Working round ****

Hmm, not sure Peter, but If I was having our house done up, I'd expect the builder to leave me at least a sink and cooker in the kitchen whilst building works being done.

Used to fit new kitchens in council properties,(lived in ones) years ago, and as a minimum, we had to leave them with a working sink and cooking facilities by the end of the first day. Must admit the job was easier when we worked on refurb properties where the tenant had been moved into another property whilst theirs was done up. (but that meant going back to the "decamp" houses every time a tenant moved back into their house.. I reckon the decamp houses must have cost more than the houses we were refurbishing, what with the (almost) constant repairs)

 

You're on an hourly rate, whats the problem.
If your builder wants to pay sparks money to move stuff about then the guys a fool, but wheres your beef, you're getting paid.

Now if it was on a price totally different, I would stipulate that all rooms have to be clear or there would be a charge of £x per hour to move the stuff.

Day rate, hourly rate = kin easy life

 

Recently quoted a job, customer had just moved in. While on site to quote, I asked if the loft was empty, poked my head up, not a thing, not boarding, 4" of insulation. Old chap said it was going to be insulated and boarded, but not for sometime. "Perfect" I said, I don't want a thing up there, it's far easier. The chap kept saying during my visit "I will get some of the boarding done for you before you come". I kept saying (and his wife kept installing into him) that I didn't want anything up there, and my quote assumed it would be left.

I get to site, the whole loft is boarded. The old chap is happy to announce that he got it all done.

*****.

 

Perhaps the labourer is thinking the same way as you Peter..

 

Original quote should ask certain questions.
Are the premises going to be occupied, are rooms going to be clear of furniture, are we expected to move stuff around etc etc.
As already suggested one has to provision for certain facilities in the kitchen to be available still, it's good customer relations, unless prior arrangements have been made.
It's all in the fine detail when arranging the job, in writing, anything over and above is a delay and thus needs debating.

 

I still don't quiet get it pete, maybe you are ready to go out on your own and price your own work and take your own risks. When you do years of price work and risk, a bit of day rate every now and then is like a busman's holiday
As for the labourers, well your builder is obviously a bad boss or doesn't mind the p155 being taken out of him, the former I think

 

Tell him you can only give him so much time and if his boys don't pull their fingers out the job won't get done, tell him you have other commitments, try not to burn any bridges though, he might be a royal pain now but if you're ever sat with no work, his work might appeal, try and reason with the fella, explain to him how much money he is loosing, and if you can't beat em, join em, don't forget your sun lotion

 

You have 3 days to relax now and if you feel the same on tuesday bin him.
We spend a third of our day at work, you have to enjoy it. (most of the time)

 

I am just finishing a complete renovation and have had labourers, or me, on site for this very reason. Unloading, jet-washing, cleaning up after the mucky trades, making the teas, moving stuff etc... I never have a problem with the trades, what I do have a problem is with the 'General Builders' who all claim to be top rated at every trade but can't do any of them but still want tradesman wages for doing what I consider to be semi-skilled.

'You can find fault in anyone's work but unless you can do better shut-up'

 

Well... A couple of years ago I moved about 75% of my work to one builder despite all the above mentioned chaos. It took a couple of years ironing the wrinkles out before this but I persevered. I know each refurb is going to be spread over a few months. I know it could be done in a 'clean space' in a couple of weeks with two of us, but I charge for 4 weeks. There's always three major jobs on the go, and several minor ones. Plus the jobs are now ones where the customer moves out for at least half, or for the whole, job (which I know is an unusual luxury, but that is how the job planning has developed. To our favour).

He knows I'll get the job done on time. The plumber, plasterer and carpenters are all in the same boat. We all work around each other and manage to get on. And work is booked in for over a year in advance.

So it can work.

 

That sounds like just about every job i have ever had.
You just have to deal with it, nothing is perfect.

I had a job once re-wiring a full cat 6 network, noe yes i maybe a geek/nerd myself but worjing in a room filled with passive smoke from cannabis was not particularly the problem. Getting my body to follow the command i gave it was a big problem.

Yes you have to work around allot of things and that does change the way you do things, a neat wiring job to your own accord vs holly **** i must get this bit done first and then that

 

Speaking from a punters view point, there's nothing worse than a mardy tradesman mumping his way through your dosh with utter contemp.

Maybe better to walk. For yours and the punters sake

 

A few year back we rewired a terraced,the woman was a dream to work for,whatever we asked was no problem,her son was a different matter.He was a typical surly 17 year old who got up when he wanted and did what he wanted,well day 3 and I'd had enough he kept putting his stereo on full bore and we couldn't stand it,in the end I cut the plug off! then he waited 'till we'd got boards up in the bathroom and decided to take a bath,I lost it completely and when he'd eventually got dressed and given us a load of abuse,I dragged him outside and cabletied him to a lamp post.His mother came home and asked why he was tied to the post,we told her and she was delighted "this will be the first time I can give him a bloody good hiding without him running off"

 

I've noticed that old people tend not to listen at all, The last couple of days I've been working at my parents house. Working with my fathers 'help' is like trying to climb a ladder with your ankles chained to the first rung. Talking to him is not much better, I told him we will go to B&Q for timber as it's cheaper (and the timber is better) than the local builders merchants and the reply I got was "yes, yes, we will go to the builders merchants".

 

I worked in a black keys house, he was a follower. Trailing behind you all the time. That is until the loft......he HAD to go up first, to show me were the light switch was, were the joists were, were I couldn't stand. Almost like he assumed I had never been in a loft before!