Small time VS Big time

JessThePlasterer said:
I never minded working on my own at the time but did get bored. Would hate to work alone now, got too used to working with Ni, we have proper belly laughs together and work is less effort
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If you're doing small stuff, then the right workmate is essential.

The trouble is that they need the exact same temperament as you and exact same outlook on life. When I first came back, I worked for a mate. Not amazing money but probably better than I'd have got with my skill set at the time. Not that much call for snipers on building sites. He was all right at first and was willing to show me things but he never stopped looking for more. And more. And more. It got to the point where he didn't even want to stop for lunch.

No time. Stuff to do.

It came to a head when we went to work for his dad. Dad wouldn't pay tea breaks and mate wouldn't stop. At that point, it became a tug of war and was sure to fail which ended in the predictable fight.

I had a start with another mate by the end of the day. More of a partnership this time. Great laugh and the days flew by but he just wasn't serious enough about the work. Silly things mostly. I remember one time, we just had a bit of glassing to do but he was late (I fcuking hate lateness. It's a fundamental disrespect) and then it rained, meaning we never got paid when we were hoping, which I went beserk about because I had bills to pay.

When I went properly on my own, I never did find the right man to work with me.
 
Cornelius said:
Is this a common time of the year for plasterers to get the blues and feel like this? I’m sure coming toward the end of a year and a holiday in sight the brain decides it doesn’t want to take part anymore.
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Dark mornings, dark on way home, low temperatures making the plaster misbehave, bad weather trying to do outsides depresses us all I reckon mate. Was asked by boss to work y day and I just couldn't be f**k*d. The thought of my alarm going off again depresses the life out of me.
On your point of it being a dead end thing now, would u be tempted to grt another man or two and take work on a price?That would be my next step of sorts when I can be bothered to do it and get someone offering a decent price instead of s**t. Then u can make bit more than normal but don't have the hassle of running around organising or pricing etc?maube that's what u do already....
 
Really I'm clueless...
It was -8 this morning, a new van with a heated windscreen and a s**t hot heater is a bonus, but even now sat in van its -4 at 9.30 so nothing done today, pack up time.
I've a gang doing a thin coat they've just phoned me they've put a bit of base on and it's froze on the wall, today will cost me a £1000. Happy rendering :rolleyes:
 
Simon85 said:
Dark mornings, dark on way home, low temperatures making the plaster misbehave, bad weather trying to do outsides depresses us all I reckon mate. Was asked by boss to work y day and I just couldn't be f**k*d. The thought of my alarm going off again depresses the life out of me.
On your point of it being a dead end thing now, would u be tempted to grt another man or two and take work on a price?That would be my next step of sorts when I can be bothered to do it and get someone offering a decent price instead of s**t. Then u can make bit more than normal but don't have the hassle of running around organising or pricing etc?maube that's what u do already....
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No I can’t be responsible for the normal dumb ass plasterers that I see on a daily basis, most guys haven’t even got a full set of tools. I’d just want to sack everyone all the time.
 
Good enough reason mate. Lol I had been tempted to go on the split with a mate of mine, and get a 3rd person/mixer upper. But for now still happy to just get picked up at my house and not have to worry bout anything stressful, vans breaking down etc lol
 
Cornelius said:
No I can’t be responsible for the normal dumb ass plasterers that I see on a daily basis, most guys haven’t even got a full set of tools. I’d just want to sack everyone all the time.
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I used to sack absolutely loads of guys, usually on their first morning.
I often wonder how many of them are on here?
 
Simon85 said:
Good enough reason mate. Lol I had been tempted to go on the split with a mate of mine, and get a 3rd person/mixer upper. But for now still happy to just get picked up at my house and not have to worry bout anything stressful, vans breaking down etc lol
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I work with other people and I watch them and think where’s your tools? Lights? Leads? Why haven’t they cleaned up at the end of the day? Look at the state of the skirting line etc if I had my own guys it would be too much for me
 
Small time VS Big time
Cornelius said:
I work with other people and I watch them and think where’s your tools? Lights? Leads? Why haven’t they cleaned up at the end of the day? Look at the state of the skirting line etc if I had my own guys it would be too much for me
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Cornelius said:
I work with other people and I watch them and think where’s your tools? Lights? Leads? Why haven’t they cleaned up at the end of the day? Look at the state of the skirting line etc if I had my own guys it would be too much for me
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I get what u mean, for when I had my van, woukd have been using my buckets, shovels, edges etc and there boys in our squad barely had all their hand tools, and seen how my stuff was treated, not washed properly etc, so I took it all home and it's in the shed now. Not to come out unless I've my own job to go to
 
Simon85 said:
I get what u mean, for when I had my van, woukd have been using my buckets, shovels, edges etc and there boys in our squad barely had all their hand tools, and seen how my stuff was treated, not washed properly etc, so I took it all home and it's in the shed now. Not to come out unless I've my own job to go to
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I’ve argued and fallen out with people over dirty buckets :buitre:
 
Cornelius said:
I’ve argued and fallen out with people over dirty buckets :buitre:
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Mostly shovel and straight edge. I was f**k*d off when buckets were let get dirty But after calm. Down stop caring then. Ruination of buckets though once stop giving a s**t. Usually by men that have to ask for lend of snips and pointers and stuff are the worst as they have f**k all tools of their own to look after so couldn't give 2 fucks about mine
 
Its hard to find lads to work with..they need the same work ethic and temperament. Iv give up trying and work on my own now...some how im earning more and alot happier just doesnt figure!!!
 
Daz76 said:
Its hard to find lads to work with..they need the same work ethic and temperament. Iv give up trying and work on my own now...some how im earning more and alot happier just doesnt figure!!!
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If you put them on price they rush to earn as much as they can, and the standard suffers. If you put them on daywork, they take the piss and turn out f**k all. You can’t win! Unless you don’t give a f**k!


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TonyM said:
If you put them on price they rush to earn as much as they can, and the standard suffers. If you put them on daywork, they take the piss and turn out f**k all. You can’t win! Unless you don’t give a f**k!


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Spot on Tony!
 
TonyM said:
If you put them on price they rush to earn as much as they can, and the standard suffers. If you put them on daywork, they take the piss and turn out f**k all. You can’t win! Unless you don’t give a f**k!


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so true
 
TonyM said:
If you put them on price they rush to earn as much as they can, and the standard suffers. If you put them on daywork, they take the piss and turn out f**k all. You can’t win! Unless you don’t give a f**k!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Yep corrrrrect!!!!!
 
TonyM said:
If you put them on price they rush to earn as much as they can, and the standard suffers. If you put them on daywork, they take the piss and turn out f**k all. You can’t win! Unless you don’t give a f**k!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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yup... its a shitty way to be... shame that there really is no clear standard in plastering
 
TonyM said:
If you put them on price they rush to earn as much as they can, and the standard suffers. If you put them on daywork, they take the piss and turn out f**k all. You can’t win! Unless you don’t give a f**k!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Daywork with bonus insensitives?
 
TonyM said:
If you put them on price they rush to earn as much as they can, and the standard suffers. If you put them on daywork, they take the piss and turn out f**k all. You can’t win! Unless you don’t give a f**k!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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What I found was that if the prices offered were good enough that people really wanted to stay with you and you made it crystal clear that anyone taking the piss would be gone, then baring the warning, the good guys behaved ok.
Just finding the ones you wanted to hang on to was the mission.
In my experience about one spread in fifty were even close to where they needed to be.
 
owls said:
Really I'm clueless...
It was -8 this morning, a new van with a heated windscreen and a s**t hot heater is a bonus, but even now sat in van its -4 at 9.30 so nothing done today, pack up time.
I've a gang doing a thin coat they've just phoned me they've put a bit of base on and it's froze on the wall, today will cost me a £1000. Happy rendering :rolleyes:
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Why I stay inside . Not done much rendering but when I did side of a barn and heavens opened n it all ended up on floor put me of
 
owls said:
Really I'm clueless...
It was -8 this morning, a new van with a heated windscreen and a s**t hot heater is a bonus, but even now sat in van its -4 at 9.30 so nothing done today, pack up time.
I've a gang doing a thin coat they've just phoned me they've put a bit of base on and it's froze on the wall, today will cost me a £1000. Happy rendering :rolleyes:
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the joys
 
Great thread lads, makes me not feel like we're the only ones . We are a 2 gang, been going 20 years , we used to sub out full houses and made so little it wasn't worth it, plus the hassle.
Someone once told me that you won't make anything substantial with between 4-6 subbies because you'll struggle to make your own wage on the tools because of looking out for them. You need 10+ then the profit will pay you a good wage and you don't need to be on the tools. But then you lose the quality that got you the work in the fist place.
We just get help on odd days here and there now, even that's a stress.
 
derbyskimmer said:
Great thread lads, makes me not feel like we're the only ones . We are a 2 gang, been going 20 years , we used to sub out full houses and made so little it wasn't worth it, plus the hassle.
Someone once told me that you won't make anything substantial with between 4-6 subbies because you'll struggle to make your own wage on the tools because of looking out for them. You need 10+ then the profit will pay you a good wage and you don't need to be on the tools. But then you lose the quality that got you the work in the fist place.
We just get help on odd days here and there now, even that's a stress.
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We'e a 2 gang . I got best lad poss. Though all he wants to do is skim . Doesn' bother me as i prefer to just board as i keep in front of him and he makes me more skimming. Doesn' mind early starts or late finishes . Weekends. Then when I.m skimming on second gage i.m like you ok finishing i.ll have a little tidy up lol
 
John j said:
We'e a 2 gang . I got best lad poss. Though all he wants to do is skim . Doesn' bother me as i prefer to just board as i keep in front of him and he makes me more skimming. Doesn' mind early starts or late finishes . Weekends. Then when I.m skimming on second gage i.m like you ok finishing i.ll have a little tidy up lol
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Haha, yeah well my 2 gang is me and my brother (older) and I always revert to the clean up as that was the first thing he ever taught me to do! He still trowels up like a monster and enjoys it!
 
derbyskimmer said:
Haha, yeah well my 2 gang is me and my brother (older) and I always revert to the clean up as that was the first thing he ever taught me to do! He still trowels up like a monster and enjoys it!
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I enjoy first gage then I.m just bored lol. Most jobs there lots of messing so I prefer that. I even drop on carrying boards in rather then skim haha
 
I work in a two gang with my son, he started off in cupboards and now twenty years later I am in the cupboards, it works for us but we do houses as well as the other bits and bobs, keep busy, money’s good so everything is pukka
 
We're a gang of 3, me, myself and I, it's tough going sometimes, wish I could clone myself so there would be two miserable bastards on the job at any one time :LOL:
 
zolco said:
We're a gang of 3, me, myself and I, it's tough going sometimes, wish I could clone myself so there would be two miserable bastards on the job at any one time :LOL:
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I remember doing that, price work float and set, knock up by hand didn’t seem that hard then but struggle to get a bag of multi on the board now. The pleasures of being an old f**k I guess
 
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