Johnthehandyman.ie

18/09/2026

So here is the story of Laura, Declan and little Charlies home. I really love meeting new people and try my best to turn their projects into dreams come through. It was lovely to be a small part of their little family for a week. One of the highlights everyday was arriving to a note on the counter inviting me to help myself to the delicious snacks every day 🙂 I was invited to drop in to Sliabh Rua to take a look at a ceiling that had water damage and quote for some painting , mainly the sitting room and hall stairs and landing.
I tackled the sitting room first. The walls were in extremely bad shape. I understand how difficult it can be moving into your first home, high mortgages, young family, trying to create your dream home and all th pressures associated with life. I decided I wanted to try help them make their home look really Specials. Laura had picked some really nice colours but the walls were in a very rough condition. so instead of just filling in the bad. parts I decided I would skim them to try and get the best possible finish as a thank you for the work..
So if you are still reading I ask you to help me out with a like , a comment and a share to let people see the care and pride I take in my work and get some much needed work in.....

16/09/2026

Delighted the way this one is turning out. Working hard for a fantastic young couple adding the wow factor to their beautiful home….

25/07/2026

Hi Folks, what an amazing spell of weather we just had. Here is a job I completed a couple of weeks ago. It is a smaller job where I was asked to paint the exterior window cills and around the windows and plinth and front of Peaders house. It is amazing what a little bit of paint can do to freshen up a home....

05/07/2026

01/07/2026

Well back to what I am all about, turning my customers dreams into reality, brightening up their homes one job at a time. Here is how I got on with Caroline and Geraldine's home . They have been so kind to me through all that has gone on over the last few weeks but I try and repay their kindness with a few little things to say thanks.
I made a bird box and hung it for Geraldine on a tree opposite her window as a thank you for the lovely sambas , soup and cups pf tea. she is from Roscommon and we are lucky enough to have plenty of turf so I dropped her up some. Also Majella made a beautiful clock , vase and painting as thank you for everything.
So here is the story of their project from start to finish. If you are one of my supporters who would like to help by sharing this post thank you so much in advance...

30/06/2026

Great news after three weeks to the day I got my van back yesterday evening. Massive thanks to Niall and John Of Parkwood Motors who did a fantastic job of getting it repaired and up and running again. Also for recovering the van at the side of the road at nine o clock on a Monday night and bringing it 50 km to the garage .
I also want to thank my daughter for lending me her car which meant I didn't have to pay out roughly €1200 to rent a van so that saving I could use to put towards the repair and recovery.
Also I would not have been able to pay for the repairs but the people that make this all worth while my wonderful customers and amazing followers of my little business. I was working for the nicest people over the last number of weeks who were so understanding and ultimately without their support by giving me the work I would not of had the money to pay for the works.
Finally we are overwhelmed by the goodwill shown towards us on here with over 100,000 people keeping up to date with what was happening.
I am looking for people who would be willing to help me try and get back on my feet by joining up to like , share and comment on my posts for the next while? This will help bring in meaningful work and hopeful get myself and Majella on a more secure footing. If you would like to help just comment on this post letting me know. I will offer a discount on any painting work you need doing for everyone who would like to become our team of supporters getting the word out. All that is left to say is thank you. Your empathy and kind words helped us to get this far and hopefully continue doing what we love for the people we love going forward....

28/06/2026

Time for an overdue update on my last post. I am blown away with the amount of you that took the time to offer your support. Over 66,000 of you took the time to read what happened. So I will fill you all up to speed on what happened since then.
I was in trouble financially because I had only bought the van 3 and a half months ago so I had no spare cash which put me in a very difficult position. I was halfway through a job but no means of getting there. Also I needed my ladder as I have no means of getting mine to the site to get the top half done as it was an exterior painting job. I asked a very good friend of mine would he be able to give me a lend of his ladder and possibly drop it over to the house I was working in. The van broke down Monday evening so I lost that week before I could source a way of getting mobile again. Again the kindness and goodwill of everyone got me through and I managed to borrow a car while the van was being sorted.
So to bring you fully up to date I managed to finish the job I was working on for Geraldine and Caroline dropped into the mechanic last Friday week and Niall told me he had everything sorted and was just waiting on the Turbo which meant I would have the van back last week. Unfortunately I still don't have it just yet, also told me it was going to cost between 2 and 2 and a half thousand total when fixed.
What I want to say is when all this happened I just felt that was it, I would not be able to keep going on as there just seems to be a long list of things happening. Knocking me back every single time I get back up. But the out pouring of support from so many people who genuinely care. I have received so many personal messages from people who have said they don't know me but have been following our story from way back to when the van was robbed three times in a couple of months to being thrown out of our home and having to move 125km away basically destroying the business I had worked so hard to build up. But we never gave up. We were not going to let everything I worked so hard to achieve be ruined. Everybody who knows me and all the people I have worked for over the last 24 years knows how much I put into every job. I have a four hour commute most days on top of a long day doing what I love. I guess all I want to say is thank you for picking me up every time things get tough and rightly point out there are an awful lot of people going through far worse then we are. We never take our health for granted and so grateful to have the strength to achieve what we do every job....

09/06/2026

VERY BAD NEWS
So unfortunately I have been struck with bad luck again. I am working away trying to beat the showers and bad weather painting Carolines lovely Mums house, Geraldine. Sooo me thinking that the rain was my biggest problem and stressing over that trying to get the job done.
My trusty vans engine went on the motorway at the end of last September . I was only able to buy a small car van because I didn't have the funds for anything else. In February I managed to scrape some money together and was able to buy an old 162 van.
Yesterday at nine pm it broke down on my way home. Thankfully Niall Keenans man on call of Parkwood Motors came out and brought the van to Niall's garage and kindly brought me home.
The bad news is there is a lot of work to be done and a big bill to be settled just to get it back on the road. I am in big trouble as it will take up to three weeks with no way of getting to work as I don't have any alternative way of doing it. I am on such a bad run of luck at the moment but as usual I will find a way somehow....

04/06/2026

My office for the day. Delighted to be back working for my auld SuperQuinn good friend Caroline and her Mum in Swords. Myself and Caroline started off as casuals together and she is well loved and respected by everyone who knows her.
I have gone on to run my Handyman business but Caroline has worked extremely hard and is now a HR officer high up in Pennys . As always it is lovely to work for lovely people and great to be invited back into their home being asked to take on the exterior of the house this time. Dodging the showers 😂

03/06/2026

When I started out on this journey setting up John The Handyman 24 years ago I had no idea of where it would lead.
I left school in the mid eighties at a time when Ireland was on its knees. No jobs and my careers guidance teacher meeting was basically told if you have any family abroad emigrate to find work. I didn’t, just got my head down determined to work hard and succeed. After all this was my home my country and I loved my family and friends and my life.
So a friend helped me get a start mucking out stables in Kinsealy. At least it gave me purpose. Then I got a start as a casual worker in SuperQuinn Swords a few weeks after it opened sweeping and mopping floors and collecting trolleys. I gradually worked my way up from the bottom becoming the youngest assistant back store chargehand in the company. This is where I met the most wonderful people I have ever worked with and we became fantastic friends as a group.
So the whole point of this post is to say thank you so much to all of you who know things haven’t been easy but always seem to step up and give me a leg up when I need it most. I really can’t thank you all enough for your support…