Handy Squad: Don't Do It Yourself

Picture the scene six years ago, I'm sweaty, dishevelled but I'm triumphant. Armed with just a screwdriver I've managed to assemble a flat-pack chest of drawers bought on the cheap from Argos. I'm feeling extra smug as I've also changed the handles so it looks a bit posher.

Flash forward to now and here's the results of my handiwork.

Oh dearie dear. It's missing a drawer front, several drawers are collapsing (nothing to do with the amount of clothes I have, honest) and I have to lift the top drawer out each time I want to get something out of the second drawer. And, yet, through a combination of laziness and cluelessness, I've been living with it in this state for about three years.

I think most people have a list of things around their house that really aren't perfect but they just don't have the time, inclination or knowledge to fix up. As you might guess from the state of my chest of drawers, my own list is quite long. And that's why I was delighted to learn about the service of the Handy Squad.

They're a troop of about 15 yellow clad, scooter driving men you can hire to do exactly that kind of job. Sadly, only London based, the Handy Squad can hang pictures, change light bulbs or paint a wall for you amongst their many talents. So, when Bill arrived at my flat, I knew exactly what he should turn his hand to.

Fixed. And that only took 30 minutes. That service would have cost me £20 but in reality it saved me having to fork out for a new chest of drawers. I also learnt that the Handy Squad will also put flat pack furniture up from scratch - if only I'd known that six years ago!

I then asked him to hang the mirror that's been hanging round our living room for a good few months - done in a matter of minutes. Ta da...

If there had been longer, I might have asked him to have a crack our half-completed attempt to seal around our bath - I'm seriously tempted to fork out for the half a day rate to get it done. Added to that, he was polite and very easy to have around while I was attempting to get on with some work. Looking at the Handy Squad website, I realised Bill had also been praised by none other than Samantha Cameron. Now, while I'm sure there's many similarities between my Tooting residence and Cameron mansions, I felt that there was no judgement from him about my slightly scruffy abode and there was no job or flat too small for the Handy Squad to tackle.

So, my advice, for those tasks that in your heart of hearts you know you aren't going to tackle yourself, just hire the handy squad, get it done and then you can get on with your life. In my case, the bonus is that an extra set of drawers is also the perfect excuse to buy a few more clothes.

Hiring a member of the Handy Squad costs £20 for half an hour on weekdays and £30 on evenings and weekends (there's also a £20 call out charge and all prices are subject to VAT). You can also hire them for half a day for £160. Take a look at their website for more details.