Ive worked in Hospitals, Schools, Blocks of flats, Warehouses, Offices, pretty much everything except for a house. I've worked for my current company for almost seven years since I left school. Ive done small private jobs like swapping a smashed basin, repairing PRV ball on a shower ect. However, as I work mostly on construction sites, I don't do any wiring. If I were to fit a rad and it's only plasterboard, I'd get someone to fit a patrace. Floorboards need lifting get the chippy to do it. Lead slates done by roofers. I only fit the heating and water services, and occasionally the ventilation. So for those of you who work on your own, do you do all of the above as well? What's a good tool/way of lifting tounge and groove floorboards.
For the dreaded tounge and groove I cut along both the T & G with a jigsaw with a short blade as a skill saws blade can be a bit thick, but you need to be aware of whats under the boards, then lift the board using a hammer and lifting bar after cutting if its needed. Yes all of the above, for rads on plasterboard new build get noggins put in retro fit use appropriate fixings. Roof work for flues yes but the modern slates are much easier to fit than the old lead slates, just the ladder work I dont like as much as I used to. Carpet lifting and re-laying, furniture shifting, door removing and replacing, Oh and dont forget the tea drinking and if you get a bacon sarnie when you turn up your on a good job.
The worst customers are the ones who will be chatting to you then brew up and drink it in front of you without even offering, usually on the day that you have forgot to bring your own brew kit with you.
Had that yeah but the worst has to be dying for a brew but the house is minging and there is no way your going to drink out of their cups.
thanks for the advice. Seems I need to go tool shopping if I want to go out on my own. Also need to figure out how much to charge people. Fitted pedestal basin the other day, was a straight swap for a broken one. Took me two hours from the time I got there to the time I left. Mixer Tap were on flexible, and waste was telescopic if that's the right word. So although basin was slightly shorter than old one, all I had to buy was the fixing kit and a tube of white silicon, as customer had already bought basin. Customer gave me £60, is that a decent price?
Stick to pipe fitting. Better job than a plumber. A plumber has to do all his own grafting like hole coring, pipe tracks, making good etc etc. Pipe fitters are the Kings of pipe work and just letting them loose on some council hovel where their skills are not appreciated is a waste. Some of the pipe work on large sites is phenonomal and astonishing.
What's a good tool/way of lifting tounge and groove floorboards.[/QUOTE] i used to lift floorboards using a floorboard saw (hand saw). I now have a multitool which makes light work of it, and is also ideal if you want to make a crosscut on the floorboard over a joist. Cut tongues on either side of the board then carefully prise up the board using a flat bolster chisel either side and work your way until th4e whole board is lifted, there may be some damage so its handy to keep some spare boards.
That's harsh. I'm mortally wounded. Have you ever seen a graip buried to the shaft? That's how we deal with the bogey men round my way.
chippie i agree with your statement but, he's right on this one, a pipe fitter has a tape, a pair of overalls,a newspaper and a cup for his tea, everything else he needs is supplied by the contactor, the down side is he stinks of cutting oil and boss white,
I wasn't really a pipe fitter, but I've run a few hundred yards/metres of pipe for hydraulics & HP gas ( N2,H2 etc) at 3500 psi, but I really don't have a clue about boilers, toilets etc. Yeah Tom, I wore overalls & had a tape. I don't think I stank of anything,maybe rocket fuel.
If you let customers tell you what the cost is your heading for failure!! If you are going solo into the domestic occupied private client sector, with no previous experience your in for a big shock, fair play & respect to you, but it is another ball game that requires more than a nifty jig saw blade. you need an adaptive personality, lots of clients, and no mistakes because it takes years to get a good rep and 1 job to loose it.
If it is just to cut an odd board you can slice through the tongues with a stanley knife. Be careful though! I did feel a twit at A&E when they asked what I did for a living and I had to say "Handyman"
Josh, I have always been self-employed - and started off in plumbing too, so well done for taking the leap. Everyone will add their pennies worth so I'll add mine. TAKE AN INSURANCE POLICY. When calculating your call-out rate or hourly rate thereafter, you must take into account a number of things including the following: How much money you want to take home. Vehicle costs, lease, tyres, brakes, servicing, MOT, tax, insurance, parking charges, vehicle down time and of course fuel. Public liability insurance / contractors all risk. Cost of tools and consumables. Time spend going shopping for materials Time travelling to and from jobs including sitting in traffic. Tax, corporation, VAT and income tax. Calculate this on a spreadsheet (weekly/monthly/annually whichever is easiest), estimate the number of call-outs / chargeable hours per day and you will have an idea of your rate.
You've stared CPM, may I carry on that list. Stationary, postage, advertising, work clothes. Computer use, time doing quotes, holiday time, (unpaid) time off sick (unpaid). Bookeeper/accountants fees, Trade bodies costs IE Gas Safe, re-qualification IE ACS. Im sure others will be able to add to the list. Its daunting when you start up but in the long run so much beter than working for someone else.
Josh - Sorry to hi-jack your thread, but I would like to hear views from the wise owls regarding hour versus day rates. I know a lot of guys who say you must price based on a day. On the basis of, you arrive around 0830, get all your kit out, start work around 9. finish around 1, load back up and start the van at quarter to 2. unless something else is booked in (and you want to work untill 6 or 7) - whatever you just charged for that job is your daily rate. Also slightly cheaper when starting to get customers starts a trend they expect you to stick too.
I avoid putting an hourly rate on a invoice or estimate, I do as fats has said charge them the day if its gonna make other work that day impossible, and i no longer mention my call out, I used to say ( along time ago) " its £30 for the first hour etc" I then found if I'd fixed their problem in say half an hour, they want me to look at something else in order to get full value out of the call out charge, people listen intently at prices and remember the price and dont listen to the ' about £50' they'll have £50 ready at the end of the job however long it takes, so be carefull what you say,
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