Are we all rubbish?

[eggsarascal]

I'm not sure that the trades you speak of are getting consistently high rates. I have mates that are joiners, sparkys and plumbers. The going rate around these parts for these trades are between £120 and £160 a day. So on an eight hour day they are getting between £15 and £20 an hour. No great shakes For a tradesman. Imo.

[Mark Bolam]

I think we are all singing the same tune here lads!

[Matthew Storrs]

The problem as I see it is, a lot of the time its not an essential trade, a tree can always wait a few more years (dangerous trees excepted) to be taken down or pruned, so really having your trees done is a luxury, if the price is too high then sod it "we will wait another year".

Right on top of this, to do domestic tree surgery, you can buy a van, a few saws and climbing kit and your off, there is no set standard of qualifications really, anyone can have a crack at it and many do, again forcing the price down for companies who run 50k worth of kit, yard rentals, insurance , etc etc.

Perhaps its not really an industry taken seriously or even valued by a lot.

For the record I make far more money doing agricultural fencing and digger work than I ever did when I was offering tree surgery in a bigger way. People can't compete with me doing the fencing work unless they have the tractor and post knocker and digger and therefore the increased investment. However many people can offer tree services often with minimal kit or overheads.

[Tom D]

OK to clarify a couple of points, in the last 3 years I have done ok, I'm not pleading poverty, I just see many who are working for very little.

 

RE the tradesmen, I am comparing a self employed joiner / plumber with own business and one employee with the equivalent surge, I recon the trades get more, much more, if you want to compare wages how many groundies get 160 a day? or even climbers for that matter...

[Rich Rule]

But are the other tradesman paying their labourers 160 per day?

 

I doubt it.

[skyhuck]

But are the other tradesman paying their labourers 160 per day?

 

I doubt it.

 

Exactly.

[eggsarascal]

I'm talking about self employed lads!

[skyhuck]

Plenty of self employed groundies.

[Goaty]

But are the other tradesman paying their labourers 160 per day?

 

I doubt it.

 

No but they charge them out at that and supply them with £50 worth of tools that last years.

[eggsarascal]

Plenty of self employed groundies.

 

But are they finding and quoting for the work?