I’m back from Mallorca and straight into a blustery Monday. Van’s reloaded (ladders on, bucket filled, cones and spreader pads on the trailer), spare tyres swapped thanks to the legends at HTV in Southwell, and I’m itching to get back to it after two weeks off… plus a cheeky trip to Vertical Days and the Harry Potter Studio Tour with the wife.
Right then—let’s work.
Today’s Plan
- Replace storm-damaged gutters in Oxton
- Drop a chimney liner with the folks at Village Stoves (Rainworth) at Lowdam Grange
- Fit a downpipe (weather permitting)
- Pick up materials for this week’s jobs
- Squeeze in a survey in Alfreton
- End the day taming the chaos in my shed
Wind’s up, so it’ll be a case of what’s safe vs what can wait. Let’s crack on.
Job 1 – Oxton: Gutters… and a No-Show
Arrived on site to swap out broken gutters I’d made safe a few weeks back. The agreement was that the client supplied the guttering—only they hadn’t. Couldn’t get hold of the contractor either, and the wind on that corner was howling. Rather than leave the place without gutters if the materials didn’t arrive, I postponed to Friday morning (when I’m free) and kept the day moving.
Job 2 – Lowdam Grange : Liner Install with Village Stoves
Next stop, working alongside the sexiest van in Nottinghamshire—Village Stoves of Rainworth. The brief: measure the flue, choose the right length, and drop the liner safely.
- We tape-measured the flue first to avoid wasting a longer (and pricier) coil.
- Chose a 9 m liner rather than a 10 m—saving ~£30 and a tidy off-cut for the lads (Jason’s van fund continues!).
- Dropped a guide rope to steer the liner past bends, then set the cowl with two jubilee clips for belt-and-braces security.
- Spotted the pot was wobbling because the flaunching had crumbled. Mixed a small sharp-sand/cement batch and re-flaunched around the pot to lock it down.
Safety note: worked close in with minimal outreach to keep basket swing down in the wind. If it’s not safe, it waits.
While I was up there I noticed pointing that needs attention; spoke to the customer and booked that for Friday.
Job 3 – The Bentinck (Postponed)
I was due over to the Bentinck next, but there’s been a family bereavement at the venue and, with winds picking up, it’s not the day for more cherry picker work. We’ve moved that into Friday too.
Bonus – Access Survey in Alfreton
Nipped over to check access for a future chimney job. The route in is narrow with a tight turn up to the stack. Conclusion: not doable with the spider as is. We’ll look at alternative methods or minor access tweaks with the client.
End of Day – Shed Mayhem & Make-Do Shelving
Back to base with a couple of hours spare and a workshop that looked like a pigsty. Knocked up some no-nonsense timber shelving. It won’t win any beauty contests, but it’ll swallow boxes and keep materials to hand. Sometimes the most productive job of the day is getting organised.
What’s Next
Friday’s shaping up to be rammed: Oxton gutters, the Bentinck, chimney repointing, and a couple of small fixes that today’s wind pushed back. That’s the game, weather calls the shots. If you like these day-in-the-life write-ups and the nitty-gritty of real-world roof work, stick around.
Need help with a chimney, liner, or awkward access roof repair in Nottinghamshire/Derbyshire?
Get in touch and I’ll come take a look.
Thanks for reading—see you on the next job.
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Tags: cherry picker, chimney liner, flaunching, repointing, gutters, Nottinghamshire, Rainworth, Village Stoves, roof survey, working at height, day in the life
