Carrying on from last week's lesson on building, this week we look at renovating and doing building work in people's homes. Builders in Britain have a rather bad reputation at the moment, as people think they are lazy and always charge more than they originally say. Polish builders in Britain have a better reputation so you may find customers are very pleased to see you when they find out where you are from!

Some things you may hear from your supervisors and co-workers:

All this needs to be stripped.

You would normally hear this about wallpaper, but it can also be about other interior items like panels and built-in furniture.

The whole thing needs replacing.

We're going to knock this through to the next room.

This means you are going to make a hole in the wall and join two rooms into one.

Make sure the machine is earthed properly.

In other words, connect the third, green-yellow, wire so that you do not get an electric shock.

Cover up all the furniture before you start painting.

The drain is blocked.

Lift up the inspection cover and let's have a look.

An inspection cover is the metal lid that goes over a drain. It is the place where plumbers can get inside and unblock the drains. The phrase Let's have a look is very common and simply means Let me see.

The fuse box needs replacing.

The fuse box is the electrical point where the power shuts off when too much current runs through the cables. Plugs in Britain are fitted with their own fuses, so if something in the fuse box blows then someone has overloaded the system quite badly. Old style fuse boxes can't be reset with just a switch and need new fuses physically put inside them before they can be switched on again.

Don't strike any matches or turn on any light switches. There's a smell of gas coming from somewhere.

Keep all the doors and windows open. This stuff gives off strong fumes.

This stuff could be something like a glue with dangerous solvents in it.

They don't make this type of fitting any more.

This won't work without an adaptor.

Spread out the wallpaper on the table and put the paste on it.

Does it look straight to you?

You would either say this when hanging wallpaper or putting up a picture or shelf.

Put a joist under here. It's a supporting wall.

A joist is a form of support. The last thing you want is a house falling down on top of you!

Some things you may say to the customer:

We're going to have to turn off the power to the house for a couple of hours.

Where can we store the furniture while we work in here?

Where can I plug this in?

When will it be convenient for us to work in here?

It's going to take longer than we planned.

A lot of people say this. The less you say it, the better your reputation will be!

This will need a specialist. We need someone who is qualified to handle gas appliances.

Mind out!

As you may remember from last week, this is not as strong as Look out! You might say this when you are carrying something large, hot or covered in paint, and someone is standing in your way. Most of the time it is better to say Excuse me.

Some useful vocabulary:

a blowtorch lampa lutownicza

a sander szlifierka

a wrench klucz francuski

a spanner klucz maszynowy

a sink plunger przepychacz

a hammer młotek

a screwdriver śrubokręt

a nut nakrętka

a bolt śruba

a stepladder drabina

a paint roller wałek do rozprowadzania farby