Monday 7 April 2014

Viable Repairs

A few weeks ago I had to repair a garden bench for a customer.
Three of the slats had rotted and needed replacing, the other two were fine so they were left. I replaced them with oak, so I know that they'll last a long time.
That night when I got home and told my wife what I'd been doing that morning, she asked if I thought it was viable to do the repair. With my time doing the repair, sourcing the the oak, cutting and planing it to size and picking it up from the mill I should imagine that there will be little change out of a ton (I was there to do other jobs as well).
Now I know you can go down to B&Q or a garden centre and pick up a bench for much less than a hundred pounds but in my experience they don't last more and a couple of years before they fall to pieces.
Instead this customer had invested that money into their old bench to make it last much longer than that. Maybe in a few years I'll have to go and replace the other two slats but I'm sure that, in much the same way as triggers broom, this bench will last for a very long time and cost a lot less than buying imported benches and replacing them every few years.
We could do with some garden benches here on our little homestead but I'm reluctant to buy the ones mentioned above, so I think I'll start looking out for second hand ones in antique shops and in the paper so that I can buy one that can be easily repaired and made to last forever!

25 comments:

  1. Think you could be on to something there, Kev. If you could either team up with a Blacksmith or source second hand garden bench ends. Car boot sales every Sunday morning should help you find your garden treasure. Perhaps you could even learn some wrought iron skills? Have you made log benches? Could be the start of a lucrative business - bespoke garden furniture - 'made to last'.

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    1. It qould be nice to have a blacksmith make them and that way it gives two people a small income from it. I'm all for surporting other tradesmen and I've never like metal work myself. My brother has made some nice benches in the past.

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  2. Excellent job ... I much prefer to see a well done repair than to see something thrown away and a cheap and shoddy replacement purchased.

    LH bought two cast iron bench ends off a guy at work for £25 all we need is some slats and we will have a beautiful bench that will outlive us.

    That we have had the bench ends through three house moves and he has yet to do actually get round to doing it is neither here or there ;-)

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    1. That sounds quite good for £25 but I'm also glad to hear he;s like me when it comes to these projects! The trouble is there is always something else more important and I never sit down for long in the garden before I see something that needs doing!

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  3. In my hot and humid climate, wooden garden bench is so rare. We usually use concrete or metal bench. Our climate is unfriendly to outdoor wooden furniture. You have do a great job!

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    1. The wooden furniture I've had lately doesn't seem to last too long over here either but I think thats down to poor qualitiy products! We have lots of concrete and metal benches in parks.

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  4. You have to make the people happy with extras like that, it is better than advertising as they will tell all their friends how you did such a good job and helped them out.

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    1. I had a few jobs to do at this place and they seemed happy with the work. Very big house right in the middle of town but it had a huge garden!

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  5. We have a salvage yard nearby and he always has the cast iron ends for benches for £25 lots of choice of shapes too and probably all Victorian so over 100yrs old well worth a bit of TLC

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    1. I'm going to keep my eyes open and see if I can pick some up. Much better than buying something from B&Q or Wilcos

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  6. Much more satisfying than modern furniture, as to the cost...it's down to what it's worth to the individual I'm thinking.

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    1. I think that was the case here, he's had the bench a long time and wanted to keep it.

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  7. lve seen them on freecycle. might be worth looking. especially if you have a van to pick them up

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    1. I've just signed up to it last week so I'll keep my eyes pealed!

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  8. Have you tried the Feecycle/Freegle sites?

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    1. I will (see comment above). Mind you when ever I go on there the stuff has always gone too fast!

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  9. I like the idea of buying something older and having something that will last. Our family has a 100 year old bench that once sat on the milk truck on the farm . It sits in the weather , survives when other items built in more modern times fall apart. I like to think we are custodians of these items and your oak bench will probably be passed onto someone who really cares about it one day.

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    1. Mum and dad have an old church pew outside their house and it's been there as long as I can remember. I'm sure I'll have to repair that as well some day!

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  10. The old agrarian ways would repair everything. It's so sad how poorly things are made nowadays and I have to agree about not buying new any more. Seems best to find old in need of fixing, or even do without.

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    1. Buy new if it's made right or even better if you can get a craftsman to make it for you. It's worth paying more then if you know it's going ot last.

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  11. Nice one Kevin, Repairing things is a good way to go . If you just concider land fill and use of new materials what you have done is definatly worth while . Keep up the good work

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    1. I'm forever repairing things. Before my wife and I were married she threw away a pair of trainers I'd had since I was 18 because they were falling apart. I'd glued them together 6 times ad I'm sure I could have glued them a few more time yet!

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  12. Just popped in by chance. Regarding some second hand benches for your garden. Why not join your local Freecycle network on the internet and see if anyone is offering a bench for free?

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    1. I doubt I'd have time to sit down on it this year I've got so much to do! I have joined it though and there's a few things I'm keeping my eyes open for.

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  13. We did a similar thing here a few years ago. Hanno couldn't pass by a pair of old bench seats on the roadside pickup. The wood was rotted but the supports were still good. We brought them home, he went to work on them and got two benches for our garden. They're still going strong and provide a lovely place to sit under the elder tree and it sit near the front door to put your boots on. Great work, Kev.

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