Trades - moan!!
Discussion
My impression is a lot of trades that do relatively quick work and have to fit in with the builders - people like plasterers, electricians, plumbers etc - have a lot more down time than they'd admit as schedules are always being changed.
We know a roofer and a plasterer who both seem to spend a lot of time at home.
Daughter needed a hob fitting recently after AO's guys refused to do it. She put it up on local Facebook and two people who live within her estate area responded that they'd had jobs cancelled and could come immediately.
I guess guys doing more basic building would ideally keep a couple of jobs running at the same time so they don't have down days - certainly two neighbours have just had chunky extensions done and both sets of builders were only here a couple of days per week. Oddly, often they both came on the same days.
One tip I've heard, is get your missus to call tradespeople, especially if it's urgent - the caveman instinct in them wants to help a damsel in distress.
We know a roofer and a plasterer who both seem to spend a lot of time at home.
Daughter needed a hob fitting recently after AO's guys refused to do it. She put it up on local Facebook and two people who live within her estate area responded that they'd had jobs cancelled and could come immediately.
I guess guys doing more basic building would ideally keep a couple of jobs running at the same time so they don't have down days - certainly two neighbours have just had chunky extensions done and both sets of builders were only here a couple of days per week. Oddly, often they both came on the same days.
One tip I've heard, is get your missus to call tradespeople, especially if it's urgent - the caveman instinct in them wants to help a damsel in distress.
Sheepshanks said:
My impression is a lot of trades that do relatively quick work and have to fit in with the builders - people like plasterers, electricians, plumbers etc - have a lot more down time than they'd admit as schedules are always being changed.
We know a roofer and a plasterer who both seem to spend a lot of time at home.
Daughter needed a hob fitting recently after AO's guys refused to do it. She put it up on local Facebook and two people who live within her estate area responded that they'd had jobs cancelled and could come immediately.
I guess guys doing more basic building would ideally keep a couple of jobs running at the same time so they don't have down days - certainly two neighbours have just had chunky extensions done and both sets of builders were only here a couple of days per week. Oddly, often they both came on the same days.
One tip I've heard, is get your missus to call tradespeople, especially if it's urgent - the caveman instinct in them wants to help a damsel in distress.
I bet many of them are making enough money from the self employment government support handouts to cover their bills, so no need to actually do much work right now.We know a roofer and a plasterer who both seem to spend a lot of time at home.
Daughter needed a hob fitting recently after AO's guys refused to do it. She put it up on local Facebook and two people who live within her estate area responded that they'd had jobs cancelled and could come immediately.
I guess guys doing more basic building would ideally keep a couple of jobs running at the same time so they don't have down days - certainly two neighbours have just had chunky extensions done and both sets of builders were only here a couple of days per week. Oddly, often they both came on the same days.
One tip I've heard, is get your missus to call tradespeople, especially if it's urgent - the caveman instinct in them wants to help a damsel in distress.
A great thread on exactly your point OP. I imagine CIMAguy is still recovering
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
M22s said:
A great thread on exactly your point OP. I imagine CIMAguy is still recovering
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
I need to get some tips from CIMAguy. He did actually get someone to turn up!!https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Gad-Westy said:
It can't just be me that suffers from this. It seems like every builder/plumber/electrician etc that I ever engage with is utterly hopeless!
In the past we've eventually found some core people that we can rely on 'enough'. But having recently moved, I'm starting from square one and I could do with a little bit of building work doing, some plastering and I need some electrics sorting. I've had a few recommendations for all. I must have called 10 different people now. Of the ones I've managed to speak to, I have had the usual, I'll call back with a time. Haven't heard a thing. Have been following up.
2 weeks of this crap. Not one person has got as far as even coming to quote. It's driving me nuts how much effort I'm having to put in just to get someone to take a look and give a price.
My standards are now so low that I would probably give a 5 star google review to anybody who just returns a call!
Rant over. Not asking for any advice. Just frustrated!
Most trades are very busy, all the good ones are flat out. You seem to want small jobs doing, which to a busy tradesmen are not worth getting out of bed for. I certainly wouldn't entertain bit work.In the past we've eventually found some core people that we can rely on 'enough'. But having recently moved, I'm starting from square one and I could do with a little bit of building work doing, some plastering and I need some electrics sorting. I've had a few recommendations for all. I must have called 10 different people now. Of the ones I've managed to speak to, I have had the usual, I'll call back with a time. Haven't heard a thing. Have been following up.
2 weeks of this crap. Not one person has got as far as even coming to quote. It's driving me nuts how much effort I'm having to put in just to get someone to take a look and give a price.
My standards are now so low that I would probably give a 5 star google review to anybody who just returns a call!
Rant over. Not asking for any advice. Just frustrated!
Gad-Westy said:
mart 63 said:
Most trades are very busy, all the good ones are flat out. You seem to want small jobs doing, which to a busy tradesmen are not worth getting out of bed for. I certainly wouldn't entertain bit work.
Interesting. What leads you to think they’re small jobs?The ones you do end up getting often do it to a poorer standard than a competent DIYer anyway.
Admittedly it's rare I hire a tradesman but I've always been disappointed with their work to some degree or other.
Tradesmen who are genuinely good at their jobs must be able to pick and choose the jobs and still make good money because the standard they're competing against wouldn't win a participation medal at a school sports day.
Admittedly it's rare I hire a tradesman but I've always been disappointed with their work to some degree or other.
Tradesmen who are genuinely good at their jobs must be able to pick and choose the jobs and still make good money because the standard they're competing against wouldn't win a participation medal at a school sports day.
Edited by ChocolateFrog on Friday 9th April 19:49
Some tradesmen I know (i'm a tradesman) have a fixation with a price,lets use a plasterer as an example,most of the time they command and get for example £200 a day,this price gets etched into their brain and any job is a minimum of £200 a day,if a builder tells them they have a job and it's £160 a day the plasterer would rather sit at home earning nothing rather than work for £40 a day less, if a regular punter such as the OP says they have a job the plasterer will look at the job, know that it will take 3 or 4 hours but still want paying for a full day so states it's £200 which in most cases the regular punter thinks is too much
I had the same recently but with window cleaners! contacted 5/6 local ones asking for a price for a regular clean, the one that has the job is the only one that turned up to look at the house and give me a price
I had the same recently but with window cleaners! contacted 5/6 local ones asking for a price for a regular clean, the one that has the job is the only one that turned up to look at the house and give me a price
Gad-Westy said:
mart 63 said:
Read your post
Turn of phrase. But irrelevant given I haven’t even been able to discuss this with anyone. I’m grown up enough to be told that if that’s the case. Chance would be a fine thing. I am a tradesman, and have most other trades employed within my business.
We have not closed at all during lockdown and are busier than ever. Currently not accepting work until feb 2022.
Honestly i am knackered, i am working over 100hrs a week and so are most of my lads. Crazy just to get the holiday lets opens again - now another massive push to complete the hotel work before early may. Tonight is the first night i have been home before 10pm for a few weeks!
I am having 3-4 enquiries a day and am now telling people that i wont be quoting as i simply dont have the time.
All other trades i now are in similar situation.
I would be very wary if you managed to find any trade that had time in the next few months
We have not closed at all during lockdown and are busier than ever. Currently not accepting work until feb 2022.
Honestly i am knackered, i am working over 100hrs a week and so are most of my lads. Crazy just to get the holiday lets opens again - now another massive push to complete the hotel work before early may. Tonight is the first night i have been home before 10pm for a few weeks!
I am having 3-4 enquiries a day and am now telling people that i wont be quoting as i simply dont have the time.
All other trades i now are in similar situation.
I would be very wary if you managed to find any trade that had time in the next few months
A lot of tradespeople I know, I also knew of them in school and they were f
king useless then, so unreliability in trades people doesn’t quite com me across as a shock to me
The good ones, with business acumen, project planning skills and organisation are basically rare as hens teeth, and are usually fully booked for the year ahead!
king useless then, so unreliability in trades people doesn’t quite com me across as a shock to me The good ones, with business acumen, project planning skills and organisation are basically rare as hens teeth, and are usually fully booked for the year ahead!
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