STAIRCASES AND MONEY SAVING ADVICE
THERE ARE TWO INTERNAL STAIRCASES IN THE HOUSE BOTH NEW. THE FIRST TO BE MADE WAS THE STAIR FROM THE HALL UP TO THE NEW LIVING ROOM WHICH WAS ONLY EIGHT STEPS HIGH AND 800MM WIDE.
I ASKED A LOCAL CARPENTER TO GIVE ME A QUOTATION FOR AN OAK STAIR WHICH CAME IN AT A HEFTY 3000 EUROS. THIS WAS COMPLETELY OUT OF THE ORDER OF THINGS SO THAT I HAD TO COME UP WITH A SOLUTION MORE SUITED TO MY POCKET.
WHAT HAS HAPPENED IS THAT THE FLOOD OF NEW INCOMING OWNERS OF DILAPIDATED HOUSES HAS SWAMPED THE LOCAL TRADESMEN AND RESULTED IN PRICES BEYOND REASON AND LONG WAITING TIMES FOR WORK TO BE CARRIED OUT BY THEM.
THERE IS ALWAYS A SOLUTION BUT IT USUALLY TAKES SOME HEAD SCRATCHING BEFORE THE SOLUTION CAN BE FOUND.
THERE IS A LUMBER YARD A FEW KILOMETERS FROM RUFFEC THAT I FREQUENTLY PASSED WHEN DRIVING TO SAUZE VAUSAIS. ONE FATEFUL DAY I STOPPED AT THIS YARD AND SPOKE TO THE PROPRIETOR GIVING HIM A LIST OF THE SIZES OF WOOD THAT I WANTED. A COUPLE OF DAYS LATER I TELEPHONED HIM AND HIS PRICE FOR THE WOOD WAS MUCH LESS THAN I HAD BEEN QUOTED BY OTHERS IN THE AREA.
I WENT TO THE YARD TO PICK UP THE WOOD AND WHILST IT WAS BEING LOADED INTO MY CAR I COULD SEE UNDESIRABLE CRACKS IN THE TIMBER AND WENT TO SEE THE OWNER WHO THEN WENT ABSOLUTELY BERSERK, PUSHED ME ASIDE, WENT TO THE CAR AND STARTED TO UNLOAD IT WILDLY THROWING THE TIMBER TO ONE SIDE. I WENT TO THE OFFICE AND THE OWNER`S WIFE REFUNDED MY MONEY WITHOUT ANY EXPLANATION FOR HER HUSBAND`S OUTBURST.
MY MASON SUGGESTED THAT I VISIT A LUMBERMAN WITH A YARD NEAR CHAMPAGNE MOUTON BUT HE WAS NOTORIOUSLY DIFFICULT TO TRACK DOWN. NOT ON THE DOG AND BONE AND NEVER ANSWERED MESSAGES THAT WERE LEFT WITH A NEIGHBOUR. ONE DAY I MANAGED TO CATCH HIM AT WORK AND BOUGHT A WHOLE TREE OF SEASONED SAWN PLANKS SUITABLE FOR THE STAIR FOR 80 EUROS. IN FACT THERE WAS ALMOST ENOUGH WOOD TO MAKE BOTH SETS OF STAIRS. THIS WOOD WAS SPECIAL AND STRONGER THAN OAK.
I FOUND A RETIRED CARPENTER THAT STILL HAD HIS WORKSHOP AND PERSUADED HIM TO MAKE ME A STAIRCASE FROM THIS WOOD. WHICH HE DID INCLUDING FITTING THE STAIRCASE IN SITU.
THE TOTAL PRICE FOR THE WOOD AND CARPENTER CAME TO UNDER 300 EUROS.
I ASKED A LOCAL CARPENTER TO GIVE ME A QUOTATION FOR AN OAK STAIR WHICH CAME IN AT A HEFTY 3000 EUROS. THIS WAS COMPLETELY OUT OF THE ORDER OF THINGS SO THAT I HAD TO COME UP WITH A SOLUTION MORE SUITED TO MY POCKET.
WHAT HAS HAPPENED IS THAT THE FLOOD OF NEW INCOMING OWNERS OF DILAPIDATED HOUSES HAS SWAMPED THE LOCAL TRADESMEN AND RESULTED IN PRICES BEYOND REASON AND LONG WAITING TIMES FOR WORK TO BE CARRIED OUT BY THEM.
THERE IS ALWAYS A SOLUTION BUT IT USUALLY TAKES SOME HEAD SCRATCHING BEFORE THE SOLUTION CAN BE FOUND.
THERE IS A LUMBER YARD A FEW KILOMETERS FROM RUFFEC THAT I FREQUENTLY PASSED WHEN DRIVING TO SAUZE VAUSAIS. ONE FATEFUL DAY I STOPPED AT THIS YARD AND SPOKE TO THE PROPRIETOR GIVING HIM A LIST OF THE SIZES OF WOOD THAT I WANTED. A COUPLE OF DAYS LATER I TELEPHONED HIM AND HIS PRICE FOR THE WOOD WAS MUCH LESS THAN I HAD BEEN QUOTED BY OTHERS IN THE AREA.
I WENT TO THE YARD TO PICK UP THE WOOD AND WHILST IT WAS BEING LOADED INTO MY CAR I COULD SEE UNDESIRABLE CRACKS IN THE TIMBER AND WENT TO SEE THE OWNER WHO THEN WENT ABSOLUTELY BERSERK, PUSHED ME ASIDE, WENT TO THE CAR AND STARTED TO UNLOAD IT WILDLY THROWING THE TIMBER TO ONE SIDE. I WENT TO THE OFFICE AND THE OWNER`S WIFE REFUNDED MY MONEY WITHOUT ANY EXPLANATION FOR HER HUSBAND`S OUTBURST.
MY MASON SUGGESTED THAT I VISIT A LUMBERMAN WITH A YARD NEAR CHAMPAGNE MOUTON BUT HE WAS NOTORIOUSLY DIFFICULT TO TRACK DOWN. NOT ON THE DOG AND BONE AND NEVER ANSWERED MESSAGES THAT WERE LEFT WITH A NEIGHBOUR. ONE DAY I MANAGED TO CATCH HIM AT WORK AND BOUGHT A WHOLE TREE OF SEASONED SAWN PLANKS SUITABLE FOR THE STAIR FOR 80 EUROS. IN FACT THERE WAS ALMOST ENOUGH WOOD TO MAKE BOTH SETS OF STAIRS. THIS WOOD WAS SPECIAL AND STRONGER THAN OAK.
I FOUND A RETIRED CARPENTER THAT STILL HAD HIS WORKSHOP AND PERSUADED HIM TO MAKE ME A STAIRCASE FROM THIS WOOD. WHICH HE DID INCLUDING FITTING THE STAIRCASE IN SITU.
THE TOTAL PRICE FOR THE WOOD AND CARPENTER CAME TO UNDER 300 EUROS.
IN PROGRESS