Last job of 2007, The Woodman

And what a contrast to the previous job in Whetstone!

Lori and Vikki of The Woodman pub had contacted me in the summer as they were compiling an application to the local council for planning consent. They struck me straight away as focused, professional and with a clear idea on where their business was going. I spent some time working through the plans and worked out the correct bracketry to hang a 4m awning with lights and heaters. They knew what this sort of product would cost, and that's knowledge that is invaluable to me. I know I'm competitive and happily pitch myself against my competitors.

The planning was accepted and we were given the go ahead, beating 2 other quotes. My only concern was that I was having nose surgery a week before the proposed installation date, and I was supposed to spend 2 weeks resting after. Oh well, that's not going to happen!

The awning was delivered and installed on time, the colour scheme was perfect and I got paid straight away, faith truly restored. Thanks to everyone concerned. I wish them the very best of luck for the World Cup in 2010, let's hope England go all the way as it'll be great for the business. I'll be bussing over there for a few games in the summer

I know the customer's always right, but...

The penultimate job of 2007 was a nightmare, I'm not sure I should even include it on here. I'd completed a great awning on a pub in central London and was recommended to visit a guy in Whetstone. Immediately I knew it was going to be a pain, he made me wait 30 mins while he flitted around looking important. His wife kindly made me a coffee and they had a large screen showing a football game repeat, so it wasn't that bad. When he finally came and sat down with me he wanted something he couldn't afford. The area they needed to shade/shelter was huge - 12m x 5m and yet he was only prepared to pay a certain amount which was impossible to work with. I gave my price by email later than evening and we were still in disagreement. I should've left it there but didn't, although I wish I had.

I didn't hear anything else for 3 weeks or so and, confident that he couldn't possibly have got a better deal than the one I was offering, I emailed to ask how he was. He said we should meet and so I made the long journey from Caterham to Whetstone for a second time. We hit upon some middle ground and I found ways to reduce material costs in order to get the job done - something that I hate to do, although I must hastily add that at no time would I compromise on safety in order to make a sale. The job started on schedule, a date set by the client so that he could be there to oversee work. He wasn't there, but there were a million other tradesman jostling for position. When he did turn up it was to criticise work and make alterations that may not have seemed too major to him, but to us added days to the schedule and snuffled out any hint of profit from the job. We got it done though, and the finished job was brilliant. I've stuck that bit in bold in case anyone misses it. We're awning installers but I'm also a man of integrity. I could've walked away at any time whilst dealing with a very awkward customer but I didn't, and never would.

12 months later I banked my final post dated cheque from the client too and on a recent visit past the site I now note that the whole facade's been changed, the awnings have gone and it's not even a pub anymore. Shame, as it looked rather good to be fair and 14 days of work were lost for nothing now.

Utopia Brides

Atwood School - my big thank you

Rarely am I in a position to do something really worthwhile which is why I ceased the bull by the horns at Atwood Primary School. Both my children attended the school and the atmosphere there is one of harmony and unity. When my daughter left at the end of 2007 I was heart broken and I miss the place awfully.

Luckily, just before the summer of 2007, Alex Clarke, the head teacher, asked me to come in to discuss the possibility of shading the huge atrium roof that loomed large over the infant's hall. They'd toyed with the idea of shading the outside, the inside and any other side that you care to mention and had exhausted all avenues - not to mention scary quotations from other companies. It needed a fresh approach and so they called me in...

Immediately, once the briefing had been given, it was clear that the roof space itself could be ignored entirely and that shade could be achieved without needing to go anywhere near the glass. What was more important to me was that the vent windows would remain totally untouched and operational and that the awnings would be installed at a much lower height, aiding maintenance and installation. We designed a bracket that would hang on to the horizontal roof beams and set about creating a Thunderbirds/James Bond style opening and closing roof. There would be gaps around the perimeter, but these could be addressed as or when needed and with great ease*

I spent 2 days on a 5m high platform, drilling and tapping 48 holdes in to 10mm thick metal and after which another day bolting on the brackets and awning tracks. I then called upon the help of my father and two ex-pupils (my son Kris and his friend Ben - who impressed so much that he was later set to work for me full time) as we lifted the heavy awnings in to place. Once up there, which was a task and a half, we quickly tensioned the fabric and the awnings worked brilliantly. I visited the school recently and am happy to say they're still looking good.

The Chester Arms

Brown frame, orange stripey

Roof awnings - I love a challenge

Dr Newby had suffered from a ridiculously hot conservatory for too long. By the time we arrived he'd lost countless items of furniture, and the space was redundant as a useful living area.

The clever chaps who'd installed the roof hadn't been clever enough to add ladder bars for us to rest on and so we had to improvise with a couple of long planks. Being a short plank, I was happy to climb over the roof all day.

We encountered no problems on site, chiefly because I'd surveyed the job carefully and we arrived well tooled up and armed with everything we needed. The results were great and I'm reliably informed that the room has been transformed from something nice to look at into something rather more functional

white frame, rust/white stripey

Cream frame, green/cream stripey

Awning with drop arm - orange stripey

Fiddlestix - white, end fix with lettering

white end fixed, green/white fabric

white frame, red/cream stripey

Mrs Hodgeson, our toughest installation ever!

Through another of my contacts, Radiant Blinds, we were handed a job that had left them scratching their heads. How on earth could you install an awning on a 4th floor balcony in to a recess that was lead clad and with no visible way of fixing at all? That was the brief, and the solution came from my father, Eric, who not only has 50+ years experience of this industry but who also has the brain of an engineer and the hands of a master craftsman.

One carefully thought out meeting with the client, and an hour of even more carefully planned measuring and he came up with a side fixed bracket. The science behind it was that the forces exacted on the building by the awning would not pose any burden if the fixings were at a right angle to the force. Sparing you the boredom of going in to it any further, it worked!! The result was, and still is, a beautiful awning that does it's job to a tee.

The installation day was a challenge though, hoisting a 70kg awning up 40' between 4 of us was far more difficult than it sounds (as anyone who has ever hoisted anything by hand will testify). Adding the value of the item to it's weight seems to make it feel even heavier!!! Once you're 20' off the ground there's no turning back though and you just have to grin and bear it.

Thanks goes to Mrs Hodgeson who is, and always will be, a really charming and caring person.

Brown frame, beige fabric - with lights

Limpsfield Tennis Club

There's nothing more satisfying than finding a solution that's bamboozled many before you. Having said that, I'm not a genius and I'm sure I've walked away scratching my head, only to find the next guy has all the answers. LTC wasn't such an occasion.

The brief was simple, 'find us a solution to our smoking shelter problem please'. Straight off I was amused that someone, anyone in fact, would play an aerobic sport and then sit and smoke afterwards but, as an ex-smoker myself, who am I to judge. I'm just the awning guy, aren't I? The problem that my predecessors had encountered was that there was only 3 fixing points spanning a 7m area and the middle point had a drainpipe running down it meaning there was no possibility of hanging a bracket there. The building was a solid steel frame and the solution was to remove the drainpipe and install a hollow steel bracket on to the building before putting the drainpipe back - through the middle of the bracket. Et voila! a beautiful 7m long smoking shelter. Now I just need to live with the guilt attached to helping smokers partake in their dangerous pastime...

Heritage Pine

End fix, red/cream fabric

white frame, orange/yellow stripey

Sometimes things just look right

Marcus knew exactly what he wanted, and who was I to argue! I'll kick myself for ever for being too honest with my pricing, I'm still trying to get my hand back after he bit it off! I should've guessed that I was cheap when he enquired what the extra for installation was, lol. Still, I'd rather be consistently fair and sleep well at night than be a con artist who views clients individually on what they can be fleeced on.

London Yellow 'stock' bricks aren't always the best to drill in to, and installing two awnings at exactly the same height so close to each other is harder than it looks too. It's easy to get them straight, and it's easy to get them up but you need to know where the 2nd one's going before you even start the first. I love these images and use them regularly in my publications.

Strangest thing here was that I only met Marcus for 1 minute as he shot off to work. The entire deal had been struck on the phone and by email. A photo of the house was enough, and Marcus's measuring skills were top notch. I wasn't sure how grey and white would look against a cream backdrop but the finished result looked stunning

Cream & Red Dutch canopies

end fix, green/bue stripe