The Atkins Boys label originated with our former neighbor and still good friend, Jeff Duckett.
Jeff is a talented real estate appraiser who is, shall we say somewhat lacking, when it comes to certain skills needed to get things done around the house. At the risk of telling family secrets, a good example is when his wife, Yvonne, purchased a new shelf system that Jeff had volunteered to install in one of their closets. Yvonne worried and worried because she just knew he would do it wrong. He did. The shelves fell down not too long after being fully loaded. I'm not sure Jeff ever realized that he had installed certain components upside down. None of us had the heart to tell him after such a valiant effort on his part.
When faced with seemingly impossible household problems to solve, Jeff learned to look next door at the oldest Atkins Boy. After a particular knotty problem with their clothes dryer was solved by Carl and Scott removing a bird's nest from their dryer vent, Jeff stood back and declared, "Those Atkins boys can do anything!" So began the nickname of their little group.
Last week brought another typical Atkins Boys project – the installation of a new shower door assembly in the master bathroom. After the senior Atkins's purchased it at Home Depot, they were informed that delivery would cost $79.00 and Home Depot doesn't offer installation services. Ta Da! The youngest Atkins boy and his dad took the truck and handled the pick-up and delivery.
The middle Atkins boy arrived on the next rainy day, ready to dismantle and install. While he handled the heavy work, the oldest Atkins boy became the go-fer. Carl later declared that he exceeded his doctor's recommended ten trips up and down our two flights of stairs by at least three times that day.
Now installing a new shower enclosure doesn't sound like such a huge task but consider what an insurmountable task it would seem to those who are mechanically challenged. Consider what a $79.00 delivery charge plus several hours of labor would add to the cost. Not to mention that our old shower door was installed backwards by the builder. Carl has awkwardly climbed around that shower door for fourteen years. It finally took the lone female of the family to say, "Enough is enough!" and set the project in motion. Just look at the result. This picture doesn't show the design in the glass. Trust me, it's very nice.
Jeff is a talented real estate appraiser who is, shall we say somewhat lacking, when it comes to certain skills needed to get things done around the house. At the risk of telling family secrets, a good example is when his wife, Yvonne, purchased a new shelf system that Jeff had volunteered to install in one of their closets. Yvonne worried and worried because she just knew he would do it wrong. He did. The shelves fell down not too long after being fully loaded. I'm not sure Jeff ever realized that he had installed certain components upside down. None of us had the heart to tell him after such a valiant effort on his part.
When faced with seemingly impossible household problems to solve, Jeff learned to look next door at the oldest Atkins Boy. After a particular knotty problem with their clothes dryer was solved by Carl and Scott removing a bird's nest from their dryer vent, Jeff stood back and declared, "Those Atkins boys can do anything!" So began the nickname of their little group.
Last week brought another typical Atkins Boys project – the installation of a new shower door assembly in the master bathroom. After the senior Atkins's purchased it at Home Depot, they were informed that delivery would cost $79.00 and Home Depot doesn't offer installation services. Ta Da! The youngest Atkins boy and his dad took the truck and handled the pick-up and delivery.
The middle Atkins boy arrived on the next rainy day, ready to dismantle and install. While he handled the heavy work, the oldest Atkins boy became the go-fer. Carl later declared that he exceeded his doctor's recommended ten trips up and down our two flights of stairs by at least three times that day.
Now installing a new shower enclosure doesn't sound like such a huge task but consider what an insurmountable task it would seem to those who are mechanically challenged. Consider what a $79.00 delivery charge plus several hours of labor would add to the cost. Not to mention that our old shower door was installed backwards by the builder. Carl has awkwardly climbed around that shower door for fourteen years. It finally took the lone female of the family to say, "Enough is enough!" and set the project in motion. Just look at the result. This picture doesn't show the design in the glass. Trust me, it's very nice.
Those Atkins boys can do anything!
