Ty Korrigan

Who uses a blower vac?

I worked alongside a gardener in central brittany who obsesively used one even though it was far slower than a rake!

Wet leaves, one at a time shloop shloop.

Ouch! 375€ that IS low.

Especially considering that you will be paying 50%+of your profit to the state.

Have you found out how much the other paysagistes are charging out?

One way is to use a friends/clients house with trees of course and invite companies to quote for work there using their prices as your measure.

I will travel an hour for work but only if its a whole days worth.

As a guide, French tradesmen charge out at 35-45 per hour rarely less than 300€ per day.

Which department are you in France?

Cheers Stuart

I don't know why I am sharing this with you bunch of hairies but...

We quoted a fair price for a short back and sides on an overgrown garden in the village.

Having spent a wet morning dragging brush Madame invited us for coffee served through her kitchen window.

She was born there in the kitchen in 1928

It had an earth floor no electricity and 8 people including a lodger lived in a room barely 6mx4m plus the loft where the dried beans and straw where kept.

Water was from a well some 50m way.

Madame recalls when the british ran away and the germans in their turn likwise.

The americans who gave her a lift one day to town in a truck and her future husband who was evacuated at dunkirk and returned with the free french to fight another day.

But most on my mind was the local garden company who charged this old war bird 3 times more than us for a whole day when we took 5 hours.

Madame tipped us 50€ and kissed us both.

Vivre De Gaule!

I will say in defence of pricing that we as a collaboration owe no-one nuffin.

We elect profit above costs/ salary/ share to all plus a bonus for the one who has worked most. This always involves a fistfit and wrestling match which attracts more in bets that profit gained

Euroville France

Here I am taxed/pay social charges at a mere 60% .

I hate to disclose personal details these days but as a guide I look at a minimum of 1200€ per week to cover costs and pay the partners as we are a collaboration taking shares of profit regardless of investment.

Our current target day rate is 480€ plus 30€ per hour for Mr Chips the chipper.

We do exceed that regularly at the moment by doubling our clients..

We are cheap and are raising little by little our rate until we reach a 75% quote acceptance ( currently 95% too high )

There are others who charge 800-1200 for the same work so we are comfortable with our business plan.

Cheers

Ty

Ah so true, France does just what it says on the tin:001_tt2:

And yet... Paris is not representitive of France just as London is not when compared with say Shropshire...

Hi, found this old thread whilst googling around.

We are based in Bretagne near Rennes.

Life is good generally.

Considering I am fairly new to the climbing side I am well pleased with my performance and if I see a potential job that is likely to make me lose my bottle and break down and cry , well I just pass it on to a bigger outfit.

No harm in that eh? After all, a small builder doesnt put up skyscrapers now...

The French pay well but the Brits tend to be less rich these days and are migrating back home in droves.

I've got in with the local mayor and estate agents who pass on potential work and put our name about.

For all our equipment, we buy from the u.k as the french prices are stupid and they just won't negociate.

There is a shortage of climbers but although I may never climb fast enough at 40 for another company I certainly climb well enough to make a decent living and its getting better by the day.

You can visit us at http://www.lejardinieranglais.com

The french side will be online by December 2010.

Cheers

Stuart

Hello there,

We are trying to decide on how much we should spend on advertising.

A figure of around 5% of turnover is our aim but we are running at 10% at the moment.

Obviously when we attract more clients this figure will drop especially as word of mouth takes effect.

Do any of you chaps know how much you spend as a percentage of turnover?

Regards

Ty

Hi and thanks guys,

You would not believe the cost here in france of hire.

€250per day or £200. I am considering blowing out on Danequip 27hp

so to be more competitive. Not stumpground since college so should be physical trial.

I have one cherry, a birch and lots of fresh pine.

Got any anecdotes or advices...?

Thanks again

Ty

Hello, I need some advice on grinding times as I have 4 potential clients lined up.

I will be renting an 18hp anonymous machine.

Any examples of wood, time and tips would be welcome.

Thanks in advance

Ty

Ah...

No Vino, I was offered by the client who also kindly fed us but refused the tipple.

Ordered a new handlebar, sprocket cover and fan cover from Honey Bros. as the parts here in France are just too expensive. Should be about £130 to repair the 441 so with all the other expenses it was another loss making day all round...:sad:

I do wish I had started with a real pro outfit rather than go out on my own straight from college... Ho hum...

Today, I'm going to quote for a dying Poplar which is among the tallest trees in the town.

The client is the 'Notaire' or local solicitor so I had better get this one right!

Ah...

When I joined this forum some of the elders of this parish told me I had alot to learn...

I'm still shaking from Mondays error.

I had dismantled a large Norway spruce with 5 leaders and had it down to a bare stem about 7m high..

With my new 441, I thought I'd 'practise' the letter box cut as I don't get too many large trees to fell rather than chog it right down.

I was just finishing off the final back cut when I cut through the hinge on one side.

The stem fell towards the clients house, pinching the 441 as it went crushing it beneath and the stem lightly grazed the render before bouncing away from the wall.

Aside from the saw repairs, if possible at all, it is the thought of the enormous repair bill, loss of face and reputation that could have been.

Hello all,

I don't get much internet access these days so I apologise if I don't reply to this enquiry promptly.

I'm running a Greenmech CS100 chipper and want to run the costs past you fellows.

I'm assuming the engine/machine is good for 1000 hours so the price divided by the hours = say £5

The fuel(3litres p/h) +oil/filter etc I allow another £5 per hour

Blades, blade bolts, belts etc another £5

So I reckon on £15 running costs per hour including a small margin.

Am I on the right track here chaps?

Please let me know what you think.

Regards

Ty

P.S

I'm actually working in euros but its much the same these days as Sterling...

Hello,

I'm over in France and there are few dealers who can help me here.

I'm trying to change the blades on my CS100 and have found that on each a bolt has seized. That is the actual blade to cassette bolts.

I have rounded each one off a little in trying to undo it.

IS my best bet to visit an agricultural engineer or bring the lump back to you during my hols in August. (I bet your shut though...) The fellow who changed them last time omitted to grease the bolts it seems.

Please contact me before the 4th August so I may make arrangements.

Regards

Stuart Lee

Le Jardinier Anglais

First, sorry for posting it here if it's in the wrong place.

Also, sorry, but I cut grass too to make ends meet!

So,

I have a Honda's own brand hydrostatic self propelled walk behind mower which is not it's usual faultless self.

It is now 'hunting' when on full revs.

I mean it automatically revs RA RA RA

(like a tory laughing at a hunt ball)

Seriously,

I ran it out of fuel, filled it up then it started this RA RA RA.

About the same time I also bashed it into something in a hedge and may have hit the carb area.

What possible causes are there for this and how can I repair it or at least be forwarned when I take it into my local 'Motoculture' as I live in France and so automatically expect a large bill.

Regards and thanks in advance

Ty

Hello all,

I'm running a wee chipper, Greenmech CS100

I'm budgeting for 5euros p/h fuel/oil/filter.

A life of 1000hours with a re-sale of 500euros... perhaps...

So thats approx 5euros p/h

Blades are expensive and one of us put something through that damaged one side of the blades after only 10hours or so.

So I must allow for the 'cockup factor' in costing.

In short, I reckon that allowing 15euros+ p/h costs is fair for even this smallest of chippers.

What say the venerable ones here?

Ty

Hello all,

I love hedge work.

I use a silky for thick stems, always carry Felcos in a holster and use a Stihl HS45 because its light and I can use it all day (I'm small and skinny)

I work from a Henchman Senior mostly, it's a bit of an investment although its worse quality than an N.H.S crutch... sadly.

However, it's a good tool even if it does get heavier to move as the day advances.

Good thread!

Ty

Well, this last week I only broke ONE roof slate with a branch, cut through ONE telephone line whilst hedge cutting:001_huh: and put my spade though ONE 100mm plastic pipe whilst digging out a shrub.

I`m getting better ALL the time though!

I'm sure even skilled persons have those kind of weeks...

Hello there,

I'm practising target pruning on a friends oaks as a favour to both him and me.

It's something I need more experience of as all I seem to do is dismantle or fell.

The oaks are fairly close together, 18-20m high and form part of a mature hedge.

I've a problem with applying target pruning to very long skinny crowns and am finding that I've no choice but to reduce very heavily OR leave long skinny branches waving like I've forgotten them.

Smaller, more compact trees OR trees that have grown with a fuller crown are so much easier.

Any advice you chaps can give me?

Steve, is bad target pruning called 'Taggert' pruning in Scotland?

(Because it's MUrrRDER!)

No, my error.

See, in my head, if you go into a restuarant and order plat de jour for 10euros

then change your mind about it and order the chef special, how can you be surprised when you recieve a bill for double?

I now realise that the onus lies with me to tell the client about ANY added costs rather than rely on their common sense.

Ty

Whoah!

It ALMOST happend again!

This time, we had quoted in writing for a crown reduction but on the morning when we got all set up and were just about to start, the client comes out and tells us to fell it.

So, instead of 5 hours we quoted for we work 9hours.

When I ask for the cheque on completion, the client says they will only pay the previous price quoted.

So I wave my quote at them and tell them I have worked 9 hours instead of 5 for a completely different job and they are only paying me the same rate pro-rata.

Result, they capitulate and pay up.

Also we have further works at the same site in the near future so I hope when I turn up with all my materials pre cut and paid for that they don't try to change things again.

I shall ask for a 100% deposit for materials next time.

Bad news about the old French biddy is that my British associate has not stood by me and so I have to go back and work for free for 3 hours or we will lose her grass contract.

Ty

Now then my friends...

I am a total newbie at this so I wish to pick the brains here.

I have a client who will let me loose for the sheer fun of it (ie no charge) on a 2m standing cherry stem that I have recently dismantled.

I want to carve a simple wave effect from this trunk as it is next to a swimming pool.

If I cock it up then I can just fell it, no loss just a gain of experience.

My tools... a 260 with a normal 40cm bar and sharp chain.

Do I need anything different?

Should I mark the areas to be cut out first?

Can... this wood be treated with a stain to give it a white/grey/blue-ish tinge?

Actually, I'm quite excited at the prospect!

Advice welcome.

Ty

Well...

I've got to face her again as we have her grass contract for 2010...

Although I don't cut her lawns my associate does and we don't want to lose her custom.

Cheers lads!

Update...

I went around to visit the old bird.

Plain and clear that she didn't want to pay up.

Grumbled about me being expensive blah blah blah.

Then she went off to in her own words (French of course)

'To scratch the bottom of the draw'...

I got 300euros out of the 474 owed and I still have to return and prune her roses for free...

I know I'm going to very soon...

Back in October, I quoted 150cash to fell a cupressus into a field.

Then called back the client in January to tell them that I could chip it for another 30e

When I got there, under what I thought/was told was a bramble hedge was a low but valuable stone wall.

No felling then.

So I climbed it and dismantled it which took 4 man hours longer.

What a dense mess!

Still the client fed us royally and we kept our reputation and professional integrity.

Now,

I'm about to quote 4k euros for a job that a fire wood hunter quoted 600euros for.

If I lose, I'd like to see if if F.W.Hunter does do it...

Also, we under quoted 400e for a thick leylandii hedge and this too has been snapped up by another F.W.Hunter and guess what... THIS TIME WE DON'T CARE!!!

In fact, as it is around the corner, when it kicks off, we shall cancel our work for the day, pull up a pair of deck chairs and a flask and just watch... and laugh!

I mean, how much wood 'v' brash in a Leylandii hedge?