My idea of fun...

[1shortcircuit]

Core drilling four 6" holes in three properties today. Oh what joy lmao

Out of interest, what do you guys normally charge for this?

This particular work is for my own landlord who owns a number of properties. I've just done it on a day rate plus hire of core drill, transformer and extension lead... oh and dust sheets.

Came home looking like an American football player where I had my dust mask on lol

First hole was an absolute female dog and so was the cleaning up afterwards. Second hole pished through, third and fourth were okay but black mortar everywhere. Took me longer cleaning everything up than it did drilling the holes.

Landlord wanted me to drill from outside due to dust issue but I declined due to safety issues of using core drill on a ladder for fans in upstairs bathrooms. Amazing how dust can still get everywhere despite covering EVERYTHING with Polythene dust sheets.... What a day

 

[Darkwood]

I get a labourer in and pay him basic while i do what im good at and charge full, and correct core drill with torque drop out will allow drilling from both sides safely and no unsightly blast out on external wall... but agree the big core drills supplied by hire firms can break your risk and throw you off any ladder.

 

[Geordie Spark]

I get a labourer in and pay him basic while i do what im good at and charge full, and correct core drill with torque drop out will allow drilling from both sides safely and no unsightly blast out on external wall... but agree the big core drills supplied by hire firms can break your risk and throw you off any ladder.

I used to do this. It often ended-up with me doing what I was good at & the labourer doing the wiring ........ :jester:

 

[1shortcircuit]

For my own work (4" fans) I just use my own little SDS drill but as this was 6" holes and four in the same day I know my drill wouldn't have even wanted to get out of the box.

I'm not a great lover of ladders so I intentionally do not normally do extractor fans in bathrooms. I'd rather be skint than lying in a hospital bed due to a fall.

It was a Hilti that the hire shop supplied and despite having a clutch there were a few nasty moments where I thought "glad I'm not on the other side up a ladder" The weight of the damn things when the core bit is attached is bad enough when you're standing on the floor holding on with both hands lol

Unfortunately I do not have the joy of a labourer as I've only been trading for a year so things are relatively slow still at the moment... Even if I did though I would not be sending them up a ladder to do such a job, it's just not worth taking the chance in my opinion.

:thumbsup

 

[Paul.M]

Totally agree with you 1SC about not drilling from outside on the top of a ladder, well done for putting your foot down.

Any large bore drilling I tell the customer to get a builder in and I'll do the rest, in your case you could'nt but sounds like you did the job. They dont teach you how to do that in school do they? Just another leason in the real world that we all have come across and one that I dont like doing.

 

[1shortcircuit]

Totally agree with you 1SC about not drilling from outside on the top of a ladder, well done for putting your foot down.

Any large bore drilling I tell the customer to get a builder in and I'll do the rest, in your case you could'nt but sounds like you did the job. They dont teach you how to do that in school do they? Just another leason in the real world that we all have come across and one that I dont like doing.

Oh I certainly did do the job lol My Wife laughed when I walked through the door as I was plastered head to toe in dust AND I had been wearing a disposable dust suit lol

Ladders I can do within reason, but drilling up them? Nah, some other mug can do that lol I have two young children and I would be of absolute no use to them in a wheelchair or even worse.

I think I owe my stance to working for the likes of Laings and Balfour Beatty where H&S is rammed so far down your throat that you continue to eat breathe and deposit it long after parting company lol

 

[Geordie Spark]

You can reduce a lot of the dust by means of something like a plastic bucket with a hole in the bottom for the core drill to pass through & a hole in the side for your Hoover pipe to shove into.

Gaffa tape the open end of the bucket to the wall or get an assistant to hold it in place, shove the Hoover pipe into the hole in the side & switch it on, then poke the core drill through the hole in the bottom of the bucket & get stuck in. Trust me .. it works !!

For drills the size you've been using, I would be looking at hiring a stand with a vacuum base. The base is connected to a vacuum pump which generates enough suction to stick the whole assembly to the wall while you feed the core drill through the wall by turning a handle on a rack & pinion - just like a bench drilling machine in a workshop. The ones I used to make could easily drill a 12" hole through a wall secured in place by nothing more than vacuum.

It's almost effortless and quite safe to use - as long as the vacuum pump doesn't fail .....

 

[1shortcircuit]

Thanks GS,

I think I'll stick to letting someone else do it though in future lol

Obviously I know it depends on area and other factors but what prices do Builders charge for such a job (approx)?

*** Must make a few enquiries ***

 

[Silly Sausage]

I think I owe my stance to working for the likes of Laings and Balfour Beatty where H&S is rammed so far down your throat that you continue to eat breathe and deposit it long after parting company lol

One of my first jobs was on a chemical plant, PPE crazy, especially LEP.
At first I thought why bother, but then it dawned on me, why should I lose my eye sight working here.
After that, just wore the glasses etc without thinking about it.

 

[Geordie Spark]

Thanks GS,

I think I'll stick to letting someone else do it though in future lol

Obviously I know it depends on area and other factors but what prices do Builders charge for such a job (approx)?


*** Must make a few enquiries ***

Sorry I can't help you with that one as I haven't a clue.

Most of the time when I was working for myself, I just hired the gear which was a bit ironic considering I used to make the stuff back in the early days of core drilling, and only bought my own rig a couple of years before I retired !!!

 

[Paul.M]

H&S is one thing, common sence is another. If it dont look safe, dont do it.

We've all done daft things in our time but the secret is to learn from them. example:-

Last year when I had an apprentice under me (that i spent a lot of time and effort on) we was on a simple house rewire but the cellar void was very small. I could lay on my back and touch the beems with a 'rounded door handle from my work pants if errect' (you now what I mean). Although he was 21 years old, slim, strong and more than able to crawl on his back for the next 2 hours and pull cables, I took the job. I dont normally put my H&S hat on when doing domestic because its normally not that dangerous but this was something that you dont send some one in without experience (this is sounding gay now lol). Anything could have happend.


Before I put my head in the hole I made him aware of what was going to come (so gay). Told him that when I enter the void he needs to talk to me every 30 secs to make sure I'm still awake and not knocked out (gay). As I crawled on my back for the best part of two hours without a smoke in my mouth or a breath of fresh air I was able to insert my cables into the pre drilled holes to the satisfaction of the customer so their ring was complete, while all the time he talked to me just incase i hit my head too hard.

I came out looking like Yorkshire miner after a weekend shift down the pit plus loads of cuts on my fore arms and back (never go to Newcastle for a night out lol). I would have never sent that young man head first into that hole knowing whats comming, and it was rough. Glad that I was man enough to take it. Anyway thats enough about that, the rewire went ok by the way :rofl:


Who's going to be the first to report this post? I'm only talking about H&S after all.

 

[1shortcircuit]

I could lay on my back and touch the beems with a 'rounded door handle from my work pants if errect' (you now what I mean). Although he was 21 years old, slim, strong and more than able to crawl on his back for the next 2 hours and pull cables, I took the job. I dont normally put my H&S hat on when doing domestic because its normally not that dangerous but this was something that you dont send some one in without experience (this is sounding gay now lol). Anything could have happend.

SAFE zones Paul

150mm from ceiling right the way around the top of every room lol

:thumbsup

 

[Geordie Spark]

The last time I was under floorboards like that I couldn't get out & needed my mate & his lad to drag me out.

It was all due to old age & arthritis & it was then that I decided to retire.

 

[Paul.M]

SAFE zones Paul

150mm

:thumbsup

Only time I see 150mm when I suck in 300mm of my beer belly :rofl:

 

[Geordie Spark]

Only time I see 150mm when I suck in 300mm of my beer belly :rofl:

Only 150mm ............... I can tell you're not a Geordie. :tongue3: