Friend of mine is trying to get a builder to do £40-£60k of straightforward extension and kitchen building work.
Had one bloke agree a start date and then not turn up and ignore calls. 2 others have come round to give quotes and not called back.
Most just say they're booked up 12 months in advance.
This is the latest saga, 2 guys turned up and spent an hour measuring, this is the 'written quote' they posted through the letter box a week later.
Who in their right mind would spend £40k+ on the back of this?
Any of you hard grafting Northerners want to come and earn some money, no-one down here is remotely interested.
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No chance now Brexits here, all the decent workers have made their money and are planning to return home.
The Mrs has been in the Property Renovation industry for 35 years now, in London, she has a small team around her that do all the work and ^^ that piece of paper there you have is for a Cash quote. It's the only way to get any work done in this industry and becoming more and more called upon. No one wants money going through Bank Accounts, Cash rules this particular world, 90% of her quotes are for Cash and the public seem to accept thats how its done...
Not unusual for her to advise Clients to get out lumps of under £9k (£10k is a nominal threshold whereby Banks have agreed to ask the customer what the money is for, not enforceable just advisory)
And no, none of her team would go further south than Lambeth... 😕
Do we need to train up thousands of British builders then now too, as well as doctors and everyone else?
[i]Do we need to train up thousands of British builders then now too[/i]
Trouble is that the 'gig economy' means that very few companies (or even individuals) have the ability or capacity to take on trainees/apprentices and give them a meaningful grounding in the industry.
People doing cash work want a labourer (or plumber or whatever) for 2 days at a certain point in the job, not some kid they've got to pay every day and try and get trained up too.
That up there is a joke!
And if it IS cash, don't pay VAT on it 😉
12 months lead time is quite a wait though... Let me know what our chaps lead is..id be interested.
DrP
My cousin lives daaaaaaaaaaaaaahn saaaaaaaaaaaarf and recently needed some building work doing. He didn't even bother getting quotes from anyone down there, as he knew exactly what the situation was. He phoned a northern company he knew (he's from up here originally) and got them to quote for coming down, and staying down during the week while they got it done.
They came down, did a great job, stayed at a hotel down the road while they did it, then went back north to civilisation.
I'd suggest you do the same
£40k 'cash' job?
How depressing.
look at neighbour's houses for anyone that's had an extension or a garage built and knock on and ask them who did the work and if they would recommend them.
Supply and demand innit. Easy to get a plasterer for a day if you have a supply of them (most work in some huge network, where one bloke knows another and so on and isn't as selfish as to say "me not know anyone", most will offer up 2/3 blokes during conversation)
Couple of days work, bish bash bosh loadsadosh, and off.
Mrs knows of about 30 really good blokes that have gone home, shame because they were excellent skilled blokes who knew how to/what to.
I guess they'll be a few years of readjustment when the shit hits the fan, but hey all those skilled immigrants won't be here so Brexiters will be happy even if they can't get their house decorated (or whatever) Then they'll be even more years where Skill shortages are in full flow and Mr Angry will bemoan the lack of work ethic in "the kids of today" But thats fine, BrexitMan has "taken control"
Anywho, it's a long haul to get a builder... I wish your friends BOL.
Oh.. and on bikebouy's point... its not just builders. I think most industries must be looking at a massive increase in quoting 'cash' prices for jobs, if they can. I know this from asking printers for quotes.
Its the irony of 'trickle down' economics that everyone else is saying 'well if those at the top aren't paying any ****ing tax, then why should I?"
And they've got a valid point. It shouldn't come as any great surprise to anyone.
Next stop... Greece!
I think Jamba is plagued by gangs of marauding polish builders round his way. Maybe ask him?
12 months lead time is quite a wait though... Let me know what our chaps lead is..id be interested.
They just spoke, might have space beyond April but it's a maybe.
You can't give money away in this trade in the South, I might have a crack myself...
My OH's brother is a hard-working Northern builder, if are serious I can put you in touch. (he's on the Wirral but doesnt mind travelling to work).
I think Jamba is plagued by gangs of marauding polish builders round his way. Maybe ask him?
I think you'll find they are vile, anti Semitic, marauding, Labour voting, Polish builders....
I wonder what the cost would be if he went for a PAITO.
I love a good PAITO me...
DrP
My OH's brother is a hard-working Northern builder, if are serious I can put you in touch. (he's on the Wirral but doesnt mind travelling to work).
It will be a fairly long job and we're talking South South, Worthing.
It's not my job so I'll stay out of it, no offence meant.
Do you have plubming to your paito?
I love a good PAITO me...
Me too.....
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also quite fond of Chaka Demus and Pliers.
Plubming makes no diffrence to paito, but windows, that's tricky.
pictonroad.. love that, thanks for posting!
Where about are you? The 'south' is a fairly large area. I may be able to name a couple of possible builders for you depending on where you are.
"Any of you hard grafting Northerners want to come and earn some money, no-one down here is remotely interested."
Just not the bunch of cowboys a new neighbour brought down from Manchester a few months ago. Never seen such shoddy work. I think a lot of it will have to be redone. 😯
Plenty of good builders around, but they will be booked 12-18 months in advance. There is a colossal amount of renovation/alteration work being done in London. They tend to charge loads, because the standard expected of them is so high. People in million pound plus houses don't want cowboys wrecking things. A bunch of northern lads doing up dilapidated old terraces in Stoke to create student accommodation won't be up to doing stuff in a big pad in Highgate.
In fairly sure I saw davosaurusrex (of here) rock up to QECP in a plasterers van hes down that way, Im not sure if he is the plasterer or his mate tho?
Plubming makes no diffrence to paito, but windows, that's tricky.
My Patio has plumbing, bit no windows....
Dave, surely he's a keyboard gimp like the rest of us? I'll ask him.
Worthing, Gavin.
A friend of mine (actually my old boss) set up as a builder in East Preston a couple of years ago. If you do a search for Rex Building Services a link to his Facebook page should appear. I haven't seen his work, but I would guess it good quality. Worth a try, and he mountain bikes too.
That looks cheap to me £33+VAT no comma but a point, I know I will get stick for writing this as some folk canny spell or genuine dyslexic but it looks like a 40 watt mazda bulb wrote that quote, steer well clear it give a bad name to the building trade. Did the turned down look over the top of the wellies not scare you off
t will be a fairly long job and we're talking South South, Worthing.It's not my job so I'll stay out of it, no offence meant.
Offence? No offence to be taken (that I can see), anyway, when I said he travels for work, I mean it, recently it was Heathrow (I think, certainly down that way).
I can't believe they have the cheek to put +VAT for an off the books cash job!
Do the builders pay their builders merchants in cash then?
My OH's brother is a hard-working Northern builder, if are serious I can put you in touch. (he's on the Wirral but doesnt mind travelling to work).
We're currently looking for a builder, and based on the Wirral.
The job is to remove an existing wooden window, alter the brickwork to a smaller opening and then board it up until we can get a Window made. It's a grade 2 listed building and we have to put the window back to it's original size.
It's a top floor window, but the house currently has scaffold up (having roof done), so need it done asap. We must have contacted about a dozen builders but either don't get a reply or they're booked up.
I can send pics if he'd be interested.
I saw davosaurusrex (of here) rock up to QECP in a plasterers van
It's not a plasterers van, it just looks that way when he's been dogging the night before 🙂
It's not a plasterers van, it just looks that way when he's been dogging the night before
the old ones are the best 😆
There is a very good trade recommendations site, I'll dig it out.
Most decent builders are booked out 1-3 months into the future, not least as many jobs take that long. 12 months IME is just a try on to attempt to push up the quote price.
the old ones are the best
Is he very old then? 8)
Most decent builders are booked out 1-3 months into the future
You haven't lived in the UK for a while have you, most builders, let alone the decent ones I know are booked up for the next 12 months for big jobs.
If you need someone for a few days you might get someone in a few months; if you are lucky (someone at work waited 6 weeks for a plasterer to skim a small room (4 hours works) and 8 weeks for a carpenter to refit a bannister and spindles). I need a ceiling skimmed and the plasterer I've used in past are going to do it on a Sunday evening as that the only time they have free until Christmas.
Things are only going to get worse as Brexit bites...
OP, I worked ten years for all company based in Horsham
He's a keen MTB'r and a very good mate, if you want his details email me mate
Waiting isn't a problem, IF, they then subsequently turn up. He waited months for the last guy's definite 100% start date. It's just not an option to wait 12 months for a no- show.
I used to work in construction recruitment, we often sent 3 people to a 2 man job. It's not a nice thing to do but I reckon 70% of the time 2 people would turn up.
My brother is almost at the end of having some building work done (kitchen, bathroom, boiler, and a patio - really!). First two weeks, brilliant. Then nobody turned up. For a week. After a week with no functional bathroom my brother was pretty furious. He'd spent all week chasing the boss who was ignoring his calls & texts, then eventually two guys turned up. Just for one day, they didn't turn up the day after. Repeat that kind of pattern for another two weeks, with daily excuses about why x, y or z wasn't there. It's nearly finished but it's been painful.
IME builders are always trying to juggle five jobs that are all behind schedule and they prioritise based on who complained most recently.
Oh, and we once had a plumber walk off a job. He was (meant to be) fitting/relocating a new boiler in our house. He did two days' work then didn't show up on the third. Got hold of him on the fourth and he just said he wasn't going to finish the job. Didn't even apologise. Amazing 👿
I think you're right.
Mate of mine is a gardener/landscaper. He can't turn work down fast enough and his regulars have advised him to put his prices up! (he's not exactly cheap)
He turns up when he says he will, is polite, and cleans up afterwards. This appears to buck the trend in this field of work. He's totally booked up with well paying customers all through word of mouth. He juggles multiple jobs as all must do but keeps everyone totally informed of what's happening. Is it really that difficult?
Not sure on availability but Xtendital did my loft conversion not so far from you...
Its not just the south, its a problem in the north too.
Not sure on availability but Xtendital did my loft conversion not so far from you...
No hits on that spelling...
House on my road is currently having a splendid looking extension put up, and in good time too.
Builders also prepped the surroundings well before commencing.
approx 4 miles away from you, so let me know if you'd like me to provide details.
would happily trade for your landscaping mates details! - we have a terraced garden that requires someone brave to take on..
That would be great, if you get a chance to swing by, email your postcode, I'll ask my mate if he's got any upcoming time.
Pictonroad - re earlier post. Worthing even too south for anyone I know!
If you dont know the company (when you eventually find one!) ask for references and go and see the previous clients of theirs.
Actually that 'quote' reminded me of this:
Comedy gold.