DIY in Tenerife

The number of ferreterías dotted around the island is a testament to the fact that DIY is an island wide preoccupation.  Not to be left out, expats are just as enthusiastic DIY-ers as anyone else – perhaps even more so.  However, improving your Tenerife home will mean refining some different skills than the ones you may have been used to in the UK or Ireland.

Most of us come from countries where concrete is not often used for residential construction.  So we are used to wooden frames and stud walls with plasterboard panelling.  Show us some joists and floorboards, and we know what to do.  These materials are easy to work with as well as being quite forgiving if you make a mistake.  They are fairly light and easy to handle, screws secure themselves well to wood, and even glue will stick hard. 

Unfortunately concrete and block structures are less tolerant of amateurs.  Many an expat has been driven to a spluttering rage just trying to get a simple picture hook to stay in a wall.   A job that would be simple in a stud wall, such as moving a switch, can become a major exercise.  You might need an angle grinder, chisel or wire detector as well as somewhere to put the resulting mess.  And then to fill up the hole you have left will require more tools as you render and maybe even cut tiles to fit.  What you might have been able to get away with using a Stanley knife and a drill in the UK, an operation that seems almost surgical in its precision, becomes a virtual amputation in a concrete structure. 

There are no unsightly drains and pipes running down the outside of houses in Tenerife.  All pipes and wires are securely concreted into walls and floors.  This is fine until you want to make a change, or something goes wrong.  You can’t carpet over the hole you left in the floor.  As well as new skills, an expat DIY enthusiast is going to need some different tools.  Concrete is a heavy material, and the machinery used on it is correspondingly beefy, and buying them can push your budget for a project way beyond what the most expensive tradesman would have charged.

Using a plant hire company

The tools and machinery required for working with concrete are heavy and expensive, and a plant hire company is the ideal solution.  Tools such as demolition hammers are amongst the most common tools hired in Tenerife.  Just as popular are things like scaffolding and ladders that are only required occasionally, or take up a lot of space to store.  The more ambitious builders will hire portacabins, generators, skips and even cranes.  For a homeowner a good plant hire outlet is an invaluable resource.  From cleaners for tiled floors to cultivators and strimmers for the garden, there are all sorts of tools that you only need every now and then. 

When you use a plant hire company, take care of how they charge.  Most companies charge at a daily rate, which can become very expensive over a just few days.  The common way to hire in the UK, for example, is that three days of hire is the same price as a week.  It is possible to find the same hiring policy in Tenerife, and it is well worth it as 40% of plant is hired for longer than originally planned.  Also ensure that in the event of the machine breaking down, a replacement machine will be offered.  You don’t want to waste money and time on a dud. 

Many of the machines hired are large, and potentially dangerous if not handled correctly.  Ensure that your plant hire company trains you to your satisfaction when they drop off a tool.  Needless to say, it may be easier to do this if they speak English.