is hedgelaying a skilled craft

[hedgesparrow]

i put below a reply to start of season but though it needed a new thread.

those i watch laying hedges are what i call skilled craftsman at work. the longer you have been laying hedges the more skill you have.

yet when asked what is the going rate for laying hedges and what i have heard. are we undercharging for our skills.

some of the related skills to our own i have listed below.

what do you get charged for sawn stakes. i wonder if those who do hedgelaying undersell themselves. what is a skilled craft. taking years to master. as before hurdles £90 for a 6ft thatchers 25k to thatch a house.

farrier £40 to shoe A horse. and yet £6 upwards a mtr to lay a hedge.

20x £6= £120 a day less materials fuel for saw truck and getting materials. its not a lot. its not as if once you have tools thats it allways need fuel and materials.

there was a thread on the NHLS forum re having accreditation for hedgelaying going up to crafstman. maybe thats the way forward, to show that its not a job any one can just do but needs training and practice. to get to a skill.

then those who lay can try and get a decent rate for there skills. also its only a winter job so 7 months could be busy other 5 months what do you do.

i do ground maintenance work in summer and lengthman all year.

i be interested in others views on this.

[Coletti]

In short and in my opinion yes, it is a skilled job. Now I'm no professional hedge layer and have only ever done devon style on top of hedge banks but in my time doing it I learnt a lot!! Just driving past a laid hedge I used to think it was easy, I mean...how hard can it be to lie trees down on a hedge? But then when I started doing it under tuition of an old timer I soon learnt there was much more to it than just lying sticks down on a hedge. Between 2 of us we got no less than 100m a day thinned, steeped and tied down but that was hard graft in my opinion and I don't think I got payed anywhere near enough for what work I was doing. I now take my hat off to anyone that wants to give it a go as it's not entirely simple and I don't think enough credit is given to those who do do it

 

 

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[Ian C]

Is it a skilled job.........no

 

Is it a skilled job to do right. .....yes.

[Johny Walker]

farrier £40 to shoe A horse????

 

slight correction required ,£80 for new shoes,£60 for a refit,mind you he is part clysdale

[daveatdave]

years ago it was farm labours that did the hedging after harvist and throughout the winter and low pay came with it. now there is next to no farm labours its the flail cutter on the back of the tractor.

johny is that your horse and buggy ?

[Johny Walker]

years ago it was farm labours that did the hedging after harvist and throughout the winter and low pay came with it. now there is next to no farm labours its the flail cutter on the back of the tractor.

johny is that your horse and buggy ?

 

yep, wife & girls looks after him:thumbup1:

[NI Tree]

there both skilled jobs I have lay a hedge the Irish tile just get it down and don't worry about looks

johny

here it is about

£45 for a new set for with or without stud holes

£40 +shoes for a new set for my Ardenne as the farrier does not hot shoe so I have to get them my self due to there size but still cost about £10

£20 for a refit