Advice on starting up please

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dannypriestno1

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Hi everyone,

This is my first post on here - I'm considering starting up a plastering buisiness on my days off from my full time job as a fireman.

My background: I completed a 9 month building & structural finishing course whilst in the Royal Engineers (Army), this covered all sorts of areas and also touched on skimming, dot & dabbing, taping and jointing, metal and wood partitioning etc.

When I left the Army I enrolled on a 2 day plastering course (in case I went down the full time route) to be honest it didn't tell me much more than I already knew. I joined the fire service the same year but have always done work on my days off, for friends, friends of friends and obviously family. I feel pretty confident in my ability, I'm a clean worker and have always left people happy - I not saying I'm the finished article 'by no means!'

I feel it would be a waste if I didn't pursue this in some way 'getting a van/estate' and doing it all properly, I've also got the bonus of not needing to bring in a certain amount of money - I could just take on what was feasable.

I'm looking for any advice really from anyone who has done something similar, advice on:
How much is reasonable for a days work.
Tax/other legailties that I must adhere to.
Invoicing etc etc.

Many thanks, all advice greatly appreciated!!
Daniel
:RpS_biggrin:
 
ask adhmed mate, hes in the same boat as you although i think he only did a one day course from what i remember. He started off doing jobs for cousin and auntie and he cracked it that way :RpS_thumbup:
 
I'll prolly start off on small fires, you know, car insurance fires for relatives and hopefully by bonfire night I'll be flat out :RpS_laugh:
 
Very good!! overtime! you must be joking, chance would be a fine thing!!

seriously could do with advice from anyone who has set up on their own?
 
I can see this will be an interesting thread when we have all had a drink later :RpS_thumbup:
 
best way to find out about tax matters, is to give tax office a ring explain what you want to do :RpS_thumbup:
tell them roughly how much you earned since you started spreading on ya days off for the last year or so, and they should be able to work out how much you will need to pay. in the future of course !:RpS_thumbup:
 
I'm sure there was a post on here before about a fireman taking up plastering and going around banging out rooms for £80 and i dont think people on here were very welcoming to firemen starting up plastering and robbing the work when there was fires to be put out !!
 
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To be honest it really doesn't bother me who is doing plastering work , as long as they are professional in their approach and the standard of finish that they leave, i would much prefer a fireman to be making a few extra quid as long as he is paying his taxes etc not like some of those scags on the dole an leaving s**t work all over the place and just pissing it up the wall
 
just brought this van for work as i wanna be part time fireman now
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Cunning idea i thinks...... Once he's been round and put a chip pan fire out he drops of a card offering his plastering services and jobs a good un.
And being as he can firemans lift a 14 stone bloke down a ladder hel have no probs putting fireline boards on ceilings on his own and labouring for hmself.
 
Also if hes ever working on site with no water or Electricity and can use the water tank and 110v p.t.o on the fire engine.
 
Daniel it's all about competition!if you can do a job as good as spread good luck.I've done loads of jobs for firemen or as they say one of the lads!once done a house got halfway through and another fireman stroke spread was starting the hallway as I walked in.I later gave him job and he turned up first day after doin nights done a fair day.the nextday done hardly nothing .in saying that they all seem hardworking but am not surprised with there shifts they have.
 
Thought the old fireman thing might get me a bit of grief!!

Not to worry, some decent advice there of some people so thatnks!!

I personally can't see a problem with trying to further your skills in general as long as you don't take the mick!!
 
I think its just so hard for the full time spreads now that its depressing seeing people come into a trade that to do it properly and to be able to take money off the general public for work that is most likely not to a standard of a time served standard is frustrating....

It also give plasterers a bad reputation as well, be like you only putting out half a fire.... woudl give the whole fire service a bad name.

Its notthing personal to you or the fire service :)

You do what you gotta do :)
 
The job i,m on uses 2 firemen , doing the roofing on there many days off , and when there on nights they work the days , they can do it cheap because they get 40k from there real job , it just feels like a piss take to me . Building is our livelyhood , is it fair public sector workers , who are paid for with our taxes are nicking our work , or am i just being a dopey old C**t , cant they do a sport in there spare time like they do in there work time
 
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you have a point blade,
not only do they get a good salary they get pensions etc after 30 year service.retired at 50 id take that.
 
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