IAN and HELGA,,ONWARDS and UPWARDS!!

Langtoftlad said:
My local Facebook groups... folk are always looking for recommendations for reliable tradespeople... so I wouldn't dismiss it
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How would ian get any recommendations if he hasn’t done any work there yet ?
 
Once you setup a Facebook page Ian you can post pictures of all your previous work and also get the funsters who you have worked for to leave reviews for you ? then that will give you a positive image and it won't cost anything. Hope this helps and best of luck with everything.
 
Robert Clark said:
How would ian get any recommendations if he hasn’t done any work there yet ?
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Mr Beaumont said:
Once you setup a Facebook page Ian you can post pictures of all your previous work and also get the funsters who you have worked for to leave reviews for you ? then that will give you a positive image and it won't cost anything. Hope this helps and best of luck with everything.
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This
 
Robert Clark said:
Or looked at another way
80% of your work does not come from Facebook
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thats just playing with statistics not many people would be happy to loose 20% of their incomefor years i did conversions and jobbing work from newspaper adverts now putting an ad in a local paper is like shoving money down a drain
building trade is different to owning a fixed company or a shop your van is the biggest advert ive alway found you need to be flexible taking allsorts of work to keep it rolling alonga mix of private and subbing from others
 
Perfect name for the company and the van looks blinding guvnor ... You need to get those crayons out now and write your name and company catchphrase on the van ... What about Ian Young Building Services ' I aint young anymore but I can service you if you like' ... Blinding , diamond even ... Your guna have them single ladies drooling

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Again good advice from all perspectives,, thanks,,

If I was to open a Facebook page, for work, I would have to write a column explaining my work, travels etc for the last 3 years,, now I don’t think that would go down too well ,,,

So if I do open a Facebook page, it would be after a reasonable amount of work was done here!! I think that would be sensible,And I will prob do that !!

I will try and increase my circle of humans, but I won’t be doing it in pubs!
Doing what I did in Canterbury seemed to work, phoning builders, etc and visiting various places where I see them working, offering my services, till I get work of my own,,

Keep suggestions coming though,, it’s interesting,, Xx
 
Hi big1 ,,

Just spoke to gus, alls good,, Adac are recovering his van back to Spain, from the fiat dealers where it is,, Him and Alfie, the dog, are in a hotel for the night, and he picks up a hire car tomorrow and heads for home!

Motorhome has blown a bearing into the valve or something, ( I know nothing of cars) and he thinks sourcing a new engine is the cheapest option!

Thanks for the heads up though, nice on! Xx
 
Perhaps see if your local builders’ merchants, any related businesses etc. will let you leave some of your business cards on their trade counters; supermarket advertising boards. All the best with your new venture Ian. :)
 
houdini said:
Perhaps see if your local builders’ merchants, any related businesses etc. will let you leave some of your business cards on their trade counters; supermarket advertising boards. All the best with your new venture Ian. :)
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A mate of mine put some in B&Q which picked up some work

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Hi Ian, if you can build me that new build across the road that we discussed when you built the extension, at the same price you quoted I will get the plans in this week. Same terms and conditions as last time. That should keep you busy for a while. Have also got permission for another similar extension next door when thats finished. Things have moved along very fast since you were up here last.
 
Good morning,,,

Well,,, I’m sitting outside with a lovely hot brew, under my canopy, watching and listening to the thunder, lightning, and rain,,,

It’s been a while since I’ve seen or heard anything this dramatic! Awesome!!

Not got too much else to report, going out tomorrow to see a few more people, put some cards out, make a few enquiries, proofing the advert that goes in Thursday,,
And hopefully the sign people will have something to show me? We shall see!!

Still a bit wobbly on what’s going on, but I think if I just keep getting up, going along with life and looking forward, it will all work out for the best! Xxxx
 
Wow, Ian, you were up early this morning. I thought I was early at 5.45.
Good that you have got sorted as to which direction to take.
Onwards and upwards.
Not been good bricklaying weather this past week around here. Never known so many consecutive days of rain. Got scaffolding being removed today so that fascia fitter can finish last run of fascia and guttering. He’s worked through the rain, with the help of tarpaulins some days. He will finish today and we are booked on Newhaven/Dieppe ferry tomorrow afternoon and then heading to Loire and La Rochelle (Ile de Re) for a rest and plenty of biking.
David.
 
Well good evening,, actually it’s good morning,, I’m sitting here having a brew, and tonight I’ve struggled to get to sleep,, due to the situation with my mum and brother,, I just cannot shake a feeling of something not being right!! And being as you lot are the closest thing to family I have,, or feel like I have, this is it!!

I’m not one for washing my dirty laundry in public etc, but I do feel that I might get a bit of help, advice from a few of you!

This is a bit of a story, but I will try to tell it, in as much detail as I know, or am led to believe!! So here we go!


When my dad ( retired policeman) died, my brother and his mrs, who were living in a house she owned, which was in negative equity,, got my mum ( unbeknown to me) to sell her bungalow, and all move into a new build house in a village outside Bury St Edmunds, it is a four bed affair and quite spacious,,

Now I only found out about this when I rang my mum and told her I was coming to see her, a couple of weeks, maybe a month after dads funeral!! They gave me the new address and off I went!

Now my mum had two rooms upstairs in the house,, a lounge and a bedroom!

Now I have never or did never question my mum about her personal finances, I never saw it as any of my business,,, when dad died, he had money, savings from a police pension, and sale of a nursing home they both owned and ran for years,,

Mum got her widows pension, which I believe was about £1400 a month, maybe a bit more? Which she has had since dad died, some 20 odd years ago,,, which roughly would come to around £300,000 over time,, till recently,,,,,

Now when dad died and I went to see them at the house,, they were all good,, mum even gave me the promise of £10,000 which I actually had some months later when I was abroad travelling around the USA,,, ( they transferred it to me while I was there).

Ok, so I never had to worry about mum,, and on the occasional visit, every 2/3 years or so, all seemed to be good,,,, she seemed happy! Then after a few years my brother started to ring me and apart from a few niceties, seemed very happy to be bragging about what he had bought etc! Anyway,,,,

When I visited mum only recently ( you know the story) she had a wobbly moment and said to me, that she felt like she’d let me down,, not a bit of it, I reassured her, thinking that she may have felt guilty for me leaving home at 16 yrs old,,,,, I never gave the statement another thought!

But when I was with her,, my brother had no problem telling me that , the house is only in his name( not his wife’s?) mum paid for a large conservatory they had built,, years ago, apparently it was around £12,000

I can’t for the life of me work out how he affords his lifestyle,, he drives a lorry,, his mrs doesn’t and has never worked,,

They also have a son, Brandon, who unfortunately has a disability called prada willy syndrome ( I don’t know if that’s the right spelling). Who my brother never gets tired of telling me brings in a wage ( allowance) and gets them a free brand new car, on disability every 3 years, and has done for 18/20 yrs!!

I also remembered when I was visiting mum that she used to have a large collection of swarzcoff crystal figures,, Lots of them, and they have actually not been seen or mentioned for years! Also he told me that mum had been paying the rent! To live in a house she presumably had bought? ( or most of it)

Now the reason I’m sharing this is due to a phone call I had with my brother, the day mum passed,,, it went like this,,,,

Ian, she went last night in her sleep,, ok mate I replied,, he then told me that her body, as requested by her, had been accepted at a teaching hospital, and her eyes had been used for cornea transplants,,

Ok, so after a brief chat, he said that he was going to sort all her bits out, finances etc,, and it was then I asked him if I could have mums wedding ring and a few of the photos we had looked at together,,, yes mate he said, I will put them by for you! I’m also going to sort out the bank, pension etc,, upon to which I replied,,, Do we need a solicitor for that ??

Then the call got strange,,, WELL YOU Flipping DO !! He shouted, and slammed the phone down,,

In my ignorance I was a bit shocked at the extreme change of attitude,, I immediately rang him back, and I was laughing, because I honestly thought he’d dropped the phone or

we’d been cut off!! It rang a couple of times,, and it was answered,, I chuckled and said, did you put the phone down on me mate, and after a second or two his wife came on the phone, accusing me of being after my mums money,, and don’t bother ringing again!!

I was a bit shocked to say the least,,

I received a text message a bit later saying that he would sort it out and let me know! I replied I’m not interested in arguing!! And that was the last I have heard!

Now to recap ,,,,

Dads savings ( which were sizeable)
Money from the sale of a bungalow,
Widows pension for 22/3/4/ years,,,

I have never ever been interested in my mums finances,,, but I just can’t shake the feeling that he was / they were very quick to shout and scream, when I mentioned the need for a solicitor,, I just think maybe something isn’t right!!

Now I can go into smaller detail if required,, but the advice I would like is this!!

Do you think I should get a solicitor to look into my mums finances, etc,, I have no idea who she banked with,,,

Now, as far as I’m aware, she didn’t go out much, she had a couple of nice holidays in the past, she didn’t smoke,, never drove a car,, wasn’t a gambler, or a drunk,, And it just seems a bit strange that he told me, maybe in jest, she had a tenner in the bank when she died!

Would you want to know more???

And maybe there’s someone on here who could help me??

Now,, I’m happy with putting my mum to rest, mentally, but I can’t shake this nagging feeling of maybe she wasn’t as happy as I thought!

Would you want to know more,, or do you think I’m just being silly??

Thanks for reading,,, I am happy to have anyone message me or post on here,, the more feedback I get, the happier I will be!!

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Hi Ian
Did your Mum leave a will?
Andrea
 
My opinion for what it’s worth. Just let it go. Walk away and let your Mum rest in peace. What good would getting a solicitor involved do except cost you money to prove what? that your Mum gave all her funds to your brother. Try and prove now it wasn’t done willingly and with her consent.
 
big map said:
My opinion for what it’s worth. Just let it go. Walk away and let your Mum rest in peace. What good would getting a solicitor involved do except cost you money to prove what? that your Mum gave all her funds to your brother. Try and prove now it wasn’t done willingly and with her consent.
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I agree, unless there's a will there is probably not a lot you can do.
 
Sorry to read of your situation. I would certainly want to get to the bottom of the facts. How to go about it, I’m not sure, but somebody on here will come along with advice. If mum died without a will then it would be equally up to you and your brother to wind up her “estate” (as little as it might be). If she left a will, then it would have named such person/s. I think I read that she was a nurse and as such I would have thought that she would have a will......unless she was coerced by your brother not to have one. Perhaps Citizens Advice might be able to help as to direction to point you, for free.
David.

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It seems to me and i may be speaking out of turn but your brother and his wife have been very selfish and greedy with no regard to you. There probably is nothing legally you can do but i would certainly arrange a meeting with them both to run through your late mothers finances past and present,until this is done i dont think you will be able to put it to bed!
 
Ian, sorry to hear of your problem.
It does sound like your brother has been very selfish with your mother's assets, and mother probably nieve in letting him.
I was done over by a selfish step mother when my father died.
You have to move on, don't dwell on it or you'll become bitter.
Good luck Ian with your new venture
 
Unfortunately you could end up with huge lawyer’s bill, once they get involved if more comes to light they keep going ( and charging) I speak from experience and I ended up with less financially than I would have done. The worst aspect was the stress which almost broke me.
I think if your mum didn’t leave a will then you and your brother are jointly responsible for tying up her estate and I think it’ll become obvious what’s gone on.
 
It’s a difficult thing to answer Ian, because only you really know how you feel. If it’s playing in your mind seek answers. If I was you I would just walk away knowing you are a better man than your brother. It’s such a shame that family’s have to get like this all over money. Good luck whatever you do. (y)

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