Multi trading?

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YoungGunner

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What are your thoughts on multi tradesman??

I think that todays trade industry is far more competitive than before and the only way to stay ahead is to take on new trades or specialise in one. At my age I want to get the basics on all trades and see how far I can push into them before specialising in one (most likely become gas safe). I would count myself as a multi tradesman to be. I've got an NVQ2 in plumbing, but don't think I have enough experience to call myself a full plumber. When times were really quiet I did a 2week plastering course at Goldtrowel (after reading from this website which is the best place:RpS_thumbsup:) to see if I could get a hang of the basics. Then for about 4 months, 6 days a week, appx. 10hrs a day I worked with a decorator who said I was the best student he's ever had.

I've had 4 plastering jobs all of which I successfully completed, but any large/complex jobs I'd call a time served spread and work beside him with non-stop questions just as I did with my decorator. I'm honest and critical of my work and abilities to myself, customers and other tradesmen because I want to be the best I can and you can't do that without criticising your work to improve your speed or finish every time.

I read many comments about how everybody should go through years as an apprentice but I can't find anybody willing to teach or government courses for me so I feel this is the best route. I don't see what the problem is. I've got bills to pay, mouths to feed and goals to accomplish and if I can learn and get paid well and build up my reputation without ******* the work up I don't see what's wrong with it. I'm not deluded that an 8-week course will make me a fully trained or qualified tradesman. But I know which jobs I can tackle and which jobs I can't. I do a good job and give a good price and over time I'll be doing a better job at a better price.

Open to all opinions or suggestions.
(sorry if this is the wrong section)
 
You sound level headed and realistic, who says you can't? We all learn different skills through life, stick with it, it makes sense if you can offer a complete job, ie taking the radiators off before plastering, fitting skirting boards, architrave etc then decorating. Like you say if a jobs too big get s helping hand.
 
Sounds like a plan but don't spread yeself too thin.. Do internal plastering , tiling , bathroom fits and painting

That should be plenty to keep Ye busy
 
lazer said:
i think you should be in the G** section
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once you've mastered the reach-around , tromboning and a rimjaw the rest is fairly straight forward to pick up. Its Felch and Rimming techniques that are trickier to master. Ask @Adcar for advice and possible training , also @keithuk and @Arti are veterans in these skills :RpS_thumbsup:
 
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in an ideal world each tradesman would stick to there own trade, but in reality those days are long gone now, and although I disagree with younggunner unfourtanetly he is right, these last few years I have never seen as many vans about all offering joinery/plastering/painting,/plumbing etc, painfully obvious he has a high opinion of himself but reluctantly you cant blame him, bills need to be paid ,family /household to look after,
 
Fibrehand7 said:
Play like chess - get mates with sparkie and chippie - I always get work from them. Best that you widen up your plastering skills.[/QUOTE

Good analogy using chess, warty spreadie

I can be (bash)the Bishop, Oli and keith can fight it out for who's queen
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Just seen a fella on facebook. Tiling, plastering, joinery,kitchen fitting, part p qualified , plumbing and doin his gas safety tests all from short courses
 
jesssop said:
Jack of all master of none
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How about; Jack of None. Proficient in Some.

Oooo I like that. I'm keeping that one.

Fibrehand7 said:
Play like chess - get mates with sparkie and chippie - I always get work from them. Best that you widen up your plastering skills.
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Yeah I want to, just don't know how. I'm willing to work for free on my free days as long as I'm learning something but I barely know ANY spreads.
What's the best way to get mates with sparkies and chippies? Going down to the local???

jimbo71 said:
You sound level headed and realistic, who says you can't? We all learn different skills through life, stick with it, it makes sense if you can offer a complete job, ie taking the radiators off before plastering, fitting skirting boards, architrave etc then decorating. Like you say if a jobs too big get s helping hand.
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I'm staying clear of carpentry/joinery, electrics. Just doesn't spark an interest (pun intended). But that's how I think of it. Subbing it out means I'm relying on somebody else and I'll also be answerable if anything goes wrong. I also think everybody should know the basics of all other trades cause most plumbers/sparks don't give 2 shits about how they leave the work to spreads/deccies and could end up pissing all over their work. I just had this recently where a plumber asked me to take over for him because the builder had enough of him and his 'it's not perfect but it's good enough for me' attitude without realising the tiler will spend God knows sorting out the shower unit sticking out.

windy said:
Sounds like a plan but don't spread yeself too thin.. Do internal plastering , tiling , bathroom fits and painting

That should be plenty to keep Ye busy
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This is pretty much the advice I get from most people who've had bad experiences and wished there was just 1 person who could do everything for a bathroom and/or kitchen (even though that's quite unrealistic) who they could trust to leave it to. I am definitely sticking to domestics though. I'm thinking about taking a basics in tiling to see if I'm any good tbh....
 
windy said:
Just seen a fella on facebook. Tiling, plastering, joinery,kitchen fitting, part p qualified , plumbing and doin his gas safety tests all from short courses 
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Wow. Definitely not what I'm interested in doing, but if he's capable then hats off. I've got a feeling he gets cheap labour and watches over it tbh.
 
Multi trades are killings the different sections of the building industry.

There's a guy up the road from me, he runs a property maintenance firm on his own, he offers everything and recently had plastering & rendering added to the bottom of a very long list on the back of his van.

he did a soil stack for my accountant and fooked it up, he's done other jobs around the village and iv heard he's no good, he might have the basics but he just taking anything he can get on.

i have just prices a ceiling up in a 3 month old £10,000 kitchen because it's cracked where said builder hasn't staggered his boarding, nails have also popped all over.

its small tricks and details missed that can fook up a job for you and blacken your name and make you look like a jack.

i can paint, do basic plumbing, tile, basic joinery iv done it all on my house, but no way would I try and charge a customer for said work, I'm not insured for a start.

i will happily arrange for a joiner and regularly send my painter in after me to paint my work, iv even run them through me and made a bit of £ from it, but doing it myself is a big no.
 
Yeah customers want a "all in one" service for bathrooms/kitchens that makes sense.
Problem is the all in one men then take on full house re plastering ect.
Not mastering your trade means you can't demand high rates?
Customers see all in one outfits as handymen basically.
 
But he's doesn't have solid work back to back.. Fills the other time up with tiling/plastering
 
windy said:
But he's doesn't have solid work back to back.. Fills the other time up with tiling/plastering
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I don't have job's back to back either mate, but if we all did this there wouldn't be such a thing as qualified tradesmen?
Maybe it's just me but everyone seems to be doing everyone else's jobs nowadays?
 
mac_plastering said:
Multi trades are killings the different sections of the building industry.

There's a guy up the road from me, he runs a property maintenance firm on his own, he offers everything and recently had plastering & rendering added to the bottom of a very long list on the back of his van.

he did a soil stack for my accountant and fooked it up, he's done other jobs around the village and iv heard he's no good, he might have the basics but he just taking anything he can get on.

i have just prices a ceiling up in a 3 month old £10,000 kitchen because it's cracked where said builder hasn't staggered his boarding, nails have also popped all over.

its small tricks and details missed that can fook up a job for you and blacken your name and make you look like a jack.

i can paint, do basic plumbing, tile, basic joinery iv done it all on my house, but no way would I try and charge a customer for said work, I'm not insured for a start.

i will happily arrange for a joiner and regularly send my painter in after me to paint my work, iv even run them through me and made a bit of £ from it, but doing it myself is a big no.
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I don't disagree with you at all mate, but you're not separating cowboys from professionals. I know of several guys who've had a go at a couple of other trades and enjoyed it and were good at it. Others turned out to be **** and never made the same mistake again. I've clearly said I'm not taking anything I can get and haven't had a single complaint yet (apart from an I****n who didn't want to pay extra for extra work) My point is if I'm (or anybody) good at something else, why should I not capitalise on it??

timeservedspread said:
Yeah customers want a "all in one" service for bathrooms/kitchens that makes sense.
Problem is the all in one men then take on full house re plastering ect.
Not mastering your trade means you can't demand high rates?
Customers see all in one outfits as handymen basically.
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Being great at plastering and charging an appropriate rate shouldn't be questioned. Let's say I can skim as good as you but can't render for ****. Customer wants a skim. The customer has to balance getting a cheaper quote from me vs a more skilled plasterer. If I was the customer I'd go with you as something might come up which you have knowledge and experience in which I don't, but that's his/her choice, as long as I'm not bullshitting my abilities.
The handyman aspect is relevant cause I'd hate to be called one. But if I don't try then how will I know if I'm good or not?? I worked on a 2 houses during summer which was predominantly painting for 3months+ and put 5k+ in my pocket. I got atleast 3 jobs out of that and possibly more in the future. If I had said no, I probably wouldn't have had any work, would've had to buy second hand winter clothes for my kid, no cinema nights with the missus and maybe even missed a payment on the mortgage. I'd prefer not to.
 
Young gunner, when I started I was taught plastering, dot and dab, coving, floor screening, drylining, floating and s&c rendering.

a mixture of small site and domestics.

it took me about 5 years to get competent and half decent, I'd still struggle with a big s&c render job to be honest, but I don't push that side of work and turned my attention to Monocouche about 3 years ago, now I am pushing the EWI side to see where that goes.

your best picking a trade and going at it 100% not 20% joinery, 20% plastering bits of tiling and bits of plumbing, it might just be my preference but I'd rather be known as excellent at 1 thing than average at a few
 
Most of tradesmen are skint cos most of us don't think like business owners.. If Alan sugar came into plastering you can bet at the end of ur one he wouldn't be skimming on site for £2.70 per m
 
windy said:
Most of tradesmen are skint cos most of us don't think like business owners.. If Alan sugar came into plastering you can bet at the end of ur one he wouldn't be skimming on site for £2.70 per m
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no he'd start off on 40 quid a day
 
Went to see a job last week...stairs leading up to front door collapsing! ...block work shot to feck.... needs propped up landings, mabye new founds.bit of demolition, rebuild roughly 2-3 sq m of block t,steps taken off,.new handrail,.cast a concrete plinth and new top landing.....she cant get a brickie who is interested too small an area of brick work or has to stick to the rules.:rolleyes)
only do brick work..
a groundworker for the founds..stick to the rules.she cant get one!!
Some concrete work ????
And someone to render it..stick to the rules......no one interested. ...so many trades involved....
Oh and the blacksmith for the handrail........

..
im doin the lot after new year. ..apart from the handrail.....

and will be a good job done and she is delighted,after nearly a year and so many coming yo see it and not even getting back to her.

but feck it I could just sit on the dole an do feck all or a bit of casual work £££

and everyone else grafting and contributing can support me:RpS_thumbsup:
 
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There's a few jack of all trades my way ... some of the work I've seen is unreal. Stories ranging from threatening customers when pulled on there work, short course plumber who had everything leak he fitted, 'decorator' mist coating with a fence brush, damp sorted with Dot & Dab...the list goes on .

I piss myself when I see em driving about, sorry riding about :RpS_lol:
 
mac_plastering said:
Young gunner, when I started I was taught plastering, dot and dab, coving, floor screening, drylining, floating and s&c rendering.

a mixture of small site and domestics.

it took me about 5 years to get competent and half decent, I'd still struggle with a big s&c render job to be honest, but I don't push that side of work and turned my attention to Monocouche about 3 years ago, now I am pushing the EWI side to see where that goes.

your best picking a trade and going at it 100% not 20% joinery, 20% plastering bits of tiling and bits of plumbing, it might just be my preference but I'd rather be known as excellent at 1 thing than average at a few
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Let's say I stick to solely plumbing. I'll get 1 week of work a month. That's 25%. Why not spend the other 75% building my experience and skills instead of staying at home jacking off and replying to you losers ;). I can tell you if I was working plumbing 100% then I'd do it 100%. But while I've got free time, while I'm young I'm going to pick up what I can.

Remember this... with any big, complicated jobs or high end customer, I will be calling an experienced tradesman and work with him.

Am I still doing something wrong??
 
If you are competent enough then why not. If i relied on my first love and main trade just plastering then i`d prob not be busy all year.
But i was lucky enough to work over the last 30 + years with some great tradesmen and learned beyond the basics of everything needed to build a house from below ground up and have done quite a few. Though i have had other trades on them with me to speed things up plus nothing worst than someone that does`nt know enough about a particular trade telling you what to do is there !
I don`t bother with the main plumbing gas or electrics cos its not worth the hassle.

So if you are confident in yourself to do a good job outside your main skill set then why not earn more !
 
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