Changing rooms

Tom Galvin forged a reputation by giving commercial buildings a new lease of life. Now his property maintenance firm, Adrem, has its sights set on a £20m turnover

When Tom Galvin started his career as a quantity surveyor in 1976, the refurbishment industry didn't exist, he says. "There was a lot of new-build and no such thing as high-quality refurbishment." But in the early 1980s when it became big business to "add life" to properties, Galvin sealed his reputation working on refurbishments for high net-worth private clients.

He was asked to become managing director of property maintenance firm Adrem in 1983 and the business made a name for itself in the corporate world working for brewery Samuel Smith on pub refurbishments such as Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese and the Cittie of Yorke in London in the mid-1990s.

Galvin explains how he also spotted a bigger strategic opportunity for the business outside the private sector. "We took a policy decision to set up a public sector division targeting NHS, local authority and government departments. We filled in as many forms [to win contracts] as we could and that was our bread and butter up until last year," he says.

Projects included a £3m external repair and redecoration job for Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation, a £1.1m laboratory and business suite refurbishment at Brunel University and a £900,000 birthing pools suite installation at Whittington Hospital, north London.

And then Britain fell into recession, and a raft of austerity measures to tackle the huge budget deficit has hit public sector spending. Galvin says the business first felt the squeeze in early 2009.

"Our margins were coming right down. We did one job, which was a £600,000 fast-track mental health refurb, and I think we made £1,500."
Luckily, says Galvin, the company had another string to its bow. "We'd made the very good strategic decision to start a maintenance department. There's no denying it's a massive market, because so few do it well."

The business reported a £5.5m turnover in 2009, which has fallen to an estimated £4m this year because public sector work has dried up. But Galvin has ambitions to reach £15m to £20m turnover by 2012 through further diversification.

"We're looking at setting up dedicated sub-departments within the maintenance unit that will be substantial in their own right. The electrical and plumbing/heating divisions, for example, are a huge growth area for us," he explains. Once they are firmly established, he has his sights set on social housing maintenance and the "must-have" sectors such as building management systems software, and drainage or fire protection.
"I like the look of businesses where you don't have a choice of whether to use them or not. But we won't do it until we're ready."

If one thing defines his style and differentiates his business, it's attention to detail. He says he has instilled a culture at Adrem that strives for perfection. "We have an ultimate test—what would you do if it were your mum's house?" says Galvin.

His 50 employees are taught to use their initiative and leave behind a happy customer. But, most of all, they have to be prepared to work hard and close the job.

Published on 01 September 2010 Director Magazine

Prepare your home for the change in season...

Prepare your home for wind and rain...

After a dried summertime and a difficult wintertime, your roofs and guttering might begin to spring a leak out.

Comply these tips to assure these troubles do not materialise…

1. Repoint your terrace- this will add up years of life.

2. Take out any plants growth from your masonry and aim the breaks they leave behind

3. Look into your property for signs of missing pointing. Particularly the roof parapets and flashing pointing – if you discover some acquire a quotation from a roofer.

4. Begin assuring gutters and gullies for leaves and clear them away

Published 10 August 2010 Full Portion Media

Adrem MD Mr. Tom Galvin talks about construction industry last quarter growth

We certainly have had a very busy three months here at Adrem, which - and it’s no coincidence I'm sure is down to the start of our marketing campaigns targeting the
private sector to both residential consumers and professional property managers.

The anecdotal evidence is that things are bad - we hear stories everyday of people
who aren't working, impending cutbacks and we get lots of unsolicited enquires from people looking for work. However we have no hard evidence of this, other than the
huge response to our in-house recruitment campaigns. The last ad for a senior
electrician generated 150 replies.

We have used this to our advantage and used the downturn to recruit good staff that otherwise would have been too expensive and unavailable.

We are also hearing of a bit of a meltdown in one of the larger Social Housing Sector maintenance contractors with some of their people jumping ship rather than waiting to be pushed.

There is also much evidence that the worst is yet to come but again no one can say for sure. Allegedly one in four of every pound spent by Government is borrowed and the target is to bring that to zero promptly. Therefore unless there is further tax revenue to top up the shortfall (and that is unlikely in my opinion) there will be considerable less money around and construction will take a big hit.

Don’t mess with Electricity!

Tips

• Water and electricity don’t mix – never touch a wired fitting or appliance while in contact with water.

Published 21 July 2010 Full Portion Media

Don’t mess with Electricity!

Tips

• Know the location of your main fuse board and always have a torch in the house to help you locate it in case you have a power cut.

Published 19 July 2010 Full Portion Media

Don’t mess with Electricity!

Tips

• Always use a competent person, preferably one certified by the NICEIC, they’re easy to find and plentiful.

Published 16 July 2010 Full Portion Media

Do It Yourself and transform your walls!

Impress your friends and loved ones by tackling the trickiest of DIY tasks and transform your walls! With the summer months on the way out, and winter approaching, insulating your home should be a top priority.

With careful planning and preparation you can take on the hardest of tasks such as plastering, wallpapering and tiling, and transform your home!

Tips you can try at home:

1) What’s the best way to prepare walls for painting?

• First, open up the cracks on the wall using a scraper and fill all holes/cracks with a good filler (such as Polyfilla Interior Filler).
• After this has set, rub down with coarse sandpaper and after that a fine paper.
• Then apply PVA/water mix-coat to all the area you intend to paint and your wall is now ready for decoration. This will seal the surface from dust etc.

2) Should you always use lining paper when wallpapering?

• Yes, you should always use lining paper when wallpapering as it will help cover any small hairline cracks.
• Always remember to lay lining paper horizontally and wall paper vertically.

3) What’s the most effective way to fill a hole in a wall?

• Firstly, rake out the hole with a scraper, unibond PVA, make sure you clear all dust from hole and fill.
• Rub it down as we have described above using coarse and fine sandpaper

Angelo Serra, who works for Home Maintenance Company, Adrem, says the key to tackling wall maintenance and indeed, any home maintenance venture, is organisation:

“To successfully repair or revamp your walls, you must always, always prepare. Make sure the walls are smooth and holes/cracks are filled. If you’re decorating a large room, make one wall a feature by wallpapering it with a bold colour matching paper. Or, if not wallpapering, paint one wall in a different colour from the other walls.”

With over 27 years of experience, Adrem can offer assistance on the most basic of common DIY problems to the most problematic, ranging from break-in repairs to kitchen-fittings, heating repairs to plastering.

For all media enquiries regarding Adrem Home Maintenance Services, please contact Amanda Francis on 0845 225 1500 or email amanda@fullportion.com.

EDITORS’ NOTES

• Adrem is the one-stop shop for your home maintenance problems.
• We provide a 24/7 property maintenance service across London since 1983.
• Our team of qualified experts have over 250 years collective experience across the trades (plumbers, gas engineers, electricians, painters, roofers, locksmiths, decorators and handymen).
• We offer a reliable, thorough and transparent service finding you a solution quickly.
• For more information please visit our website, www.adrem.co.uk.

Published 13 July 2010 Full Portion Media

Q. What’s a PAT test and do I need one?

A. This is not to check your Irish Ancestry! It stands for Portable Appliance Test. This is a test to see if your wired appliances such as kettles, toasters, TVs (portable – yes I know hardly portable but still a wired appliance), fridges (same again) etc are safe to use. If you are a Landlord and you supply these to your tenants then you need an annual test on these. If you are a homeowner you don’t – but again if you are suspicious of anything then don’t hesitate to get your local sparky around.

Published 12 July 2010 Full Portion Media

Q. I keep getting shocks when I touch door handles – should I have anti-static carpet installed or get my electrics tested?

A. Ah ha – a good one. Probably not is the reply. Check the BBC weather website on days when you are getting shocks off of door handles, you will probably find that humidity readings are 40% or lower. When the air is this dry, there is not enough moisture to naturally discharge static you accumulate as would happen naturally when the air is moist (moisture conducts electricity – get it?) If you get a shock when you touch a wired appliance or fitting then, yes – get it checked!

Published 09 July 2010 Full Portion Media

Published on 08 July 2010

Adrem in BBC Good Homes Magazine!

Adrem are featured in a fantastic article in BBC Good Homes Magazine this month! It’s a really great piece on DIY advice and features one of Adrem’s maintenance men- Angelo Serra.

Published 08 July 2010 Full Portion Media

Published on 07 July 2010

Q. My light bulbs keep blowing. Is there a problem with my electrics?

A. First you must ask yourself how long the lights are on for. An average incandescent (old-fashioned) bulb, will last for on average 1000 hours. A halogen lasts 2000 hours and a long life bulb, 5000 hours. Once you add up the hours of use you will probably find you are withering the range. If bulbs are blowing much sooner than their average life span, you may want an electrician to check the circuits.

Published 07 July 2010 Full Portion Media

PRESS RELEASE 18.06.10

Published on 18 June 2010

Let your drainage problems disappear down the plughole!

As the warmer summer months beckon, unwanted odours that emanate from drains can prove quite the conversation stopper at summer barbeques! To avoid any social faux-pas over the sunny months, ensure that any drainage problems are quickly eliminated by checking the following.

Home Maintenance Tips you can try at home:
1. If you’re worried that your drains maybe slightly blocked – DON’T be persuaded to put an acid like One-Shot down the plug hole. Instead unscrew the u bend, wash it out and screw it back on again. This will not only save you the cost of an ineffective product but it also helps save the planet!
2. Where the rain water pipe comes down your building, make sure that the water is going into the drain and not splashing out, as this could cause rising damp in your property.
3. Think about what you’re putting down the plughole or flushing down the loo - DO NOT try and flush away things that do not break down such as sanitary towels, cotton buds, condoms, grease etc. These can be very expensive mistakes to make and can lead to extensive maintenance work, which if you’re living in an apartment can lead to increased service charges so watch out!

And if all else fails, contact the professionals! Tom Galvin, MD of home maintenance company, Adrem says:

“Drains are a real problem over the summer months - although during the winter months, drains become more blocked, as the weather warms up the heat reacts with the remnants of everyday life that disappear down the drains, causing foul odours. This is exacerbated when water traps evaporate. In cities during continued hot weather you can sometimes smell a drain like odour on the streets. This sometimes comes from the road gullies whose traps dry up during hot weather. If you have a smelly drain or road gully outside your property causing you some serious whiffs throw a few buckets of water down and hey presto - give it an hour or so and all should be fine. You may need to repeat in a continuing dry period.

Likewise if you are off on hols for a few weeks or more the same principle can apply to your basins, bath and shower traps. The water can evaporate if its not used for a while so when you get back from your travels you may get a noseful. Again ‘just add water’.....”

With over 27 years of experience, Adrem can offer assistance on the most basic of common DIY problems to the most problematic, ranging from break-in repairs to kitchen-fittings, heating repairs to plastering.

Local London homeowner, Stewart Dresner said,

“We had planned to host a barbeque but on the day we discovered a foul smell coming from our drains that we couldn’t shift. I called Adrem and they sent someone round within two hours who fixed the problem quickly and professionally. Thanks to them, the problem was dealt with and the barbeque was a great success!”

For all media enquiries regarding Adrem Home Maintenance Services, please contact Amanda Francis on 0845 225 1500 or email amanda@fullportion.com.

EDITORS’ NOTES

• Adrem is the one-stop shop for your home maintenance problems.
• We provide a 24/7 property maintenance service across London since 1983.
• Our team of qualified experts have over 250 years collective experience across the trades (plumbers, gas engineers, electricians, painters, roofers, locksmiths, decorators and handymen).
• We offer a reliable, thorough and transparent service finding you a solution quickly.
• For more information please visit our website, www.adrem.co.uk.

Published 02 July 2010 Full Portion Media

PRESS RELEASE 15.06.10

Published on 15 June 2010

Win a DIY treat for your dad this Father’s Day!

To celebrate your lovely Dad this Father’s Day, enter our great competition with Adrem Home Maintenence!

Adrem are a 24/7 home and property maintenence service and are offering a free one-to-one DIY session with one of their experienced handymen.

The lucky Dad willl learn tips from the best in the business and the Adrem handyman will come to the lucky winner’s home address for the one-to-one.

Is your Dad great? Does he love DIY? Then celebrate your wonderful dad this Father’s Day, courtesy of Adrem.

For a chance to win this prize, answer the following question:

Which of the following tools is just to fix nails into a wall?

A. Spanner
B. Hammer
C. Wrench

If you think you know the answer, email amanda@fullportion.com by Fathers Day, Sunday 20th June.

Published 15 June 2010 Full Portion Media

PRESS RELEASE 15.06.10

Published on 15 June 2010

World Cup Widows combat DIY problems

Women all over the UK will find themselves home alone during the summer months, as boyfriends and husbands alike will be gathering to celebrate, or perhaps commiserate England’s efforts in this year’s World Cup. So what happens when disaster strikes at home and our men are nowhere to be found? World Cup Widows will roll up their cardigan sleeves and tackle that toolbox!

With their partners in the pub, women will take it upon themselves to solve the household DIY problems that may occur. Let’s just hope that they’ve taken advice from the experts! Home maintenance company, Adrem, have the following tips to offer (if any DIY problems prove unsolvable, Adrem also offer a 24/7 service)

Adrem’s Top Tips for World Cup Widows!

Changing a fluorescent tube or starter
• Turn off the light at the switch and leave it for a while for the tube to cool.
• Switch off the light circuit by switching off the trip at the consumer unit.
• To replace the starter, press it, twist anti-clockwise (a quarter turn) and pull it out. Put the new starter in, press it and turn it clockwise to lock it in position. Switch the light circuit back on and check that the light works.
• To replace the tube, unclip the diffuser (if fitted). Remove the tube by twisting it to allow the contact pins at each end of the tube to drop down through the grooves in the end support brackets. You may need to pull the ends of the fitting apart to remove the tube. Fit the new tube by sliding the contact pins up through the grooves in the end support brackets. Twist it into place. Switch the light circuit back on and check if the light works.

Unblocking a toilet
• If the pan is already full, remove some of the water into a bucket using some form of scoop, for example, a jug or bowl.
• Push the brush or plunger to the bottom of the pan and pump it up and down vigorously about 10 times. This may shift the blockage.
• Flush the toilet to see whether the blockage has gone.
• You may need to repeat this process several times before the toilet flushes normally.

How to stop a leaking overflow
• This is usually a simple job…remove the cistern lid and flush the toilet. Then lift the ball float up and check if the water flow stops.
• If the water does not stop, the ball valve needs replacing or rewashering.
• If the water flow stops, the ball valve needs adjusting.
• If the ball valve is the older, metal piston type, carefully bend the float arm to push the ball float down about one inch (25 millimetres). Then let the cistern fill and check the new water level. Adjust the float arm again if necessary.
• If the ball valve is the modern, plastic diaphragm type, loosen the lock nut (turn anti-clockwise), turn the adjusting screw on the float arm a couple of turns (clockwise) and tighten the lock nut. Let the cistern fill and check the new water level. Adjust the float arm further if necessary by repeating the above procedure.

Adrem’s MD Tom Galvin comments,
“With the World Cup on the horizon, we are expecting an increase in calls for home maintenance problems. Yet by following our helpful tips, World Cup widows can ensure that any of these problems can be solved quickly and efficiently.”

For all media enquiries regarding Adrem Home Maintenance Services, please contact Amanda Francis on 0845 225 1500 or email amanda@fullportion.com.

EDITORS’ NOTES

• Adrem is the one-stop shop for your home maintenance problems.
• We provide a 24/7 property maintenance service across London since 1983.
• Our team of qualified experts have over 250 years collective experience across the trades (plumbers, gas engineers, electricians, painters, roofers, locksmiths, decorators and handymen).
• We offer a reliable, thorough and transparent service finding you a solution quickly.
• For more information please visit our website, www.adrem.co.uk.

Published 17 May 2010 Full Portion Media

PRESS RELEASE 10.05.10

Published on 17 May 2010

Don't let DIY disasters spring a leak in your Bank Holiday weekend!

With promises of a scorching summer ahead, the forthcoming May Bank Holiday weekend should be a time for rest and relaxation over a BBQ and
a beer. For some however, the Bank Holiday weekend spells the time for those all-important DIY chores to be tackled…but beware of DIY disasters!

A weekend of DIY spanning from Saturday through to Monday may fill husbands and boyfriends alike with dread, but help is at hand with Adrem, whose 24/7 services will curb any unexpected DIY catastrophes in any part of London. They have the following tips to offer:

10 DIY Do's and Dont’s This May Bank Holiday

1) When DIY'ing indoors always use dustsheets - even if you are doing a 'dry job' eg hanging a picture. You don't know what’s going to happen...
if you have a wooden floor for example and you drop the picture the dustsheet can prevent any expensive repair to the floor.

2) If you are going to spend more than £5-£10 on plastic dust sheets buy a 110m2 Homebase Mega dust sheet roll instead of individual sheets.
This will save you a fortune and at a cost of 8p per m2, it knocks spots off other smaller dust sheets - which can cost 25p per m2 or more.

3) Tools! The best tradesmen have all the tools necessary. This makes work look easy. Hire tools you don’t have, local tool hire companies will often be much cheaper than the nationals. Shop around for the best prices and take advantages of great credit crunch offers. They want your business.

4) Clean your gutters and check they are ‘falling’ correctly. Blocked or sludged or out of level gutters can cause big damp problems – when water runs off the gutter onto masonry – this can damage your paintwork on the outside and can even saturate walls internally.

5) Buy online. Not just for price but delivery too! Even the biggest building contractors buy regularly from the likes of screwfix.com. They save fortunes – not having to collect form builders merchants by having stuff delivered to them next day.

6) Don’t mess with gas. Only Gas Safe approved tradesmen are licensed to touch gas water heaters boilers, hobs or gas fires. Boilers are basically controlled bombs. Don't touch!

7) Don’t choose colours from a colour chart – get some samples and test them on a small section of the wall to see how they’ll look under natural light.

8) Stay safe – A&Es are full of cut and severed appendages, head injuries and broken limbs all arising from DIY accidents on Bank Holiday weekends.

9) Overestimate the amount of work. I’ve never heard of someone complain they had too much time to do a job.

10) Don’t bite off more than you can chew – call in the professionals when necessary!

Adrem’s Managing Director Tom Galvin comments,
“At Adrem, we pride ourselves in offering simple solutions for all maintenance requirements. We have spent the last 27 years honing our skills - working mainly for knowlegeable and demanding property professionals. We have skilled tradesmen available throughout the weekend. Just google 'Adrem.co.uk' and call or email us. Let our experienced tradesmen take the heat off your Bank Holiday weekend”.

DIY disasters can be easily avoided to ensure a stress-free and relaxed Bank Holiday weekend. For more information on Adrem please visit www.adrem.co.uk

For all media enquiries regarding Adrem Home Maintenance Services, please contact Natalie Whitlock on 0845 225 1500 or email natalie@fullportion.com.

EDITORS’ NOTES

• Adrem is the one-stop shop for your home maintenance problems.
• We provide a 24/7 property maintenance service across London since 1983.
• Our team of qualified experts have over 250 years collective experience across the trades (– plumbers, gas engineers, electricians, painters, roofers, locksmiths, decorators and handymen).
• We offer a reliable, thorough and transparent service finding you a solution quickly.
• For more information please visit our website, www.adrem.co.uk

Published 17 May 2010 this is Nottingham
Published 17 May 2010 response source
Published 18 May 2010 my news desk