Month: January 2021

Why book an outdoor painter while it’s cold?

It’s Winter: the ideal time to order a painter, especially for the outside of your house. Exterior painters are busiest when it is not freezing and the daytime temperature is steadily above ~10 degrees Celsius. Lower temperatures are not good for the quality of the paintwork. It is possible to paint outside at lower temperatures with tarpaulins and heating, but these slow down the work and increase costs. That is why exterior painters work mainly from April to October: during that limited season, the best painters are booked up months in advance. That is why February is an ideal month to book an outdoor painter: then you can still choose among different skilled painters and different execution dates.

That is doubly true this year because of the lockdown against the Corona virus: many people are not planning anything for Spring or Summer. We expect that many customers will only order exterior painters once the lockdown has ended. They run the risk of having to wait for a good painter for literally months. You don’t need to run that risk, because with MrFix you can always postpone the execution of your job if necessary (or if you just want to).

Exterior painting for lasting results

.

To keep your house in good condition, major maintenance of the exterior paintwork should be done about every five years. If you don’t then the woodwork, such as window frames and doorposts, will weather and rot, especially in our wet Dutch climate. This can have nasty consequences such as leakages and mould. Our exterior painters will gladly take care of this big job for you. There is more to it than just painting: the contractor seals seams and cracks, removes wood rot to provids a neat, durable and sustainable end result.

Tips for smart outsourcing of paint jobs

.

Read our tips for outsourcing paint jobs smoothly & quicklyhere:

• Find a good painter who is actually available

.

• Make sure he prepares well. For example, ask the expert to supply professional paint: it will last longer and give you a longer guarantee

.

• Resolve changes and setbacks smoothly by communicating clearly, also in advance

.

• Make sure you pay a fair price for a good result: choose the quote or estimate based on quality and reliability

.

• Obtain good aftercare and warranty

Since the lockdown began on 15 December our handyman heroes have bravely continued to work Corona-safely. MrFix has not yet experienced a single case of contamination of Customer by contractor or vice versa! We are counting on our experts and Customers to remain vigilant now that the night-time curfew will take effect nationwide on 23 January. We understand from Rijksoverheid.nl (articles in Dutch, sorry) that the curfew does not need to affect home repair work. It does remain vital to use your common sense: do not request a home repair job if you have symptoms and do follow the following guidelines so that our expert can continue to doing your jobs safely!

Can builders do your home repair job between 9PM and 4.30AM?

Some of our experts are available for emergencies 24 hours a day. And Customers often request an expert for the same evening, for example in the event of a power failure or serious leakage. That is why the Customer can indicate on our form whether a contractor is welcome in the evening: if so the expert can automatically propose a starting time slot up to 10-11PM at the latest. Or the Customer and expert can agree an even later starting time.

Customers are asking us whether experts are allowed to carry out jobs and go to/from jobs during the curfew period from 9PM to 4.30AM. Now we are not lawyers or corona experts, but we understand from Dutch Government website Rijksoverheid.nl that the curfew does not have to be an obstacle to carrying out jobs. Do keep three things in mind:

• Experts who are employees have to complete anwerkgeversverklaring as well as a ‘own curfew statement’ in advance. Most of our experts are self-employed: for them the ‘own curfew statement’ suffices.
• We advise everyone to start jobs after 5AM and finish them well before 9PM if possible, so the expert is home between 9PM and 4.30PM: that is safer and simpler
• Many jobs make a lot of noise, so it is better to do them well before 9PM anyway. Often the building rules prohibit any work after a certain time in the evening

Protocol ‘Carry on working safely together’

We have previously mentioned and summarised the WHO recommendations in van de WHOthis post. In addition, we advise not only experts but also Customers to download the protocol ‘Samen veilig doorwerken’ (‘Carry on working safely together’). This practical protocol for safe building and working has been presented by the construction industry to the Ministry of the Interior and has been supplemented and adopted in consultation with Ministers and trade unions. You can find a more general overview for the construction industry by the national Government here.

Specific guidelines for MrFix jobs in the Netherlands

We looked at the various types of jobs MrFix offers and concluded that none of them require people to touch each other or be within 1.5 metres of each other. Now the expert decides which jobs he takes on (at his own expense & risk) and when he carries them out. Just as the Customer decides whether to confirm the appointment proposed by MrFix on behalf of the contractor.

As far as MrFix can see, it is safe to continue to request and execute jobs as long as you follow the above guidelines. Specifically:

1. Don’t request jobs and don’t carry them out if you have a fever, cough or breathing problems (or any flu or cold symptoms)
2. Avoid inspection visits (a good idea anyway) and instead exchange information via the WhatsApp group
3. Make sure that you are not in an enclosed space at the same time as the expert. If you really need to be for a few minutes, wear a mouth cap
4. Pay via iDeal or credit card: not at a PIN machine or cash (we always advise against this and do not facilitate it)
5. Read the updates and questions & answers from RIVM, the National Institute of Public Health

MrFix helps you adapt your life to the Corona measures:

• Our first tips for Corona-safe jobs on 15 March 2020
• One advantage of the current period is that you can more easily make appointments with a professional. Take advantage of it!
• MrFix helps to make your office, shop or restaurant Corona safe for after the lockdown
• Lots of people started a home improvement project during the lockdown in Spring 2020, but not all those projects were finished. Our pro’s helped to complete quite a few such projects
• One of the most efficient ways to reduce Corona contamination is good ventilation. See here our tips…
• And respecting the Corona rules does not have to mean a boring life. MrFix helps you keep your home cosy
• We even blogged about Corona safe workplaces, inspired by Tiny houses!

Click here to have your job done Corona-safely or contact MrFix if you have any questions or comments.