Carpentry and decking in Southwest London

Unless otherwise stated or agreed verbally the following should be taken into consideration.

These are things which generally vary wildly in price according to location (and therefore are not included in the accompanying quote) or a clarification of what otherwise may not have been discussed at our initial meeting.

The costs of skip hire and, if necessary, acquisition of the appropriate licences from local authorities are not included in the quotation. Generally if the skip is placed on your land rather then a public highway no license is required. Most councils will insist on the skip having warning lights on it - if you live in inner London these will probably last about 10 minutes before they go missing. The company from whom you hire the skip should provide you with lights. When you first put them on take a picture to show that the skip was illuminated to cover any insurance claims if somebody runs into it.

If you live within a conservation area or you have a listed property you will have to get permissions from many different agencies. Your first point of call should be your local council who will be able to advise you who else to contact.

If work is being carried out on communal areas or shared gardens it is preferable that only one person is responsible for payment and decision making. If you are in dispute with your neighbours please inform me before work commences.

Generally work is carried out between 10AM and 6PM Monday to Friday. It is sometimes necessary to work outside these times and if so you will be advised at the earliest date.

I have provided an estimate of the duration of works but this may not be accurate due to unforeseen circumstances such as the weather. Any change to the projected finish date will be notified as soon as possible and you will generally be kept up to date on the progress on a daily basis.

Every effort is made to minimise mess inside your house if materials have to be transported through. Tarpaulins will be laid on floors and in the unfortunate event of any breakages these will be paid for. It would be wise however to ensure that any irreplaceable items are removed. Try not to lay brand new white carpets the week before work is due to start.

After I have visited you I will send you a quote, usually by email, which you should receive within two days. If the quote has not arrived by the date agreed please contact me to see what has happened.

On my first visit to your property I will have taken measurements and photographs to enable me to provide you with a quote for the work to be carried out. It is likely that I will need to make a second visit before work commences to check that the project has been planned correctly and all dimensions are accurate. It is unlikely that the quote will be altered unless there is a substantial change to the design or I originally failed to pick up on something.

Depending on the complexity of your project the size of your quote will vary from 200k to about 2M. If you're still on a dial up connection let me know so that I don't burn your telephone line out.

If you have twisted my arm to give you a “ball-park” estimate, please don't be surprised if this bears little or no resemblance to your final quote. I work out each quote individually and sometimes the slightest variation in size can make a huge difference to the final cost.

Because I go to great lengths to customise each quote they take about 1 – 2 hours each. Due to this fact I sometimes get overwhelmed with the amount of quotes I have to do. Please don't be offended, therefore, if you receive an email saying that I won't be going ahead with your work. It's not personal but if I have 10 or so quotes to complete that's in the region of 15 hours sat in front of the computer.

Once you have received the quote it will then be up to you to decide weather to go ahead or not. Please note that I do not hassle people regarding work, I hate it being done to me, and so once the quote has been received by you I will not contact you to enquire if you require the work to be carried out. I would very much appreciate if you would let me know if you have decided not to go ahead.

The quote you have received will not include parking fees or (if applicable) congestion charges. These will be added to the final bill. Except in very exceptional circumstances it will be necessary for you to obtain a visitor permit from your local council as moving from bay to bay every 2 / 4 / 6 hours can be very time consuming.

If a large delivery is needed then it is very helpful if space can be reserved for a lorry as near to your property as possible. If you live on a red route this opens up a whole new can of worms.

If you wish to pay for the work on a time spent basis you may but bear in mind that this way if there are any unforeseen problems then it will be you rather then myself who is losing out.

It’s not much fun to turn up and find that the power is going to be off all day or that the plumber and myself are both working in the same spot.

I prefer to keep tools on site (it saves a couple of hours a day) and have assumed this is ok.

Payment will be due in full at the end of the project except for works costing over £8,000 in which case 25% will be required on delivery of materials followed by interim payments as work progresses and the balance on completion.

With interior work I will try to do as much as possible off-site as this will reduce the amount of dust produced on your premises. Wardrobes and cabinets need a space of approx 2 x 3 mtrs to assemble on site so please try to provide this much clear space in the room within which they are to be fitted.

If you have specific items in mind that are going to be put into units (audio or video equipment for example) please let me know the sizes beforehand. Make sure that there is enough room between the tops of cabinets and any fixed shelving for that lovely new flatscreen TV you are planning to buy.

Handles are a matter of personal choice so I won't be supplying them. You may either get them yourself or I can point you in the right direction with some web links. I am happy to fit them and if you haven't got any before I leave then I am usually able to poop back to fit them at a later date.

I can also point you towards sites for various cable covers and remote control receivers that will allow you to stash all the electronic equipment inside your cupboards.

MDF units are left ready for painting. I will provide you with tips on how to achieve a great finish. If you wish I can paint them for you although it is a time consuming process and with the tips provide I advise people to do it themselves.

All plasterwork is made good. I try to get the filling completed when I leave although sometimes the plaster is not dry enough for final sanding but this is a very easy task for you to carry out.

All fixings used in decking will be either galvanised, passivated or zinc plated. In spa, hot-tub or pool areas all fixings used will be passivated or brass. Raised decks are supported on adequate posts sunk to a depth of 600mm into concrete foundations. Ground level decks are supported on either existing concrete (if suitable) and / or concrete pads. Ground level decks are secured against lateral movement. To ensure adequate drainage gaps between boards will be from 3mm to 7mm: the threshold between your deck and house will be approximately 10mm and the deck will slope away from the house at a ratio of 1:40. The decking that I normally use is a softwood timber from sustainable forests. It has been pre-treated and is guaranteed against failure for twenty years (as are all timbers used in sub-structures). Once installed the wood may be left as is. However, it is advisable to wait between 3-6 months and then give it a coat of decking seal. If you are planning to stain the deck this should be done at the same time (stain first then seal). This must be carried out in dry conditions. Do not use yacht varnish - you will slip all over the place.

Installing a deck will not substantially increase the value of your house. If, however, you are attempting to sell or rent your property a deck will increase the speed with which you are able to sell or find a tenant. Having said that if you currently have a “wasteland” then replacing it with a deck will probably increase your property’s value or rental potential.

Please bear in mind that it takes a minimum of two days to order materials and that in the summer there are periods when suppliers become out of stock.

MAIN PAGE	EXTERIORS - DECKING	INTERIORS	INFORMATION
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You may either phone Ian on 07904 258178 or alternatively click above to email me.	If telephoning please bear in mind that I may be driving or in an area with bad reception so please leave a message and I will call you back as soon as I get it.
Following this I we can arrange a time to meet and discuss your project. Visits usually take place during the evening or at weekends.	If emailing you should, at the latest, get a reply the evening that your email was sent.
You will be under no obligation and I will not pressure you to use my services.	There is no call out charge.
I don't bite.	*However, if you are within the congestion zone and we are not able to meet outside the charging period, I will have to ask you to reimburse the charge.*


Bundles of deck pictures - Bundles af wardrobe pictures - Loads of shelving pictures and as little waffle as possible.		Call Ian on 07904 258178 or click here to email me

AREAS THAT I COVER ARE LESS OBSCURED BY RED.	THE LESS RED THE COLOURING THE MORE LIKELY YOU ARE IN MY AREA