Chris Day
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Everything posted by Chris Day
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I would have no issue with a system like this, however we categorically do not work for day rate as every time I have agreed to do so in the past it has ended badly despite the work being done to specification.
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It's a good idea to get try and estimate costs. The biggest mistake I have watched and still watch people and friends make is treating the money left after paying staff/subbies and fuel from a job as their own. Expect to pay yourself very little for the first few years, young businesses eat money and you will always need to buy something else. Whilst paying yourself little expect to work long long hours, quotes, paperwork, fixing stuff, organising stuff etc. All that said, I love running my own gig. And I even enjoy it sometimes.
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The who can get most outraged at bad treework thread.
Chris Day replied to Mick Dempsey's topic in Picture Forum
Good man -
The who can get most outraged at bad treework thread.
Chris Day replied to Mick Dempsey's topic in Picture Forum
Has anyone any pics of tree work which infuriate them? I've come home soaked to the bollocks all week looking like a sawdust macaroon and this will continue until mid afternoon on Saturday, I could do with a laugh. I will even take a newton one liner! .... Not the powder variety though. -
Trees down and nobody hurt, that's one plus. How it got down though is rather unusual. The outfit they are working for has felled a tree or two to pay for that vermeer, maybe the bloke who knows what he's doing and the bloke who can manage a site were elsewhere doing a great job.
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Man after my own heart. Also putting it on a shovel, knocking on the owners door and when they open it putting the turd covered shovel under their nose and asking which lawn they would like it on is quite effective. #1 Note to future users of this technique a steaming fresh turd is absolutely essential for this to have the most effect.
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I think a few who have posted on this thread may doubt the amount the military alters people with or without conflict thrown in to it. For the humble grunt it's effects are most apparent, the news shows us this. For example; march this year me and my mate stood in my yard chatting before locking up for the day. Some clown of a policeman was in the police range in the quarry a mile up the valley. He fired a burst of automatic from something substantial. Instantly me and my mate crouch and head towards cover, pointing in the direction of the noise screaming contact. Millions would have looked in the direction of the odd noise and thought nothing of it. So even for me and him who don't have PTSD or other equally fun and exciting mental disorders, luckily for us, we have reactions which we can't forget. Noises, smells, etc evoke reactions for everyone in every walk of life, for some of us some of those reactions are peculiar to others.
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We are Ltd and VAT registered, it's me plus one FT employee on the tools and my mrs recently has joined us as a co-director she runs the office. So we are small and it's hard to make it work, but the guy I employ is a top bloke and we work our leave around each other. He is on £10 per hour with all the employee benefits and gets 45 hours each week minimum. Round here in South Yorkshire that's not bad coin. He gets over time for early starts or late knocks and doesn't get docked for early ones. I used to use subbies but hated the stress of having to book them in as I need a second climber everyday. An employee made sense and reduced my stress. Plus come rain or shine he is in the yard on time everyday and never grumbles. He has been with me a year and he doesn't know but we are sitting down in two weeks to discuss a pay rise. He's good dust and I will work to keep him happy. That's the crux finding someone worth investing in.
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Vat registered companies.... how do you stay competitive
Chris Day replied to swinny's topic in Business Management
We are flat rate and I find it works for us, pretty sure in the next financial year we will have to go full registration. In terms of losing work, if you need to register then you are doing alright and must have some kind of client base so you should be alright. Just add the vat in your head before opening your mouth on quotes with domestic work. Don't price low to compensate, I tried that it's not a good idea! As for waiting for pending invoices to meet the bill, I just put all the vat and ten percent of every invoice into a separate account marked vat and tax. We always have enough each quarter and I find we have spare to pay insurance etc without touching business capital. Chat to your accountant about the practicalities. -
I agree, I wouldn't either it would be covered in grease and ripped to bits in no time at all. I buy us pulsar hi vis for work. Seem to get a winter out of them and we only wear them when it's proper raining otherwise it's a couple of soft shells in the van and change when they get too heavy.
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Back to the thread after much banter. I vouch for paramo, I've had an alta for years it's got stains and stuff on it a few wear marks on the cuffs. Waterproof and very breathable, regret getting the alta though as it's got a heavy lining so no good if moving fast or if it's warm. Their summer style jackets are quite a bit thinner. Downside to mine is the toggle cords are loose so can whip your face in high winds and because they are a natural fabric if you put it away wet and leave it then it will go mouldy and rot.
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I love a bit of tinned fish, drives the lad I work with nuts when I crack a tin in the van. I think if I turn up with this he will resign..... Still worth a try.
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Thanks for the feedback all what I wanted to hear, relieved it's not perfect as that would be unbelievable. I guess the decision is made.
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I've got a black thermos original which came with 25 or 50 years guarantee can't remember which. Last winter I left it in the van overnight several times on cold nights after filling it that morning and the tea was still hot lunchtime the next day. Cost about 50 quid from amazon but came with a soup flask which keeps food red hot until lunch. Had it three years looking a bit scratched and dinged but still doing it's job.
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They've been out a while and I haven't seen a thread raising an issue with these machines, added to that bandit can't seem to keep up with demand for them. That said there must be something that could be better or irks owners or operators? I ask because I am going through arb lease to get one, this is on the back of the lack of negative feedback I have seen.
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I reckon we get two weeks in spring and two in autumn where the weather is great for working. It's then either too hot, too cold, too windy or too wet. This heat is hideous though! Climbing is alright, dragging brash is vomit inducing.
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I try for the most part to call the LA's and speak to the tree officer prior to submitting a notification for a CA or an application for a TPO. Seems to work for me, they know it's in bound and what I am going to specify. For the LA's it doesn't work for I've got a measure of them before filling in the paperwork. But yes we work to m reduced, diameter of final pruning cut and spread/height on completion.
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I kept getting asked to do stumps and losing the work because i needed to hire a machine. So I bought one of the pedestrian chineseium ones from rock machinery this was three years ago and I haven't killed it yet, Its been fantastic. I'm now decided that a tracked grinder is our next purchase. I have decided that if I am trying to justify a purchase then we probably don't need it and I just want it. If however I am trying to justify not buying something then we definitely need it and I am just being a tight arsed Yorkshire bloke. This is my test when considering a purchase. Get a grinder and make it make money. You won't regret it unless you get a Friday afternoon lemon!
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You will fill whatever space you have. At least small means you don't hoard shit and keep the kit to exactly what you need and don't buy that very cheap mini digger "just in case". My yard is bigger than we need and shit keeps appearing..... Anyone want forty sheets of 9mm ply or a load of weld mesh? You get the picture.
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Tip sites , Matlock + Chesterfield, Derbyshire
Chris Day replied to wjotner's topic in Business Management
Hi Mate, I hope you are well. I've started using the facebook market place to lose chip and timber. A couple of days before an out of area job post an add for free chip and log then start the job with a list of local places. We shifted thirty transit loads of chip and a good twenty ton of conifer and willow logs out goole way the other week doing that in five days. We even had to let people down. Works a treat! -
If people are picking up your lid and not recoiling in horror you have done one of two things; 1. Not worked hard enough. 2. Washed your lid. I am a professional scruff but my lid is always where I left it, but occasionally upside down due to being dropped in horror.
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Anything to speed up production. Does anyone have a method statement for this?
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Sorry, what..... Say again... This fancy helmet is messing with my ears and my ears ring at night.... Oh yeah good point
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I know it's hot at the minute, but what's wrong with the usual helmet mounted ear defs?
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How to grow my business, how did you grow yours?
Chris Day replied to Chipperclown's topic in General chat
Just decide what you want and where you want to be and go for that. You run your own gig so it's up to you where it goes. But how to find work.... Follow every lead tell everyone you meet what you do even the person on the checkout in the supermarket. Be as aggressive and proactive as you need to be in finding work to get the amount you want.
