What is happening in Building and construction???
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- Опубліковано 2 лис 2023
- What is happening in building and construction, are you a tradesperson? homeowner? property developer? have you seen or experienced changes based on the economic climate or the cost of living crisis? have you had a bad experience with a building project or trouble finding a builder or securing work?
Let me know in the comments and discuss with each other?
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What is happening?We made doors, windows stairs etc. People are not paying their bills. Landlords are putting rents, electric has gone through the roof. Staff want twice the rate they have been on, material costs are sky high.. and customers are saying no thanks.
Exactly 👌🏻
Yep
The job is fucked mate
Rightly so they’re saying “no thanks”. See how much your staff want…when they’re made redundant. The whole industry is full of opportunistic greed, ripping people off left, right and centre.
Let’s see how many of these “builders” aka clowns survive a recession. Let’s see how their ‘there’s a shortage of trades’ parroted waffle stacks up. Spoiler alert: it won’t.
Makes me laugh how there is an industry of school dropouts who consider themselves of similar value to highly qualified professionals 😂 There’s not an ounce of self awareness in any of them.
Amen
I am a homeowner, I was going to have an extension and annex done professionally in 2020. I had quotes and got planning permission but I didn't quite have enough money. I kept saving for it but I could never catch up as the price of materials kept going up and up.
This year (2023) I decided to just do the annex myself before my planning permission expired and its been an incredibly satisfying experience. I have gained so much knowledge and so many new skills. Its a long way from done as I am just one man, but I got a non-material amendment approved today for a simplified roof and it is definitely going to be weather proof by Christmas :)
Good luck with the roof. 👍
Well done mate!
Good on you. ( I'm a tradesman by the way) it must have been very daunting for you in the beginning.
@@jackmo1988 Thanks ! I was well up for the challenge. My wife was concerned at first but now she fully supports me :) Got it mapped out in detail on Sketchup, spread sheets for all the materials, everything well in advance of doing anything. Proper geeking it up.
@@NeonXXPthat's really cool to hear.. We've got a ramshackle conservatory that needs to be replaced and the quotes are astronomical.. Did you learn from Robins videos for footings, flooring.. windows etc?
Hello Robin, it's your resident NESCOT rough trowel here.
I will let you know what is going on regarding the bricklayers. It is getting very tight.
The large house building sites are either only releasing one of two plots instead of a dozen or more, or they are mothballing the whole site.
They do this in every recession and normally the government step in and threaten to take away the land banks unless they keep building. That isn't happening this time.
There is a massive generational divide with the bricklayers, most are 58 or above, (this is a historical an-nominally which anyone can ask me about if they are interested.) or they are 35 or below.
Why is this important? Well most old bricklayers I have spoken too have said they aren't going to do another recession. Having your wages reduced, your hours extended, tea breaks cut to one a day and generally being abused is no fun. Thousands will leave and take up the jobs left after Brexit. There are plenty of vacancies outside of construction.
There is a perfect storm coming, my generation is going to retire in the next ten years, the young lads were never taught to the standard we were and there aren't enough of them. I have already heard bricklayers being mentioned in parliament, something about bringing them in from Europe. We all laughed when we heard that. Proper facework bricklayers only come from a select few countries, the Flemish region of Europe, Germany and some other places in North Europe. Those lads are not going to leave their good working conditions to come to a collapsing industry.
I would be happy to discuss this further with anyone willing to listen. I feel so strongly, I am compiling a report about the last 40+ years in bricklaying.
Having lived and worked in California (LA) back in 2007, I had a wake up call seeing how much pride tradesmen took in their work over there. It felt very much a professional environment.
I returned to Scotland 2010 and immediately noticed the stark difference in quality and standards applied on building sites. It’s got progressively worse, the building trade in this country (the big house builders) is an embarrassment.
We retrofit audio/video/data wiring into new build houses, the house builders won’t spend £100 on cable to future proof a £1m property.
But the standard of work I see is shocking, and the smell of cannabis is everywhere on main contractors sites.
It’s a joke, new homes with multiple issues, some very serious.
Fundamentally there is something very wrong, it’s way past the point of being fixed.
The trades are hiding places for poorly educated scum and criminals now. It used to be a nice mix of smart yet hands on highly killed men with the rough grafters types. There were very few criminal types in the trades but its been increasing over the last 20 years, much like civil society really. I've seen many guys leave the skilled trades because between the hard and dusty work, add on the taxation, insurance, thefts, and legal liability then its just not worth it.
it's very simple mate , inflation is theft
I agree with you. Quality is mostly absent.and you will be lucky if your stuff is not stolen 😜
@@Morning_Raysmost people can't afford quality .....that's the problem
I would never buy a recently built new build house, they’re crap.
Chippy by trade, which of recent years turned into a building company (extensions, loft & garage conversions, refurbs). Recently took on an apprentice aswell.
Ive been fortunate enough to have the right people around me to progress from a chippy to a builder, but thats not to say its been easy, its a tough industry! Your channel and skill builder has been very helpful - thank you
Anyone can be a builder these days! These accounts pop up on mybuilder all the time. Ive had many many occasions where ive had to either rectify cowboys work or restore faith in clients whereby cowboys take deposits and dissappear! You would think with reviews social media/work apps would stop the above buts its worse in my opinion and especially since covid.
Make it illegal to operate as a self proclaimed builder because its simply dangerous, it will also drown out all the cowboys stealing deposits off of people and give good builders more of a chance to win work.
I've had a great success rate in growing my business considering ive been trained to be a carpenter and not a business man.
I love the building game and do think it needs protecting.
Thanks for making these vids when you talk about the industry .... It's been a huge delight and very educational being subbed all these years. Thanks Robin!
Hey Rob, new sub and love the content - channels like yours restore a small amount of faith there are truly professional and capable tradespeople in the country. My experience in Wales has been sub standard in terms of hiring trades for work at my home, to the extent I'm only now going to hire if I REALLY need to, such as electrics or major projects because the general unprofessionalism, incompetence and general disregard for pride in ones work has left me feeling truly inspired to give it a go myself rather than waste good money on poor quality. Paying over the odds for just downright shoddy trades work is frustrating at best and leaves the average person feeling completely let down I'd say. That's just my experience and there are some good people put there, just very hard to find trustworthy and professional trades people such as yourself.
So many comments on here from homeowners moaning about prices yet the same people will happily pay 3k for a weeks holiday or buy/rent some expensive car for 600 a month no bother. Im sure the desk surfers got big oay increases and bonuses this year plus most of them are "working from home" ie doing their chores and saving a fortune in travel costs yet when the trades want to increase their rates its a "rip off" 😂... Cake and eat it?
The divide between tradespeople and office workers has never been so big in modern years I feel. We need to up our prices or we can't survive as a business but because non trades think we keep 100% of our labour charge they think we are making a fortune when the reality is most office based jobs make more take home pay than we do
Median household income for the UK is £35K (as of 2023), so the vast majority of people are definitely not splurging on expensive holidays and cars
As a homeowner, I find it hard to find good tradespeople available to start a job at a short notice and that forces me to learn skills online and become a diyer. Your videos are extremely helpful. Thank you.
Same here!
I always say if a so called tradesmen can start straight away. Well take it from me they are not fit for purpose.
Any good tradesmen carpenters builders will be booked up for 6 months! You might get a plumber quicker.
I disagree with the comments about good trades people are booked up for 6 months, I do a lot of domestic work but a higher percentage is for small builders. Sometimes I get a few dead days between jobs and if I get a phone call I can fit them in if it's a small job
All my work is through people recommending me and my longer term clients are willing to wait a few months for me to be free so to me that doesn't scream of being a cowboy who doesn't take pride in their work
@@ilijadjujic5911 I agree with smaller jobs, I suppose I meant if a builder can start your extension in a week’s notice that’s a bit suspect. I’m generally booked up for 6 to 12 months just word of mouth, but will try and fit smaller jobs in too. I love to get dead days in between 😂 will try take them off, you only live once.
I'm a Gas Safe engineer, and it seems rather absurd that we invest so much in training, exams, insurance, and registration, only to receive a fancy card that rarely gets acknowledged. Meanwhile, there's nothing preventing just anyone from buying a gas boiler or gas fire, attaching it to the wall, and making a tidy profit.
Great to hear you talking about these issues - lots of our viewers and followers who are electricians have said that things are very quiet at the moment and we have definitely seen less leads coming in ourselves lately. It’s a worrying time for a lot of businesses.
My business is plantation shutters and its been absolutely dead the last month, I mean worst month in 5 years. The previous 4 months were great though so just got to roll with it and make good use of the downtime.
I find customers want you to be available to do their job pretty much as soon as possible as though you're sat at home doing nothing and if you do drop swap things around to get the job done they then proceed to take 30+ days to pay for the work done! End up having to chase them to pay yht invoice. Why do customers always think its fine to ask a trade to do it cheaper and then take so long to pay? You dont get interst free credit at the petrol station or Tesco's but its fine to barter and take time to pay for the work done!
Very common story this Jon!!!!! pisses me right off!!
I'm with you on this one.
We live in a decent area in London, and most houses around us are in the £2M+ mark. There used to be an obsession with buying the house, gutting it and spending stupid amounts of money doing the refurb. You would probably never get back. Looking around, we also used to have lots of extensions - loft conversions with tons of scaffolding happening locally, but this has radically quietened down this year. Many people appear to be overextended on finance, and feeling the pinch, I feel so sorry for the youngsters out there with no chance of ever buying a house, especially in London.
What happens in London is that an area pops up on the middle/upper class radar and loads of work gets done over 2-3 yeaers. But then its done, the scaffold dissapears and the crowds of tradesmen along with it.
Hi Robbin, thank you for your channel, learnt so much from the great content 👍
Home Owner, started an extension project last year. Planning came through in 2021 and waited a year for local builders who have been excellent. Getting materials last year was hard and expensive. I guess this may change with the large sites slowing down.
Builders have only got one small bathroom to dab out and plaster then done. The job slowed due to me running low on cash, but stuck at it and these guys have stuck to the original quote.
I’ve always completed small projects on my own, bathrooms kitchens and so on but this job was too large. So waited for the right set of lads and really glad I did. Cheers
It does end well sometimes!!! regards to your team and tell them well done from me!!!
My company is based down the south of uk I’ve had the busiest year to date and the phones still crazy plenty of work down here at the moment so 🤞🏻 for next year .
Plasterer by trade but the last 10years including my own houses now take on conversions and refurbishments Inc structural alterations . Thanks for the channel 👍🏻
25 years ago I wanted to replace internal doors in my house and couldn't believe the cost, everyone was saying they could only hang 4 doors a day. Big house 25 doors. so stupid cost. I just couldn't understand why they wouldn't use a jig, I'm an electrical engineer and that to me would be a no brainer for speed and accuracy on something repetitive like doors but when I suggested it everyone looked at me like I was mad. I then saw hinge jigs for sale in home depot in the US and bought one, I had to buy US style and size matching hinges as well with the large radius corners. Bought them home and did all the doors myself in a day. This was the trigger to start me on a selfbuild journey and have now built two houses, most products I get from the US or Germany where quality is so much better, fortunately I travel a lot so can get them back here easily. Almost without exception the UK building industry is totally broken. Especially developer newbuilds, it's the cheapest possible rubbish badly fitted then run away - zero pride. A German friend asked me what snagging was - it's just not a thing there, they fix issues as they go and ensure it is right when completed. It's insane that snagging here is considered normal, no other product or service would accept such nonsense. Sadly I don't know the answers, on the selfbuilds I'd try and find people straight out of school and college to work with as they were less "corrupted" by the industry here - or of course someone from overseas. On a positive - your channel helps and on the plumbing side people like heat geek show heat pumps do work and the issues are ALWAYS with the trades fitting them, but it'll likely take until the current generation of trades has gone, and there is proper training and certification, before quality can return to the levels of the rest of the world.
I have had a complete nightmare with my project. It started Aug 2022 and it is still only at the shell stage. We hired a seemingly reputable contractor who was the devil incarnate. Terrible work, he didn’t have a clue and was charging me VAT when he wasn’t registered. We finally got rid of him and I’ve been PM’ing the project myself. But finding the right people is virtually impossible. The amount of contractors who have two or three jobs on the go and don’t attend regularly at all, some even left me in the lurch as they found for profitable work elsewhere. I am now doing a lot of the work myself, luckily people like Robin put up videos I can copy. But I’ve aged no end due to this. The UK is a mess when it comes to the building trade.
Another example of what is affecting so many people, such a shame, good luck to you
@@Swwilsthat’s not a fair comment and not helpful however, that is very unfortunate what has happened but there are plenty of us decent tradesman with good morals and workmanship to match hope and I you find someone 👍🏻
It's very true to find good tradesmen,myself am a second fix carpenter and I am very busy with work at 72 years old.Secondfix carpentry is all about finishing when the builders have left.
I've been a trade for years but now happy working in building maintenance for a simple life.
Your experience is what puts me off getting anyone in for larger permenant jobs like an extension.
My house needs work and despite being slower I'd rather do everything myself because i i know it will be done right.
The Uk is a mess full stop.
Excellent, I’ve been looking for a new podcast for the last couple of weeks, so I must’ve tuned in at the right time to hear you just mention about the carpentry show. Thanks Robin I really appreciate it.👍🏼
Thats great Terry, let me know what you think of the podcast!! I am always looking for guests!!!
Hi Robin love ya videos and you are a true craftsmen we are a two man band carpenter and bricklayer we haven't really stopped working at all even through covid !!had it worse ten years ago keep up the good work mate all the best 👍👍
Nice one Alan, you make the ideal team!!! and with your joint abilities you will be busy until you retire i'm sure of that !!!
I'm a competent DIY home owner. I have an extension coming up but decided to do most of it myself. Why? It would cost too much and being competent at DIY I get wound up by the incompetence I have had from trades people in the past. When I find a good specialist I use them and pay the proper rates. But they are few and far between so back to DIYing it.
Hi Rob
I’ve been a self employed carpenter/joiner since I was 22 years old ( now just turned 60 ) still love the job. I concentrate on mainly internet work nowadays. Still getting plenty of enquires up here in Yorkshire , booked up into early 2024. Never worked on big sites and to be honest nor do I ever want to, having spoken to lads who have worked for big house builders it appears you can only make money if you cut corners / rush which probably explains all the issues that new houses come with.
Hi Robin, first love the channel. I’m an Electrical Engineer work in Building design with a number of large Consultants and construction companies. I also have a small property income but do all my own construction. I try not to employ external trades if I can avoid it, which is by choice. Last year has been crazy busy, but over the last few months there has been a marked slow down, but it is still busy.
Tender returns last year were ridiculously over priced in comparison to professional QS estimates. BUT, we have seen far more interest in projects from contractors these past few months, so I guess the market must be cooling somewhat. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing either as it wasn’t sustainable. We’ve all been here before, we had hot a cold markets so having the correct level of trades people for the lukewarm periods is just about right. Cheers 👍
I'm a homeowner and have been renovating for the past year. Replacing all ceilings and doors /frames etc . Big shout to Robin for teaching me to fit the door frame and hang the doors correctly. The intension was to get trades in to complete the underfloor downstairs living area but I struggled to find anyone at a reasonable price. In the end I decided to fit it in stages (pooring screed on Christmas eve made the wife happy :( ) and so far so good. I have finally found a builder to complete the bi-fold doors and some structural work. This took me 3 months to find and the price is very high, I understand that the cost of living has increased along with materials so I'm taking it on the chin as the builders have to family's to feed too. We are still waiting for the work to start but I believe a busy builder is a good builder. Fingers Crossed.
I've been trying to build my own house for 2 years and it's been difficult. I decided recently to get quotes for timber kit supply/installation - and for the first time since I started I appear to have companies really competing for the work! 2 years ago I couldn't get anyone to even reply to my calls!
I'm a one man band joiner/builder and right now enquiries are down but my biggest problem is the speed of being paid. Clients are getting slower and slower to pay. Today I had 18 miles range in my van and I'd ran out of snookers and luckily a job I didn't in August paid. It's so disheartening.
I run a property maintenance contracting business based in Warwickshire. 7 vans 9 people and business is good, growing year on year! The recipe is simple, turn up when you say you’re going to turn up, send the estimate when you say you’re going to send it, take a 25% deposit to balance the cash flow. Book a date with the client, turn up on time, do a good job, leave the place clean and tidy, be polite, be professional! Deal with issues head on and always communicate with the client …It’s really not difficult. I don’t why the trades make it difficult
Materials costs are starting to get astronomical, and QC on delivered goods is dropping (between what manufacturers deem to be ok, and the state of the goods when they turn up delivered by the builders merchants) i find myself spending more and more time chasing suppliers over cost and quality of goods.
Nightmare!!!
I think many like me have plans on hold due to sheer cost increase of everything. We have planning permission for a loft conversion and other changes for a large bungalow in Cornwall we live in. Just cut out a window and got a new back door fitted to start the build and stop the clock on planning permission fingers crossed ! Will do what I can myself next summer and see how finance goes.
Lucky for me I have a retired builder as a next door neighbour and he sure knows a thing or 2 about concrete and grano dust and pretty much anything about building houses long story.
Robin your a master craftsman a pleasure to watch you working . its great to show your skills here and show us how to do things and make it look simple. 👍
Well your neighbour is going to be super useful!!! having someone like him to lean on will make the whole process better I am sure! thanks for your kind words
hello Robin, I work in infrastructure, there still a struggle getting engineers (proper engineers, i.e designers), costs are still going up, concrete up by 20%. There's load of small to medium firms going under. Even though your looking at building sector on the domestic side, your issues are happening in the larger construction sites. Highways work is being cut back which is disastrous for the country.
Hi Robin, been watching your channel for a while now - superb mate thanks for your videos. I carry out basic carpentry tasks mainly skirting, architrave and flooring, handyman tasks and a lot of outdoor work - fencing, gates, decking etc. Homeowners have less disposable income now, household bills are through the roof in the UK and Ireland and there is no doubt it has affected the construction industry. Tradespeople are charging more to cover the rising costs of fuel, insurance, salaries and so on. It’s a tough time for the homeowner and the trades alike, hence demand has dropped significantly. The question is do we work for less now or does the homeowner pay more now?! Time will tell.
Robin, I’m an ex sparky, currently working in Electrical Design for a local authority, what with one thing and another it’s been a ridiculously busy year, pretty much non stop. I’ve found prices for tendered works very hard to predict, so I’m guessing the market is pretty unpredictable. And over the years I’ve noticed a general lack of care and attentiveness with some of the trades on site (not all, we still have a few who care and go above and beyond)
As a homeowner, I can say trying to deal with tradespeople is proving tricky, I’ve contacted trades now for a few jobs (kitchen fitting, landscaping and windows) and they either haven’t turned up to look at the job, haven’t returned prices etc. if they’re not interested fine, but just say so, I’d rather the honesty than being messed around.
It works the same way with the customer, do you let the 3 out of 4 that are quoting know that you have chosen someone else to do the job?
As a tradesman you take time to look at the job, get quotes from subcontractors, sit down in the evening and write out the quote, then take dozens of phone calls from customer asking about the quote and work, to only never hear from them again. which is more than likely due to you not being the cheapest.
Also attentiveness takes time and time is money, Alot of homeowners want work done tomorrow in as little time and for as less amount as possible.
if my quote is accepted for what i ask i will 100% always do my best to complete a high standered of work.
I was a roofer's labourer in the early to mid 2000's, so I have no recent knowledge of the trades themselves. But where my son and his wife have recently bought a house, I can tell you that much of the work involved, painting and decorating and minor plumbing and electrical work has been DIY, with paid help, or just guidance from family friends in those respective trades. In fact we've just completed a nice patio for the litle ones to use next summer.
The only other thing I have a little knowledge of is Check-A-Trade, an old friend was on this before he retired. Plus obviously between UA-cam and Social Media you have some tutorial style videos and ways to find tradesmen (and women) that have a good reputation.
Hi Robin, I’m an engineer by profession but always kept a hand in property including designing and building our own home around ten years ago. I am currently committed to building 3No. 4 bed detached properties and h e concerns over what could happen to the property market before they are complete and due to be sold. In addition labour prices and some material prices are significantly higher than pre Covid levels, coupled with the risk of falling house prices it’s a double edged sword for me.
Hi Robin I run a small structural carpentry company and for me iv started getting busier recently which is great. I find you have to be willing to travel further distances to keep busy, as apposed to relying on more local work 👍
Homeowner and always used people I know personally to work on two extensions. Done the donkey work myself though because ultimately that final finished look can only be obtained by a truly skilled tradesperson.
I learned a lot of DIY skills that would be beyond what any normal person would tackle simply because of not having money to pay builders and having been ripped off in the past. I once spoke to a builder about a problem I had with penetrating damp on a front bedroom wall, his solution was to cover the inside wall with insulated plasterboard… I ended up chipping off some render, repointing under it (mainly around the window) patching the render and painting a liquid resin over the rest before redecorating. My approach actually worked first time, I solved a problem that had went on for 3 years and it cost me less than £200 It was experiences like this which made me never underestimate myself again. I will tackle almost anything now once I feel that I have researched the subject enough.
Same here, i simply don't get people in to do anything because i don't trust them. Plus I've been in building game long enough to work out anything for myself.
I have always done the same, bought tools and learned rather than pay someone else because whenever I have got someone in their standards haven't been what I wanted. I retired from a career in 2019 and was using my skills and tools to help family members and then realised if I could do that then I could do the same for the general public. That was the birth of my new identity as a handyman. I realised that if everyone I knew needed help with small jobs and couldn't find reliable people then the same must be true for everyone. There is no shortage of work because I think people find they can't get a joiner or plumber or electrician to do the small stuff they have on their to do lists. 99% of my customers are women living on their own and they have lists of stuff that needs fixing. They buy a new blind and have no way of hanging it or a gutter leaks and they have no ladders etc etc. I'm pricing at £200 a day. I don't advertise apart from a Facebook page and the rest is word of mouth and many repeat customers.
You have the skills, you have the tools, they are valuable in today's Britain.
Not in the area i live where if your charging more than £5 an hour they think you are ripping them off and then they want a discount if gou took slightly less time than mentioned when prising
Im a handyman who does largely carpentry based work.. Usually small jobs, doors, skirting etc.
Didnt notice much change untill the last month or so where works dropped of a cliff.
Normally aim for 10 quotes a week.. 5 are time wasters.. Out of 5 serious quotes 3 will stick and produce roughly a weeks work.
Im struggling to get 2 quotes a week at the moment, basically relying on my long term regulars.
We bought a house last year. have used a couple of people already and had a difficult time getting people to look at (small) jobs. The standard of work (generally) we have had done has been a little poor. I've done a couple of little jobs myself (with help from youtube videos and experience) and they way things are looking (economy and standards) i shall be tackling a few jobs myself, nothing too taxing but with inspiration watching your work i believe i can do a decent enough job. We need the bathroom and kitchen doing (next year) and there is a builder in our street who has solid recommendations so will be using him. In my history I am consistently disappointed with the standard of work we have had done and looking under floorboards at electrical work which has been undertaken previously to us buying a property i'm flabbergasted by trades burying crap rather than cleaning up as they go.
it has to be said, your standards are a beacon of light and thanks so much for your time and methods, they give me something to aim for and i shall try.
I always hope that someone is going to have the same attitude as me, I do the best job I can, no matter what I do, at the end of the day anything I build has my name in it.
Been in the trade about 35 years. I ran a building firm where I employed 28 people of all trades, we worked on mainly nursing homes building extensions up to 55 bedrooms, I now work as a building inspector for a local authority which is great we cover 64000 properties doing all types of maintenance.
Hey you ok we're based in Bolton if you ever need any roofers , carry out any maintenance 👍🏻
The UK need better routes for non school leavers into the trades. There seems to be a attitude that if you did not start at 16 / 18 you can't learn or if you didn't at 35 you have the same knowledge at 16 year / 18 year old.
I speak from experience of trying to become an electrician when I was in my early 30s, with experience of working on complex machinery involving fault finding control in industrial DC (24v) systems, AC three phase, electronics debugging, having already done the 17th edition regulations, experience terminating wires and cabling of all of the above. I was told I had no ability to fast-forward some parts and by implication that my knowledge was that of a school leaver. I had plenty to learn and knew that there but that I could no fast forward though some of the training meant the training was too long to be able to take timeout to do on minimum wage.
Hi Robin, yours is one of the best building channels so I’m happy to share my experience as a homeowner. The biggest issue we have faced with tradespeople recently is with electrical work, I’ve tried five different small companies or sole traders and no one will come back to me with a quote or have the integrity to say no, just get nothing back, it is really dispiriting to be honest. In the end I will get it sorted as I would not DIY. Have I just been unlucky or is that a familiar experience these days.
Where are you based? We have a great network of electricians if you want a recommendation. We’re based in Cambridge so might be able to help ourselves if you are local.
@@artisanelectrics thanks, big fan of your channel also, we are in Sudbury in Suffolk, appreciate your reply, I have a plumber who is also an electrician who I have asked to help with my EV Charger connection.
Carpenter here, 25 years experience. I’m doing private work and keeping myself busy. The last year has been full of troubleshooting jobs. Mostly foreign builders ripping off foreign customers. Also some home owners doing the work themselves and running massively over budget through in experience and mistakes. Some really heart braking stories actually….
Interesting to read all the comments, and the different points of view! Personal experience is homeowner half way through a Reno. Generally when I need to get trades in, I took your advise Robin, I only go through recommendations, I have a sparky that’s as anal as I am, so I know if he recommends someone they are going to be good; regardless of the price. Also being recommendations, they always seem to be keen for the work.
I live on the south coast in the UK, and have had multiple issues with very bad tradespeople in this area, never found a single one who I would ever use again. I am now super wary of getting any building work done. Recommendations from people you know in your area are worth their weight in gold, diamonds and moon-dust!
Hi Robin. Homeowner looking to do some much needed remodelling. Concerns; had two poor experiences with trades - electrical and heating. Makes you very wary. Worried that prices are going sky high...too high...at the moment (wife's father having work done...£5k added to the initial price for no extra work). Very concerned that I will not get a decent builder (agree with your thoughts about regulation), so I am biding my time to see how things pan out and will look to do as much of the work as I can. Excellent videos. Thank you👍👍👍
This is a common experience and like you many people are sitting it out!!! thanks for your kind comments
I’m always encouraging young blokes on site to look up Rob’s tutorials and 9 times out of 10 they say they do! You are doing a great Job mate, not that you would ever have the time to scroll through the comments. Passing on knowledge and giving young chippies solid tips.
Thats Awesome!! Thanks for pushing my channel!!!
I think the same thing has happened to the building trade, as has happened to most other trades. Nobody cares about doing a good job. My experience after choosing a builder with a good rep, that wasn't the cheapest has left me wishing I hadn't bothered. I've had to redo a lot of their second fix. Consequently they haven't been fully paid.
I am so thankful that I have a trusted builder who does work on my house, you hear so many horror stories of poor and expensive work. When money is tight, scrutiny is high
As a UK homehowner with a lot of work needing done, the biggest problem I have is actually finding the trades to do the work and that they are prepared to be transparent about costs etc. I've had quotes for specific pieces of work varying widely which leads to a high degree of mistrust, i.e. is the low quote going to reflect low quality/ additional hidden costs, is the high quote just ripping me off. In all cases the trade (apart from the electricians I've dealt with) will not be transparent about costs. i.e. material, waste costs, equipement hire, labour etc etc. Transparency builds trust!
I'm looking to have a Garden room fitted above my garage ( take current roof off and build on top) I would use a tradesman but never find a joiner that can commit at reasonable money. I've watched a load of your stuff and want to try the build myself. I've done some Diy built substantial decking etc. My hurdle is that I've only the use of 1 arm which isn't my dominant arm. I was a welder fabricator to trade so just turning my hand to something I feel I can achieve. great content and just found your channel recently.
It wouldn't pass height regulations or health and safety regs I'm afraid so that's a non starter norman
House prices have reached a level where most people can't afford any more, pushed up by demand and estate agents and house builders, it's not the first time and the only way to lower prices is by forcing a recession or just the threat of one , any reduce in confidence, then prices will lower and start again, I've been through 4 cycles of this.... I'm a chippie.
Hi Robin, homeowner been putting of kitchen renovation for a couple of years now due to increasing costs not just in materials but also daily living costs. I find it hard to put trust in trades people in this area so many horror stories even about companies that on face value look good. Not been able to work for last 8 years due to disability and government does nothing to help with housing costs as I am a homeowner, however Joe blogs that stays round the corner never worked a day in his life high on whatever he can get his hands on living in private rented house get everything handed to him. This government really needs to wake up at sort a lot of issues out.
Hi Robin. I worked in Germany during the late 70's and 80's doing partition walling/ suspended ceilings for a sub contractor. Then went back in 1995 doing joinery, prefabbed wooden structures /dry lining and roofing. Great if you like chain saws 😄. To have your own company you need to either be a Master tradesman, or employ one who then takes on all responsibility for the quality of work. Also to set up a limited company you have to have a bank account that's frozen with a set amount of money in it to cover the eventuality of you going busy. I believe it was 50,000 euros in 1999. Retired now, but don't half miss it.
We have a number of projects lined up for our house (knocking through to create an open plan kitchen diner, new kitchen etc, replacing our conservatory with a sun-room, converting an out-building to a garage and so on) and had budgeted for them - two things really. 1. I'm now re-directing that money to clearing my mortgage rather than having to jump from 1.74% to around 5%. 2. We would have started some of the work had we not been continuously let down by builders - coming around to quote and either not quoting or taking months to quote. Booking jobs in then not turning up. Reliability is a major issue for the trade.
Want an extension built. Called 18 builders, 4 replied, 2 visited, no quotes! Now doing night course on bricklaying to DIY it! Had money to spend but nobody wanted it.
start of this year we did a 6x6 extension and turned the old kitchen into a laundry room/shower room
the cost of things was HUGE and fully finished with all the things we had to do, from planning to the cost of the fridge and everything inbetween set us back £106k
we still need to find another £5k for the garden
£9k for the finishing of the rest of the house
bit more for a steel beam we need to do before any of that
and another £10k for doing the main bathroom
not to mention then we'll need to do the flooring throughout the house too, 1600 sq/ft
but we just don't have the money, so while we have a builder willing to do the work, we can't fund it and don't want to be left doing odds and sods for the next few years
this same extension, several years ago when we did our loft, was looking at the £35/40k range
it's not just covid and all that malarkey, it cost £3k just to get it through planning, and then we had the 150mm insulation and stuff costs which added another £3.5k to the build from the original quote
it's a very very nice place to cook though and it's added around £70k to the value of the house so it's not all bad news
but for us as a family, take home of roughly £70k p/a, it's still a struggle to save up enough when a decade ago a take home of £70k meant you were living like a millionaire
and yes, i'm well aware of folks who have it worse than us but you've asked about what homeowners are doing for jobs around the house and this is the reality of it
lets not even talk about the cowboys out there ready to rip you off....
Thank you for sharing your story, one I imagine will resinate with many people here!!
Just found your channel, great info. What is happening? Where the hell do i start! Complete frustration and disillusionment from trades to quality and governing bodies, price is accually relative but yes crazy high Very keen DIYer and both landlord and home owner, many multi faced jobs on going who comes from a building family back ground. Cant say it all on here there is too much. Love to talk more directly..
Maybe come on the radio and do it!!
I am Joiner by trade but spent all my career building as well, I live in the north and set up business doing joinery and building 15 years ago just when the first recession came in 2008.
Not that I want more red tape but there is not enough regulation around setting up in business within the construction industry. I know a few people who have done up there own properties and then set up as builders.
I feel I have learnt my trade, from NVQ3 to HNC level, worked hard to gain experience and knowledge in building and construction for me to be able set up in business and since then continue to build my knowledge and skills.
I find it hard that others can do so little and still call themselves builders and charge out at comparable rates etc.
I have a good customer base and have worked of recommendations all my time in business, but I do think it’s getting harder to show why someone like me adds more value that the guy who’s just moved from doing a bit of DIY to building houses/extensions or who’s built a few garden walls to now can renovate or convert your loft!
I think Construction especially domestic is only going to get harder in the next 10 years.
Home owner. I wanted to do the work but I was hoping to fund most of it via remortgaging but with interest rates higher, it has eroded away my affordability to borrow. So now I'm saving up for it which means I will consider the work at least 3 years later than I had originally planned.
Great example of what is affecting us all right here!
My local excellent DIY shop which usually had 75% of the stuff I ever asked for over 25 years, gave up last year ...
He said he was increasingly undermined by the big DIY Warehouses, and the Internet. Oh, and the Fire Brigade checking COSHH rules on Flammable stocks.
The cost of materials alone has increased so much over the past few years. This, together with the squeeze on disposal income (ah, yes, I remember when ...) is, I suspect, leading to a lot of puting off of projects.
Also, with these significantly increased costs, customers aren't going accept anything less than top class work.
True!!
Never been so busy as I have over the last year , but the money earned is going nowhere nears as it was three years ago .
Working harder to stand still
Great topic, my two sons had the same builder do a runner on their houses and it was me who had to finish. My next door neighbour has gone for the cheapest shell build and they are paying the price for poor workmanship. New home builds by the established home builders are a joke. We keep on coming back to price and quality of workmanship, so in response to your question this an area that needs addressing. Having qualifications does not automatically translate into a quality job so how will the industry address quality in the work force versus price and shareholder dividends. UK is not the only country with this dilemma £,$€? Regards Mike
we took on a remodel/addition project of our house at the start of the pandemic.....we had 2 choices: 1). slowly work on it by myself and occasional tradesman and take several years to complete; 2). create a full-on project with a crew. My wife didn't like the "several years to complete" so we went with Plan B. We soon found a difficulty in labor AND materials. What should have been a 9 to 15 month project took over 2 years. As I was the General Manager all the stress fell on me of aligning the 'crew' and making sure the materials were there for each task........ my stress level was extremely high. The best part of this stress, though, was that I had complete control of the quality. We ended up with an all-electric, net-zero, geo-thermally heat pump, solar grid-tied power with in-floor hydronics. The stress was worth it when we made it through a full year with a power bill each month of $4.30 (for administration). Full head of gray hair now.
Recently moved home downsizing as all the kids left home. We knew our new home needed work re wiring, new kitchen bathroom etc, it was really difficult to find builders and electricians that were reliable and even turn up to give a quote for the work required we agreed a price with one builder and agreed a start date the estimate was well put together so we expected a decent job. On the first day I caught both workmen in their mid twenties smoking cannabis in the back garden. Each to there own and in their free time but not in my house while I’m paying your wages. I chucked them off site spoke with the builder and cancelled the job. The builder was very apologetic but he should have done is due diligence when employing them. He did say that finding reliable staff was extremely difficult.
Good question!? I’ve been in the trade since 1989 and things have never been so good for me in the last few years , wages have doubled in the last 5 years . Theres not enough good trades out there ! the younger generations think they have to go to University double with not enough apprenticeships and this as created the market now.
I bought my house last year and as I was fired from my tech job I started to renovate it myself. I've done new kitchen, new downstairs floor (self-leveller and LVT) new bathroom, carpets, flat roof rebuild on porch and I'm seriously considering looking for work in the building trade instead of getting another tech job. It's quite satisfying to build things and am considering doing kitchens or something like that. I've heard my friend quoted 17k for a kitchen and I think that would be quite a bit more than the 3k you take home from a good tech job.
Roofing contractor. My commercial clients are so busy we are being asked to do work outside of our normal scope eg brick work, first fix carpentry… had the busiest 3 years ever. Could be busier but turning down work because we cannot get the right staff!!
Ps. Clients are paying later and later
Scary situation!!!
Hi Robin, there has been a fundamental change to the Building Regulations which appears to have been mostly unnoticed. Builders are now the Principal Contractor and often also the principal designer for small domestic jobs, since 1st October this year, builders will have to submit a signed declaration of compliance to building control. There is a new requirement for competence and the general enforcement side of things is being stiffened.
As a building inspector I can no longer give you any design advice but must send you back to the principal designer, who, if they can’t help, must be working outside of their competence and potentially liable. These are huge changes, happy to discuss them , I’m an ex joiner now a director of a national approved inspector.
come to the america ! we NEED competent inspectors here badly,
@@sparkyobrian6417 I’m too old my friend
I’m a construction supervisor for the last 25 years and property trained carpenter and since Covid tradies brains have gone down the drain. The mistakes, lack of communication and the poor decisions on a daily basis is and I have never seen in 34 yrs in the game. It’s tiring and a battle everyday and I don’t see it getting better. People join the industry now to have a job but not a career. I’m glad I spent most of my years during the good times. I’ve heard people here in Australia say … ohh the new migrants will help… I say they won’t join the building game like they used too, It’s too hard, the young blokes don’t wanna get sweaty or dirty or work in all 4 seasons anymore. I met people front Toronto whilst Vegas at Easter and they said the same thing. Also the government depts don’t care, they just want you to pay your taxes. Otherwise love the videos mate 🥇✌️
Do you live in Australia mate?
Hi Robin,
Im a developer, carpenter by trade as is my father, my nephew and my son who has just left school to become a joiner/carpenter.
Im on last two properties on a development of 15 houses and was hoping to start a new development next year but a bit wary to commit to starting at the moment because of the economy. Tradesmen are scares were we live especially quality tradesmen.
Been building traditional brick/block houses since my father started his business in 1972 but thinking of having to build timber frame houses because of bricklayer shortage though we dont really want to change from the more traditional method.☹️
Liking your channel very much.
Keep up the good work 💪
All the best.
Timber frame houses are far better than traditional build. Faster, less delays due to weather. Easier to insulate to get to modern regs. Way easier to run services. Been building timber frame houses for 20 years. If you are chippies just stick build on site. Cheaper and easy to do for 2 or 3 chippies.
@@benwilkinson5457
We live right on the coast of North Wales. Windy as hell here mate.
No many timber frames round here.
I’m a home owner and I’ve decided to do my large loft conversion myself. I am very lucky because I know a good plumber, and a relative is an electrician but to get someone in to do the staircase is a nightmare. They re happy to come and have a look but then you don’t hear from them again. I have found that the cost of materials is starting to come back down. I’m in a position where I need to decide whether to take on the stairs myself or not, stair box, fit it myself. I, definitely going to have to do the velux myself. Also, I don’t have a deadline and I am in no rush to get the project done, which might be the best way these days,
I am a looking to build a replacement dwelling and triple-bay garage, however having had a nightmare experience (still ongoing) with a "builder" who rebuilt your outbuilding the fear of going through the same experience has really put me off. Customers buying a washing machine or other similar item have more consumer protections in the UK than if they spend 100s of thousands of pounds on a construction project. The whole system is stacked against the customer, getting through planning alone is a huge challenge, then finding a builder that will do a proper job is a nightmare. Even before the build starts dealing with architects, engineers etc., brings another whole range of problems and stress. When things do go wrong with the construction the customer is trapped, Building Control can't help, trading standards or construction organisations are little or no help at all. In my view builders should legally be required to register with a government agency and be able to prove competence for the trades they offer, we should have independent agencies that can inspect work and require builders to complete remedial work or face prosecution, each builder should be legally required to possess insurance against poor work or going out of business without completing work already for. This agency must have strong powers to deal with poor builders but also protect the good ones.
Nice idea but in practice what you’ll get is a government quango that will be set up by mates of politicians as a money making opportunity for themselves. Taking the path of most profitability by charging the very trades that they are meant to help and represent.
My example for this is Corgi which turned into Gas Safe. Little to no prosecutions for those doing gas work under the radar and funded by all the good fitters that don’t get much in return other than being told they have to give up a days wages to show someone around to have their work checked.
Couldn't agree more.. Every suggestion is right but the problem is the government can't manage the agencies it has currently, banking, food, farming, water so adding construction to the mix is just a recipe for disaster especially if their management of hs2 is anything to go by. Cream rises to the top, it's sadly simply a case of waiting for good people or learning yourself
I'm in the trade, commercial though nothing domestic. Lots of projects cancelled or put back, thankfully I do service and repairs so doesn't affect me much. But now mid 40s and still not on the housing ladder, looking unlikely now as even if I started a mortgage tomorrow 25 years takes me to nearly 70 before paid off and I don't want to be doing this job in my 70s, it's hard enough now. Just feel like I'm ticking along, all the days are the same and don't seem to be getting anywhere in life.
I'm a self-employed carpenter and have spoken to a number of homeowners recently (around Somerset) who speak of how hard it's been to find a carpenter who's available.
Tradesmen they've known are now tied up in larger new build projects and not available for smaller domestic work. Others might've retired.
I've only been a sole trader for a few months now but I like what I do. I live in rented accommodation and may never be able to afford a deposit for a mortgage... But that doesn't matter to me as much (late 30s).
I know some other tradesmen locally who are finding work hard to come by; others who might be busy in to the new year.
I've worked on a couple of new builds recently where the customers are already living and they're having big issues with the developers... Work that wasn't completed to a standard or finished at all. And these are issues that will be present through each house on the plot.
Something is very wrong there.
I was self employed for a while 'jack of all trades'.
Not the fastest by a long stretch but always take pride in my work and did a decent job.
Simply got fed up with customers telling me how much things should cost!
Taking on small jobs meant I couldn't get good prices at builders merchants so my material costs were no cheaper than what customers could get themselves. Factor that with so many people willing to accept a bad job simply because its cheaper, however, being called in to rectify others shoddy work was fairly rewarding!
Now work with a small company making and installing granite/quartz worktops although looking to retrain outside of the construction industry as its been a stressful industry to work in for the last 25 years.
I'm a kitchen fitter and still really busy but I haven't raised my rates for last few years . Just seem to work harder and faster to make it pay not really the way it should be. I've also been involved in a renovation of a property and that has been way more stressful than any kitchen fit. Tradesman letting you down also some doing a poor job then the organising of materials and also the costs just blows my mind . To be honest I don't know how builders do it . I fully understand the quotes they may seem crazy but on this renovation job I've probably spent £1000 just in screws fixings and stuff you just wouldn't think about .I definitely wouldn't do another renovation job just stick to kitchen fitting more money and less hassle
Been in the building trade since i left school in 1977, worked direct, sub contracted but mainly for myself on private work. The trade has changed, in some part for the good in others not so. I was classed as what was known as an improver which meant i spent x amount of time with different trades learning as i went along, i respected the people i worked with and took full advantage of what skills they passed on to me, after all their knowlage was priceless. I reach retirement age next year but have now stopped taking work, time to leave it to those who the trade has'nt worn them out yet. It's a good trade to go into but it dose take it's tole on you one way or the other. love your vlogs robin , and must say the hinge jig of yours is the best and easiest to use that's avalable anywhere. cheers bud.
Thank you Keith!!! with your knowledge and experience it will take several new entrants to take your place, so glad you like my simple hinge jig and thanks for supporting me!! are you looking forward to retiring???
Robin there is allways something to do, my daughter has just bought a victorian property in worcester , so that's her number blocked, haaaa. TC BUD.
As a home owner i get great enjoyment from doing as much as i can myself, spending the time learning the process and then the satisfaction of doing a great job.
We are looking to move soon, we have found a house and are making a list of jobs that need to be done. Everything from a new roof on the conservatory, the kitchen, bathroom, boiler as well as the usual painting and decorating. Most of this we will do ourselves to keep costs down, but there are a few things where we will get in the professionals.
We are quite picky with who we will use, inevitably it will be trades people we have used previously that we know do a good job. Because they are good we know we will have to book in advance and pay the proper rate for the quality and experience they provide and we are ok with this.
There is defiantly a lack of experience being passed down and people being over charged for poor quality work by unskilled trades people. But i try to research what needs to be done so i can ask the right questions a get a feel for their knowledge or experience. Sadly i don't think you can just trust someone anymore.
There's a big problem for young British people entering a trade, this is due to lack of opportunities. The young lad who was working for me was going to college to do brickwork. He was the only one out of 30 lads who was able to get just 20 hours of site experiences. What a disgrace. It's even harder to get an apprenticeship!
Maybe because If you are contracted by a customer to do a job there sometimes is not the opportunity to teach a lad on the work you are doing, it will slow you down and you risk your own profit for no gain whatsoever
Running a small architectural design practice for 25 + years currently enquiries are the quietest that I can remember. I might have to start fixing my own house next year if things don’t pickup 😬
Same mate. It's so slow. Good luck
I really would love to have you mentoring me through my adult apprenticeship I found the job late in life but love it so much and you’re absolutely amazing in what you do love your videos learn a lot.
Adult apprenticeships are a joke right now. Absolutely pointless. The government NEED to address this. You can't go into an apprenticeship as a full grown adult and still make ends meet even as a singleton, let alone someone with a family. The quality of the person you are apprenticing under is obviously important, but before reaching that point the barrier to entry around pay is just awful.
@@gymertron apprenticeship is meant for young people who still live at home
I would love to da an apprenticeship I currently work a night job but could get in a few hours in the day to train but can’t find any courses at all near me
I retired as a sparky due mainly part p. £ 500 a year registration, testing equipment and calibration , liability insurance, van tax, tools. And the public still goes for the cheapest chancer.
That is true Dave, unfortunately in society consumers are used to comparison type transactions where they may buy an insurance policy or something similar and I get that that is probably OK to take the cheapest quote.... but it really does not in building and construction generally!! Due diligence is needed to qualify the right person!!
I have a question! When’s your roofing square going to be available!! 😃👍🏼👀
Here in New Zealand, I am finding it hard to find quality timber. Even paying a higher price does not provide better quality timber. I believe it is because it grows too fast.
Joiner in timber frame and we are dragging work out, in previous years we would be slammed by work until this time of year where it would slow down, no idea whats going to happen, intrest rates have crushed this industry
DIY-er here. I've been mostly self-building an extension for the last couple of years. Most of the work done myself (digging footings, getting foundations done, building the dormer - thanks to you for all your videos as they let me build the dormer to a high standard - building flat roof, rubber roof, floor, plumbing, plasterboarding). Two things not done myself - the blockwork walls and fitting steels, and the plastering. The builder for the blockwork was reasonable on price, but some of his work was pretty dodgy in terms of finish, and I'm glad there's almost none of his work visible as I've clad the ground floor extension. He was always trying to cut corners, even when I had paid for new materials, he'd use two broken bits of aircrete block instead of a new one which was already on site 'to save [me] money'. Crazy. His apprentice was an animal. Neither used any PPE and they broke up asbestos cement board on site without taking any precautions leaving me with a nasty clean-up job. Having said that, his price was reasonable, (£7000) compared to the others I got - one of whom was talking around £50k for the same work.
The plastering I've just had done. Contacted 15 plasterers, only 2 responded. One looked like I'd ruined his day when he did come round, the other guy seemed OK and asked the right questions, but his work is terrible, which I only noticed when starting to paint. The edges are rough (it looks like cellulite near the corner beads), there's trowel chatter and lots of misses. So now I either have to have a project which has cost me my life savings look terrible as the plaster work is so bad, or try to find someone to put it right.
Two good parts: I've found brilliant electricians who have been reliable, friendly, done a good job and at a good price. Whenever I've made changes (which has happened twice) they've been great at finding the best way to do it for what I need. Can't fault them.
Also purely by chance when getting rid of the old roof tiles, I talked to the guy and found he knew an excellent bricklayer who replaced a dodgy original structural wall for me. He wasn't cheap, but his work was top notch, which is a relief when you have to take the acros out.
The problem with all of this is you never know what you're going to get until the job is finished, and by then it's too late. The crappy blockwork wasn't the end of the work as it's accurate (just looks awful) and being covered up. But the plastering.... I've literally woken up at 4am every morning this week thinking about it. Review sites seem to mean nothing, and it's the kind of thing that you only have done once in a lifetime so you're unlikely to have a friend who knows someone decent. And no-one seems to want any work... I know that it's not an enormous earner, but it was three bedrooms, a landing and a 40m2 'super room' that needed plastering, and I didn't even get a 'sorry, too busy' reply from most of the plasterers.
No idea how to solve this. I know that you, A&E and Steve roofer do good work because you can see the quality in the videos. But other than that, everyone else seems to be a dice throw.
Common tale here!!! Tony from Build with A and E is a fabulous builder and his firm will always do an amazing job!!!
And Steve the roofer is such a great wealth of knowledge and good practice and his way of explaining is brilliant!!!
I feel for you.
My main trade was plastering but I now do maintenance.
Not to blow our own trumpet but we were very skilled and our work was first class but I gave up for various reasons.
Some reasons, people in wet trades generally don't take it seriously and don't look professional, it was a cold messy trade, you can't find other spreads who are on your level to help out, most plasterers can only skim new PB, a business isn't scaleable because see last 2 comments, although individual private customers and personal contacts appreciate you the trade as a whole isn't respected like plumbers electricians etc for all these reasons.
The trade is generally becoming deskilled with a lack of motivated trainees coming in who want to learn more than skimming, these 2 points are compounding eachother I'm sure.
Eg. people would ask in the past if you want to do their rendering or pebbledashing which we used to do. But you get to the point where its not worth the trouble of organising scaffolds, mixers, loose materials and dodging the weather when you can earn the same money for skimming walls inside in the warm. If you can only skim you shouldn't call yourself a plasterer imo.
thanks for the youtube tips
Agree Darren I'm contemplating learning some of this stuff myself. As trades who quote seem uninterested.. Why turn up to quote the or are trying a quick one? I waited for a good polish builder I know who turns his hand to everything but he's so busy could only spare a week.. Worth waiting for the right person or doing yourself!
I was involved in the plumbing industry (now retired) trying to interact with government & industry bodies with competent industry schemes. Very, very difficult. Government was hugely bureaucratic which killed a lot of potential and their somewhat schizophrenic ideas wanting zero cost, but all inclusive, had me sighing with despair. Industry politics... where to start ? I could fill pages with tales on that.
Hi Robin, there's a builder's transit van belonging to "Patel & Singh builders" The slogan on their van said :-
" You've tried the Cowboys now try the Indians"
Came across a builder once called John Wayne.
I believe the securitisation of real estate for rent purposes, the cheap money environment of the past 15 years, have resulted in a massive bubble in real estate prices. This has resulted in the younger generations not being able to afford a housse with what they earn. With mortgage rates up the way they are and inflation adjustments doubling up on already a grave situation, this bubble will pop worldwide. Commercial brick and mortar real estate will be in for a reckoning worst then the GFC and while residential will not be as affected, write offs on corporate debt that most property developers have, are also around the corner. Increasing default rates are a certainty. Falling property prices are a sure thing now, and that deflationary pressure will accelerate as people will wait out for more favourable comditions. This in part is a self fulfilling prophecy that will reshape the construction industry in the coming 3 to 4 years.
Good to hear you keep your company size manageable and lean! The best way to weather what is to come.
Wish you lived in North Devon Rob…🙏
I’m a retired construction professional, started work at 15 ended up as architect/ project manager…I now live on the west coast of Scotland and there is a huge skills shortage here with a result in sky high wages and poor quality work….what I am seeing here is more people taking on major home building project that are well beyond their skill set. This results in major funding problems due to overspend and huge frustration…I think this tend has developed for two reasons….the first is what I have just mentioned, cost and availability of labour, the second is the growth in DIY projects on the internet and TV which often give a very distorted view of the reality of how easy it is to carry out this work and the impression that anyone can do it.
Ive worked as a carpenter for myself for last 21 years. This year has been my worst by far. Quoting for work & just don't seem to hear back from people. Doing nothing different in my process just think people are being so careful with what there spending. Im tempted to give up & do something completely different.
Never give up, Tony, but there's just so much illegal competition. It's ridiculous, it's the perfect storm.
I'm in exactly the same boat its so disheartening spending all that time quoting to not hear a thing back
Hi Robin, I'm pretty lucky as I can do most work around the house excluding heavy electrical which needs a qualification. As we all know reliable and quality trades from all sectors are very hard to find. On the whole our experience including all the people we know... work completed by so called trades people is very poor and they charge the earth for it. Most people who you contact don't even turn up. It just a nightmare, some trades are notoriously poor, we needed a wooden fence erecting around one of our properties and most of the posts were not even plumb, up to 3 inches in some cases, just shite work. Not matter how you check reviews and so on its hard to trust anyone these days. Even some of the you tube who show how they can install a kitchen the work is shite.They have not got a clue.. Like you said Robin the government is not working and supporting building skills its just all about academics, no practical skills. Its makes me laugh when they keep on about building all these houses.. who is going to build them. I could go on and on.
I work for a major brick manufacturer in Surrey. We are having a 5 month close down as the yards are full to the brim with bricks as they are not being bought. Staff have been promised no job losses, but they are worried. At the moment we will be going in to clean and paint for those 5 months.
Are you near me in Dorking?????
@@ukconstruction I live in Sussex, work at Wienerberger in ewhurst
I’m in building control, so i see the good and bad builders, I had trouble getting builders for our extension this year, had plenty to come out and quote, but didn’t get many quotes back, and they would promise to get the quote over and nothing materialised. And when I did get quotes, they were very high for a small extension especially as I was asking for a bare brick shell to then finish it myself. So ended up getting separate sub contractors in for certain elements of the work and managed and it and did more of it myself.
With the changes now in place for building control, builders now have to sign a compliance declaration before sign off, to say that they have built in accordance with the regs, this will likely wake a few builders up when they have to put their name to the works they are doing.
Bring it on!!!!! finally a level playing field for people like me who love their work and care for the client, and respect good building practice, we are lucky to at least have a good building control system here Nick, keep up your good work!!
@@ukconstruction cheers, you too, if only all builders put in the same level of effort and consideration that you do, our job would be much easier…. Although it might then get boring as there isn’t anything to keep you on your toes!
@@Swwils the builders are currently responsible for complying, however it has formalised it so they have to sign a declaration , with their details, so if there a problem, they cannot deny being involved etc.
The amount of times I have heard of builders just folding their companies when clients try to come back for remediation is unbelievable. Happened to my parents.
Closed down the Ltd company, start a new one with a very similar name. No accountability whatsoever.
Happened to friends who bought a flat in a private development in Croydon, all under a private NHBC guarantee, builder folded when discovered it was an absolute shambles of a building and the underwriter went too. 10 years later, still can't sell the building.
Have you ever looked at the syllabus for the carpentry/joinery in the south of Ireland? What do you think of it?
My experience as a homeowner is similar to many on here. Been renovating my place for over 2 years now and I won't hire any tradesman to do a job I can do myself because of my lack of faith in the industry. Where I have hired out jobs, it's taken ages to find someone, the cost of labour and materials are through the roof, customer service has been appalling and the final result has been substandard.
I think the skills shortage is a major concern. Without enough quality tradesmen available, the industry is rife with cowboys who wouldn't get a second look if the quality was available elsewhere. Those that are competent in their trade are too rushed off their feet to give the job the extra hour it takes to deliver a 10 out of 10 service, or the home owner is too crippled by the cost of living crisis to pay for it.
Good commentary Robin as always but why spend money on building an extension and just buy my apartment in Malaysia for under 100k GBP - utilities cheap as chips , gas prices 36p litre 👍