Mendwell

Author: mendwell207179

  • What are the warning signs of a dodgy tradesman?

    The warning signs of a dodgy tradesman are mostly about how they arrive, how they want paying, and what they will not put in writing. No single sign proves anything, but two or three together are a good reason to say “let me think about it” and close the door.

    This guide is deliberately calm. Most trades in Warwickshire are honest people doing decent work, and you should not need to feel suspicious of everyone who quotes you. What you need is a short list of things to look for, and for each one, what the good version looks like so you can recognise it when you see it.

    Is someone knocking on the door a warning sign?

    Yes, an unexpected knock offering work is the single most common starting point for rogue trading. Warwickshire Trading Standards’ first tip is simply never to agree to buy goods or services from people who turn up at your door unannounced. The usual offers are roofing, driveways, guttering, gardening and “we noticed a loose tile”.

    The good sign: you found them, not the other way round. A trade you contacted, through a recommendation, a search or a directory, who then books a time to come and look, is behaving normally. Every Mendwell visit starts with you booking it, at mendwell.co.uk/book or by phone.

    Is “we happened to be in the area” a warning sign?

    Yes, because it is a line designed to make you decide quickly. It usually comes with “we have some materials left over from a job down the road” and a price that only works today. Trading Standards notes that these callers like to appear local and genuine, but the addresses they use are often false.

    The good sign: a trade who is happy to come back another day. If the offer is real, it will still be real next week, and a local business has no reason to rush you.

    Is being asked to pay in cash a warning sign?

    Cash on its own is not proof of anything, but cash only is. Citizens Advice says to avoid traders who only accept cash or want everything up front, because it is a sign they may be dishonest or unreliable. Cash leaves no trail, and a trade who insists on it is usually keeping it that way on purpose.

    The good sign: a bank transfer to a named business, against a written quote and invoice, with the balance paid when the job is done. We take the balance by bank transfer on completion, and card and bank details never go in a message.

    Is no address or company number a warning sign?

    Yes. If you cannot find out where a trade is based or what the business is called, you have nobody to go back to if the work fails. A mobile number and a first name is not a business.

    The good sign: a full business name, a postal address and, for a limited company, a company number you can check on Companies House in a minute. Mendwell is the trading name of Life Assembly Limited, company number 13828942, based in Nuneaton and working across Warwickshire and the counties either side. That is the level of detail to expect from anyone.

    Is pressure a warning sign?

    Yes, and it is one of the clearest. “It needs doing today”, “the price goes up tomorrow”, “I can only do it if you decide now” are all ways of stopping you from getting a second opinion.

    The good sign: a trade who tells you what is urgent and what can wait, and means it. Some things genuinely cannot wait, such as a leak, but even then a good trade will make it safe and quote properly for the rest.

    Is no written quote a warning sign?

    Yes. A price said out loud is not a quote, and a job started with nothing in writing is a job where every disagreement is your word against theirs. It also matters legally: for work agreed at your home, you have 14 days to cancel, and the trade must tell you that in writing.

    The good sign: a written quote that lists the work line by line, says what is excluded, names the materials and sets out payment terms. At Mendwell the site visit and the written quote are free, with no obligation, and we do not price from photos.

    Is not showing insurance a warning sign?

    Yes. Public liability insurance is what covers your home if something is damaged during the work. A trade who cannot or will not show a current certificate is either uninsured or hiding something about the cover.

    The good sign: a trade who tells you the level of cover without being pushed and can show the certificate. We hold £2,000,000 public liability cover with Hiscox, and any contractor working on our behalf must hold at least £2,000,000 before they step on site.

    Are reviews that all read the same a warning sign?

    Yes, if you look closely. Twenty five-star reviews posted in the same fortnight, all using the same phrases, all from accounts with no other history, are more likely to have been bought than earned.

    The good sign: reviews spread over time, in different voices, mentioning specific work, with the odd four-star review and a sensible reply to it. Real customers write about the door, the fence, the mess being cleared up. They rarely all sound the same.

    What should I do if I think I am dealing with a rogue trader?

    Do not sign anything, do not pay anything, and take the details. If work has already been done and you have been pressured or overcharged, the Citizens Advice consumer service on 0808 223 1133 will pass a rogue trader complaint to Trading Standards. If someone is at the door and you feel threatened, call 999; for anything else, the police on 101.

    Who is this for?

    Anyone in Warwickshire or the counties either side choosing a trade for the first time, and anyone keeping an eye out for a relative. If you are further away, the signs are the same everywhere, and you are welcome to ask us anything.

    The visit and the written quote are free with no obligation. Book at mendwell.co.uk/book or call 07472 281 663. More guides at mendwell.co.uk/guides.

  • Deposits and paying a handyman: what is normal, and how we do it

    Yes, a deposit before a handyman starts is normal, but only in one situation: when the job needs materials the trade has to buy before the day. For a small labour-only job, most reputable handymen in Warwickshire expect nothing until the work is done.

    That is the short answer. The rest of this guide covers what the UK norm looks like, the warning signs that a deposit request is really a red flag, and exactly how we handle deposits and payment at Mendwell, including the part where our own deposit is higher than the figure Citizens Advice suggests as a guide.

    When is a deposit reasonable?

    A deposit is reasonable when it covers something the trade has to pay for before they have earned anything. Materials are the obvious case. If a job needs a new door, a run of skirting, fence panels or a tap, someone has to buy those things, carry them, and be out of pocket until the job is finished. A deposit shares that risk fairly.

    It is also common on bigger jobs where a trade has blocked out several days for you. If you cancel late, they have lost that time. A modest deposit shows you are committed and protects their diary.

    What a deposit should not be is a way of collecting most of the money before any work is done. Citizens Advice puts it plainly: avoid paying up front if you can, and if a deposit is needed for materials, try to keep it to around a quarter of the total. Paying in stages, with the final payment held until you are happy, is the pattern they recommend.

    What is the normal UK deposit for a handyman?

    For most handyman work there is no deposit at all, because most handyman jobs are labour with a few small parts. Where a deposit is asked for, trade directory hiring guides describe it as usual on larger jobs or where materials have to be ordered, agreed in writing, with the payment schedule clear before work starts.

    Ranges you will commonly see:

    • Small jobs (a few hours, minor parts): nothing up front, pay on completion.
    • Jobs with bought-in materials: a deposit roughly matching the material cost, often somewhere between a quarter and half of the total depending on how material-heavy the job is.
    • Multi-day or made-to-measure jobs (ordered doors, bespoke items): a larger deposit is common because those items cannot be sent back.

    Whatever the figure, it should be a percentage of a written quote, not a round number said out loud, and you should get a receipt for it.

    How does Mendwell handle deposits?

    We ask for 40% of the quote up front only when the materials on a job come to more than £60. Below that there is no deposit, and you pay on completion.

    We want to be straight about the 40%, because it is higher than the quarter Citizens Advice suggests. Here is why it sits there. We supply and carry materials as standard, priced against Wickes as the reference point for anything they stock. On a typical handyman job, materials are a large share of the total, so a smaller deposit would leave us buying your door or your fence panels mostly at our own cost before we have earned anything. The 40% is there to cover the materials and nothing more. The labour, which is most of what you are paying for, is not paid until the job is done.

    Three things go with that:

    • The deposit is always a percentage of a written quote you already have, after a free site visit. We do not price from photos, so there is never a deposit on a job we have not seen.
    • If you would rather buy the materials yourself, you can, and then there is nothing to cover, so no deposit. We will say plainly what changes: we cannot guarantee a material we did not choose, and a wrong or short delivery becomes a lost day.
    • Taking old materials away is a priced line on the quote if you want it, never something folded into a deposit.

    How and when do I pay the rest?

    The balance is paid on completion, by bank transfer. You see the finished work, we walk through it together, and then you pay. The same applies on the rare job done on our service rate (£80), which we steer people away from because it means turning up without a plan: nothing is paid until the work is done.

    Card and bank details never go in a message. If anyone claiming to be from Mendwell asks you to send card details over WhatsApp or text, or tells you our bank details have changed, stop and call us on 07472 281 663. Our details go on the written quote and invoice and nowhere else.

    What are the warning signs around deposits?

    The clearest warning sign is a request for a large sum of cash before anything is agreed in writing. Citizens Advice says to avoid traders who only take cash or want everything up front, because it is a sign they may be dishonest or unreliable. A few more to watch for:

    • No written quote, just a figure said out loud and a deposit asked for on the spot.
    • A deposit that is most or all of the price, with no explanation of what it covers.
    • A deposit asked for before you have decided to give them the job.
    • No receipt offered, or reluctance to give one.
    • A payment that leaves no trail, such as cash to someone whose surname, address and company number you do not know.

    A good sign is the opposite of each: a written quote, a deposit tied to a clear reason, a receipt, and a bank transfer to a named business.

    What are my rights if I pay a deposit and change my mind?

    If you agreed the work in your own home, you normally have 14 days to cancel and get your money back. Work agreed away from the trader’s premises, which includes your kitchen table, comes with a 14-day cooling-off period under the Consumer Contracts Regulations. If you ask for work to start inside those 14 days and then cancel, you can be asked to pay for the part already done and for materials bought at your request. Made-to-measure items are the main exception.

    If work is done badly, the Consumer Rights Act says it must be carried out with reasonable care and skill, and you can ask for it to be put right or for money off. The Citizens Advice consumer service can contact Trading Standards for you if it comes to that.

    Who is this for, and who is it not for?

    This applies to homeowners, landlords and letting agents across Warwickshire and the counties either side. If you are further out, ask anyway; we would rather answer honestly than leave you guessing.

    It is not a guide to gas or electrical installation. We do not do that work ourselves.

    What to do next

    The visit and the written quote are free with no obligation. Book at mendwell.co.uk/book or call 07472 281 663. More guides at mendwell.co.uk/guides.

  • What the trade directories cost tradesmen, and why that shapes the quotes you get

    When you search for a handyman in Warwickshire, most of what comes back is a directory: Checkatrade, MyBuilder, Rated People, Bark and the rest. They are useful. They are also a business, and the way they make their money changes the quotes you get from the trades listed on them. Nobody on those sites will tell you that, so here it is.

    How do trade directories make their money?

    They charge the tradesperson, not you. There are two models. The first is a membership: a monthly or annual fee to have a profile on the site, with the price rising for a bigger or better placed profile. The second is pay per lead: the trade pays a fee every time your enquiry is passed to them, whether or not they win the job, and several trades are usually sent the same enquiry. Some sites combine the two.

    The figures are not published on the front page, but they are not secret either. One trade marketing firm writing in April 2026 put a basic Checkatrade membership at around £60 a month, said £100 to £150 a month was common for an upgraded profile, and put lead fees at £5 to £15 for small jobs and £20 to £40 for larger ones. Its worked example was a plumber spending about £400 a month and winning four or five jobs from it, which is roughly £4,800 a year before a single job is done. Treat those as reported figures rather than a price list, but the shape is right: it is a real cost, paid every month, in the hope of work.

    Does that cost end up in my quote?

    Yes, because there is nowhere else for it to go. A tradesperson paying a few hundred pounds a month to be found has to earn that back across the jobs they win, so it sits inside every quote as a share of overhead, the same as the van and the insurance. The difference is that you are not paying for the work, or for the van that brought the work to your door. You are paying for the introduction.

    It shapes quotes in a second way, which is less obvious. On a pay per lead site, three or four trades have each paid to receive your enquiry, and only one of them gets the job. The other two or three have paid for nothing. That pushes some trades towards quoting fast and low to win the lead back, and pushes others towards quoting high to cover all the leads they lost. Either way the number you receive owes something to the directory’s model, not only to your job.

    Are directories a bad way to find a tradesperson?

    No, and it would be dishonest to say so. A directory profile with a long run of recent, detailed reviews is a real signal, and the checks the bigger sites run on identity and insurance are worth having. We also know that when people ask an AI tool for a handyman near them, the answer is very often read straight off a directory listing, so a good profile there does real work for a trade. If you use one, use it well: read the most recent reviews rather than the star rating, look for photographs of finished jobs rather than stock images, and notice whether the trade replies to reviews, including the poor ones.

    What a directory cannot tell you is whether the trade will visit before quoting, what is and is not in the price, or how they handle the things that go wrong. Those are the things that decide whether a job goes well, and you find them out from the trade, not the listing.

    Why do new businesses on directories sometimes disappoint?

    Because the barrier to being listed is a fee, not a track record. A directory profile can be set up in an afternoon by a business that started last month, and the early reviews on any profile are the easiest to collect. That is not a criticism of new businesses, everyone starts somewhere. It is a reason to read the profile for what it actually shows: how many jobs, how recent, how specific, and whether the reviewer describes the same kind of work you need.

    Where does Mendwell stand?

    We are not currently paying for a directory listing, and our reviews live on our Google listing where anyone can read them and where we cannot edit them. That may change, because being on one of the main directories is one of the better ways to be found, and if we join one we will say so on this page. What will not change is that we publish our prices here on our own site, so you can see what a job costs before you speak to anyone. As an example, a solid core internal door supplied and fitted into your existing frame is around £205 to £225 all in, and the full breakdown is in our cost guide.

    Our prices are set by the job, not by what we spent that month on being found. If a quote from us is higher than one from a directory, it is because of what is in it: a visit first, a fixed price in writing, three hinges on a heavy door, the room protected and cleaned. It is never because of an introduction fee.

    What should I ask any tradesperson, directory or not?

    Ask whether they visit before they quote, whether the price is fixed once it is in writing, and what is not included. Waste removal is a good test: it is never included in a Mendwell price unless it is a line on the quote, and a quote that does not mention it at all is usually a quote that will grow. Ask to see the insurance certificate. Ask what happens if something is not right afterwards. A trade that answers those four questions plainly is worth having, wherever you found them.

    Who this is not for

    If you want the cheapest possible number for a small job and are happy to take a chance on who turns up, a lead site will give you three quotes by tomorrow and one of them will be cheap. That is a fair way to buy some kinds of work. It is not how we work, and we would rather say so than pretend.

    Want a proper price?

    We visit before we quote. The visit takes about half an hour, and you get a fixed price in writing afterwards, with everything that is and is not included written down. We are based in Nuneaton and work across Warwickshire. If you are outside the towns you see us mention, ask anyway.

    Book a visit at mendwell.co.uk/book.

    Prices reviewed September 2026.

  • Problems with cheap door fitting, and how to spot them in a quote

    A badly fitted door does not fail on the day. It fails over the next two winters, and by then the trade is gone. Here are the seven things that go wrong with cheap door fitting, why each one happens, and how to see it coming in the quote before anyone picks up a saw.

    1. The door drops and catches on the frame

    Why it happens. Two hinges on a heavy door, or hinge screws with nothing solid to bite into. The top hinge takes the weight, the screws work loose, the door sags.

    How to spot it in the quote. No mention of the number of hinges, or the words “hollow core”. Ask. The answer should be three hinges and a solid door.

    2. The door rattles or will not stay shut

    Why it happens. The latch and the keep were not lined up properly, or the door was hung to the opening rather than adjusted to close cleanly. Fitting a door is mostly adjustment, and adjustment is what gets skipped when the price is low.

    How to spot it. A very short fitting time. A door fitted, hung and adjusted properly is a couple of hours, not forty minutes.

    3. Gaps you can see daylight through

    Why it happens. The frame is out of square and the door was trimmed to a straight line anyway. Or the door is the wrong size for the opening and was packed out.

    How to spot it. A price from a photo. Nobody can tell whether a frame is square from a picture, which is why we visit first and why a quote that skips the visit is a guess.

    4. The edges look rough under the paint

    Why it happens. The planed edges were left as they came off the saw, or worse, coated in preserver as if the door were a fence post. Internal doors are sanded smooth with the sharp edges eased so the paint goes on cleanly.

    How to spot it. The quote does not say the door will be ready for decorating. Ask what “finished” means.

    5. The frame was the real problem and nobody said

    Why it happens. A loose, split or out-of-square lining will not hold a new door well however good the door is. A cheap fit hangs the new door in the old frame and hopes.

    How to spot it. No mention of the frame at all. A good quote will say either that the frame is sound or that it needs replacing and what that costs.

    6. Dust and damage everywhere else

    Why it happens. Doors are trimmed and recesses are cut in your hallway. Without sheeting and dust protection the whole landing gets it, and a dropped door marks a floor.

    How to spot it. Nothing in the quote about protecting the room or cleaning up. It is not free, so if it is not priced it is not planned.

    7. Extras on the day

    Why it happens. The cheap headline price left out the handles, the latch, the rubbish, or the second coat of primer, and each one turns up as an extra once the old door is off.

    How to spot it. A price with no description under it. Our quotes list the door, the hinges, the latch and handles, the fitting, the adjustment and the finishing, so the number means something. Taking the old door away is a separate priced line, never hidden inside the total and never added on the day.

    What a proper door fitting looks like

    A visit first. A solid core door, three hinges, new latch and lever handles. Trimmed to the opening, recesses cut cleanly, hung, and adjusted until it closes without rattling and stays where you leave it. Edges sanded ready for paint. The room sheeted before and cleaned after. One fixed price in writing, around £205 to £225 supplied and fitted into a sound existing frame. Full breakdown in our internal door cost guide.

    Want a proper price?

    Book a visit at mendwell.co.uk/book. About half an hour, and you get a fixed price in writing.

    Mendwell is a property maintenance service based in Nuneaton, working across Warwickshire. If you are outside the towns you see us mention, ask anyway.

    Prices reviewed September 2026.

  • Which side of the fence am I responsible for and who pays when it blows down?

    In England there is no rule that says the fence on the left, or the right, is yours. The only thing that settles it is the paperwork for your property, and in a lot of cases the paperwork is silent, which is why so many fence arguments end in a shrug.

    This guide sets out what the rules actually are, what they are not, and what you can sensibly do when a panel has blown down and the person next door is not reaching for their wallet. We fix and replace fences across Warwickshire, so we see this conversation a lot. Most of it can be sorted with a cup of tea rather than a solicitor.

    Is the fence on the left always mine?

    No. The “left-hand side as you look from the road” idea is a myth. HM Land Registry’s own guidance says there is no legal foundation for beliefs like this.

    The same goes for the other rules of thumb you will hear: that the side with the posts showing belongs to the neighbour, that the “good side” faces away from the owner, or that whoever built it owns it. Any of these might happen to be true on your street because that is how the builder chose to do it. None of them is a rule.

    How do I find out who owns the fence?

    Look at your title documents. The transfer deed or conveyance from when the plot was first sold off may say who is responsible for each boundary, and if it does, that is your answer.

    • Your title register and title plan can be downloaded from HM Land Registry for a few pounds each. The plan on its own rarely helps, because it shows a general boundary, not the exact line.
    • Look for a T mark on the deed plan. A T drawn on the inside of a boundary line usually means that owner is responsible for that boundary. A T on both sides, sometimes called an H mark, usually means it is shared. HM Land Registry is clear that a T mark only carries weight if the wording of the deed refers to it.
    • Your neighbour’s title may say something yours does not. It is worth buying both.

    If neither set of documents mentions the fence, then legally it is not settled. At that point the honest answer is that a solicitor, or a formal boundary agreement with your neighbour, is the only way to nail it down, and for a fence panel that is rarely worth the cost.

    Do I have to have a fence at all?

    Usually not. There is no general legal duty in England to put up or maintain a fence around your garden. The exceptions are specific: a deed may contain a covenant that says you must keep a boundary fenced, you may need to fence a swimming pool or keep livestock in, and a fence that has become dangerous can be reported to the council.

    So if the deeds say the fence is your neighbour’s and it is falling apart, they are not automatically breaking the law by leaving it. That surprises people, but it is the position.

    Does the Party Wall Act cover fences?

    No. The Party Wall etc. Act 1996 covers party walls in buildings, masonry garden walls that sit astride the boundary, and excavation near a neighbour’s foundations. The government’s explanatory booklet says plainly that it does not include wooden fences or hedges. So there is no notice to serve and no surveyor to appoint over a run of feather edge.

    The fence has blown down. Who pays?

    Whoever owns it, if the deeds say. If they do not say, nobody is obliged to pay, and the practical question becomes who wants it back up more.

    A few things worth knowing before you knock on the door:

    • Home insurance rarely helps. The Association of British Insurers says storm damage to fences, hedges and gates is generally not covered by standard home policies. Check yours, but do not count on it.
    • If the fence is theirs, you cannot make them repair it, but you can ask. Citizens Advice suggests talking face to face first, keeping a note of what was agreed, and offering a compromise such as splitting the cost of the new panels.
    • If it is shared, or nobody knows, splitting the cost is the normal outcome and usually the cheapest one for both of you.
    • If they will not budge and you want a fence, you can put up your own on your side of the line, right next to theirs. You must not damage or remove their fence to do it, and you lose an inch or two of garden, but it ends the argument.
    • Mediation through the council or a local mediation service is far cheaper than a solicitor. Citizens Advice describes going to a solicitor over a fence as a last resort, and an expensive one.

    Can I paint or fix my side of the neighbour’s fence?

    Not without asking. If the fence is theirs, it is theirs on both faces. Screwing a trellis to it, painting it, or leaning a raised bed against it all need their agreement first.

    What we do when we come out to a blown-down fence

    We come and look before we quote, and the visit and the written quote are free. We will tell you whether the panels can go back in, whether the posts have gone, and what it costs either way. We do not price fences from photos because a photo cannot tell us whether a post is rotten at ground level.

    We will also say if it is a job you can do yourself. Dropping a new panel into sound concrete posts is a two-person afternoon and needs no special skill. Replacing a rotten timber post is harder, and a whole run is where most people call someone.

    If the fence turns out to be shared, we are happy to write a quote that both households can look at. Who pays what is between you and your neighbour. Taking the old panels away is a priced line on the quote, not something we include by default.

    We cover Warwickshire and the counties either side from our base in Nuneaton. If you are further out, ask anyway. Book a visit at mendwell.co.uk/book or call 07472 281 663, and there are more plain guides at mendwell.co.uk/guides.

  • How high can my garden fence be without planning permission?

    In England you can put up a garden fence up to 2 metres high without planning permission, measured from ground level, and up to 1 metre high where it runs next to a road. Those two figures cover most gardens, but a handful of exceptions catch people out, and how the height is measured is where most questions come from.

    This guide goes through the rules as the Planning Portal sets them out, then answers the questions we get asked on site across Warwickshire: does the trellis count, does the gravel board count, and what if the ground next door is higher than mine.

    What are the rules for fence height without planning permission?

    Fences, gates and garden walls are “permitted development” in England, meaning you do not need to apply, as long as all of the following are true:

    • Next to a highway used by vehicles, or the footpath of one, the fence, wall or gate is no more than 1 metre high from ground level.
    • Anywhere else, it is no more than 2 metres high from ground level.
    • If an existing fence, wall or gate is already taller than those limits, you are not making it any taller.
    • No part of the site is a listed building or within the grounds of one, and the fence does not form a boundary with a neighbouring listed building or its grounds.
    • The right to put up or alter fences has not been removed by an article 4 direction or by a planning condition on your house.

    The legal source is Schedule 2, Part 2, Class A of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015. The Planning Portal page on fences, gates and garden walls is the plain-English version.

    Does 2 metres include the trellis on top?

    Yes. The limit is the total height of the means of enclosure from the ground, so a 1.8 metre panel with a 30 centimetre trellis on top is a 2.1 metre fence and is over the limit. If you want trellis, use a shorter panel underneath it so the whole thing stays at or under 2 metres.

    The same applies to a fence built on top of a wall. A half-metre brick wall with a 1.8 metre panel on it is a 2.3 metre boundary in planning terms.

    Does the gravel board count?

    Yes. A gravel board is part of the fence. A 150 millimetre concrete gravel board under a 1.8 metre panel gives you a fence just under 2 metres, which is why that combination is so common. Put a 300 millimetre gravel board under a 1.8 metre panel and you are over. Posts count too: a post standing proud of the panel is measured to the top of the post.

    What counts as ground level if the ground is not level?

    The Order says “above ground level” and does not say which side of the fence, or what happens on a slope.

    In practice, councils usually measure from the natural ground level at the base of the fence, not from a raised patio, decking or a soil bank built up against it. Where the ground is different heights on each side of the boundary, some councils measure from the higher side and some from the side the fence is built on. If your garden is a step up or down from next door and you want to go close to 2 metres, ask your council’s planning department in writing before you buy the panels. It settles the question.

    What counts as next to a highway?

    A road used by vehicles, or the pavement alongside one. A front garden fence facing the street is nearly always caught by the 1 metre limit, and so is a side boundary that runs along a road. A footpath with no vehicle access is not a highway for this purpose.

    Do listed buildings and conservation areas change things?

    Listed buildings, yes. If your house is listed, or your fence would form a boundary with a listed neighbour, permitted development for fences does not apply and you need to apply for permission before putting anything up, whatever the height.

    Conservation areas are different. Being in one does not on its own remove your right to put up a fence up to the normal limits. What it changes is taking one down: in a conservation area you may need permission to demolish a wall, fence or gate, particularly a wall over 1 metre next to a road or over 2 metres elsewhere. Warwickshire has a lot of conservation areas, so if you are replacing a boundary in an old village centre, call the council first.

    What is an article 4 direction?

    It is a council order that removes specific permitted development rights in a defined area, often to protect the look of a street. Where one covers fences, walls and gates, you need to apply for permission even for a low fence. Your council’s website will say whether your street is covered.

    What if I want a fence taller than 2 metres?

    Apply for householder planning permission through the Planning Portal, which shows the current fee. Councils do grant taller fences, for example where a garden backs onto a busy road, but they will weigh the effect on neighbours’ light and outlook.

    If you are unsure whether your plan is permitted, a lawful development certificate is a cheaper route: the council confirms in writing that no permission is needed, which helps when you sell.

    Is planning permission the same as my neighbour agreeing?

    No. Planning permission is about the council. Who owns the fence that is already there, and whether you can build on the line, is a matter for the deeds and your neighbour. A fence can be legal in planning terms and still be on the wrong side of the line.

    What we do

    We come and look before we quote, and the visit and written quote are free with no obligation. If what you want would take the boundary over the limit we will say so and suggest a combination that stays under it. Where a fence needs the council’s say-so we will tell you, but applying is something you do as the homeowner.

    We work across Warwickshire and the counties either side from Nuneaton. If you are further out, ask anyway. Book a visit at mendwell.co.uk/book or call 07472 281 663. More plain guides are at mendwell.co.uk/guides.

  • Can You Paint Over Old Paint, or Does It Need Stripping?

    Sometimes, yes, a fresh coat over the old one is perfectly fine. But once the paint has actually failed, painting over it just buries the problem for a year or two before it comes back, usually worse.

    How do you know if it just needs a fresh coat?

    If the existing paint is still sound, no flaking, no cracking, no bubbling, no thick built-up ridges, then a light sand to key the surface and a fresh coat over the top is honest, sensible work. It’s quicker, it’s cheaper, and there’s nothing wrong with it where the surface actually supports it. Plenty of windows and doors are exactly in this state and don’t need anything more.

    What are the signs it needs stripping back to bare wood?

    A few things point the same way:

    • Paint that’s flaking, peeling or cracking, sometimes described as alligatoring
    • Bubbling or lifting paint, which usually means moisture has got in underneath
    • Thick built-up layers from years of coat after coat, rounding off crisp edges and often the reason a window or door has started sticking
    • Soft or spongy timber when you press it
    • Bare patches already showing through where the old paint has let go on its own

    Any one of these is a sign the old paint has stopped doing its job, and a fresh coat on top of it won’t hold.

    Why we don’t just paint over it

    New paint is only ever as good as what it’s sitting on. Put a fresh coat over paint that’s already failing, and the fresh coat fails with it, often within a year or two, because it’s bonded to a surface that’s already coming away from the wood underneath. Painting over bubbling paint is worse still: it seals in whatever moisture caused the bubble in the first place, so it comes back, usually bigger.

    We look at the actual condition of the wood at a free site visit before we quote. We don’t price this kind of work from a photo, because the difference between a scrape and a full strip is exactly what decides what the job actually costs.

    What does doing it properly involve?

    • Scraping and sanding back to a firm, sound edge, or fully to bare timber where the failure is widespread
    • Filling any cracks and gaps
    • Priming the exposed wood
    • Two coats over that: an undercoat, then a proper exterior top coat
    • On older joinery, checking for soft or rotten sections while it’s open, rather than painting over a problem that’s only going to get worse underneath

    If we find something beyond what was quoted once a door or window is opened up, like a splice repair or a section of rot, we tell you before doing anything about it. It’s never just added to the job quietly.

    What makes it cost more

    The amount of old paint that has to come off is the biggest factor. A light scrape and key is quick. A full strip back to bare wood on years of built-up coats takes a lot longer, and the price reflects that. Beyond that:

    • More layers, more time
    • Larger areas, more of them
    • Anything found once it’s opened up, a soft section, a previous repair, rot
    • Access, a ground floor window is a different job to a second floor one

    Who this isn’t for

    If your windows and doors are relatively new, or the last repaint was done properly and the paint is still sound, you don’t need any of this. A wash down, a light sand and a fresh coat is the honest answer, and there’s no reason to pay for a full strip you don’t need.

    If you’re comfortable doing your own woodwork, scraping back loose paint by hand, sanding to a firm edge, and using a decent exterior primer and gloss is a job most confident DIYers can manage themselves, provided the timber underneath is actually sound. A heat gun or a chemical stripper speeds up heavier build-up. Do it outside, and take care with older paint that could be lead-based, particularly on a pre-1960s property.

    We visit and quote for free, with no obligation, and we look at the wood itself before saying what it needs. Book at https://mendwell.co.uk/book/ or call 07472 281 663.

  • Why has my garden gate dropped and how do you fix it?

    A garden gate drops for one of four reasons: the hinge screws have pulled out, the post it hangs on has moved, the gate itself has shrunk, or it has no diagonal brace, or one fitted the wrong way round. Most of the time it is the first one, and you can fix it yourself in an afternoon with a screwdriver and a few longer screws.

    The trick is working out which of the four you have before you start, because the fixes are different. Here is how we go about it on gates across Warwickshire, and where the line sits between a gate job and a post job.

    Why has my gate dropped?

    The latch side has dropped because something on the hinge side has given way.

    • Hinge screws pulling out. A gate is a heavy weight hung off a handful of screws, and the top hinge takes nearly all of it. Short screws, screws into damp softwood, or screws into the old holes of a previous hinge all work loose over a few years of slamming. This is the commonest cause by a distance.
    • The post has moved. A timber post rots at ground level and starts to lean. A concrete post can lean too if the ground was never compacted around it. Either way the hinge side tilts and the latch side follows it down.
    • Timber shrinkage. A new softwood gate hung in a wet spring can lose several millimetres across its width by August as it dries. Joints open, the frame goes out of square, and the far corner drops.
    • No brace, or a brace fitted the wrong way. A diagonal brace should run from the bottom of the hinge side up to the top of the latch side. Fitted that way it is in compression and holds the far corner up. Fitted the other way it sags as if the brace were not there.

    How do I tell which one it is?

    Look at the hinges first, then the post, then the gate.

    1. Open the gate halfway, hold the latch edge and lift it. If the hinge plates rock, the fixings are loose. If the hinge is solid but the gate still moves, the gate’s joints are loose.
    2. Hold a spirit level against the post. If the post is out of plumb and the gate is square to it, the post is the problem. Push the post: if it moves at ground level, the base has gone.
    3. Look at the diagonal brace, if there is one. Bottom hinge to top latch is right. The other way is wrong.
    4. Measure the gate corner to corner both ways. If the diagonals differ by more than a few millimetres, the gate has racked out of square.

    How do I fix hinge screws that have pulled out?

    Replace them with longer, thicker ones into fresh timber. Prop the gate and remove the hinge. If the old holes are chewed, plug them with glued hardwood dowel, let it set, then drill fresh pilot holes. Use screws at least 50 millimetres long, or coach screws on a heavy gate. On a timber post, coach bolts right through the post with a washer behind are better still and do not pull out.

    If the hinge itself is bent, replace it, and go one size up from what was fitted.

    How do I fix a gate that has racked out of square?

    Pull the frame square, then fit a brace, or turn the wrong one round. With the gate off and on a flat surface, push the dropped corner up until the diagonals match, then screw a brace in from the bottom hinge corner to the top latch corner. If the joints are loose, glue and screw each one while it is square.

    A steel anti-sag kit, a wire with a turnbuckle across the same diagonal, does the same job on a gate too thin for a timber brace.

    Can I just adjust the hinges?

    Sometimes. On hook-and-band hinges you can pack the top hook out with a washer, or fit adjustable hooks, to lift the latch side a fraction. It is a shim, not a repair: if the screws are loose underneath it will drop again.

    When is it a post job, not a gate job?

    When the post moves at the base, the gate is not the problem and no amount of hinge work will hold. A timber post that is soft at ground level, or a concrete post that rocks in its hole, needs digging out and re-setting or replacing.

    This is where most people stop doing it themselves. Digging out a concreted post is heavy work, the hole needs to be around 600 millimetres deep, and the new post has to be held plumb while the post mix sets. A repair spur, a short concrete or steel post concreted in beside the rotten one and bolted to it, is cheaper where the post is sound above ground.

    Signs it is the post, not the gate: the gate hangs square to the post but the post leans, the post moves when pushed, the timber at ground level is soft under a screwdriver, or the gate has been rehung before and dropped again within a year.

    What we do

    We come and look before we quote, and the visit and written quote are free with no obligation. On a dropped gate that means a few minutes with a spirit level and a screwdriver, after which we can tell you whether it is a rehang, a new gate on the old posts, or a post job. We price it as a fixed job from the visit rather than turning up on our service rate, because a gate that needs a new post is a different afternoon from one that needs four screws. If it is four screws, we will say so, and you may decide to do it yourself. Old gates and posts stay with you unless the quote includes taking them away as a priced line.

    We cover Warwickshire and the counties either side from our base in Nuneaton. If you are further out, ask anyway. Book a visit at mendwell.co.uk/book or call 07472 281 663, and there are more plain guides at mendwell.co.uk/guides.

  • How much does a handyman cost in Warwickshire? Our service rate, and why we rarely use it

    A handyman in Warwickshire typically costs £25 to £40 an hour, or £180 to £300 for a full day, going by the ranges the main UK trade directories publish for areas outside London. Mendwell has a service rate of £80 and no call-out fee, and we rarely use that rate at all, because almost everything we do is priced as a fixed written quote after a free visit.

    What do handymen charge per hour in the UK?

    Most directory guides put a handyman outside London at £25 to £40 an hour. Rated People’s guide gives £25 to £40 an hour for most of the UK and £35 to £55 in London and the South East. Checkatrade’s handyperson guide puts the UK average at about £30 an hour, rising to around £50 in London and the big cities. MyBuilder’s guide shows a similar picture, with a national average of about £30 an hour and a spread from £15 to £60.

    Day rates follow the same pattern. Rated People puts a half day (three to four hours) at £100 to £160 and a full day at £180 to £300 outside London. Checkatrade gives a London day rate of around £350.

    Two things to keep in mind:

    • The cheap end is usually someone with basic tools, sometimes uninsured, priced by the hour with no fixed end point.
    • The per-hour figure tells you nothing about how many hours the job will take, and that is what decides your bill.

    Is there a call-out fee or minimum charge?

    Many handymen charge a minimum that covers the first hour whether the job takes ten minutes or sixty. Checkatrade’s guide puts the typical minimum call-out fee at £40 to £50, and MyBuilder’s at £40 to £60, with some adding £20 to £50 for travel to a job a long way out.

    Mendwell has no call-out fee. The site visit is free with no obligation, and there is no charge for turning up. Where a job is genuinely small and cannot be planned, we charge the service rate, and that is the only time a time-based charge appears on a Mendwell bill.

    What is Mendwell’s service rate, and why do we rarely use it?

    Our service rate is £80. It exists for the small, unplannable job: a door that will not latch, a cupboard hinge that has dropped, the kind of thing you want sorted on the day without a quote first. For that it is fair, because nobody can price a fault they have not yet seen.

    We steer people away from it for everything else, and we are open about why:

    • It is not cheap. A time-based charge means you are paying for every minute, including the minutes spent working out what to do.
    • It means turning up without a plan. No list of materials, no checked measurements, no order of work. That is how a job runs over.
    • It shifts the risk onto you. If the job takes longer than either of us guessed, you pay the difference.

    A priced, planned job from a site visit is better for both sides. You know the figure before anyone picks up a tool. We know what to bring and how long to allow. If it takes longer than we allowed, the price you were quoted is the price you pay.

    How does a fixed price after a free visit work?

    We visit, we measure, we look at what is actually there, and then you get a written quote with a fixed figure. We do not price from photos, because a photo hides what changes a job: a frame out of square, a wall that is plasterboard over nothing, a floor that is not level.

    The quote sets out what is included and what is not. Materials are priced against Wickes as the reference point for items they stock, and we supply and carry them as standard. You can supply your own if you prefer, though we cannot guarantee a material we did not choose, and a wrong or short delivery becomes a lost day. Where materials come to more than £60, we ask for 40% of the quote up front to cover them, with the balance on completion by bank transfer.

    As a worked example, a new solid core internal door supplied and fitted into your existing frame is around £205 to £225 all in (see our internal door cost guide).

    What makes it cost more?

    Nearly always, it is something that was not visible from the doorway:

    • Access. Working at height, in a loft, or behind fitted furniture takes longer.
    • What is behind the surface. Old fixings, crumbling plaster, a frame that has moved.
    • Materials. A heavier door, a better hinge or a longer run of skirting costs more and takes longer to fit.
    • Finishing. Fitting is fitting. Filling, painting and decorating are separate priced options.
    • Waste. Old doors, fence panels, carpet and packaging stay unless the quote says otherwise. If you want them gone, it goes on the quote as its own line.
    • One job on its own. Several small jobs in one visit usually lowers the cost per job, because the travel happens once, so make a list before we come.

    Can you save money by doing it yourself?

    Yes, for a fair number of jobs. Hanging a picture, a curtain pole on a solid wall, a flat-pack wardrobe, a tap washer, a fence panel lifted back into its slots: all sensible DIY with an afternoon and a basic toolkit. DIY stops being a saving when the job needs a tool you would buy once and never use again, or when a mistake costs more than the labour would have.

    Who this is not for

    • Anyone who wants a price from a photo. We visit first, every time.
    • Anyone who wants the lowest possible per-hour figure. We are not the cheapest, and we do not try to be.
    • Gas or electrical installation work. We do not do it ourselves.
    • Anyone who needs someone tonight. We work booked days, arriving between 9 and 10.

    What happens next

    We are based in Nuneaton and work across Warwickshire and the counties either side. The site visit and written quote are free with no obligation. Book at mendwell.co.uk/book or call 07472 281 663. If you are a little further out, ask anyway. More guides at mendwell.co.uk/guides.

    Prices reviewed 11 September 2026.

  • What a written handyman quote should include

    A written handyman quote should tell you exactly what will be done, what will not be done, what it will cost, when it will happen and who is responsible if something goes wrong. If you can read a quote and still not answer one of those questions, it is not finished yet.

    Below is a checklist you can hold any quote against, ours included. It works whether you are in Warwickshire or anywhere else, and whether the job is one door or a week of small repairs.

    Why is a one-line quote a risk to me?

    A one-line quote is a risk because everything it leaves out gets decided later, usually on the day, usually in the trade’s favour. “Fit new door, £250” does not say whether the old door goes to the tip, whether the hinges are included, whether the edges will be painted, or what happens if the frame turns out to be out of square.

    There is also a legal difference between a quote and an estimate. Citizens Advice describes a quote as a fixed price the trade cannot change without agreeing extra work with you, while an estimate is only a rough figure. A one-line “quote” with no detail behind it often behaves like an estimate in practice, because there is nothing on paper to say what the price actually covered. The detail is what makes the price fixed.

    What should the scope say?

    The scope should list the work line by line, one item per line, in plain words. A good test is whether someone who has never seen your house could read it and know what to do.

    For a door, that means: remove existing door, supply new solid core door, hang on three hinges, fit latch and handles, plane and sand edges ready for decorating. For a fence, it means how many panels, how many posts, what the posts are set in, and what happens to the old ones.

    At Mendwell every quote follows a free site visit, because we do not price from photos. The visit is what lets the scope be that specific.

    What should be listed as excluded?

    The quote should say in writing what is not included, because those are the things people fall out over. The three that cause the most arguments are waste, decorating, and making good.

    • Waste: taking old doors, fence panels, carpet and packaging away is not automatically part of a job. On our quotes it is a priced line if you want it, and never included by default. If the quote does not mention waste, ask.
    • Decorating: fitting is fitting. We fit solid core doors with edges sanded smooth and ready for decorating, and we do not paint or treat door edges. Skirting is the same: fitting is one thing, filling and decorating is a separate priced option. A quote should say which side of that line it sits on.
    • Making good: if a job involves removing something, will the holes be filled, the plaster patched, the paint touched in? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Either is fine, as long as it is written down.

    Should the materials be named?

    Yes. A quote should name the materials well enough that you could look them up yourself: the door type, the panel style, the brand of fitting where it matters.

    We price supply against Wickes as the reference point for anything they stock, and we supply and carry materials as standard. You can supply your own if you prefer, and the quote should say plainly what changes if you do: we cannot guarantee a material we did not choose, and a wrong or short delivery becomes a lost day.

    Should it give a start date and how long the job takes?

    It should give a start date or a booking process, and a realistic duration. For us, a booked day means arrival between 9 and 10, and any job that needs more than one day is started on a whole clear day, never squeezed into a half day. Whatever the trade, you want to know when they arrive, roughly how long they expect to be, and what happens if it runs over.

    What should the payment terms say?

    The payment terms should say how much is due, when, and how. Look for three things: whether there is a deposit and what it covers, when the balance is due, and the payment method.

    Our terms are simple: where materials on a job come to more than £60, we ask for 40% of the quote up front to cover them. The balance is paid on completion by bank transfer. Card and bank details never go in a message; they go on the quote and invoice only.

    Should the quote mention insurance?

    Yes. A quote should say that the trade holds public liability insurance and for how much, and a good trade will show the certificate if asked. Public liability is what covers your home if something is damaged during the work.

    We hold £2,000,000 public liability cover with Hiscox, and any contractor working on our behalf must hold at least £2,000,000 before they step on site.

    What company details should be on it?

    A quote from a limited company should carry the registered company name and number. Gov.uk guidance says a limited company must show its registered name, company number, place of registration and registered office address on business letters, order forms and its website, and a quote is a business document. A sole trader will not have a company number, but should still give a full name and a postal address.

    Mendwell is the trading name of Life Assembly Limited, company number 13828942. You can look that up on Companies House in under a minute, and you should feel free to do the same for anyone who quotes you.

    How should changes be priced?

    Changes should be priced in writing before the extra work is done, with a line added to the quote rather than a figure added to the bill. Houses hide things, and sometimes a job genuinely grows. What matters is that you agree the change and the price first.

    If you already have a quote with none of this on it, a fair question to ask is: “Can you write that up with the exclusions and the payment terms?” A good trade will not mind.

    Who is this for?

    Homeowners, landlords and letting agents across Warwickshire and the counties either side. If you are further afield, ask anyway. This checklist is for general repair and maintenance work; gas and electrical installation are not things we do, and those quotes carry their own certification details on top.

    The visit and the written quote are free with no obligation. Book at mendwell.co.uk/book or call 07472 281 663. More guides at mendwell.co.uk/guides.

    Reviewed September 2026.