

Above is the bit Handy Work built
 


  The completed sunny haven, finished off by my client himself
 

Sunroom created from a tiled patio

A modern unit in Allambie Heights had part of a large balcony closed in to form a sun-room.  I bricked up a hole left when the gas water heater was moved, laid a floating floor and put up blinds on the sliding doors.

Before

After

 

Collapsed Concrete Slab repaired properly

Believe it or not this failed slab was originally put in by the builder who owned this house in Avalon previously.  Really it is a lesson in the importance of building things properly, no matter what.
 

Over a few years the soil under the slab was unknowingly eroded by water running down hill and washing the dislodged material under nearby sleeper steps, where it was hidden and unnoticed.  A hole almost a meter deep, then appeared when the thin un-reinforeced slab's edge broke away and fall into the hole.

I broke up the remaining bits of cracked slab with my new "toy" described above, lined the hole with geotextile fabric, back filled the hole under the slab with almost 30 bags of sand, drilled into the side of the remaining slab to glue in reinforcing dowels, tied galvanised reinforcing steel to the dowels, applied concrete primer to the old slab edge and then laid heavily fortified (meaning strong) 150mm thick concrete.

Even if the sand did wash away, and it shouldn't, the new slab edge should stay in place now.
 

Discount for the next piece of work you get Handy Work to do.


Handy Work would like to offer all those who receive Newsletter No. 3 a 20% saving on the first 4 hours of the next job we do for you.  The only prerequisites are:

  1. The work is booked and actually commenced prior to the close of business 30 September 2017
  2. This discount applies to one job only and you must tell me at booking that the discount is to be applied to this job.  The discount does not apply to jobs already booked.
  3. You are within the geographic area Handy Work operates .  There are a couple of long standing clients who are further away. I will look after you guys as if you are a near neighbour.
  4. It is work I am legally and skilled up to do (I dare you to find something I am not skilled up to do - Now there is a challenge)

Well, that is that for now.  Feel free to drop me an email if you have any feedback.

Thanks all.

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