Redpea

Just used Greg to re-do our hallway based on recommendations from ED Forum and so glad we did. He did a great job and his prices are really reasonable. Highly recommend him. I've had a lot of tradesman pass through my house over the last 5 years and Greg is one of the few I would invite back.

I know edcam and I agree with you, but to be fair to the walker it was outside her house and she only went in to get the dogs water. She must have unknowingly been watched by these rogues. But I am sure she feels bad enough right now anyway without us pointing out the obvious.

Good idea, I'll send them the link to Doglost. They could have been taken to be sold (all were popular small toy breeds) but possibly taken for unscrupulous breeding. Puppy farming is also on the increase in this country. One of the dogs was freed/escaped (who knows?) and found in Crystal Palace park - apparently found by a man who then delivered the dog to groomer in Bromley. Fortunately this one was reunited with their owner.

I am sure some of you may have heard about this already but yesterday lunchtime six dogs were stolen from a dog walkers van in Kemble Road, Forest Hill. The dog walker went into her house to get the dogs water. A black van pulled up, grabbed the dogs from her van and drove off. This does feel like organised dog theft to me not opportunists. I am sharing this to raise awareness to all dog owners and walkers/boarders so we can come together as a community and be vigilant. This is the second incident within a few weeks, 6 Dogs - under similar circumstances - were also stolen from a dog walker in Streatham. The van has been found in Crystal Palace, (was also stolen), but sadly the dogs were not. Heartbreaking for the owners. As a pet owner myself I can't even begin to comprehend their loss. See this link below to find out more and see pictures of the dogs. Please keep your eyes peeled and report anything suspicious to the police. http://www.doglost.co.uk/dog-blog.php?dogId=103669#.V7biSDcmGlI Lastly please, please, think before you compromise the safety of your pet by never leaving them unattended outside shops, out of distance in local parks etc. Dog boarders/walkers and owners please lock your car doors if stepping away even if only for a few seconds. Also be aware of funny markings outside your house - pennies, sticks and chalk are often used by thieves to mark houses that have valuables dogs inside. This crime is real and it's on the increase in our suburbs... RP

Looking for recommendations for a company/team/person for a complete overhaul of our front garden. It's a victorian house so we want to go back to a more traditional look with brick walls and iron railings etc. Requires digging out current garden, putting new concrete base in, building the walls and putting in railings, gate, tiling of path etc. Anyone had anything similar undertaken and happy with the team they used? Thanks in advance. RP.

I would also like to recommend Michael. 07908 827255. I needed the outside of my house painting pretty quickly due to scaffolding coming down after a loft conversion. He came round within 24 hours, gave me a quote the same day and started work the following week. Reliable and very reasonably priced. We then offered him some more work straight away to paint the inside of our house. I found Michael on this forum - from other recommendations - and glad we did.

We are currently having ours done by Taylored lofts. So far so good! Will report back when fully finished. But actually quite impressed so far. James' guys work really hard.

Hi Waffo, How are you getting on with Benchmark? Thinking of getting them in to quote for our loft too! Thanks RP

Hi Jane, I have seen quite a few recommendations on here for your dog sitting service and we are looking for someone local who can do a day and night in August for our pup Hunter. Can you PM me your number please so we can have a chat. Look forward to hearing from you. Many thanks Niki

Hi smb1, Just wondered who the specialist was you got in to sort out wet room issues. We have had an awful experience with a plumber and now we are looking for a decent plumber to put the wrong right - also a wet room. So difficult to get decent plumbers from our experience. Any recommend edition would be most welcome, thanks RP

Hey dirty box, now your loft should be finished would you still recommend Taylormade? I am thinking of adding them to my list of potentials to see and quote for loft conversion. Thanks RP

Hi, Please see my post in the offered section. We have 60 x 40cm square 6cm deep paving slabs going free. We are doing up our garden and want them out of the way. Would need to be picked up from Forest Hill. Thanks NP

Just had a major kitchen renovation done by David o' Brien's team. Lots of building work involved. Can't recommend David enough he is the most pleasant tradesmen we have ever had the pleasure of dealing with. He manages everything from start to finish. Has quite a few guys working for him so may be able to fit you in with such short notice. Vicky from this forum recommended him to us - so thanks Vicky. His number is 07960 938621

I can recommend Zang Banda as a structural engineer - got a recommendation from this site actually. Very impressed. I was out the day he came round to do the survey for three steel supports in different rooms. My plasterer was here though and he informed me he that Zang was here for just over 3 hours and was meticulous in his measurements etc, attention to detail etc. My plasterer said in his experience S.E's are often in and out in 15 mins. The drawings were excellent and he then recommended a great builder for the install - Zak - who we are also going to be using again. Here's his website http://www.zhbdesignconsultantbeckenham.co.uk/

We have been having our house renovated and used Marc from MD Wood Floors to do the the lounge, reception, hallway/landing, stairs and 1 x bedroom. He was recommended by a friend of mine who used him. He did a great job, was very reasonably priced as well as being a really great guy. We were having other work done and he worked around us as best as he could. We also changed our mind on lacquer after his first coat. Beware - pine turns an awful 80's orange colour with natural varnish. But he never complained once - he came back and did some more tests of stains for us to see. We eventually went with a brown oak colour. His son sometimes helps him too who was also lovely. His number is 07950 663 225. Email: [email protected] By all means say Niki from Forest Hill recommended him Hope that helps.

Hi, Unfortunately I have got into a dispute with a tradesmen about a sub standard tiling finish. He has had two chances to rectify it and it's still completely sub standard. I am looking for advice or a recommendation to bring in a third party independent surveyor so I can get their view. I would like them to produce a report on their findings. Can anyone suggest a company that can do this? Many thanks RP

As per my previous post my house in SE23 is undergoing full renovation and I promised to share details of any positive experiences with tradesmen. So, I just wanted to share details of a great plasterer we found who not only does a great finish but was so helpful when we ran into issues of damp, rotten ceiling joists, wallpaper straight on plasterboard (impossible to remove) etc etc. He became like our consultant without the fee. His quote was by far the most competitive too. So much so that a very popular plasterer on this forum actually quoted double for the same job! I actually got AJ - Barnes plastering from Ratedpeople.com, not this forum, so here are his details. By all means tell him Niki from Forest Hill recommended him. BTW he has got a 5 star rating on Ratedpeople.com. We are going to have him back to do our kitchen next. AJ Barnes 07773303059 [email protected]

Thank you so much for these recommendations Marianik. My partner and I have just bought a house in Forest Hill - got the keys yesterday :)and it needs gutting- also a renovation project - so we will be requiring all these trades over the coming weeks and months. Will be sure to consider them. Also, further down the line I will be happy to do the same as you and recommend the people I have used and been impressed with. Forums like this are a godsend. I have already used Marcus (tiler) actually in our flat and can definitely recommend him as I have mentioned in a previous post. Thanks again

I am also recommending Marcus, who came round and quoted within hours of my call on a Sunday night. He did a fantastic job and it wasn't the easiest of jobs to manage at all. He made lots of recommendations which saved us lots of money and I am so pleased he suggesting getting rid of our old toilet to make it more seamless and save us money in the long run. For the extra ?50 we spent on getting a new cheap toilet - it was so worth it in terms of the look and finish. He even talked us through how to safely smash it down and get rid of the previous toilet, therefore saving us more cash. He did it quickly and was by far the most competitive. We are just starting a renovation project on a new house and will definitely be using him again.

Hey Rosie, I am thinking the same - did you find out if anything was going on in the area?