Home Appliance Magazine

Question by Jimbo: How much is spent on Home maintenance in Britain in a year?
On average, how much would be spent on home maintenace, for example broken boilers, electrical problems, plumbing problems etc, in a single household in one year in Britain?

Best answer:

Answer by Austin
1000 pounds

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Question by megan: What are some exercises and stretches I can do at home to improve my swimming skills?
I go swimming and take swimming lessons everyday and want to improve my skills. It would be great if you could give detailed instructions and routines that I can do at home and in the water. Thanks a lot in advance!
Thanks, but I wasn’t asking for suggestions on other sports I could do but rather simple stretches/exercises I could add to my daily routine to improve on my swimming skills.

Best answer:

Answer by Badger G
Now I have an image of a young lady in a swim-suit and cap doing stretches on the carpet in front of the Telly!

Have you ever tried any Yoga? It’s a lovely workout on it’s own, and all the stretches are slow and long. Just like a good swim.

I’ve found a book “Yoga for Wimps”. I might start with thay myself, but if you are less of a wimp than me, there are plenty of DVD’s out there.

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Question by Jimmy: What’s the best home improvement, home repair, home maintenance book for an averagely skilled person?
What book would you recommend for a layman, not a professional? Something that covers common repairs, maintenance, improvements – as a step by step guide. I’ve gone to the bookstore and seen many of these, but I’m looking for real experiences from people who have read and used these as to which is the best one.

Best answer:

Answer by the_cheeze_cop
I have some Time-Life books that are good. Basically, any of the How-To books that Lowe’s or Home Depot offer in the book racks up front will do. They all cover the same basics. Just compare them and pick one that is to your liking.

Good luck. Knowledge is Power.

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Question by noitall: Cheap online deals on home maintenance tool kits?
Hey looking for a home maintenance/reno tool kit for around 100 bucks or less, any good websites which have deals? Thanks!

Best answer:

Answer by D2
remember you always get what you pay for,tools isnt something to skimp on,unless you like busted knuckles and stitches,i make my living with hand tools so i buy the best klein,fluke,and so on

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Question by dean d: business home maintenance contractor?
question: i’m planning to open a home, church and etc…. maintenance that deals with repairs and i will be a contractor. is this a good business to get into and how much a year i will make after taxes. what do i need to open a business like this. the plan is to charge a yearly fee or monthly fee to maintenace there home, does includes landscape.
do anybody have a idea what i’m missing and how do i do this and what do i need to get going and how much will this business cost ti start. scence i’m self employed, what type of insurance do i need fro my family. please write back.

Best answer:

Answer by Clive L
From what information you have given my advice to you is either forget the whole venture and save yourself and your family much stress and anxiety, OR, firstly spend a lot more time making a plan of what you intend doing and carefully investigating the processes and costs involved. Starting a business, is a serious matter and mistakes can be very costly. Only by carrying out a feasibility study will you be able to determine whether this is a viable proposition. As with any new business venture you will need available funds to cover at least six to nine months of out goings as a minimum, before you are likely to be earning any suitable levels of revenue. Most businesses will operate at a loss for many months. It is not usual for the break even point to be reached very soon in the startup stage. The cash flow break even point is when sales revenue equals total cash flows out of the business. It takes that long to get reasonably well established. Historically, of all the new businesses started at any one time, 20 to 40 per cent fail in the first year, by the end of the third year somewhere between 50 and 66 per cent have failed, by the end of the fifth year between 50 and 75 per cent have failed. Fewer than 20 per cent survive for more than ten years. The reason most businesses will fail in the first two years is because of insufficient cash flow into the business to cover the cash flows out of the enterprise.
If you seriously wish to embark upon a plan of providing regular maintenance on a property you need to firstly itemise the types of maintenance you intend providing, i.e. painting of all external and internal walls, repairing of guttering, mowing of lawns, pruning of trees and shrubs, removal of all rubbish from the site, etc. etc. Then you need to thoroughly inspect the property and establish what firstly needs to be done immediately to get the property up to the standard to which you intend keeping it. You need to quote the owners a price to do this work now and that once this is completed and paid for, your yearly charge to maintain it at that level will be $ XXXXX.XX per month or per annum.
What are your fixed costs likely to be running a business like this? Fixed costs are the costs regardless of any sales being made. Registration and insurance costs of your motor vehicle are a fixed cost, together with all the various business and other insurances you should carry. If you rent premises this is a fixed expense, also your telephone rental or service charge and electricity. A most important insurance you need is to cover sickness and accident, as you will be self employed. I assume you already carry sufficient life insurance on your life which should be owned and paid for by your wife. The amount of this insurance should be a sum sufficient, so in the event of you dying tomorrow, that when invested at say 5% per annum will provide the income that your wife and family will need to live on at their present standard of living. If this income needed was say $ 50,000.00 per year you should have your life insured for $ 1,000,000.00 right now. When you start your business, you should have sickness and accident insurance that will provide you with at least $ 1000.00 per week if you are unable to work. However if your fixed out goings per week in the business are say $ 200.00 per week then you will need cover for $ 1200.00 pw under the policy should you fall ill. Most people going into business for the first time fail to have adequate insurance protection- they do so at great peril to themselves and their families.
One other matter to consider – are you willing to spend the long hours your new venture will demand. Will your family support you in this venture and accept that you will not be able to spend as much time with them as you previously did?

This may all sound very negative – but going into business is not just a matter of having an idea and waving a magic wand for the money to start pouring in. On the contrary, as soon as you start a business money starts flowing out at a considerable rate before any starts flowing in. You need to have established just how much will be needed in those early months of the enterprise and have the funds available. This way you can concentrate on building up the business and not worrying about where to find the money to pay the next bill.

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Question by mottthedog: To anyone who has hired a Home Improvement/Remodeling Company.?
I’m helping my son-in-law set up his own small company, and trying to pick the best avenues for his marketing dollars. How did you first find or select the company you called for bids? Did you pick it out from a coupon in something like Valpak…an on-line search…a yard sign you drove by…seeing signage on one of their vehicles…an ad magazine you received in the mail like the ‘Shavvy Shopper’.
Needless to say any ideas or feedback would be appreciated.

Best answer:

Answer by Tedruski
I have not hired one, I am one who started out just like your son-in-law.
I started out working for friends and relatives. I had business cards printed up and estimate forms – all for a professional image and to show I was serious and not just a fly by night contractor.
Have proposal forms printed up with company name. Have a separate business phone and answering machine so you can answer your phone knowing it’s a business call. You can use your cell phone but please don’t have some funky voice mail message – have your business message. Me – I would have a separate phone for business.
Your son-in-law should have a neat/clean look with clothes that fit a working contractor. I always had a clean shirt with me in case I got a call for an estimate during the day when I was already working on a job. If you are not cleaned up I suggest you schedule an appointment for the next day when you can be looking good. Image is a big thing.
A clean company truck is also a must. It does not have to be brand new – but it should be in good shape – no dents/no cracked glass/ and the bed should not have
6 old bicycles in it. Image counts, remember that.
Word of mouth is a powerful form of advertising. By starting small it won’t take a lot of jobs to keep you busy. Doing a bunch of advertising right away could get you more work than you really need. A conservative approach is the best.
Jobs that are high profile such as a nice subdivision are great for promoting your company with a nice yard sign. You can have these printed up for about $ 15-$ 20 each. If you get a job for a high profile person this could be your best way to get your name out there. A business owner, teacher,etc., someone who comes in contact with a lot of people on a daily basis – they will tell everyone about you – so do a good job if you work for one of these people, and give them a really good price on their job because their word of mouth is worth a lot.
So, no I would not go out and spend a bunch of money at this time. First you need to get all the other things set up and in place as I mentioned. Get a separate checking account set up, phone, Company name and logo, Truck,Clothes, a few job signs,business forms such as estimate sheets, proposals,letterhead,envelopes,business cards.
Think of a really good name for your company. Nothing trendy and a name that is easy to remember and conveys strength and confidence,quality.
* Triton Construction * Five Star Construction * Accurate Construction * Omega Construction * Premier Construction * First Choice Construction
Get your truck lettered with logo and graphics/phone number about $ 350
Keep that truck clean as a pin – even if you have to run it through the car wash 5 times a week.
Be on time for all estimates – don’t take the kids or the wife with you.
Don’t let anyone answer the business phone except you – if you are not there instruct others to let it go to voice mail.
I have been a general contractor for 31 years now – we are a lot bigger now, but I still remember starting out. The biggest mistake new owners make is they get all excited and spend way too much money at first on the wrong things.
And if you are funding your son-in-law that’s fine, just remember he needs to know the business must survive on its own at some point. I suggest when he figures the materials for a job to total the cost + sales tax. Take that total x 18% for overhead, then add the 18% and get a total and take that total x15% which is your profit.
Labor should be around $ 25 per hour.
He should only add helpers as he needs them, screen them carefully and tell them their appearance and attitude must be customer friendly.
Money is only made when he is working, therefore he must learn to delegate his time well. I used to round up materials after work or on saturday for jobs coming up. That way i could work on the job 8 hrs. a day, unless I had an estimate to go on. You can’t make money walking around inside Lowe’s 2 hours a day, or taking an hour to eat breakfast and an hour for lunch. It just won’t work.
After I hired my 3rd carpenter I then and only then went to doing estimates almost full time. I still put on a tool belt when I could – I still do that today when it’s needed.
Run it like a business, help him understand that.
If you come back to yahoo answers with another question – Start it with Tedruski as I will be watching out for it.

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Question by babydoll12383: what are some good catchy slogans for a home maintenance business?
i’m trying to find a good slogan for my small business? anyone have any ideas for a home maintenance business

Best answer:

Answer by dslant6
Best Home Cleaners

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Question by stephanie: What things can you do at home to improve your high jump?
I was one of the only girls who qualified in for high jump, so I get to do a special program. I am just wondering what I can do at home, and can jumping on the tramp improve my jumping skills?

Best answer:

Answer by Nico
Well I guess any sort of jumping would build your muscles if you work hard enough. But the best thing is to do Box Jumps, Squats, or any workout with eplosion involved.

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Question by A: What can I do at home to improve my dance technique?
Should I learn combinations on youtube (to learn combinations faster in the future) and stretch and do barre exercises and whatnot?

What can I do at home to improve my dance technique?

Best answer:

Answer by Shelbyy.
Search on youtube for exercises to stretch you out. & then look up combinations you can learn or tutorials on how to do turns:)..

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Question by alldomestics: Why to Participate in Chicago Home Improvement Shows?
There are many reasons for those involved in remodeling, home improvement, and construction to participate in Chicago Home Improvement shows. More? http://www.estimate1.net/

Best answer:

Answer by Noah T. Hall
Home improvement shows are a way for homeowners to stay on top of new technology and get great design ideas. For professionals its a way to strut your stuff in fromt of the public.

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