Lia has difficulty walking and there are many ‘stumbling blocks’ in their house in Heerlen. “I trip over everything,” says Lia in the call to John. When the presenter visits Lia and Jos’ house, he is shocked – as always – a hat. “What happened here?” he wonders. “It looks like a bomb has exploded.” And when Lia says that she has been sleeping on the couch for a year because of the renovations, his mouth falls open.
The situation is now untenable for Lia, who is also ashamed of her home. “Part of me says, you gotta go, cut it, go,” she says. But you can’t go anywhere else. “I can go to my sister for a few days at the most. My children lead their own lives. This affects me a lot,” says Lia, fighting back tears. “I believe him when he says it will all work out. But it is just taking too long now.”
Then the moment comes when John confronts the handyman, Jos in this case. “I’ve lived there for 29 years. I’m very handy. You better ask what I can’t do,” he says of his DIY skills. When they are back home, Jos is not entirely convinced why and that he needs help. “You know I can do it all myself,” he says to Lia, who again indicates that it is simply taking her too long.
Fortunately, Jos is ultimately open to the help of John and his DIY team. John is also very happy with that. “Because I think you have hoped for a long time that this would happen,” he says to Lia. Lia also thinks Jos’s reaction is not too bad. “I’m convinced it’s going to be all right,” she says.
When the handyman team is at work, it soon becomes apparent that Jos is falling back into his old patterns. He doesn’t finish any of his chores, but comes to help a little bit everywhere. “It’s better if you finish things first,” a handyman tells him. “And only then move on to the next thing. Now you’re busy everywhere at once and then it’s a mess everywhere.”
As is often the case, not only the construction is a problem. John takes a seat at the table to have a good conversation with Lia and Jos. “The situation you’ve been living in remains unbelievable,” says John. That’s why John asks Jos if it isn’t time to admit that the job is too big. “You have to put things into perspective and acknowledge. I can do odd jobs until I drop, but what do you have?” he wonders.
The conversation ensures that Lia and Jos face the rest of the process in good spirits. Yet Jos is shocked when he comes home. He does not like wallpaper that is hung. “You stick it on, but I’ll take it off right away.” After a lot of hard work, the house of Lia and Jos is barely recognizable. And then the moment arrives when Lia is allowed to see her house. When she sees the renovated house, she immediately bursts into tears. “I like everything. It’s really beautiful,” she says with a smile on her face.
As always, John returns to the residence two weeks later. The presenter is happy to hear that Lia and Jos are still doing well. “He hasn’t been idle, has he,” says John. “No,” Lia replies. The two are also much happier than before. “Thank you very much”, they say to John, before he – really – leaves.
The episode of Help, My Man Is Handyman! missed? You can look back via Videoland.
