I understand that at Booker the proprietors will not let owners do anything at all to their aircraft in the hangar
This is very common. I have to take mine outside to do anything on it. Normally, "insurance" reasons are given
WorkingHard
You got lucky early on, perhaps. Others (like me) got lucky eventually, and others never get lucky. I am talking about finding a trustworthy maintenance firm of course, not getting laid
It's certainly very true that being able to do one's own maintenance is
the key to getting a good job done and keeping costs down. I do my own 50hr checks (takes 3hrs plus cost of oil, £10 for the oil filter) but if you are a LAME (G-reg) or A&P (N-reg) you can do the whole lot, including Annuals. I don't know what will happen to individual LAMEs when EASA get into full swing.