Jim'll Fix It! Eastbourne Handyman Extraordinaire!
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Can someone tell me why imperial external doors are normally 78"high in all widths except 32" width (which is 80" high). I can't find anyone who can give me a coherent answer. Its left me scratching my head.

Oak doors look fantastic. I fitted one today, and I was pleased with the finish. To my eye, oak just looks more solid , more dependable, than other grain patterns. One thing I do know is that tools have to be sharp to work oak. At a cost of six hundred pounds a door retail, believe me, my tools were very sharp. It often takes a long time to hang an external door in an old frame. Today was one of those times. Luckily the weather was reasonable, and so I was able to get the work done outside. It can be a bit dusty with all those wood shavings. The final result is worth the effort. It looks fabulous. Yet another happy customer.

After I'd finished hanging the door, I went on to an elderly customer of mine, who wanted me to re-hook, and re-hang, her winter drapes. If you think oak is heavy, try balancing on a ladder with a full set of curtains draped all over you, at the same time as your trying to get the curtain hook through the track eye. Now that really is hard work.

To finish off the day, I installed a cat flap in a new UPvC door. It only takes a couple of minutes.

Plastic doors are actually very, very, easy to cut through. The customer was amazed how little stood between him and the outside world. A sandwich of two thin sheets of plastic filled with foam.

An oak door can last a couple of hundred years.

How long would you estimate a plastic door will last?

Answers by email please!