Find a Handyman you can trust in Ballindalloch.

There are a bunch of things a handyman can do around the house, so if you’re looking for a reason to hire one, you’d definitely find plenty. First and foremost, a handyman is basically a well versed, skilled and experienced professional who possesses the ability to carry out a plethora of tasks as well as repairs. While not all local authorities require handymen to have a license or carry an insurance policy, some handymen do have insurance. Generally, their rates vary based on their experience as well as specialities.

Handymen are able to handle a multitude of potential jobs in and around the house. These ranges from small tasks, installations, assembly, indoor or outdoor building or repair jobs. They are available to help out with a wide array of odd jobs around the home at a very reasonable price. So, what are some of the jobs a handyman can do in a home? Let’s take a look!

• Odd jobs. This encapsulates any small job you’d want done around the house. It could be a repair, installation or maintenance task.
• Gutter cleaning and repair. The idea of cleaning a gutter may seem hassle free, but there can be a couple of difficulties which includes the use of ladders and the risk of falling. When you hire a handyman to do this task, he does not only clean but also check for any damage or repair needs and much more.
• Painting. If you’re not able to handle some of your painting projects or perhaps you’re just not confident of how its going to turn out, it may be in your best interest to reach out to a skilled handyman.
• General carpentry and home repairs, these includes shelving, cabinets, bookcases, baseboards, framing, doors, countertops, moulding and more.

• The shed doesn’t cover more than 50% of the garden
• It’s not in front of your house
• The shed is single-storey with eaves no higher than 2.5m and the overall height is no taller than 4m for a dual-pitched roof, or 3m for any other type. If it’s located within 2 metres of your property’s boundary, it mustn't be more than 2.5m high
• There’s no veranda or balcony
• The floor area is no bigger than 15m² - up to 30m² may be covered under Permitted Development if other conditions are met
• The shed is for domestic use only by those who live in the property and there’s no sleeping accommodation – that means you can’t run a business from the shed unless you apply for planning permission

• If you live in a listed building, you’ll need Listed Building Consent before you can build a shed in your garden
• If you live in a conservation area or similar, the maximum area of ground covered by outbuildings, pools and enclosures situated more than 20m from any wall of the house mustn’t exceed 10m² if they’re to be considered as a permitted development
• If you own a piece of woodland, you must seek planning permission for any permanent structure
• In Scotland, you’ll need planning permission if any part of the shed comes within 1m of a neighbouring property or is more than 2.5m high
• In Northern Ireland, there are rules about how close your shed can be from a road that passes by the back of your house. It’s best to check for clarification

How To Paint A Radiator

First thing you should know about painting a radiator is that normal paints can’t be used to do the job, however that doesn’t mean it’s not cheap, easy and fun - it definitely is and even more so, when you do it the right way. With a few radiator painting hints here, it’s only a matter of time before you start painting your radiators every colour of the rainbow delightfully.

Painting a radiator is not one of the most common tasks on most people’s to do list, so we’ve created this article as an encouraging nudge to allow more people let their creativity manifest through a brush. However, this is not to say that this is a task for everyone though as you won’t like to make a mess of your radiator. If you know you can’t pick up a brush or bend a knee or your back here and there, then you probably shouldn’t. In such cases, hiring a professional painter would be your best bet to get the best results while also saving yourself some time and money.

To paint a radiator, you’ll need a paint brush, suitable radiator paint, dust sheet and a radiator paint brush (optional).

✓ Turn off the radiator and leave it to cool off. Once it’s cold, simply wipe out all dust, dirt or grease from the radiator.

✓ Protect the flooring under the radiator from any paint splatter with a by spreading out a dust cloth.

✓ Use a suitable radiator paint to brush out well and lay off evenly in a direction. Leave it to dry overnight. Then apply paint on the radiator in direction of the grooves with the help of a top quality brush.

✓ Paint in sections and move across the radiator slightly overlapping until you get to the end. The move to paint the other areas.

✓ Leave the paint to dry as instructed in the manufacturer’s instructions, then apply a second coat if necessary.

Pitting, also referred to as spalling is the event whereby “pits” or small holes start showing on the surface of your concrete driveway which makes it appear both worn and uneven. Concrete driveway pitting is a common but highly frustrating problem for most homeowners. You’ll see some concrete driveways that’ll only start to pit after a couple of years, but this is not true for all concrete driveways as others will start to show signs only after a couple of months. So how do you tackle this issue? Well, it’s relatively simple to tackle, however if you’re not confident or lack the necessary skills, we’d recommend you get in touch with a reliable professional who can guarantee the best results for help. In this guide, we’ll take you through the concrete driveway pitting repair process.

✓ Prepare the pits by cleaning the area, clearing out all debris and more. The small pits can be cleaned with a stiff brush while a sturdy broom will do a good job for larger pits.

✓ Make use of a hose to spray the concrete pits and flush out all remaining bits of waste.

✓ If you’re tackling series of small pits, simply use a caulking gun filled with pre-mixed epoxy and specially formulated for concrete to fill the pits. Clear off the excess eproxy ensuring that its level with the concrete surface. Once done, simply leave for at least 24 hours before the application of a concrete sealant to prevent the wear and tear of the new concrete.

✓ Chisel out a little concrete and clean with a pressure washer. Once done, apply a concrete resurfacing compound mixture into the holes and use a trowel to level off.

✓ Ensure that the repaired concrete driveway is protected from rain and foot traffic for at least 6 hours (or 24 hours for vehicles).

1. Plan your shed base You must have a sturdy base for your shed, otherwise the frame won’t stand properly and could stop the door from opening. Decide whether you’re going to have:
   • A concrete base laid on hardcore
   • Concrete slabs on sharp sand
   • Treated wood beams on hardcore or shingle
   • An interlocking plastic system
   All bases should be laid on firm, level ground as far as possible.
2. Treat wood with preservative To help your shed last as long as possible, you should coat all the wooden parts with timber preservative before you put it together.
3. Put the shed floor together Some will need more assembly than others, but you need to make sure that the floor panel is attached to the joists; follow the manufacturer’s instructions for the correct spacing.
4. Put up the shed walls
   • Mark the centre point of each wall on its bottom edge, then do the same for the shed floor so you can line them up together.
   • Stand the gable end on the base and line it up. Check that it’s vertical with a spirit level – you might need someone to support the panel while you do this. Use a temporary holding batten to keep it in place.
   • Fix a side panel to the gable end panel with countersunk screws, then add the second side panel in the same way.
   Don’t attach the panels to the floor until you’ve fitted your shed roof.
5. Fit the roof
   • If the shed comes with a support bar, put this in position before you put the roof panels in.
   • Nail the roof panels in place, ensuring there’s a parallel and equal overlap at each end.
   • Roll out some roofing felt from front to back, leaving a 50mm overlap at each side. Secure it with clout-headed felt tacks at 100mm intervals.
   • Apply mastic sealant to the outside corners, then fix each corner trim with 30mm nails.
   • Add the fascias and finials, predrilling 2mm holes to avoid splitting the wood. Nail them through the felt into the shed using 40mm nails.
6. Add the shed windows
   • Slide each windowsill into the tongue and groove cut out, then put the window cover strip in position, fixing it to the vertical framing.
   • From inside the shed, put the glazing sheets into the window rebates, making sure the bottom edge of the glazing sheets sit on the outside of the sill.
   • Fix the window beading on the top and sides with 25mm nails.
7. Fix the walls to the floor Before you do anything, make sure you check that the centre marks on the walls line up with the marks on the shed floor. Then fix the wall panels to the floor with 50mm screws, aligning them with the joists.
And that’s it! But if you’re not confident in building a shed yourself, there are plenty of professionals available who will be happy to help.

A real headache is having graffiti on brick. This material is porous which enables paint to sink with ease inside all of the surface’s grooves. Unlike wood, they can’t be scraped and if it happens to be an internal wall, it can’t be sand- or water-blasted. Here, chemical and gel masonry stripper are your best bet. And while stripping of the brick is not a complex task, it does involve a number of applications of stripper and multiple scrubbing which makes it very time consuming.

Basically, a fresh and wet paint should be soaked up with am absorbent material without wiping the paint in order to spread the stain. Once done, you can then proceed to apply a suitable solvent like white spirit. After this, wash the area using a degreasing agent taking care in the disposal of the run-off material.

With dried paint, simply scrape off the paint as far as possible and apply a paint removal using the following steps:

• Put on your safety gear like a face mask, safety googles and gloves.
• Apply the paint stripper over the brick wall with a brush starting from a corner at the top of the wall and then working outward and downward.
• Leave for the specified amount of time by the manufacturer. Then start to scrub off the masonry paint stripper beginning at the top of the wall again. Remove as many paints as possible.
• Use rags and warm water to wash the brick wall and allow it to air dry.
• Repeat the process over again to remove every form of stubborn paint that’s left.
• Use a white vinegar to spray the stripped brick wall and wipe off any residue of paint with a brush and rinse with water.

1. Remove any existing fascia boards Remove the fascia boards and the old felt if you’re re-felting.
2. Measure the shed roof Measure the roof, taking into account that you should leave around 50mm for overlaps at the eaves and 75mm at the gable ends. You’ll probably need 3 pieces of felt, but some smaller sheds only need 2.
3. Apply felt to the roof Once you’ve cut the felt to size, apply the each piece to the roof, pulling it tight. Then nail along the length of the roof at 100mm intervals. For nails at the bottom edge, they can be wider – around 300mm. If you’re adding a piece of felt in the middle of the shed along the apex, fix it using adhesive, then nail it at the lower edge at 50mm intervals.
4. Tidy up the overhangs Fold down the felt at each overhang and nail it securely. Cut a slit in the overhang at the apex using a pen knife, then fold that down and nail at 100mm intervals along the gable. If you like, you can add fascia boards to keep the shed looking neat. Use wood nails to secure them and then trim away any excess felt.

While many professionals will recommend a pressure washer to clean block paving, it’s possible to clean your paving without one – just scrub the affected areas with a firm bristled brush and use plenty of soap. Then, rinse off the area with clean water.