Learning a New Trade To Suppliment Income.....
Discussion
Hello All.
Although I am thankfully full-time employed and doing 'ok' I find that there's never any money left over after the essential outgoings are dealt with.
So I thought about what trade I might be able to learn, most likely via an evening course or similar which would allow me to suppliment my income.
Like a lot of us on here I bet, I enjoy DIY and decorating etc and I consider any potential house purchse on the basis of ''what could I do to add value to it....''
When I said suppliment my income, I guess this includes being able to deploy said new skill on any property I have, to save the cost of a tradesperson, and also, doing bits and pieces for others...
Plastering, Plumbing, Electrical-type trades....
What could I do? what have any of you done with some success?
I have heard of plasterers and tilers earning 'a fortune' when they're good and I understand that I will never be as good or quick as someone who's been doing it for decades.
That said I am reasonably practical,I have an Engineering degree so, believe I could turn my hand to a trade easier than perhaps some people might be able to...
Having just paid out many thousands out to a ( admittedly very good) builder to strip my water-damaged-by-a-leak-from-flat-above kitchen and re-plaster the walls and ceiling, and re-tile the floor etc etc, I look at what's been done and think what I could have done with that money was I able to do some or all of that work myself and actually comlpete it to a decent standard within a reasonable time frame.
I appreciate that in the case of sparky work, it's no joke anymore and one can't really do a damn thing without being fully accredited by the relevant body....
I would be interested to here the thought of the PH Populus !!
Many thanks in advance - Nico.
Although I am thankfully full-time employed and doing 'ok' I find that there's never any money left over after the essential outgoings are dealt with.
So I thought about what trade I might be able to learn, most likely via an evening course or similar which would allow me to suppliment my income.
Like a lot of us on here I bet, I enjoy DIY and decorating etc and I consider any potential house purchse on the basis of ''what could I do to add value to it....''
When I said suppliment my income, I guess this includes being able to deploy said new skill on any property I have, to save the cost of a tradesperson, and also, doing bits and pieces for others...
Plastering, Plumbing, Electrical-type trades....
What could I do? what have any of you done with some success?
I have heard of plasterers and tilers earning 'a fortune' when they're good and I understand that I will never be as good or quick as someone who's been doing it for decades.
That said I am reasonably practical,I have an Engineering degree so, believe I could turn my hand to a trade easier than perhaps some people might be able to...
Having just paid out many thousands out to a ( admittedly very good) builder to strip my water-damaged-by-a-leak-from-flat-above kitchen and re-plaster the walls and ceiling, and re-tile the floor etc etc, I look at what's been done and think what I could have done with that money was I able to do some or all of that work myself and actually comlpete it to a decent standard within a reasonable time frame.
I appreciate that in the case of sparky work, it's no joke anymore and one can't really do a damn thing without being fully accredited by the relevant body....
I would be interested to here the thought of the PH Populus !!
Many thanks in advance - Nico.
Here's the hierarchy as described to me by a trusted builder... northern uk rates:
Unskilled (dig hole, move rubble, etc) £80-110 a day
Semi skilled (brick layer, etc) £110-£140
Skilled (sparky, gas) £130 to £180
Specialist (good tiler, project man) £150 to £220
Tiling is the best indoor rate (as a day rate or £35-£45 per sq m) from all the trades. That said, a bad tiling job looks terrible.
Unskilled (dig hole, move rubble, etc) £80-110 a day
Semi skilled (brick layer, etc) £110-£140
Skilled (sparky, gas) £130 to £180
Specialist (good tiler, project man) £150 to £220
Tiling is the best indoor rate (as a day rate or £35-£45 per sq m) from all the trades. That said, a bad tiling job looks terrible.
I'm a Plumber/Gas Engineer and if I could go back I'd have tried harder in school and given the construction industry a wide berth!
I'd avoid Plumbing and Electricity, you really need some on the job experience as well as classroom training IMO, can quite easily make a hash of things!
Carpentry is something I'd like to be good at!
I'd avoid Plumbing and Electricity, you really need some on the job experience as well as classroom training IMO, can quite easily make a hash of things!
Carpentry is something I'd like to be good at!
There's a wide gap between DIYing during which you can take your time and learn on the fly, remove and re-do the mistakes and supplying the service to others.
Like said it takes years to become a good spark or plumber and there's too much red tape to consider them for side-jobs, also, bear in mind the best tradesmen are one ones who were messing around with bits of wire and wood when they were 12- doing it comes naturally. Plasterings straightforward if you have the knack, but will you wanna work all week then work all weekend plastering then work all week again? don't underestimate how much it can take it out of you- DIYing on the weekends can be done "at a pace" but when you're plastering for someone they'll want it done. Again decorating is fairly easy to pick up but a 1 room decorating job (strip/repair/paper/paint) can easily be a weeks+ work.
And don't forget at low-level you're competing against immigrant labour who sleep 6 to a room and take £40/day.
Like said it takes years to become a good spark or plumber and there's too much red tape to consider them for side-jobs, also, bear in mind the best tradesmen are one ones who were messing around with bits of wire and wood when they were 12- doing it comes naturally. Plasterings straightforward if you have the knack, but will you wanna work all week then work all weekend plastering then work all week again? don't underestimate how much it can take it out of you- DIYing on the weekends can be done "at a pace" but when you're plastering for someone they'll want it done. Again decorating is fairly easy to pick up but a 1 room decorating job (strip/repair/paper/paint) can easily be a weeks+ work.
And don't forget at low-level you're competing against immigrant labour who sleep 6 to a room and take £40/day.
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