DPA Joinery Services - quality without compromise

I've moved to www.dpajoineryservices.moonfruit.com

2011-01-21T00:17:00.003Z

DPA Joinery Services can now be found at www.dpajoineryservices.moonfruit.com where you can check out pictures of my work and read testimonials of happy customers. Please do take a look, it's just new and I'm a bit of a web builder novice so any feedback would be great :)

And don't forget, if you have a joinery or building idea and fancy a chat about it then call me on 07830347525. There's no obligation! Alternatively, you can email me at dpajoinery@live.co.uk.

Reproduction Victorian joinery

2010-08-02T22:13:00.005+01:00

Not for the faint hearted.
There have been people over the past year, that have contacted me about joinery problems with their Victorian houses. And the sheer horror about the cost of having, for example, a sliding sash window replaced or sections of stair parts missing or damaged. Plus the total frustration of having other joiners turn up to tell them that it wouldn't be worth their while and that it's too complicated to reproduce.

So they have been quite relieved when I’ve managed to recreate items of carpentry without making them worry about taking out a second mortgage on their home just to pay for the privilege.

I’m not saying it’s easy by any means; it’s a case of doing lots of research and getting the right pricing through suppliers. Each job is different and brings its own difficulties and rewards. But it’s always nice to see something restored to its former glory and actually working the way it’s supposed to be. Added with the look of relief on the owners’ faces, when their home functions normally.

another four months..

2009-06-24T21:56:00.001+01:00

Sorry it's been so long; time has flown over.

Here's a word from a happy customer...

“I am delighted with the quality of the wooden deck that Darren installed into our garden and was impressed with how smoothly the whole build went. Darren worked hard and was always friendly and kept us updated with the progress.

"He had some great ideas and the end result is high-quality and really complements my garden.” Sheila, Newcastle

Back after four months!

2009-02-11T21:52:00.002Z

It’s been a while – four months to be precise. So what’s new? It’s been busy lately – I have interest from a few different people looking to take on projects; one kitting out a hairdressing salon, another involves building a garden shed. So it’s certainly varied!

To be honest it’s all been a bit quiet over Christmas – which I fully expected; I mean who in their right mind wants the builders in over the holidays? What has freaked me out (as I’m sure it has everyone) is the constant doom and gloom news about the state of the economy. And the redundancies. And the credit crunch. And the recession. Or is it a depression?...

Well, in my opinion, the more we talk and debate, and scare each other witless, the worse it will get. Confidence is at an all-time low; especially in the business sector. Especially for little guys like me running solo.

This whole recession business bit me a long time ago – on 15 July 2008 to be precise. But I haven’t ground to a halt or curled up in a corner. Nope, I’ve been plugging away and slowly but surely interest is picking up and business is trickling in. It’s not a dead cert yet, but it just shows that business can still thrive.

Times may be changing, but everyone will at some point need a new door, a replacement floor or even nice new decking in the garden – after all it’s nearly spring!

Odd requests

2008-10-16T10:56:00.001+01:00

Every now and then I’m asked to provide a quote for a really quirky piece of work.

Yesterday a client, who I have worked with a few times now, has asked me to look into designing and making a revolving wall!

I immediately thought about James Bond movies and I’m sure Superman III featured a revolving wall… An inconspicuous side complete with an armchair once revolved features a state-of-the-art music system and a fully-stocked drinks cabinet. Nice!

Anyway, watch this space...

Free joinery advice here!

2008-09-25T23:15:00.003+01:00

Looking for advice and pointers on carpentry and joinery? I am happy to advise with any dilemmas you're facing - free of charge!

Leave a comment to this post or send me an email and I'll reply asap...

What's in your tool bag?

2008-09-24T22:04:00.000+01:00

I always say a joiner needs good tools. Here is a handy list of the essentials when approaching any joinery work:

Hammer. Essential for all joinery worth whether hammering nails down into wood or using the claw to break up and remove wood for replacement.

Handsaw. Make it at least 22 inches - the longer the better! Needed to cut materials to accurate sizes.

Chisels. Invest in a range of chisels – from 6ml to 25ml – to chop locks and hinges out.

Keep it straight with a two foot or five foot spirit level.

Battery drill. As a minimum, an 18 volt drill complete with auger bits will make life so much easier when drilling doors out putting screws in.

Smoothing plane for a fine finish.

Oil Stone. To deliver the best, your tools need to be in good nick. Use an oil stone to sharpen and hone.

Tape measure – not strictly a tool, but essential for taking accurate measurements to plan the joinery where all the above tools will be needed!

But always remember, a good joiner never blames his tools!

Surviving the economic gloom

2008-09-10T15:09:00.001+01:00

THE number of new business start-ups in the North East of England remains “strong and steady” despite a 15% fall nationally – as reported in today’s Journal.

The Barclays’ survey shows signs of an increase in the region’s entrepreneurial spirit and also evidence that some sectors are defying the economic gloom.

Also, national figures show the number of new businesses expected to start up this year is 380,000 - down on last year’s number of 430,000.

The construction industry – at least new home building - in the North East is certainly suffering – it came to came to a standstill over the summer. It came to a head for me in July when I was made redundant and I really had no option to start up my own business. But, as I’ve said before, it was actually something that I had wanted to do for a long time, and losing my job was the spur for me to go it alone.

Although the new build market is totally flat at the moment, I am finding that joinery maintenance and improvement work is still a priority for home owners.

Word of mouth is working particularly well for me. Feedback from customers shows that my commitment to quality and ensuring a job is started and completed swiftly is securing me more and more work.

Read the full newspaper report – and my quote! – here.

When the time is right

2008-09-02T23:40:00.000+01:00

Have had some good press lately, the most recent being a short column in the Newcastle Chronicle. The piece ended with me saying that I will be looking to take on an apprentice to train and pass on all my joinery knowledge and skills.

Yes I will be looking - when the time is right. If you’re interested please email me your CV and when I am in the position to take on an apprentice I will go through all the CVs that I have received and will take it from there…Unfortunately I just don’t know when exactly that will be – hopefully sooner rather than later.

Don’t move home – improve your home!

2008-08-21T11:44:00.001+01:00

I have spoken to a number of people recently who plan to do home improvements instead of selling up and moving on. No surprises there given the current economic climate. Moving home is an expensive business anyway. The Woolwich reckons it costs around £16,000 to move, and there's also stamp duty and land tax to shell out for too.

So, apart from the fact that it’ll make your living space so much nicer, the right kind of home improvement should also help you retain or even increase the value of your home. Loft conversions, extensions and improving the essentials in your kitchen and bathrooms should help increase the appeal of your property when you do finally come to sell.

Other improvements that can add value include new carpets and laminate or wood flooring.
But remember, if you get it wrong or bodge it, you could knock thousands off the value of your property!

Over 500,000 people in Britain have made such a hash of their DIY they have had to make a claim on their home insurance – ouch! (But this doesn’t surprise me if bad advice is followed – see post underneath!).

Carrying out work on your home can be rewarding but very costly to correct if not done properly.
To avoid costly mistakes, follow these simple rules.

1. Take safety precautions. A simple drilling job could turn into an extremely expensive mistake if electrical wiring is damaged!

2. Make sure your tools are up to scratch. Poor quality tools are dangerous and will never help you achieve a high-quality finish. Ever.

3. If a job is beyond your abilities, hire a professional to do it for you.

Watch out for bad DIY advice!

2008-08-19T23:56:00.003+01:00

There is plenty of advice on the internet about DIY which is all fine and well if you’re a beginner and not too bothered about achieving a high-quality finish. But today I came across a video that really bothers me. An inept joiner proceeds to demonstrate bad joinery practice and tool skills. His tools are obviously blunt and uncared for – any fool knows that blunt tools lead to a bad finish at best and accidents at worst.

Most of his joinery techniques are poor, incomplete and some are dangerous; at 3.25 minutes into the video there is an excellent example of how to maximise your chances of damaging a man’s vital bits!

He also failed to mention that you have to plan down the closing angle of the door also - known as backing the door – to stop the door catching on the frame.

There was no real instruction about keeping the stop latts on the hinge side of the door 1mm away from the door to prevent it from becoming latt-bound (which means the door won’t shut properly).

Simply this video should be called how NOT to hang a door.

I guess the moral of the story is when in doubt make sure you have a way of checking that the instructions you are following are reliable and safe. If in doubt, hire a good, reputable joiner!

So what do I do?

2008-08-11T16:18:00.000+01:00

As a carpenter/joiner I undertake a variety of jobs mainly for domestic clients. This includes structural work such as fitting or strengthening joists, beams and timberwork; fitting windows, doors and door frames; making and fitting skirting boards and radiator covers; and a variety of other small jobs that contribute to the finished appearance of a property. For example, I have worked on a number of jobs fitting and hanging doors – both external and internal.

Currently I am working on a massive restoration project – bringing a 19th century house back to its former glory. It’s really gratifying seeing a dilapidated building coming back to life and being part of its resurrection. I’ll post some pictures as soon as possible…

However, generally I work in all aspects and levels of construction – this includes floor joists, roofing, first fixing, second fixing, final fixing, and maintenance, and carrying out finishing work such as installing kitchens and bathrooms.

Award-winning joiner starts up own business

2008-08-01T11:40:00.002+01:00

here is my press release...

A talented North East joiner has started up his own business after being made redundant from a large new house builder company.

The credit crunch has seen thousands of tradesmen lose their jobs in the region over the past couple of months. But when award-winning joiner, Darren Atkinson, from Stanley in Durham, was given his notice last week he saw it as the perfect opportunity to fulfil a life-long ambition and start his own business.

“I have been a joiner for over 20 years now, and have worked for most of the house-building companies in the North East of England. However, I have always wanted to work for myself and being made redundant has given me the spur to start my own joinery business.

Darren has called the business DPA Joinery Services, after his initials – Darren Paul Atkinson, and he undertakes all aspects of internal and external joinery including floors and ceilings, door and window frames, and bathrooms and kitchens.

“In these challenging times we all know that most people are shying away from buying a new house, and are deciding to improve or restore their existing properties instead. I am confident that this is a trend that I can build on, and have already secured a number of contracts centred on home improvements and restoration. This includes restoring a 19th century house to its full former glory, and making bespoke door and window frames.”

Darren has won two awards for his work – one when a student at college and the other for the National House Builders Council. He said: “Providing a high-quality service at reasonable rates is my top priority. It is well-documented that many householders do not trust trades people at all and as high as one in nine find having building work carried out is a stressful experience. As a homeowner I have total empathy with this concern, and as an award-winning joiner I am passionate about the craft and quality without compromise is my motto.”

“Longer-term I will be looking to take on an apprentice to train and pass on all my joinery knowledge and skills, and ideally partner up with other trades to take on bigger contracts.”

I'm in the local rag!

2008-07-28T18:09:00.002+01:00

I've been run off my feet all weekend and today what with finding new customers, providing quotes and actually getting on with the various jobs, but I wanted to post today as the local newspaper, the Journal, has run a small piece about me today; check out the link here.

I'm very pleased indeed!

Word is spreading...

2008-07-24T14:26:00.001+01:00

Word is spreading online and I like this article in particular entitled "Award-winning joiner starts up own business!"

I am looking out for others and will update when I find them.

This is getting exciting!

Joiner to the rescue!

2008-07-24T14:24:00.001+01:00

I had an interesting call-out yesterday. A couple asked me to check their upstairs window, which was loose and a potential security threat.

With a view to checking it out and organising a separate time to undertake the work, I went along to take a look. When I got a close look at it was immediately apparent that this wasn’t just a security threat, but also a health and safety hazard of the most perilous order!

The window was situated above the front door, and basically they were very lucky indeed that the window pane (very thick and sturdy glass) hadn’t shaken loose and fallen to the path below. God forbid if someone had been in its path – it would have been like a scene from the film Omen where the priest gets decapitated.

I knew I couldn’t leave it as is, so I secured it and made sure it would last until they have it replaced.

Any tradesman worth his salt would never leave a site un-secure posing a dangerous, potentially fatal, risk like that.

Multiple profiles online

2008-07-23T21:55:00.003+01:00

I guess I am a bit confused at the minute when it comes to social networking and virtual contacts. I have joined up to quite a few (despite saying I’d just choose a select few in a previous post) as it’s quite difficult to decide what to go with, without trying them out first.

So here’s a summary of my profiles so far – and I really would appreciate any guidance you’ve got to give on this subject.

Linked In
Facebook
Ecademy
Twitter

I’ve also registered with countless free business directories, and am now on Google Maps which is pretty cool. Just use “DPA Joinery Services” on the map search and I should come up…

I know results won’t happen overnight, but I would really love an insight on which platform is best for a ‘hands-on’ tradesmen rather than a professional who can trade virtually.

Cheers!!

Quality rules!

2008-07-23T20:37:00.001+01:00

So my poll (which I’ve taken down from this blog now) showed that 80% of readers think that quality is the most important to them when hiring a joiner.

Well I believe that too. A good, high-quality finish on joiner – as with all building trades - is vital. It’s to be expected. And it’s what any good joiner should deliver.

I’m glad that it’s my priority. After all, my motto is quality without compromise. Simple.

Publicity poses

2008-07-22T10:20:00.000+01:00

I know how important publicity is – my other half is into PR and is always telling me that I need to raise my profile – so last night I agreed to have some photographs taken.

It felt a bit strange at first posing for the camera. Especially wearing my hard hat and flashing my Dewalt gear. But actually it was quite good fun and I got some good pictures in the end.

Check out my Facebook group for a few of the best…

Fancy a cuppa?

2008-07-21T13:51:00.003+01:00

I just wanted to share this link Make Mine a Builders. It’s a great little site and has some canny notes about tea, how to brew a great cuppa - see the handy guide below, and even some DIY tips. I love it!

Picture taken from http://www.makemineabuilders.com/builder/perfect_cuppa.html

Riding the gloom

2008-07-21T13:42:00.001+01:00

It’s all doom and gloom for the housing industry at the minute – reports are everywhere online. The worst prognosis that I have found is from the Financial Times, which predicts the Building industry could axe 60,000.

That’s a lot of jobs.

Setting up a business in these challenging times is a bit scary but I’m keeping upbeat. Everyone I have spoken to thinks going it alone is the best think I could do – the main reason being is that finding a reliable and quality-driven joiner is hard to do. And I’ve secured more than a handful of contracts now. Not quite booming, but certainly not gloom either.

So I’m available – in the North East of England – and reliable, and my strapline if you didn’t already know it is "quality without compromise". Hopefully one day soon I’ll be in a position to employ one of those 60,000.

The business cards arrive

2008-07-19T11:35:00.004+01:00

The arrival of my new business cards caused quite a flutter in the house today. 250 cards to distribute – I reckon I’ll have to order some more within weeks.

Am off now to drop them off at people’s houses where I’ve already done a good job – my thinking is that they know me, liked my work and will pass on my details to others looking for joinery work and repairs. Word of mouth is vital in this business.

So let me know what you think – I’ll be improving them before I order the next batch so why not leave a comment here or drop me an email – dpajoinery@live.co.uk if you have any suggestions.

Who would have thought some small pieces of card could cause so much excitement?

Very timely advice from the Health and Safety Executive

2008-07-18T17:55:00.002+01:00

I’ve already mentioned my son’s accident and although it didn’t happen on a construction site, I wanted to point out the dangers that playing on construction sites bring following today’s warning from the Health and Safety Executive.

It is warning kids and parents should be aware of the dangers of construction sites and not to treat them as playgrounds.

In the last 10 years, 10 children have died on construction sites and more than 600 others injured. Sadly, in most cases, simple precautions could have prevented the incidents from ever happening.

I agree with Carol Forster, HM Inspector for Construction, who said: "Let's ensure that long summer evenings remain a time for fun and adventure for the North East's children and not a time of tragedy because children have, understandably, been drawn to construction sites as exciting places to play.

"Construction sites can be a dangerous attraction for children. The dangers are numerous and varied with risks from falling, drowning, being buried alive, being run over, etc. Access to construction sites should be controlled and risks should be assessed by site managers to ensure that untoward incidents are prevented. The consequences can be tragic."

Here’s some practical advice for us all to follow:

* warn children against playing in dangerous areas, including building sites

* make sure you know where your children are going, and when they will be back

* encourage them to play only in safe areas such as playgrounds

* workers should watch out for children playing around construction sites. If you see children, stop work and make sure they are off site before you begin again

* lay heavy objects on the ground or fix them firmly upright so they cannot fall onto children and injure them

* secure construction sites adequately when finishing work for the day

* never allow children to ride in construction plant machinery

Talking my language

2008-07-18T17:27:00.001+01:00

I’ve spent the best part of the day in hospital with my 12-year-old son who had to have a small operation on his hand – let’s just say that boys, muddy hills and broken fences don’t mix…

Anyway, talking to the doctors and nurses and getting my head round the different procedures and trying to understand their language in a relatively high-stress situation made me realise how important using plain English is. Don’t get me wrong, the hospital staff were superb and did a great job explaining to me what was what. But it did make me think that actually this is a problem that can affect all industries, including mine.

Getting the builders in can be a very stressful time (just like my experience today!) and a good, professional joiner should explain things clearly to ensure that there are no nasty surprises, and ease the pain.

Words like baluster, coping and 4B2 may not mean much to anyone but those in the trade.

If you’re thinking of using the services of a joiner make sure that you fully understand every step and don't let jargon put you off. The Federation of Master Builders has a great jargon buster guide, and any joiner worth their salt will answer your queries politely and patiently. I know I do!

Shy bairns get no sweets

2008-07-17T11:02:00.003+01:00

Phew! I have been networking like mad lately and have even been approaching strangers on the street to tell them about what I am up to – well I guess the old phrase "Shy bairns get no sweets" is my new mantra.

The fact that I speak a little Panjabi has helped me break the ice with quite a few members of the local Indian communities and if I can establish myself as providing a quality service at reasonable rates this should hopefully prove a fruitful avenue.

I am also ringing round all my friends and asking them to pass on the message that I’m setting up alone. The responses I’m getting are really encouraging and positive.

That’s the real world, but I am also keen to explore virtual ways to network, make new contacts and hopefully secure new business.

I have been speaking to all of my contacts via Facebook and I am now looking at setting up profiles on other social networking sites like ecademy and LinkedIn. It’s quite difficult to decide which ones are the most relevant and of course I am mindful that it’s pointless joining all of them – otherwise how will I have time to actually use them effectively?!

Nope, my approach is going to be to find one or two online sites – this blog included – and use them properly, rather than fiddling about with loads and not getting quality results.

It's a bit like real life I suppose. I am, after all, a master of carpentry and joinery – I would hate to be a jack of all trades!