We now accept payment from mobile phones using Pingit.

Pingit is the new application that allows people to make and receive payments from their mobile phone.  Currently only Barclays customers can use the service to transfer up to £300 daily. However, anyone with a UK mobile number can register to receive payments of up to £5000 daily. Other bank customers will also be able to use the payment facility from early march.

Pingit works by linking a person’s mobile phone number to their bank account.  Unlikely other electronic payment systems,  you therefore only need someone’s mobile phone number to transfer money.

We now accept payments on 07943 823515. Simply enter our number and the amount to pay in the app, describe what you are paying for in the ‘message’ box, and send.

Pingit provides another convenient payment option for customers.  It also reduces the environmental impact of business by decreasing the need for bank journeys to pay in money.  The app is secure, and can be downloaded from the Barclays website and used on Android, Blackberry and iPhones for free.

More payment options | Download app.

Oliver Gibbs Carpentry & Joinery - Oliver Gibbs is a carpenter and joiner in Shrewsbury who provides carpentry and joinery services throughout Shropshire

We have a new local telephone number to save customers money on calls.

Landline

Before setting up the 01743 818448 line, our main telephone number was a mobile phone number. This was really for our convenience so that we could take calls whether in the office or on-site.

However, mobile phones are expensive to call. We calculated that, previously, customers would have only needed to make four, 15 minute calls to our carpenters at 25p a minute to clock up an eye-watering £15 telephone bill!

As part of our commitment to customer service we have therefore set up a Shrewsbury number to bring down the cost of telephone calls for clients.  Many call packages allow free calls to local numbers or, at most, customers will pay standard land line charges.

Mobile

Should you have memorised our old number (most clients don’t); or should your mobile phone provider charge less for calls to T-Mobile numbers (some do), not to worry: you can still contact us through our mobile telephone number, 07943 8423515.

A new telephone number for new year at Oliver Gibbs Carpentry & Joinery. Do give it a try. If we are not in the office, you will be diverted to an answer phone. Do leave a message and we will get back to you.

Oliver Gibbs Carpentry & Joinery - Oliver Gibbs is a carpenter and joiner in Shrewsbury who provides carpentry and joinery services throughout Shropshire

Oliver Gibbs Carpentry & Joinery can now be found on Facebook, and you will find more than just a news page.

The social network site, Facebook, currently claims 800 million users. It is different from a static website in that it allows you to connect and interact with individuals and businesses.

Find us

Oliver Gibbs Carpentry & Joinery can now be found on Facebook at olivergibbscarpentry. To follow and interact with us, you simply need a free Facebook account and to click ‘like’ above the page.

Why bother?

Ideal homes start with ideas, and it can just take one or two ideas to transform a good home into an ideal home.  By clicking ‘like’ on olivergibbscarpentry, you’ll access an exclusive ‘fan’ page and…

To get started, visit olivergibbscarpentry. Spread the word by clicking on the share buttons below.

And if you want our carpenters in Shrewsbury to help make your home improvement ideas into reality, do get in touch for a free quote.

Oliver Gibbs Carpentry & Joinery - Oliver Gibbs is a carpenter and joiner in Shrewsbury who provides carpentry and joinery services throughout Shropshire

What do you do with a derelict out-building in your garden? A barn conversion could transform it into a studio, office or granny flat. But if you live in the beautiful Shropshire countryside, it could make an attractive holiday home.

Oliver Gibbs Carpentry and Joinery was commissioned to help convert an old stone barn into a holiday home in the autumn of 2011.

The building was a dilapidated stone shell with rafters and a corrugated iron roof.  It was ideal for conversion into a holiday home being close to the client’s home with great views over the Shrewsbury hills. After planning permission was granted, work began to reconstruct the outbuilding into a one bedroom cottage with living room, kitchen and bathroom.

Oliver Gibbs was brought in to do the first-fix carpentry work. This involved replacing three large purlins to support the roof.  The roof was tied-in with collars and the rotten rafters and plates were replaced.  An extension with timber frame and waney-edged cladding gave the building more space.  A skylight and window provided light. Stud walls and doorways were then built inside creating the rooms.

Barn conversions are rarely straight forward.  As Oliver Gibbs explains, ‘The difficult thing about working with an old building is that nothing is straight or square.  The walls may have sunk and the beams maybe twisted.  So with every new timber piece you have to decide how to adjust the plans to the original structure’

However, despite working from very basic architect and structural engineer’s drawings, the first-fix carpentry work was completed successfully in about 4 weeks.  The finished result will be an inviting holiday cottage set in the stunning Shropshire countryside.

For more information about our Shrewsbury carpenters, barn conversions, renovations, extensions or roofing, do contact Oliver Gibbs Carpentry and Joinery for an informal discussion or free estimate.

Click photos to enlarge

Oliver Gibbs Carpentry & Joinery - Oliver Gibbs is a carpenter and joiner in Shrewsbury who provides carpentry and joinery services throughout Shropshire

Christmas is on the horizon and power tools are a great gift for DIY lovers. Customers often ask our advice on tools. So here is our selection of five power tools that every budding carpenter should have.

1. Battery powered drill

The amperage (A) is more important than the voltage. Our drills are 3.0A, but 2.0A would also be fine. Get two batteries, rather than one, for uninterrupted portable work.

2. Circular saw

A great general purpose machine that is useful for cutting down sheets of 4′ by 8′ and timber. Get a corded, rather than battery powered, saw for greater power.

3. Power planer

Used for shaving a thin layer off the top of wood, and great for fixing those sticking doors. Use a hand plane for finishing work on fine joinery.

4. Jigsaw

Ideal for cutting out curves and templates in thin materials such as MDF or plywood. Get the correct blades for the thickness and type of material that you are cutting.

5. Belt sander

A quick and easy way to sand down or smooth off a surface. Get a multi-grade pack of sanding belts for different jobs. Always finish with a fine grade sand paper by hand.

What make and model to choose will depend on your budget.  As a general rule, you cannot go far wrong with power tools made by Makita and Dewalt. Pick up these brands at shops like Screwfix and Charlie’s in Shrewsbury

Power tools are a great gift, and a fitting present to mark the birth of the world’s most famous carpenter! We wish you a very happy Christmas.

For more about us and our carpentry services, do get in touch.

Oliver Gibbs Carpentry & Joinery - Oliver Gibbs is a carpenter and joiner in Shrewsbury who provides carpentry and joinery services throughout Shropshire

1. Provide labour

Labour costs are the most expensive part of a building project. You can save a huge amount of money by doing some of the work yourself.  For example, you may not be able to hang a new door, but you may be able to take off the old door and paint the replacement on your weekend.

2. Source materials

Tradesmen often get trade discounts on materials. However, it is still worth shopping around to see if you can get things cheaper. For example, two 128mm T-bar kitchen handles will cost you around £5 in a high street store but you can get twenty identical handles on e-bay for £20 – a 60% saving! Asked for itemised quotes from workmen to check prices.

Mitre Joint

Joining Strip

3. Find alternatives

You may be able to use cheaper materials or less labour intensive techniques to bring down costs. For example, rather than choose a hard wood for your internal doors, you could get them made from a cheaper stained soft wood. Using joining strips is less labour intensive than cutting joints in a kitchen work surface, for example. Ask your tradesmen for ideas.

4. Dump waste

Disposing of waste is increasingly expensive for builders.  A skip costs anything from £100 upwards. But many councils will allow residents to fill up their cars with wood or rubble and dump it for free at their local recycling centre.  However, remember that hazardous waste like Asbestos will still need to be disposed of by professionals and there are heavy fines for fly-tipping.

5. Save VAT

Value Added Tax (VAT) currently adds 20% to all bills.  But this can be reclaimed in certain environmental and disabled building projects. Do get advice from your tax office before work starts. Some businesses like ours are also under the VAT threshold. This means that you pay no VAT on any labour, only materials.

Some of these steps will take time, and savings in material costs need to be balanced against losses in the durability and appearance of the finished product. However, our money saving tips could halve your building costs.

Do speak to us at Oliver Gibbs Carpentry & Joinery for your free quote or to discuss your building project.

Oliver Gibbs Carpentry & Joinery - Oliver Gibbs is a carpenter and joiner in Shrewsbury who provides carpentry and joinery services throughout Shropshire

Today sees the launch of a new lifestyle magazine called In The Know. It features an article by us on buying ethical wood products.

In The Know is a quarterly magazine aimed at those aged 18-44 living in the Shrewsbury area and contains ‘interesting and informal stories from experts in their field’.

Our article, How to buy wood products that don’t cost the earth, highlights the problem of the illegal timber trade and how this can be tackled by buying products from responsibly managed forests.

Look out of the FSC logo

At Oliver Gibbs Carpentry & Joinery we only buy timber that is certified by organisations like the Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC). That means you can get great wood products for your home that didn’t cost someone theirs.

In The Know will be distributed by the Shrewsbury Chronicle and can be read on-line. Look out for our piece on page 40 of issue one.

Let us know what you think of the new magazine by commenting below.

Our ethical policy

Oliver Gibbs Carpentry & Joinery - Oliver Gibbs is a carpenter and joiner in Shrewsbury who provides carpentry and joinery services throughout Shropshire

There are various things to consider in choosing an internal or external wooden door.  Here are our five ‘Fs’ for picking the right type of wooden door.

Form (design)

Firstly think about the design of door that you want – consider the age of your property and what doors are already fitted. If your house is listed you will need Listed Building Consent to add or replace a door – check with your local council. There are various types of wooden door to choose from:

Boarded, 'ledged and brace', door (left), and paneled bathroom door (right)

Paneled
The traditional wooden door of town houses. The door is constructed of solid wood or plywood panels grooved into vertical stiles, horizontal rails and often with intermediate vertical members (muntins) – all jointed with mortice-and-tenon joints or dowels. Glass vision panels can also be incorporated. These are classic, solid doors.

Boarded
Often used in barn conversions and country homes. These are either ‘framed ledged & braced’, ‘ledged & braced’, or simply, ‘ledged’. Tongue & grooved boarding is fixed to the face of this framing. They are a cost-effective solid wood option that are easily made for any size of space.

Flush
Commonly used in modern properties, these are flat in appearance. They are usually made of a softwood inner frame, faced each side by a plywood or hardboard skin. The core maybe cardboard egg-crate or fibreboard. Basic quality flush doors are cheap and ideal for modern properties. Solid core doors veneered in hardwood will be expensive.

Moulded
These look like panel doors but are made like flush doors.  They have a moulded or embossed veneer that is often made of MDF and is stuck on to a wooden or composite frame. These are lighter than solid wooden doors and give you a period look at less cost.

Function (use)

Your choice of door should relate to what you want to use it for.  An exterior door or one for heavy use, should be more solid and durable in construction than a door designed for internal or light use. A paneled or boarded door is often used externally, being more weather and intruder resistant than a Flush or Moulded door. Internal doors are usually 32mm or 44mm thick, while external and fire doors are commonly 44mm or more. For domestic properties, fire doors are necessary if the property is over two stories high. Fire doors are rated from 30 minutes (FD30) to 120 minutes (FD120) and come in different designs. Check the label on a fire door, frame and seal to ensure that you choose the correct door specified by the building regulations.  Large doors may need to be made out of lighter material or the door frame may need strengthening for it to bear the weight. A ledged and braced door is a good choice for a large doorway.

Fabric (material)

The materials used to make the door will affect its cost, durability, security, appearance and fire rating.  As a general rule, the more solid wood and harder the timber used in a door, the more durable, robust and expensive it is likely to be. Composite doors with little real or hardwood tend to be cheaper and lighter, but are less hard wearing and secure. In terms of appearance, you cannot beat a hardwood door. Hardwoods are darker than softwoods; they maybe required to match exiting doors in listed properties.  Fire doors usually have a fire resistant coating or core and are more expensive than similar standard doors. Some hollow doors cannot be trimmed and are therefore unsuitable for irregular spaces. Standard ‘Imperial’ door sizes are 1981, 2032 or 2040mm high by 686, 762, 813 or 838mm wide. If you need a non-standard door, flush door blanks are available and can be trimmed to size – otherwise you will need a joiner to make you custom door.

Fitting (hanging)

Moulded sliding fire door

A door is usually fixed to a door lining or frame with hinges or sliding door gear.  The standard door hinge is a single axis hinge. The weight of the door should be checked against the maximum load-bearing capacity of the hinge. For fire doors, steel or stainless steel hinges must be used and expanding intumescent (smoke strips) are usually recessed into a groove in the door or frame.  For Boarded doors, long strap hinges are attractive and can be fixed to the back or front.  If there is sufficient clearance (door-opening space) next to a door but not in front of it, a sliding door could be used. These are fixed to sliding door gear above the door and a guide at the floor prevents it from moving laterally. The track will usually be boxed in for aesthetics. Flush and Moulded doors may have a lock block for fitting a lock and will need to be hung the right way round.

Furniture (handles etc)

As well as hinges, think about handles, locks and automatic closing or opening devises.  There is a wide choice of handles, knobs, pulls and latches in a variety of metals and finishes.  Brass, stainless steel and steel are commonly used metals. Finishes include polished, satin, chrome, pewter, brushed and antique.  It is worth considering buying reclaimed handles to match door furniture in period properties.  Fire doors will need automatic closing devices fitted. These can be visible, like overhead fixed-face closers, or concealed, like spring hinges. In commerical properties, double fire doors will need a door coordinator devise to ensure that the doors close in the right sequence. Push bars may be needed on fire exits, and hold-open devises can be wired-up by a qualified electrician.  Before choosing a door lock, check the requirements of your insurance. Most firms require 5 lever mortice locks to be used on external doors.  A reinforcing metal door frame strip, door limiter, hinge bolts and spy hole can also be fitted to external doors for added security.

That’s our 5 tips on choosing a wooden door. We could have added an extra ‘F’ on ‘finish’ – what paint or stains you could use – but that would be straying into the territory of painters and decorators! For wooden doors or door hanging, do contact Oliver Gibbs Carpentry and joinery for advice or a free quote.

Oliver Gibbs Carpentry & Joinery - Oliver Gibbs is a carpenter and joiner in Shrewsbury who provides carpentry and joinery services throughout Shropshire

In choosing a carpenter, most people consider ‘will this person do a good job’, but not ‘will this carpenter be fuelling the illegal trade in timber’.

The United Nations declared 2011 to be the ‘International Year of Forests’ and presented some eye-opening figures. 31% of the world’s land is made up of forest. Our forests contain 80% of the world’s terrestrial biodiversity.  Over 300 million people live in forests and the livelihoods of 1.6 billion of the poorest people depend on forests.

Erosion from deforestation

Problem of illegal timber

The illegal trade in timber therefore has a huge ecological and social impact.  Research from Chatham House in 2006 showed that the trade causes serious environmental damage; it promotes corruption, funds armed conflict, and retards sustainable development in some of the poorest countries of the world.

In 2008, the WWF published a study into the extent of illegal logging. It argued that the existing European Union (EU) and British licensing scheme was ineffective in stopping the trade in illegal wood, and showed that about 90 percent of illegal timer will still enter the EU markets.

Preventing illegal trade

Look for the FSC label

What can you do to help stop the problem? One way is to only buy wood and paper products from responsibly managed forests (search). Another way is to make sure that you employ carpenters who do the same.

At Oliver Gibbs Carpentry & Joinery we only buy timber that is certified by organisations like the Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC).  The FSC guarantees that trees are harvested legally and are replaced or allowed to regenerate naturally. They also ensure that local labour is used in the logging trade.

By using ethical carpenters like us, you can ensure that you get great wooden products for your home that didn’t cost someone theirs.

Our ethical policy

Oliver Gibbs Carpentry & Joinery - Oliver Gibbs is a carpenter and joiner in Shrewsbury who provides carpentry and joinery services throughout Shropshire

The days of planning your dream house on the back of a serviette are gone; or at least there are lots of software tools that can help you and your carpenter plan a building project.

Here’s a selection of our favourite free Internet tools.

Measurement converter

Many in the building trade still use inches, bless their sweaty socks. To speak their language, translate centimetres (cm) into inches (“) by using a metric converter. Mobile phones also commonly have conversation software preinstalled. Dig out the instruction manual for more.

3D designing

Lots of sites offer planning software to sell you their product. Ikea has a tool for visualising your kitchen and built-in wardrobes. B&Q provide a kitchen and bathroom planner. Alternatively, Mydeco has a generic room planning tool and Google Sketchup, while more technical, allows you to design anything in 3D.

Building material calculator

If maths is not your strength, you may like the calculators offered by B&Q to work out how many tiles, rolls of wall paper or pots of paint you need. Sourceforme also has an impressive array of tools in its belt. You give it dimensions and it estimates numbers of floor boards, timber for stud walls, quantities of bricks, mortar, concrete and more.

Colour viewer

You could buy paint testers to try out a new colour scheme; or you could avoid streaky walls by playing around with colour themes online. The Dulux MousePainter tool allows you to upload and paint a picture of your room by dragging and dropping colours. Alternatively create a unique paint to match any colour that you photograph at Dulux.

Finance planner

Homebuilding & Renovating offer ball park figures of new building costs. If you are considering a loan, see the Moneymadeclear loan calculator and budget planner to help you work out the monthly payments and affordability. Remember that building projects often go over budget by at least 10%. Our advice: ditch debt, save instead!

These are some of the free Internet tools that we like at Oliver Gibbs Carpentry & Joinery. They are not a substitute for professional advice or quotations; but they are useful aids to planning carpentry work.

Let us know what online gems you have found by leaving a comment below.

Oliver Gibbs Carpentry & Joinery - Oliver Gibbs is a carpenter and joiner in Shrewsbury who provides carpentry and joinery services throughout Shropshire