I know the drill

Young Ealing Foundation requested GoodGym Ealing with a last-minute request. They needed help hanging four items to complete the renovation.

• A mirror
• A wall clock
• A letterbox
• A notice board

The task looked simple and they've only requested for 1-2 GoodGymers. But it needed to be done on Monday between 10-4. So I've set up a mission at lunchtime from 12:30-13:30 this Monday.

Lamise, the task owner welcomed me and showed me what needed to be done.

The wall is 240cm, and the mirror's diameter is 50cm, so that's 190. We need to mark at 95 - Lamise

As she was saying out numbers and measurements quickly, I needed a moment to understand what was going on. After careful measurements using the tape and markings to ensure the mirror is placed at the expected height and center of the wall, I started hammering two nails into the wall. We missed the markings by a cm, so needed to adjust the nail accordingly. The mirror was not easy to hang as it needed careful maneuvering to make the stiff holder sit on top of the nails.

The letter box was the easiest task of the day to hang. But the screwdriver doesn't fit on the corner. Luckily, there was an extender that helped screw the letterbox to the wall. Lamise did a quick test by putting all the mails in the letter box.

It was 1 pm by that point and Lamise asked whether I want to do the easier one or the hard one next. I chose the hard one and hard it was. The notice board is an Ikea Skadis pegboard and the instructions said the frames need to be 16.5cm apart.

It needed to be placed above the radiator. Again we did some geometry to figure out the exact locations to put the nails in. The hammer didn't work as the wall was thicker. I used a drill, but the hole was bigger. We then put a plug and inserted a screw on top of that. After fixing the frames, we tried putting the board on top, but one side doesn't align with the other. We had to redo another side. It was 1:40 pm by that point and I have to run back home to join a meeting.

I thought I can squeeze in a few more minutes for the final task. The clock needed to be hung at a certain height. The problem this time was that the wall is too thick, that the drill doesn't go beyond an inch. So I used a smaller screw and fit the clock.

Lamise felt grateful that GoodGym helped her and as a token of appreciation, she already brought a Pret lunch for me. As I don't want the food to go to waste and as I'm hungry I took it. It's Humous & Falafel Mezze Salad.