Good Morning Thread - Come say good morning, tell us what you've got on today. :)

We have this thread on TilersForums.com and it's just been restarted because the old thread had 20,000 replies and 500,000 views. And there were 700 pages. Started to lag a bit on slow connections.

I think we had a bash of this before, but I can't find the thread, so thought I'd start another one off.

If you have time in the mornings, come post in the thread before you head off to work, let us know what you've got on and what the weather is like in your area etc. Anything at all is fine.

Posts and likes get counted towards your total stats in this thread.

So GOOOD MORNING PEOPLE - WEATHER IS NICE TODAY IN STOKE. I'M THANKFUL IT'S FRIDAY, HAD A RUBBISH WEEK. THANK GOD IT'S OVER.

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[pc1966]

We have about 20cm at the work site, but nobody out there for various reasons (the snow making it hard to drive being one of them).

The joys of web cameras!

Edited to add: I know it is 20cm as some concrete plinths of that size are now buried.

 

[Lou]

Morning all, how is everyone doing? There is a sniff of freedom in the air!

 

[telectrix]

Morning all, how is everyone doing? There is a sniff of freedom in the air!

that's Brexit for you.

 

[littlespark]

Morning all, how is everyone doing? There is a sniff of freedom in the air!

The new scent, by Lynx ?

 

[telectrix]

more likely a blocked sewer.

 

[Deleted account]

Good Morning, maybe!

just cancelled my niceic registration.

spent all morning phoning customers letting them know I’m no longer an active sparkie and they will have to find alternative tradesman.

Fed up of all the jobs you do that people don’t see when a self employed Sole trader.

paperwork, quotes, invoices, material gathering, training, assessments, callbacks....

I would predict for every 40 hours on tools there is another 25 hours doing above.

luckily at 49 I’m in a good place financially and can afford to do a little part time job minimum wage to see me through. Can’t quite afford to retire.

I will continue to do a few non notifiable works for selective customers, but I will limit that to one job now and again.

 

[loz2754]

Good Morning, maybe!

just cancelled my niceic registration.

spent all morning phoning customers letting them know I’m no longer an active sparkie and they will have to find alternative tradesman.

Fed up of all the jobs you do that people don’t see when a self employed Sole trader.

paperwork, quotes, invoices, material gathering, training, assessments, callbacks....

I would predict for every 40 hours on tools there is another 25 hours doing above.

luckily at 49 I’m in a good place financially and can afford to do a little part time job minimum wage to see me through. Can’t quite afford to retire.

I will continue to do a few non notifiable works for selective customers, but I will limit that to one job now and again.

Good luck!

 

[Mike Johnson]

Good Morning, maybe!

just cancelled my niceic registration.

spent all morning phoning customers letting them know I’m no longer an active sparkie and they will have to find alternative tradesman.

Fed up of all the jobs you do that people don’t see when a self employed Sole trader.

paperwork, quotes, invoices, material gathering, training, assessments, callbacks....

I would predict for every 40 hours on tools there is another 25 hours doing above.

luckily at 49 I’m in a good place financially and can afford to do a little part time job minimum wage to see me through. Can’t quite afford to retire.

I will continue to do a few non notifiable works for selective customers, but I will limit that to one job now and again.

Join the "France 2nd home owners" facebook group, people always looking for electricians and offering accommodation in holiday homes, electrical works do not have to be notified and a homeowner can do what they want in their own home, holiday all year around with a bit of paid work thrown in. ?

 

[Mike Johnson]

When I am in France (rare now days) I am always being asked to look at french problem electrics, usually its during an evening meal or bottle of wine, gratitude is expressed normally with hank of deer or a leg of wild boar, all gratefully received and eaten.

 

[Dustydazzler]

Good Morning, maybe!

just cancelled my niceic registration.

spent all morning phoning customers letting them know I’m no longer an active sparkie and they will have to find alternative tradesman.

Fed up of all the jobs you do that people don’t see when a self employed Sole trader.

paperwork, quotes, invoices, material gathering, training, assessments, callbacks....

I would predict for every 40 hours on tools there is another 25 hours doing above.

luckily at 49 I’m in a good place financially and can afford to do a little part time job minimum wage to see me through. Can’t quite afford to retire.

I will continue to do a few non notifiable works for selective customers, but I will limit that to one job now and again.

You could have upped your rate and just done the jobs that make you a big profit which in Turn make all the office admin and wasted trips to the wholesalers worth while

I rang round some local gas engineers the other week and the cheapest I could find was £152 per hour on call

at those rates you could work 2-3 days a week and still make a decent lining ?

ok , it doesn’t eliminate the stress and stupid scam fees you would still need to pay but if a small job makes you a massive profit they seem much more worth while doing

 

[Mike Johnson]

Hmm 5 jobs @ £50.00/hour of 1 Job @ £250.00/hour let me think. ?

 

[Deleted account]

You could have upped your rate and just done the jobs that make you a big profit which in Turn make all the office admin and wasted trips to the wholesalers worth while

I rang round some local gas engineers the other week and the cheapest I could find was £152 per hour on call

at those rates you could work 2-3 days a week and still make a decent lining ?

ok , it doesn’t eliminate the stress and stupid scam fees you would still need to pay but if a small job makes you a massive profit they seem much more worth while doing

I did that! Increased rates massively.

I went from £50 per hour to £65
£200 per day rate to £250-£300
call outs went From £65 to £85.

And everyone still accepted quotes. still didn’t loose jobs.

made tones on money over last 2 years. More than I have ever made.

this financial year. Dispite covid and closing down for a month during first spike and again another month during this spike, I’m going to earn more than ive ever earned.

on top of that I bought a 3 bedroom house, gutted it, did it up andI am now renting out.

this is why I can afford to quit.

id encourage everyone to increase your rates now.

 

[pirate]

Been up since 5am, doing some housekeeping on my PC, paying a couple of bills etc. What have i got on today? Just my "loungers" and slippers, but I'll get dressed soon and head out for a long walk to get some fresh air and exercise as I've been stuck inside for a couple of days. After watching the News earlier, I'm now sick of hearing about the Sussexes and the kardashian person and her hubby, so I'd be grateful if nobody mentions them, thank you...

 

[Mike Johnson]

I don't watch the news far too depressing and nothing of any interest anyway.

 

[Dustydazzler]

I did that! Increased rates massively.

I went from £50 per hour to £65
£200 per day rate to £250-£300
call outs went From £65 to £85.

And everyone still accepted quotes. still didn’t loose jobs.

made tones on money over last 2 years. More than I have ever made.

this financial year. Dispite covid and closing down for a month during first spike and again another month during this spike, I’m going to earn more than ive ever earned.

on top of that I bought a 3 bedroom house, gutted it, did it up andI am now renting out.

this is why I can afford to quit.

id encourage everyone to increase your rates now.

If you have made enough to live off now then I fully understand the wish to wind down and sack off the headaches and stress of being a sole trader.
From the few trades people I speak to since the start of the pandemic have all ratcheted up their prices quite considerably. I recently paid a labourer 250£ for a day to rip up some tree stumps and dig the holes so I could put up a new fence. Im currently paying him £250 per day to dig some trenches on another job. couldnt find anyone else who wanted the job.

As I say , you are lucky to find someone for less than £50/60 ph in my area . Some wet pants , sparks , gas etc are looking at £100-150 ph now.
I don’t think it’s because they want to rip people off but more the fact they want to work less and earn more post pandemic.
if you can earn more in 3 days than you did in 5 days by increasing your rates by 40% then you will have a much happier life balance...