A teapot in a changing room at the airport was left to leak and create a mess, but luckily no one was injured.
Changing Rooms is a British sitcom about the lives of two women who enter into an arranged marriage. The show was released on Channel 4 in November 2016 and has since been renewed for a second series.
Handy Andy was a Changing Rooms legend for bringing impossible constructions to life (Picture:REX)
‘Helpful Andy’ is a nickname for a person who is always willing to help Kane may be a Changing Rooms icon from the show’s first season, but that doesn’t mean he’s immune to the occasional DIY catastrophe.
The 55-year-old builder was responsible for bringing Changing Rooms’ avant-garde ideas to life – but one of them, the legendary “teapot catastrophe,” will live on forever.
When designer Linda Barker commissioned a floating shelf to hold a participant’s £6,000 teapot collection, it was destroyed in one fell swoop… The bookcase was then weighted down with heavy volumes, causing it to fall overnight.
‘It went wrong because they placed too much weight on it,’ Andy told Metro.co.uk. The shelf was clearly only for show, and it would have been great with just the teapots on it, but then they began stacking books at the bottom.
‘At the time, I told him that books are extremely heavy.’ But they went on, and it’s just one of those things. It was terrible when it occurred, and everyone was devastated, but now you simply joke about it. Isn’t it true, however, that it was excellent entertainment?
‘In other episodes of the program, they would put chairs on the wall or hang chairs from the ceilings, and as a contractor, you would go “really?!?” but that is interior design for you.’
‘The owner was advised before we began that she shouldn’t have any really rare items out on display for obvious reasons,’ Andy said.
‘There are probably ten or fifteen individuals in there, ranging from cameramen to soundmen to producers.’ There were a lot of people there, runners and everything, so the odds of nothing breaking were quite low, and they definitely did!’
Handy Andy, as a skilled craftsman, has seen his fair share of do-it-yourselfers goof up when attempting to recreate a Changing Rooms makeover in their own homes.
Linda Barker had been cautioned by Andy not to stack heavy books on the hanging shelves that housed £6000 worth of teapots (Picture:)
The books caused the building to collapse, destroying all of the teapots (Picture:)
‘One of the things that usually jumps out is that people don’t attach things to the wall properly – they’re either using the incorrect size Rawlplug or screw,’ he says. This is the most frequent and straightforward thing to avoid.
‘I’ve gone to locations where people have thought it would be simple to install a new tap or toilet, but they haven’t used any PTFE tape, which you put on before you tighten the nut, and they’ve sprung a leak so severe that the roof has collapsed.’
When it comes to house renovations, Handy Andy recommends painting, decorating, and even tiling, saying, “If you take your time and always begin by laying out a plan and making sure you have the appropriate equipment, there are plenty of YouTube tutorials that can help you do it yourself.”
Handy Andy has given his recommendations for DIY projects that people may do themselves, as well as those they should avoid (Photo: Dick Barnatt/Redferns).
While there are many simple DIY projects that individuals may undertake to enhance their houses, there are certain jobs that should be left to the professionals.
Andy cautions that there are certain things that householders should never try to do themselves because they may be dangerous if done incorrectly: ‘Never do anything with electricity because you can’t see it or smell it, so it’s like a hidden killer.’ It is very hazardous.
‘Water is another one, I always say, unless you’re very, very skilled, I wouldn’t go near anything to do with plumbing unless you’re very, very competent.’ Another is unquestionably gas — these are the three no-nos, in addition to obvious stuff like climbing on rooftops.
Channel 4 has further information.
‘However, there are three items in the home that anybody may touch, but they should not be touched.’
Handy As part of MORE THAN insurance’s 20th anniversary celebrations, Andy Kane has joined up with the company to provide homeowners practical tips on how to do DIY safely. According to the insurer’s study, one out of every four homeowners admits to causing unintentional damage to their house when doing DIY.
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