When did gardeners get so blooming ;-) expensive???

When did gardeners get so blooming ;-) expensive???

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Discussion

Greg_D

Original Poster:

6,542 posts

245 months

Friday 19th May 2017
quotequote all
We need a new set of gardeners and they are all asking £25/hr (Worcestershire) our last lot were £10/hr which was fair considering the fractional nature of the job and travelling time to the job.

What the actual hell! when did gardening suddenly become a 'skilled' job as opposed to running the mower round, strimming and pulling up weeds?

Does anyone actually pay that much?

98elise

26,376 posts

160 months

Friday 19th May 2017
quotequote all
I was shocked paying £15 per hour for basic gardening a couple of years ago. We're talking weeding and cutting stuff back, not landscaping or design. Just stuff that i could do on a Saturday morning but would prefer to pay someone to do.

If any students are struggling for summer work a postcard in shop window for £10 per hour would probably net you loads of work. Same goes for basic decorating. I once needed a whole house painting and everyone I called said they were booked up for weeks/months and would be expensive.

Du1point8

21,604 posts

191 months

Friday 19th May 2017
quotequote all
Supply and demand.

If you dont want to do it then pay the 25 pounds otherwise its yours for the taking and save yourself 50 pounds and get 2 hours exercise.

I thought the best part about having a garden is maintaining it, I miss it now I live in a CBD.

Greg_D

Original Poster:

6,542 posts

245 months

Friday 19th May 2017
quotequote all
i've even put up an advert in the job centre - nothing......

talksthetorque

10,815 posts

134 months

Friday 19th May 2017
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Blimey. £10 per hour on site?
That is criminal that you should pay someone so little.
Tools, transport, travel, liability insurance, National Insurance, Income tax, holiday pay, book keeping, work clothing, pension, all from the minimum wage + £2.50?
Must have been topping up with benefits.


Edited by talksthetorque on Friday 19th May 13:19

trickywoo

11,705 posts

229 months

Friday 19th May 2017
quotequote all
Don't forget they aren't pocketing all that £25 like you would in a PAYE role.

They have a van to run, liability insurance and the equipment to run and budget for replacing at some point.

If they want to have a decent credit rating they will also be correctly recording their income and paying the tax due.

Having said that they are probably on the equivalent of a £40k a year salary which is pretty good for a no qualification job you can do as soon as you leave school. Makes more sense to do this than fanny about at university for three years and have a massive debt when you are done.

Plate spinner

17,649 posts

199 months

Friday 19th May 2017
quotequote all
Child labour is the answer. You're own children, obviously.

Rude-boy

22,227 posts

232 months

Friday 19th May 2017
quotequote all
trickywoo said:
Don't forget they aren't pocketing all that £25 like you would in a PAYE role.

They have a van to run, liability insurance and the equipment to run and budget for replacing at some point.

If they want to have a decent credit rating they will also be correctly recording their income and paying the tax due.

Having said that they are probably on the equivalent of a £40k a year salary which is pretty good for a no qualification job you can do as soon as you leave school. Makes more sense to do this than fanny about at university for three years and have a massive debt when you are done.
I know a number of gardeners/jobbing builders who earn sufficent to pay for very nice lifestyles. Best of all if it is 25 degrees and they can't be aresed they just call Doris and tell her they can't make it this week as their back's bad and have a day at the beach...

J4CKO

41,287 posts

199 months

Friday 19th May 2017
quotequote all
Suppose they have to earn a living like the rest of us, its not a bad rate but its pretty hard work doing that for 8 hours.

That thing from years back where a middle class salary was enough to pay for lots of services like that has gone now, I got two gates made recently and was amazed when the guy quoted £680, was thinking £400 but was at least two full days to measure up, make them, hang them and stain them, possibly longer, plus materials, superb job so it didnt seem so expensive once done.

Your own time is free, I end up doing most of the gardening, wife wont help with anything outside, eldest will occasionally mow, the other two cheeky buggers want paying, I give them money anyway, pay for everything, clean up after them and then they want money, fk right off !

MX5_Nuts

1,487 posts

106 months

Friday 19th May 2017
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My minimum hourly rate is £17 per hour although I now only price jobs as a whole which means I earn more then I do hourly.

Factor in the days off due to stty weather (had 2 days off this week), running a van, machine servicing, breakdowns, insurance, fuel etc we don't actually earn that much although I agree £25 per hour for general tidying is too much.


Anyway must go, got a £50 lawn cut to crack on with... smile


LordGrover

33,531 posts

211 months

Friday 19th May 2017
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What do they do for work/money in the depths of Winter?

Puggit

48,355 posts

247 months

Friday 19th May 2017
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LordGrover said:
What do they do for work/money in the depths of Winter?
Is that like footballers need to earn a lifetime of money between 18-32 because after that they can't earn money?

Amateurish

7,697 posts

221 months

Friday 19th May 2017
quotequote all
Greg_D said:
We need a new set of gardeners and they are all asking £25/hr (Worcestershire) our last lot were £10/hr which was fair considering the fractional nature of the job and travelling time to the job.

What the actual hell! when did gardening suddenly become a 'skilled' job as opposed to running the mower round, strimming and pulling up weeds?

Does anyone actually pay that much?
We pay £15ph for a chap in Warks, he does a great job. But we do offer at least 6 hours one day per week minimum all year round.

drainbrain

5,637 posts

110 months

Friday 19th May 2017
quotequote all
LordGrover said:
What do they do for work/money in the depths of Winter?
Indoor gardening?

But I agree. £25 an hour is a bit dear. My old MiL pays £17 (raised recently from £12.50) and thinks it's too much. My missus 'does the garden' but employs a labourer on a daily rate to do the heavier stuff. Back to £10 an hour. Sub-contracted from a trades firm. Works to instruction tho, so needs supervised.

PostHeads123

1,042 posts

134 months

Friday 19th May 2017
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I pay £17.50 an hour just inside M25 have the guy for 4hrs a month (2hrs every 2 weeks), I've had him / paid this for 2 years now but got a feeling he is going to ask for a bit more soon, I don't mind as he always turns up and does a good job. I always give him a coffee and make it very strong to give him a caffeine hit so he can get more done, he usually takes off 2 months over the winter, I give him a £40 xmas bonus.

Edited by PostHeads123 on Friday 19th May 14:30

fido

16,752 posts

254 months

Friday 19th May 2017
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Try getting a gardener in London - £200 - £300 for a tidy up. They start off cheap and then you get fleeced after one or two visits. I just pay someone to take away the prunings now (£50 tops). A couple hundred quid on tools (lithium) and spend the odd weekend morning cutting it back.

Mr GrimNasty

8,172 posts

169 months

Friday 19th May 2017
quotequote all
Greg_D said:
We need a new set of gardeners and they are all asking £25/hr (Worcestershire) our last lot were £10/hr which was fair considering the fractional nature of the job and travelling time to the job.

What the actual hell! when did gardening suddenly become a 'skilled' job as opposed to running the mower round, strimming and pulling up weeds?

Does anyone actually pay that much?
£25/hr is cheap, all the overheads, downtime, etc. won't even make £2K a month before expenses/deductions.

Any cheaper and you will be employing an illegal/dodgy bloke (unless semi-retired just doing it for a hobby).

Get sweaty yourself if you don't like it!

BoRED S2upid

19,643 posts

239 months

Friday 19th May 2017
quotequote all
Plate spinner said:
Child labour is the answer. You're own children, obviously.
As soon as little BS2 is old enough he will pop round. He loves helping me in the garden although he needs a bit more tuition as to what's a weed he's got lawn mowing sorted. £10 an hour would be more than enough for him a little extra pocket money.

Hosenbugler

1,854 posts

101 months

Friday 19th May 2017
quotequote all
Mr GrimNasty said:
£25/hr is cheap, all the overheads, downtime, etc. won't even make £2K a month before expenses/deductions.

Any cheaper and you will be employing an illegal/dodgy bloke (unless semi-retired just doing it for a hobby).

Get sweaty yourself if you don't like it!
Thats nonsense. I pay a formerly local chap £15 an hour, he's well known and although does not live in the village now, he did do for some years. Quite a few people I know use him. He bides over the Winter, buying/selling auction buys. Seems to do well.

Hosenbugler

1,854 posts

101 months

Friday 19th May 2017
quotequote all
J4CKO said:
Suppose they have to earn a living like the rest of us, its not a bad rate but its pretty hard work doing that for 8 hours.
That thing from years back where a middle class salary was enough to pay for lots of services like that has gone now, I got two gates made recently and was amazed when the guy quoted £680, was thinking £400 but was at least two full days to measure up, make them, hang them and stain them, possibly longer, plus materials, superb job so it didnt seem so expensive once done.
Yur own time is free, I end up doing most of the gardening, wife wont help with anything outside, eldest will occasionally mow, the other two cheeky buggers want paying, I give them money anyway, pay for everything, clean up after them and then they want money, fk right off !
I just had the same shock regarding gates , in my case £600 , I even checked out with a local timber merchant who I found out makes gates to size, it revealed my quote was very reasonable. We live and learn, althoughh, I havre to say, finding a decent chippy in the first place to do the job, has always been my hardest task.