Jubels

SUPERSTAR SPARK! Gary is an absolute star - I wouldn't use anyone else. He's reliable, super-skilled and fair priced. He's great on communication and an all-round lovely chap.

Greetings all, I'm looking for amateur actors to come to auditions for a new play called Spider, to be performed at South London Theatre from 18th - 22nd April. Auditions are being held at South London Theatre this Sunday (11th) and Monday (12th) evenings. We are especially looking for actors to play: FRANK DOWLING - A white male, playing age late 40s / early 50s. A drama teacher and former successful actor. A drug user, a master manipulator that cannot adapt to shifting social and cultural values. JEMA WRIGHT - A black female, playing age late 40s. A supporting drama teacher. Astute, empathetic, the voice of reason. More information can be found at https://www.southlondontheatre.co.uk/event/auditions-spider/ Or DM me. Cheers! Jude

Aston came to reseal my bathroom - for a price ref (time taken, 3 hours) cost £300. He also fitted a door knob and wedged a window shut (time taken 30 mins) cost £50. He's very good on communication. Very tidy. Polite.

Hi there, it can be any home. Thanks

Afternoon forumeers, I'm a journalist working in the interiors/ architecture sector on the lookout for stunning newly renovated homes in the area for magazine articles. If you love interior design and have styled your home yourself or with a designer, I'd love to hear from you for possible articles in Living Etc, 25 Beautiful Homes, Homes & Gardens, Grand Designs etc. Just drop me a line on the forum and we will take it from there. If you're an architecture practice or interior designer with recently finished projects in the area, please do also get in touch! :) Best wishes, Juliet

Good morning forumeers, I'm an East Dulwich resident and an interior design journalist. I write for Living Etc, Homes & Gardens, 25 Beautiful Homes, Grand Designs and others. I'm on the look out for exciting homes with gorgeous interiors in the local area with owners who are up for having a their homes shot and being interviewed. If you've recently completed a renovation or extension, I'd also love to hear from you. You can see some of my work at www.instagram.com/londonhousemistress Drop me a message via the forum and we'll get the ball rolling. Thanks folks, Juliet

I have just used Gary Vu when we lost power in our house (everything kept tripping out and we spent the night without power). He got us back up and running with minimal effort and came back a few days later to upgrade the fuse box. He is a lovely guy and good value. Great communication also. Really glad to have him in my 'black book' of tradesmen. Jude

Greetings forumeers, I'd like to recommend a plumber, Adam Taylor of @Secure Heating & Plumbing. I've used him for regular services, replacing my boiler and sorting out my underfloor heating. He is super professional, highly qualified and reliable. He works quickly and above and beyond to get the job done in time. He's an absolute gent and I'm so pleased to have him in my phone book of trusty trades. You can reach Adam on 07988 950058 Cheers, Jude

I posted a progress report a few weeks ago. The garden is now finished and an absolute joy. I get so many compliments about it. I can't wait to see it mature. Saied, Richard and Louis worked so hard to prepare the ground. All the planting was very thoughtful and Saied has been really attentive to how the garden is developing. Such a lovely company to appoint. Wouldn't hesitate to recommend. Pics here: https://imgur.com/MqCXeeq https://imgur.com/wwG9P8r https://imgur.com/PoLZdoB Good luck with your gardens! Jude

Saied of Dulwich Eco Gardening is currently working on 'rewilding' my garden after the builders decimated all my lovely trees and plants. I was heart broken, as my garden had previously been very fecund and mature. Saied and I agreed he would work on it over 2 weeks and plant a variety of trees and perennials. He and Richard have toiled very hard on preparing the ground, they have even dug up the foundations of a house illegally built on the land. A great deal of time and effort has gone into preparing the soil before the trees and plants are planted. Saied has spent hours sourcing fantastic trees for me. So far we are on track to create the wild, yet native English garden I lost. He's also the most delightful chap to have around. Richard and Louise are lovely too. Images here: Before https://imgur.com/cEbO9WC At the moment: https://imgur.com/yb0ypp2 I'll post another pic at the end of the project! Cheers, Jude

Aria has been one of my saving tradesmen when disaster stuck with a crooked builder who wanted to con me. I was high and dry when I called him and my boiler was making a terrible noise. Aria was brilliant at putting me in touch with other trades and plumbers. He sent me Adam, who is a dedicated, professional and highly experienced plumber. He flushed my system and put in a new Valiant boiler. His friend Harry was the underfloor heating expert who sorted the mess my builder had left me with. Adam is a lovely guy who is super responsive when you need him. He even came over early on a Sunday when I had a leak, which turned out to be nothing to do with him. When Adam was on holiday, Aria sent me his bro, Dan. Dan put in a new tall radiator and was efficient and professional. They are all lovely lads, really great to work with and respectful. Would not hesitate to recommend. Aria is on 07739 734895 Adam is on 07988 950058 That's all folks, Jude

I'd like to recommend Krzysztof Zajko (Kris) as a reliable builder. His company is called Panzaj Construction Ltd. He rescued me when my previous builder turned out to be a crook. Kris dug extremely deep and solid foundations for my built-up patio with great work on the patio slabs and beautiful steps and render. He completed the job on time at a very competitive price. He's also a lovely guy who lent my gardener his breaker tool when we discovered foundations in my garden (long story - but not a Medieval burial ground!!). He has an extremely professional approach with decades of experience. Everything will be done 'belt and braces'. Give him a try or message me for a more detailed reference. He can be contacted on [email protected]. or 07938 204480 Cheers folks, Jude

Thanks Curly Locks. I spoke to Citizens Advice Bureau and they were wonderful. Have been referred to Trading Standards. I should be protected by Consumer Rights Act. I think the outcome will probably be that I pay a Quantity Surveyor to work out what a fair price of the work done would be and negotiate from there.

Dear Forumeers, Thanks so much for your support and advice. If there's one thing I've realised through this crisis it's how many kind people are there to help and support me. I have no contract. Everything has been verbally agreed. My builder was very careful to leave no paper trail and for me to pay him in cash. He has been deliberately vague about escalating costs despite me asking him for updates every week. He has been a 'runaway train' in terms of added extras he's gone ahead with, only notifying me retrospectively. When I have explained my very top end budget - 25k factor above quote (I am in part-time education and a freelance journalist with unreliable income), he has suggested I ask my dad for the extra money or owe him the money over the next few years, joking 'I know where you live'. I have been VERY CLEAR I do not want to owe him money. He has speculated as to how much money my dad has venturing 'Well, if he had a big HMRC bill he must have money'. I assume my builder has identified me as a privileged and vulnerable young woman, living alone in a terrace house, whose daddy will bail her out. As soon as I received his spreadsheet of ?125k I told him to stop work immediately. Today he is clearing the site of materials and equipment but he has sent me a message saying he will send me an updated list of costs?? Don't know what those may be since he hasn't done any further work following the ?125k spreadsheet. I am going to get a quantity surveyor to look at the site to see what would be a fair amount to settle on. With the project suspended I now need to find a new builder, electrician, plumber. But finding it so difficult to trust any tradesmen, so genuine recommendations welcome. Don't want my 'damsel in distress' status to be in factor in any hasty decisions. As of today, the project costs have reached ?83k with ?77k going to my builder. Jubels.

Dear forumeers, I have a terrace house in East Dulwich and since November have had builders in building a side return and improving the bathroom. My original quote was ?67k. Obviously I put a contingency factor on this allowing the project to run into the top end of 80k for hidden extras. My builder has known my budget could not go above 90k. Over the last weeks he has been deliberately evasive when I continually asked how much I have gone over budget. He planned for 8 weeks project time. We are now on week 14. Yesterday he issued me with a spreadsheet saying the project so far is ?125k - not even finished. 86.5% more than the original quote. There have been additional unforeseen extras such as larger steels necessary, ceiling improvement and added insulation, but I don't see how adds up to ?58k extra. All of these extras he has gone ahead with without offering me a price and being vague. Do you think I have much room for negotiation? He has billed me with a spreadsheet of man hours and materials which I can't cross reference against the original quote. Has anyone got any advice or experienced this before? I'd be really grateful for help. Thanks and best wishes, Jubels.