Hints

This is your opportunity to share your experiences, advice and guidance; send your views, news, hints & tips to “The CasaDoctora, we reserve the right to edit all submissions. [tips]

Sometimes it is not just your home that needs a make over! Reducing ones worries to a minimum can be quite a task. While looking for new answers for life’s many challenges, we could all use a little extra help. Mentoring is not a new science but it has grown up and is now recognised as a very important and useful aid to getting your life in order. Get to know more about mentoring and results coaching systems by going to www.workplacecoaching.com and www.resultscoaches.com. May your success be what you want and what you need?
Is your TV, Plasma or valuables on show? Are they safe and secure; Most modern TV/Hi Fi appliances look quite ugly against most furniture styles, especially when there OFF! Dead screens look odd and unsightly even though they are quite an expensive item, and are the most common target for thieves. An inspired solution for home cinema creations or “hiding” screens comes from Wilhelm UK & ES, working in conjunction with creative furniture manufacturers to produce bespoke cabinets, ottomans and even fireplaces. You can now have your plasma TV literally pop up or down, in or out of almost anything. This not only saves you space and enhances visual aspects; it has the added bonus of making your equipment more secure. TV’s are not just for the living room the leading TV’s are now being used as design elements increasingly being incorporated into more intimate places in the home. The result is the ability to have a high quality TV experience anywhere you desire even at the foot of your bed. Because they are just a few inches deep creative ways to conceal, disguise or just plain hide your plasma are continuously being created by a great range of talented designers. Pop up lifts are a mechanised combination of cabinetry and a functional Wilhelm lift for your TV. Closed it is a handsome wooden cabinet - turn it on and it rises up from the furniture. Practical and interesting furniture solutions can be produced to hide your television set for any room in the house. They can be disguised in "pretend radiator covers", chest of drawers for the bedroom, small flip downs in the kitchen, any type of cupboard or even the actual end of the bed. There is no doubt a designer will be able to find the right solution for you. See *www.wilhelm-wico.de*
Upgrading your security for your own safety and benefit, a leading locksmith suggests “we advise any person buying a new home with a security lock fitted that they check that they have been given the original keys, if not, THEN SOMEONE has a key to the house.” Answer: Is be cautious being safe, change the lock. Add safety locks to all sliding doors and windows as they are a major target – if you also have security grills make sure you have checked out your escape route for fire, fit an alarm, or emergencies. Contact www.locksmithspain.com for assistance.
News just in, our Kate is on the campaign trail! The 332 is a major traffic accident zone and Cabo Roig has become a real “Punta Negra”; Kate and the local newspaper the Leader are actively petitioning for better road safety facilities, signs & crossings. Please help the cause, join the campaign, write to your Ayuntiemento. BUT most of all drive safely and courteously, others may follow your example!
Looking for inspiration when furnishing your home? Have you been to Yecla? It is the “home” of innovation in furniture production, famed across Spain and Internationally. In March Yecla celebrates its 45th Furniture Fair. The dates are: March 14th to 18th 2006. However if you can’t get to the show, there are major furniture showrooms open all year round in Yecla, including ARYECLA, ACOMODEL, CONDOR, DANVES, FERLOGAR, HERNAVAL, JESUS ORTIZ, LA COMODA, MOYA ANDREA and MUEBLE DE YECLA, plus many more so it is well worth a visit. Yecla is a pretty town with some nice restaurants too! Close to Jumilla and Fortuna, it is an area well worth discovering. For more info on the show www.feriayecla.com
When looking for furnishing ideas or ways to change and improve your “space” a visit to some of the great stores and showrooms might just give you the inspiration you are looking for. If not call “The” Casa Doctora for more advice. One of our favourite general stores is El Corte Ingles, very easy to find in Alicante, Valencia, Cartegena and Murcia; a visit to an El Corte Ingles is almost a day out in itself with great restaurants and gourmet deli and the bonus of probably the best supermarket product range anywhere! BUT most of all they have the fullest range of furniture and accessories to suit most budgets. IKEA is also an innovative store, particularly when it comes to space saving and storage ideas that actually work! The room settings can inspire the most jaded, but remember you will have to be prepared to deal with flat packs and a bit of DIY constructions, but of course you can call “The” Casa Doctora to help. Another great showroom with a huge selection of room settings and a wide range of eclectic Spanish antiques is Procomobel situated close to Guardamar on the 332 at Alto del Moncayo. They have a design service, from kitchens to lounges and bedrooms, but a little light on accessories. If you have discovered somewhere good to go, let us know. Sharing information and resources to help each other is a benefit to us all. Your comments are always welcome. [tips]
DEALING WITH SPANISH BUILDERS There are some important things to consider when you first decide to reform and improve your home. If you have decided to employ Spanish builders, you really need to speak excellent Spanish or get a translator in to help because it is easy to think you have the gist of what they are saying but the Spanish have a tendency to do what they think is best sometimes rather than what you want. It can also get technical and you really need to be sure of all the details. We employed a Spanish builder at the beginning of June 2005 to build a bedroom and en-suite bathroom upstairs in our house. First off, we asked him to write a quote down as we had heard many, many stories where they ask for more money than they originally quoted. Once we had this clear, we then asked him how long he thought it would take him. He said that even though he could only do the work weekends, it would take about 3-4 weeks. My husband and I looked at each other and both thought the same thing – more like 3-4 months. No problem, we thought, as we were not in a rush for it. We paid a small amount up front for materials and agreed to pay another sum in the near future and then the final amount when the job was finished. He arrived with a couple of builders (and occasionally his own son) and they actually got off to a great start. We had patio doors, windows, cement, bricks, etc, arriving quickly. After about 6 or 7 weeks, we paid the second amount. This seemed to be a jinx because we didn’t see him for 3 weeks. Then he turned up saying something about how he had been to a wedding (!!). Anyway, this started to occur quite often. There would be 2 or 3 weeks when we didn’t see or hear from him and we were starting to wonder what we had let ourselves in for. One weekend, he arrived with his son and we left them working away upstairs whilst we went out to our eldest son’s football match. When we came back, they had finished for the day and gone home. My son couldn’t find his Gameboy Advance and 40 euros had gone missing out of his wallet in his bedroom. To cut a long story short, the son had stolen it. We had a meeting with the builder and his response was “Oh no, not again”. So, it seems the lad had stolen before. Luckily, we got the Gameboy back (the money had long gone, obviously) and a promise that he wouldn’t bring his son here again (I should think not). He asked us to check to see if anything else was missing too!!!!! It was coming up to Xmas and we had family visiting both for Xmas and in the New Year. The builder laughingly assured us that it would be finished for the end of November. We had ordered bedroom furniture that was delivered but we had no glass in the patio door windows in the bedroom or in the bathroom window for about 6 weeks so it was impossible to sleep in there (bloomin’ freezing). The funny thing is that we also had a heater/air-con unit installed but it was pointless!!! When the in-laws came for Xmas, my hubby and I had to sleep on the sofas in the living room and let them have our ‘old’ bedroom because the new one still had no glass. Great Xmas!! In January, my parents came over but still no glass!!! They had been there about 4 days, when finally, we got our glass and we could sleep in the bedroom. He had painted it a lovely pale lemon. Realised later, however, that he only had a large roller so where the ceiling met the wall, there was no paint. He couldn’t be bothered to buy a brush!!! He asked what colour did we want the outside walls. I said to do them in a similar colour but maybe a bit darker. I came downstairs and got on with the housework. My hubby went up later and came down a funny colour. He asked me what colour I had asked the builder to paint them. I told him. He suggested I go upstairs and have a look. They were bright pink!!! Also, no paintbrush again so where the roller wouldn’t reach, it wasn’t painted. Also, he had painted pink over half of the air-con unit!!! At this point, I just wanted him to go. Told him it was great, paid the final amount and bought tons of cream paint. We will go over it ourselves. NOBODY I have spoken to (no matter whether they have paid lots of money to reputable Spanish builders or not) has been satisfied with building work they have had done. The main points of complaint seem to be:- Ø Everything is mañana and this is really frustrating Ø They try to charge more when it comes to the end of the job Ø Shoddy workmanship in general (it is easier to do some of it yourself but you shouldn’t have to if you have paid for it) Ask around and see if people you know have used builders and if so, if they would recommend them. Maybe you could ask to see work that they have previously done. We were very unlucky as our builder came highly recommended to us from a good Spanish friend. It was just one of those things. We thought we had been careful and that we were getting a good builder, too!!! Lisa Hodgkiss Editor The North West Murcia Gazette www.nwmg.info THIS SPANISH BUILDER IS NOT ON CASADOCTORAS APROVED REGISTER