Money Money Dirty Money

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oasis

oasis

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My bank account is running so low theys days.. i fund all the jobs off my overdraft and find my self in the red all the time.. getting paid by cheques is crap iv had over £150 in bank charges this month. waitin on cheques that i owe out for mortgage anyway!
wot can ya do..i doin a few jobs a week but not gettin as many, cuz i will not price as cheap as other... but i dnt wanna work hard all day for fcuk all! i gota do at least £140 a day .. wot can ya do..

im sendin the mrs and kids out with the flyer's ta moro!
 
TBH oasis im finding things the same, been working for years and not getting nowhere i think its just down to the cost of living going up and up and the wages not matching it , havent got a clue what to do about it but it is something ive noticed.
 
i like shinny things! doing the job we do i fink we should earn a good livin.i refuse to work for a crap livin..
 
oasis said:
i like shinny things! doing the job we do i fink we should earn a good livin.i refuse to work for a crap livin..
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I couldnt agree more oasis, but its never going to happen mate to many peeps doing it and prices never go up you might get the odd touch but all it will ever be is a living
 
Oasis...to be honest with you which is the best policy-so i will be honest with you.
Now don't take this the wrong way as im trying to help you son but......
I have already replied to your last quotation and several of your other ones,and on quite a few occasions the job is taking you far to long and your spending to much on materials.This is why your losing money /not making enough.
You seem to be quoating all the time!!!!judging from ur other posts this is geat as many plasterers arent even pricing up due to lack of work .
my guess is your not winning the jobs becuse your over pricing.
This is what i suggest to help you....( im no know it all but i really believe these tips will help you )

1. only use wba and such products only when needed (i.e over concrete ) pva is suitable for most backgrounds ...this will save you money on materials!!
2. Wba also takes time to dry ..in the 4 hours it takes to dry i would have at least 2 walls finnished with pva.
3.Push yourself harder to lay more each day (impoprtant) your charging full wack the quicker you lay it the more money you will make (but dont comprimise quality for this ) on domestic anyhow.
4.Dont have a laborour unless you need him.U only need a laborour on domestic really if your knocking whole houses out on a reg basis.to help with the lifting mixing unloading and most important the ceiling boarding.
5.Use techknowledgly to ur advantage-buy a board lifter to help u board ceilings,why struggle with little 6-3s when u can cruise with 8-4s on ur own.More meterage quicker easier with no sweat - more money.Get auto feed screw gun etc speed - more money,get plasterers light so u can work later in winter months etc etc whatever can improve working hours or speed of work is usefull to you.
6.customers want to see quick clean efficient workers for a good price.if they get another price and the other guy can do it in half the time and prob half the cost who u gonna GO WITH ????He may be a cowboy or he maybe just be smarter..........
I HOPE THIS HELPS YOU OUT AND PLEASE DONT SEE THIS AS A DIG AT YOU BECUSE ITS NOT INTENDED TO BE.
 
Nah i dont see this as a dig at all.
iv never used a labour untill about 2-3weeks ago,and ever since i cant not use one as i find my work is better and the job is done cleaner and quicker.

iv always been told i am to cheap by local workers and friends so this last job iv garn in a lil higher with the price,i feel that i do a reali good job and think that using the best materials help keep the job to a top standard. so i have garn from £120 a day to £150 a dayand i pay a lab £50 a day cash so im £200 a day and i will always charge a day and half for a room, and the job is left very clean ect. just charge what i feel that i need to get the job to the standard i want..

like i said i can work faster and maybe do sometimes to make more money,but i add half a day here or there for room to clean and be tidy ect.

like i said the last price i gave was £750 for a H/S/L and living room and a small back room! i took £430 home before tax,but i still did the job in 4 days witch was reali good goin i fort.

as for the last job at £770 ill do it in 2.5days and make sumit like £360 after tax but will only be working at half the rate i had to on the last job.
up and down all the time lol

a few years ago i woulda charged £80 to skim a ceiling but now id charge £150 min including mats..

i come across as being young but my company image gos alongway i think i quote with nice coloured paper and give flayers in the quotes with a card saying that I'm part of the "BEST OF(TOWN)"
Have a look at my site ill PM you the address.

but tea thanks for the advice i will try and cut down using a lab and get back to Good old hard days work just me and the radio,.
 
I think we're all in the same boat mate, jobs are not so plenty, more people chasing the work that's there and there is going to be people who will work for not alot and undercut for sure. I've said before I don't undercut but what I will do is the best job that I can in as quick a time as possible, when I price jobs some I get and some I don't. I've been told that I'm expensive and that I've come in cheap but mostly it's to do with time, the longer it takes the more it costs, I've got the toys too which really help in getting more done in a shorter time making you more competitive not cheaper.
I've also seen the standards of 'CHEAP plasterers' (pickeys and builders or brickies who can't skim!) not good, I've seen stuff which looks like it's been put on by hand, really by hand! Skimmer has hit it on the head, keep your day rate but decrease time, costs and increase your performance and profitability will make you more dosh! Plus you get the odd day off!
 
ta this is all good. i will try and swork out how long a job will take to the day and charge for it from now on..unless they drive a nice car then i will add the half days again lol
 
I've just priced a job and I know I wont get it, it's only a small job but the time prepin and boarding will take over half a day then it's two mixes, pushing the job into a day and a half plus the cost of the materials! To look at it face value it doesnt warrant the price but time and materials plus it's an awkard b*****d lots angles and beads! Someone will pick it up cheap and regret it or balls it up!
 
i find that the hard one 2 price is the one wall.. back to brick..that needs 2coat s&C then skim..its a 3 day job.,1 wall big price..well half days reali but you gota charge the day
 
You could use hardwall, goes off lot quicker, it would probably save you a day. I know what you mean though! Especially at this economic time, we all know it's hitting the pocket big time!
 
well i say S&C as in if its a damp wall like..but yea i did a wall like this once it was £420 then they said my dad did a whole room years ago for the same price! i was like its 3 days work!
 
thats what rapid cements for :D........if you use a mixer add less water and let it mix longer if you catch it right you can get the second coat on in the same day and the green suction from the first coat will pull the second in , still allow yourself 2 hours from start to finish on your second coat so you can get a float on it
 
spunkybum said:
thats what rapid cements for :D........if you use a mixer add less water and let it mix longer if you catch it right you can get the second coat on in the same day and the green suction from the first coat will pull the second in , still allow yourself 2 hours from start to finish on your second coat so you can get a float on it
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Can we get this moved to the TOP TIP Section lol
 
oasis said:
Nah i dont see this as a dig at all.
iv never used a labour untill about 2-3weeks ago,and ever since i cant not use one as i find my work is better and the job is done cleaner and quicker.

iv always been told i am to cheap by local workers and friends so this last job iv garn in a lil higher with the price,i feel that i do a reali good job and think that using the best materials help keep the job to a top standard. so i have garn from £120 a day to £150 a dayand i pay a lab £50 a day cash so im £200 a day and i will always charge a day and half for a room, and the job is left very clean ect. just charge what i feel that i need to get the job to the standard i want..

like i said i can work faster and maybe do sometimes to make more money,but i add half a day here or there for room to clean and be tidy ect.

like i said the last price i gave was £750 for a H/S/L and living room and a small back room! i took £430 home before tax,but i still did the job in 4 days witch was reali good goin i fort.

as for the last job at £770 ill do it in 2.5days and make sumit like £360 after tax but will only be working at half the rate i had to on the last job.
up and down all the time lol

a few years ago i woulda charged £80 to skim a ceiling but now id charge £150 min including mats..

i come across as being young but my company image gos alongway i think i quote with nice coloured paper and give flayers in the quotes with a card saying that I'm part of the "BEST OF(TOWN)"
Have a look at my site ill PM you the address.

but tea thanks for the advice i will try and cut down using a lab and get back to Good old hard days work just me and the radio,.
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carry on as normal mate ;)
 
If your going to do an internal wall in mortar render why not use OCR, saves time farting about with a mixer, sand cement, waterproofer etc, time is money, mix it with a whisk in a tub ,bobs yer uncle
 
Yea its tough out there at the mo...i'm noticing the cost of things going up the most...for example...the interest rate on my overdraft over the last year has doubled...i now pay a fortune if i use my current account overdraft in interest charges, i was probably notified via leaflets etc i never looked at but anyway its gone up. Nationwide sent me a leaflet the other day saying that they are no longer paying visa fees on transactions abroad...that means holiday withdrawals will now be alot more expensive...etc etc :(
How some of you lot can be considering splashing out 18k on a new van i don't know!
Oasis i reckon your prices are ok...HSL @ 750 is a competitive quote. If your paying your Labourer 50 a day thats cheap, if hes good i'd keep him on most jobs...but then again i prefer working with other people...i work much faster...i find if i've got some1 mixing, cleaning, polishing and tidying up i can be out the door by 1!
Company image is very important though and consistent advertising campaigns...pm me your site address i'd like to check it out.

cheers
 
Oasis , reckon your prices are fine , how do you sell yourself when your there , rember being a plasterer is only half the job these days.Think of yourself as a double glazing sales man , how they sink the customer before the big hit .Sell what your going to do .
 
im not 2 clued up on the tax..i pay N.I thing bout £9 a month.. im self employed so any thing i earn i take 20% of (not materials) and put in a tax account..is this ok?
 
Your not doing anything wrong mate. It might be news to some of you but there's a recession on!!! The reason some people can undercut you is they will have a mrs with a good wage or they paid mortgages off years ago with windfall redundency ect.

Carry on the same mate, hopefully survive until it picks up.

Winds me up how government help Car manufacturers, factory workers ect and us builders get feck all!
 
Roofer2plasterer said:
Your not doing anything wrong mate. It might be news to some of you but there's a recession on!!! The reason some people can undercut you is they will have a mrs with a good wage or they paid mortgages off years ago with windfall redundency ect.

Carry on the same mate, hopefully survive until it picks up.

Winds me up how government help Car manufacturers, factory workers ect and us builders get (french word) all!
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very true mate
 
There's a car dealership in the midlands, pheonix or sumit like, it's been given £500m loan to see it through the bad times, all very well! How about giving us a £20k loan to see through the bad times!!! I think not, small independant businesses got no chance boys! Do all you can to pay the mortgage! Slave to money till you die!!
 
20% plus class 2 £2 per week and then at the end of the year the NI man takes out a pointles class 4 aswell, another 7% or 8% of your gross earnings.... :mad:
 
I save 30 % to cover all eventualities,that what my accountant advises.Also remember that if your a new business the first 2 tax years are free depndent on what time of year you start the buisness,but also remember that you will have to the pay last years tax in full and the next 6 months also in advance so your first tax bill will be high.
 
ziggy2 said:
O yes, my first tax bill was nearly £6000, then you gota pay again in July! Nasty taxman!
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Yes, but think about all the no-hopers and foreigners you are supporting.
 
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