Our handyman heroes bravely continue to work in a Corona-safe way. Although Corona has been around for more then two years now, MrFix has not yet experienced a single case of contamination of a Customer by an expert or vice versa! We ask our experts and Customers to remain vigilant. We understand from the Dutch Government website that the Coronavirus does not need to be an obstacle to home repair jobs. But it remains essential to use common sense: do not book an expert if you have symptoms and cancel the appointment if you do develop symptoms or test positive!

Protocol ‘Carry on working safely together’

We advise not only experts but also Customers to download the latest version of our industry’s protocol ‘Samen veilig doorwerken’ (‘Working together safely’). This practical protocol for safe building and working was presented by the construction industry to the Ministry of the Interior and has been supplemented and adopted in consultation with Ministers and trade unions. It has been translated into English and we think Section 2.1 is particularly useful for most of our Customers & experts: “Carrying out work for private individuals and housing association tenants/property owners”.

One example: “Do not use air conditioners or heating units which recirculate air.” MrFix can help with an airco expert, a central heating installer or an electrician for your ventilation. You can find a more general overview for the construction industry by the national Government here, but that seems less up-to-date.

Specific guidelines for MrFix jobs in the Netherlands

The expert decides which jobs he takes on (at his own expense & risk) and when he carries them out. 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. Sneeze/Cough in elbow/paper tissue
3. Avoid inspection visits (a good idea anyway) and instead exchange information via the WhatsApp group
4. Make sure that you are not in an enclosed space at the same time as
5. Pay via iDeal or credit card: not at a PIN machine or cash (we always advise against this and do not facilitate it)
6. 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.
• MrFix helps to make your office, shop or restaurant Corona safe for after the lockdown
• In April 2020 we gave tips to make your balcony/roof terrace quarantine-proof. Perhaps that comes in handy for Spring 2022 too?
• In May 2020 & 2021 we helped several Clients to spend their Holiday bonus not on holidays but on renovations. We recommend this for your end-of-year bonus or 13th month too: you enjoy a refurbished house so much longer than a holiday!
• Lots of people started a home improvement project during the lockdown in the Spring of 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 inspired by Tiny houses many workspaces got an update too!

Click here to have your job done Corona-safely or contact MrFix if you have any questions or comments. And please take care!

Our handyman heroes bravely continue to work in a Corona-safe way. Although Corona has been around for two years now, MrFix has not yet experienced a single case of contamination of a Customer by an expert or vice versa! We ask our experts and Customers to remain vigilant. We understand from the Dutch Government website that the Coronavirus does not need to be an obstacle to home improvement jobs. But it remains essential to use common sense: do not book an expert if you have symptoms and cancel the appointment if you do develop symptoms or test positive!

Protocol ‘Carry on working safely together’

We advise not only experts but also Customers to download the latest version of our industrry’s 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. One example: “Do not use air conditioners or heating units which recirculate air.” MrFix can help with an airco expert, a central heating installer or an electrician for your ventilation. 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. Do not shake hands and don’t come closer than 1.5 metres
3. Do not touch your eyes, nose or mouth
4. Sneeze/Cough in elbow/paper tissue
5. Avoid inspection visits (a good idea anyway) and instead exchange information via the WhatsApp group
6. Preferably drive/cycle to the job alone and at most in pairs
7. 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
8. Pay via iDeal or credit card: not at a PIN machine or cash (we always advise against this and do not facilitate it)
9. 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
• In April 2020 we gave tips to make your balcony/roof terrace quarantine-proof. Perhaps that comes in handy for Spring 2022 too?
• In May 2020 & 2021 we helped several Clients to spend their Holiday bonus not on holidays but on renovations. We recommend this for your end-of-year bonus or 13th month too: you enjoy a refurbished house so much longer than a holiday!
• Lots of people started a home improvement project during the ‘intelligent lockdown’ in the Spring of 2020, but not all those projects were finished. Our pros helped to complete quite a few such projects
• One of the most specific 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. And please take care!

It’s May, although you wouldn’t know it from the temperatures in Holland 🙂 If you act quickly, you can still prepare your garden for Summer. Dutch newspaper Dagblad van het Noorden shared 6 good tips. We have picked the best and collected a few more from our gardenersto present you the most useful ones:

• You decide for yourself what you consider a “weed”: some types of clover are good to use as fertiliser and you can make tea from nettles and other plants
• Pruning encourages growth: remove old & dead wood, crooked and intersecting branches. But not too much! And do use razor-sharp pruning tools. The pruning calendar tells you when… And our gardener Patrick recommends pruning trees when there are no leaves on them: then you can best see and adjust the structure and shape of the tree & branches
• Green deposits are best removed, as these mosses and algae can seriously damage your wooden decking and planters. Once the deposits are gone, sweep the tiles regularly with a little sand to make sure it does not return
• Fertilising is essential for healthy, strong plants. Use organic fertiliser or compost (from your own compost heap) on plants, flowers and bushes in Spring and on grass twice a year

In its latest commercial, Dutch insurer ASR illustrates nicely how it is often better to repair wood flooring in a sustainable way than to replace it. MrFix does that too: we help Customers to repair and improve their homes & appliances instead of scrapping things. For example, before every paint job we ask if you would like to reuse leftover paint.

This way you & we save natural resources (deforestation!), transport (CO2 emissions!) and waste (soil and air pollution!). MrFix works sustainably in many more ways. For example, we explain here that we try to avoid unnecessary inspection visits and always look for an expert for your job who lives near you.

An extra advantage of getting a local expert is that he can come by (cargo) bike. This saves both the environment and parking costs! Our home repair hero Richard has been riding his electric cargo bike all over Amsterdam to help MrFix Customers.

Richard only rents a van when necessary but prefers to use his cargo bike. First of all because it is environmentally friendly, but also because he can park it anywhere. This saves a lot of time, especially in Central Amsterdam where it is easier to get through the oft-blocked canals, streets and alleys! Richard can carry up to 200 kilos of tools & materials on his cargo bike.

Do you want your job done in a sustainable way by one of our home repair heroes? You can do so via our site or 020-6750333 (Mon-Sat 8:30-18:00h). Do mention it if you prefer an expert who comes by (cargo) bike!

Both Customers and contractors often ask us who is actually responsible for cleaning up after the job. The simple answer is: agree that clearly with each other before the job starts. But please make sure first that it is clear how the expert (= contractor) will keep the Customer’s home as clean as possible.

For example, for plastering & painting jobs it is to key to cover the floor properly. One of our floor specialists checked a large number of stains on a Customer’s wooden floor last week and found that a plasterer had caused them. Now the plasterer has to sand & varnish that floor or even replace it!

MrFix has drawn up the following standards based on more than ten years of experience in solving these kinds of problems.

Firstly, before starting the job:

• The expert announces in advance in the WhatsApp group which measures he will take to protect the home: laying protective floor sheeting in communal areas and the home, removing/covering furniture, etc
• The contractor should know the rules for waste collection at the job address. He says in advance whether he expects to need to hire a waste container (and in that case he arranges the permit) and/or to take waste to a collection point
• The Customer states in advance if he/she requires additional measures. For example, a Customer recently asked a painter to close the cracks under doors so that the dust from his sanding work would not get into other rooms

In principle, the expert carries out these preparations and cleans up afterwards, unless he & the Customer agree explicitly that the Customer or a third party will do so. After completion of the job:

• The contractor reports what material is left and the Customer decides whether the expert can/should take it with him
• The expert removes all such material and his tools
• The contractor cleans up. We have not found a legal definition of “clean” but we have found a good starting point: ‘broom clean’, the way a seller should leave a house. Property agent Bart puts it nicely (in Dutch) here: “Just a quick vacuum throughout the house, a broom through the shed and a cloth over the kitchen worktop. So the new owners can not see what was done there before”
• The expert places back any furniture that has been moved and remove any protective material
• The expert shares the ‘After photo’ of the workplace in the WhatsApp group
• The contractor invoices (via MrFix) the time spent preparing, clearing up and cleaning up, as well as any external costs such as the hire of waste containers and disposal costs at the waste disposal station
• Please note that a contractor always has to pay for dumping waste while a private person can often dump his own waste (or even have it collected) free of charge
• If the Customer is not satisfied with the clearing up or cleaning, he should report this in the WhatsApp group within 24 hours of completion and the expert should rectify this at his own expense as soon as possible

MrFix helps the Customer and the contractor to resolve any differences of opinion via the Whatsapp group: we have supported tens of thousands of jobs and note of them has led to a legal dispute. In the worst case, the expert or a professional cleaner (through MrFix or not) comes to clean up at the contractor’s expense.

It looks like the coming week will be freezing cold: we’re looking forward to having fun in the snow and on ice! Are you so Dutch that you’re going to get your skates or sled from the shed, attic or cellar? Then check the taps and water pipes while you’re there! MrFix gives you tips to prevent them from freezing. And tips for when they do burst!

When water freezes, it expands: the forces involved are so strong that they can even destroy the solid metal of water pipes, taps and water meters. Let’s start with our top tips for preventing them from freezing:

• Check not only water pipes and taps, but also the water meter and the main valve. You should also empty the sink of any toilet in a cold place
• Keep the temperature in rooms with water pipes and taps above 14° Celsius (that’s 57° Fahrenheit). Always leave the heating on, even if it is only at 14°
• Close and drain pipes in rooms where the temperature is below 14°, as well as any outside faucet
• If this is not possible, insulate them with special insulation material for pipes or even old blankets and clothes
• Order electrical heating tape now and wrap it around the most vulnerable parts of the pipes

What if things go wrong and a pipe or tap does freeze? Don’t panic, MrFix has collected tips from this interview (in Dutch, sorry) of regional water utility Waterleiding Maatschappij Drenthe (WMD) by RTV Drenthe:

• To be on the safe side, first turn off the main water valve. But first fill a bottle, bucket and/or kettle with some backup water
• Check the frozen pipe for cracks. If the pipe is not cracked you can warm it up, for example with a fan heater and/or hair dryer
• If it is cracked, the WMD recommends you turn off the main valve immediately (MrFix advises you to do this first anyway) and then requesting a plumber: “That’s not what the WMD is for”. MrFix can get you a plumber quickly, if you wish
• Your home contents insurance will often cover the costs of the repair and any water damage

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

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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

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Read our tips for outsourcing paint jobs smoothly & quicklyhere:

• Find a good painter who is actually available

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

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

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

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• 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.

Since Covid-19 arrived in the Netherlands MrFix has not detected any case of contamination of the Customer by our experts or vice versa. But please remain vigilant! Since the lockdown started on 15 December our experts have continued to work. We ask you to use common sense: do not order a contractor if you have Corona symptoms and follow these guidelines so your expert can do your job in a Corona-safe manner!

WHO guidelines for staying safe

Our advice is simple: follow the recommendations of the World Health Organisation in order to remain safe. You can find them here with a whole series of useful downloads. In summary:

1. Wash your hands regularly & thoroughly with an alcohol-based detergent or else with soap and water
2. Keep 1.5m+ distance from other people
3. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth
4. Cough/sneeze into your bent elbow or a paper handkerchief. Discard used handkerchiefs immediately
5. Wear a mouth cap (face mask)
6. Contact your GP as soon as you have a fever, cough or breathing difficulties
7. Follow the advice of your healthcare provider and the government

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 any symptoms.
2. Do not shake hands and don’t come closer than 1.5 metres
3. Do not touch your eyes, nose or mouth
4. Avoid inspection visits (a good idea anyway) and instead exchange information via the WhatsApp group
5. 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
6. Pay via iDeal or credit card: not at a PIN machine or cash (we always advise against this and do not facilitate it)
7. 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
• 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
• In April we gave tips to make your balcony/roof terrace quarantine-proof. Perhaps that comes in handy for Spring 2022 too?
• In May we helped several Clients to spend their Holiday bonus not on holidays but on renovations. We recommend this for your end-of-year bonus or 13th month too: you enjoy a refurbished house so much longer than a holiday!
• Lots of people started a home improvement project during the Spring of 2020, but not all those projects were finished. Our professionals helped to complete quite a few of those projects
• One of the most specific 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.