Archives for 2009

Bloody Women

I am the only bloke in our houseThe WifeThe daughterThe Cat Surrounded by femalesPushed and pulledTo and froI surf my way throughFeminine eddies and swells “Do Shirts live on the floor”? Asks Julie“No” I mutterScooping one upAnd chucking it in the basketOn the landing “Dad – will you make me a smoothie?”Comes a muffled plea […]

Free Survey Sir?

For years I’ve been offering free damp & timber surveys. Why? Well that’s because the free survey is expected and I was brought up doing these from my early twenties (I’m 49 now). Acceptance rates; the number of jobs won in relation to surveys carried out has fallen over the years though. From nearly forty […]

Wall tie corrosion…does it matter?

Corrosion of metal wall ties in our housing stock has been a recognised issue for about 25 years or so. It came to real prominence though, in the late eighties ands early nineties. During the housing boom of the late nineties and early 21st century, it was all but forgotten. I’ve been active in wall […]

Good for business

Good For Business? A story of greed, photocopying and laminate flooring A few years ago a couple of young property developers in Yorkshire found themselves very busy, buying tired old houses, tarting them up and selling them on for a healthy profit. Nothing wrong with that, its good business. However, as most of their customers […]

Land Ahoy.

Ah, Amazing the difference a week or three can make. Here on the good ship Brick-Tie we’re buzzing, whereas not so long ago the mood was pretty bleak. The economy is still in tatters of course and I haven’t been able to re hire any of the staff who were made redundant. But the reduction […]

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