oh why do i do it!

[timberdelf]

How many of you get customers order their own materials?

 

it tends to do my nut in somtimes!!!

 

genrally its not to bad as rule in say logistics of them getting it to site on time and the right materials.

 

However my latest job the customer wanted to order his own pagola to go over his Koi pond...i arrive on site to find that only four corner posts can be fitted around pond du to size and shape of it!..thus the ( two seperate), cross members would now have to be joined a metal bracket in the middle!!...nope not an 16 foot in lenth i say it will sag and break when cross rails fitted !!!

 

his wife then says will it support six hanging baskets ....mmmm

 

next problem i start to dig out old concreate balls from old pagola now rottern to find upon digging down the concreate pond is seeping out water by the looks for some time hence the old posts were rottern!

 

i stop digging and ask if ok to carry on digging as water leaking from pond underground....reply yes go ahead!!...madness !!!

 

this all came about by myself giving a quote to them to supply and fit the appropriate size pagol to fit over pond only to be told thats too expensive!!!

 

thus he orderd a £ 200 cheap pagola unfit for the purpose!

 

anyway had to source a 16 foot lenth beam to replace ones that it came with but at 16 feet in lenth they dont stock off the shelf at wicks lol...only place i can get them at widths we need is saw mill and best bit they only do them in oak....ker ching...£ 78 plus vat!

 

so it cost him the same as what i originally quoted more or less and now extra labour!

 

so i now loose a day of which i am adding to quote...when will i learn?

[miker]

a guy asked me to cost a new shed for him, i costed for me to make one 16x8,3x2 frame,heavy f/e cladding,coroline roof, came in at £1400, he ordered one from a well known supplier, cost him nearly £1000, what a load of rubbish,1 inch frame,10mm cladding, felt roof, i had to modify it as i went along, ended up costing him £1300 all in.

Will be firewood in 18 months imho, mine would have been good for 10 times that at least

[Mortimer Firewood]

How many of you get customers order their own materials?

 

it tends to do my nut in somtimes!!!

 

genrally its not to bad as rule in say logistics of them getting it to site on time and the right materials.

 

However my latest job the customer wanted to order his own pagola to go over his Koi pond...i arrive on site to find that only four corner posts can be fitted around pond du to size and shape of it!..thus the ( two seperate), cross members would now have to be joined a metal bracket in the middle!!...nope not an 16 foot in lenth i say it will sag and break when cross rails fitted !!!

 

his wife then says will it support six hanging baskets ....mmmm

 

next problem i start to dig out old concreate balls from old pagola now rottern to find upon digging down the concreate pond is seeping out water by the looks for some time hence the old posts were rottern!

 

i stop digging and ask if ok to carry on digging as water leaking from pond underground....reply yes go ahead!!...madness !!!

 

this all came about by myself giving a quote to them to supply and fit the appropriate size pagol to fit over pond only to be told thats too expensive!!!

 

thus he orderd a £ 200 cheap pagola unfit for the purpose!

 

anyway had to source a 16 foot lenth beam to replace ones that it came with but at 16 feet in lenth they dont stock off the shelf at wicks lol...only place i can get them at widths we need is saw mill and best bit they only do them in oak....ker ching...£ 78 plus vat!

 

so it cost him the same as what i originally quoted more or less and now extra labour!

 

so i now loose a day of which i am adding to quote...when will i learn?

 

 

That's why I love landscaping so much it keeps you on your toes.

 

Just finished a job where everything had to go 50ft up the side of the house on a 3 ft path. 44 tons of materials in 12 tons of soil out. The patio and wall could with withstand a direct hit with a nuclear bomb:lol:

[mendiplogs]

a guy asked me to cost a new shed for him, i costed for me to make one 16x8,3x2 frame,heavy f/e cladding,coroline roof, came in at £1400, he ordered one from a well known supplier, cost him nearly £1000, what a load of rubbish,1 inch frame,10mm cladding, felt roof, i had to modify it as i went along, ended up costing him £1300 all in.

Will be firewood in 18 months imho, mine would have been good for 10 times that at least

 

Hi mike you can not help some people mate thanks Jon

[simonm]

I always get materials myself, i explain that i am ott with fixings post depth/size etc thus ensuring a good solid job. It mite cost a bit more but you will only pay once for it! most people are fine with this and let us crack on. 1 bloke actually asked for the crappest cheapest fence panels & thinner fence posts! i explained that this probably wasn't the best way of doing it but he insisted!!!

Customers ordering stuff must be a nightmare, wrong tackle, wrong quantities, stuff not on site when needed

[skyhuck]

All this sounds like a right nightmare, one of the reasons I love tree work and don't offer other services, is the hassle of materials, plus I have a phobia regarding mud!!!

[Mortimer Firewood]

All this sounds like a right nightmare, one of the reasons I love tree work and don't offer other services, is the hassle of materials, plus I have a phobia regarding mud!!!

 

Why would you have mud on a landscaping job

 

Trust me if your putting enough over the counters at the builders merchants your either going to make money or every now and then get free materials. I can guarantee I'm going to get the materials 27% cheaper than the client.

[easy-lift guy]

Customers like trees need to be trained. Some customers are harder than others and still there are the DIY want a be who only think they are helping and saving money.

Allowing customers to supply any items for landscaping work is a loose loose for many different reasons. Change your policy now and buy yourself the peace of mind you deserve, instead of would of, could of, should of. Common sense works great as long as your willing to exercise it frequently.

easy-lift guy

[peatff]

Not a customer but next door but one neighbour asked if I could help him erect a shed he had ordered from a local wood sales who build to order tongue and groove construction. We laid some blocks to level the floor and set it up then felted the roof and it was a really solid good looking potting shed which cost around £400. Next door bought a shed from a catalogue and her and the bloke put it up, ship lap walls and OSB floor and roof, cost £450 and the roof has sagged, floor is split and there are gaps in the sides with knots falling out and it's not been up a year yet.