Booked for 7 Weeks!

Work is going well at the moment. I have work booked for the next 7 weeks. That is really good news for me. 7 weeks!! They aren’t massive jobs; garden walls, decorating, laying patios…that kind of thing. I did however get offered a big job the other day…building a garage. Ummm..hello…I am a DIY handyman not Sir Robert McAlpine construction company. I politely turned it down.



So things are going rather well. I am still anxious at times. I worry if I am up to the job. I am slower than most builders, but I am cheaper than most builders. I charge about £100 a day. That is £15 an hour. Reasonable I think compared to some tradesmen out there.

Well it must be reasonable if I am booked for 7 weeks. Hopefully my work goes well and I will be booked for another 7 weeks. Here goes…

I have been getting some outdoor work recently. It’s great. It’s the reason I wanted to do DIY. I have been building a garden wall. The wall is only small and runs around the garden. Its purpose is to stop weeds and earth getting onto the grass.

The reason I am posting is to let you know how great it is to work outside. I know the novelty will wear off when rain is lashing into my face, but its great to breath fresh air and not be sat on my ass all day.

I hope everyone tries to get out as much as they can.

First Job

I have been getting some work, nothing too serious. I had to decorate 3 bedrooms for a few neighbours and decorate a bathroom. I’m glad it’s not too strenuous because I am starting out, and to be honest I am just relieved to get some work.

Everything went well. The clients were pleased. The wife tells me to stay patient and the more good work I do the more people will gossip about me (Gossip in a good way! – I hope.).

I have 3 kids (a girl and 2 boys, 20, 18 and 14), a dog, 2 cats and a wife to support. So waiting for DIY work to arrive is not easy. I sometimes contemplate applying for another office job, although that would be admitting defeat. I could go back, but to a life I didn’t enjoy, on less money and with less responsibility.

I will stick with the DIY life for now…



This is a picture of one of the rooms I decorated. It is a really nice room actually. Luckily it had no furniture in it so I didn’t have to worry about moving furniture or using any dust covers, except for the floor of course.

The Beginning - Preparation

Printing the fliers wasn’t so bad. I did a simple design on my PC. Then took the file, saved in a MS Word document, to my local printer. They printed off 500. They are about the size of a postcard. I will load an image of one up soon. The cost to get them printed was £150.00. Not cheap, but they started to bring in customers.

I went around my local area posting them through front doors. The most response I got was from the flier I posted in my local shop. I posted them in many local shops, yet the responses came from one particular shop. Weird.

I got lucky with the van. It’s a good size VW Caddy. It cost about £2000. It’s in good condition, messy inside though. I purchased signs on the outside that are magnetic. They match the fliers and cost £100 each. I just attach them to either side of the van when working. At night pull them off.

So I’m prepared…kinda.

The Beginning

Where shall I start? I will start from the beginning. I was born in Bristol on a Monday morning…wait…not that far in the beginning. Ok, I will start from 2007. I quit my job. Why? Easy decision really. I did not like it and they made my life hell. So I quit. Stress was getting the better of me and I was left with no choice.

Quitting was the easy bit. What do I do next? DIY, I can do DIY; I had done lots of it in my last property. Everyone needs an odd job done here and there. Builders are too busy for the small job. Who will lay a small patio or build a garden wall. I will. I can decorate, plaster, build (small scale), etc.

Everything seemed in order. I will make the fliers on my pc and take them to a printing company. I have some tools already. Purchase a van next. Take it from there.