Skills needed for newbuild compared to refurbishing old?

[dontbelieveawordofit]

In my days to become a bricklayer you had to study, then become an apprentice for a few years, then gain experience and if you were good, you would become a bricklayer 10 years later.
Nowadays I can pass myself as a bricklayer having built a few porches, walls and repaired some brickwork when carpentry work was not available.
And don't get me started on carpenters...

don’t get me started on any of the ‘trades’

 

[johnny2007]

I don't see the problem; anyone can be a carpenter...but it takes real skill to do joints such as the one below

WTF!
That's exactly what I mean!

don’t get me started on any of the ‘trades’

Correct.
I had the misfortune to fit a kitchen on a brand new plastered wall...
It was out by 1 and half inch in places.
Scratched my head for half a day, then called the landlord and told him to call me back when the wall was plastered by a real plasterer.
He chipped all of that off by himself, called back the sparky to repass the wires and a week later I fitted the kitchen.
Total loss=£2000
But the first "plasterer" was cheap, charged £250 all in for 2 walls.

 

[dontbelieveawordofit]

can end up looking horrendous with all the trades getting involved.
I do most of the stuff myself.

 

[johnny2007]

can end up looking horrendous with all the trades getting involved.
I do most of the stuff myself.

I can't plaster and will never attempt it.
Looks easy when you see the pros, but having seen terrible results, I leave it to the pros, the real pros...

 

[dontbelieveawordofit]

I can't plaster and will never attempt it.
Looks easy when you see the pros, but having seen terrible results, I leave it to the pros, the real pros...

been plastering nearly 30 years . learned from the best . the old man. wasn’t allowed to touch a trowel for 18 months . never went to college until we were thinking of emigrating .
passed all the qualifications needed to get us to austrailia in months but never ended up going.
Now I fit kitchens bathrooms or whatever for a bit of variety.

 

[teaboyjim]

been plastering nearly 30 years . learned from the best . the old man. wasn’t allowed to touch a trowel for 18 months . never went to college until we were thinking of emigrating .passed all the qualifications needed to get us to austrailia in months but never ended up going.Now I fit kitchens bathrooms or whatever for a bit of variety.

I've always been of the impression that plastering is almost an art and that some fellas just never get the hang of it

 

[RonnyRaygun]

I can't plaster and will never attempt it.
Looks easy when you see the pros, but having seen terrible results, I leave it to the pros, the real pros...

I've become quite good at skimming walls over years of renovating houses. However, I have a very good plasterer who I rely on for any rendering work, ceilings, or walls which are a long way out of plumb and need truing up.
After ripping out my old kitchen and seeing the state of the walls, my plasterer offered to do them for me. I told him I would do them myself. He raised his eyebrows, and was surprised to see I made a very good job of them with a few bags of Hardwall, a straight edge, and some multifinish.

 

[dontbelieveawordofit]

I was always told plastering is almost an art and that some fellas just can't seem to get the hang of it. Is that right and do you still plaster?

anyone can do it , at the start it’s just so intimidating when your’e trying to negotiate the tools and materials and timings. when you learn the materials and timings it’s easier. yes it’s still my trade ,but don’t do much outdoors these days.

 

[johnny2007]

I've become quite good at skimming walls over years of renovating houses. However, I have a very good plasterer who I rely on for any rendering work, ceilings, or walls which are a long way out of plumb and need truing up.
After ripping out my old kitchen and seeing the state of the walls, my plasterer offered to do them for me. I told him I would do them myself. He raised his eyebrows, and was surprised to see I made a very good job of them with a few bags of Hardwall, a straight edge, and some multifinish.

As said, I would've never attempted this.
I prefer to pay my trustworthy plasterer knowing that the walls will be perfect.

 

[teaboyjim]

I've become quite good at skimming walls over years of renovating houses. However, I have a very good plasterer who I rely on for any rendering work, ceilings, or walls which are a long way out of plumb and need truing up. After ripping out my old kitchen and seeing the state of the walls, my plasterer offered to do them for me. I told him I would do them myself. He raised his eyebrows, and was surprised to see I made a very good job of them with a few bags of Hardwall, a straight edge, and some multifinish.

You can come and do mine then

 

[teaboyjim]

anyone can do it , at the start it’s just so intimidating when your’e trying to negotiate the tools and materials and timings. when you learn the materials and timings it’s easier. yes it’s still my trade ,but don’t do much outdoors these days.

Good tradesman are hard to find available

 

[johnny2007]

Yeah, I still think it's like you said earlier that good quality traditional tradesman are just not around which is why you can never find a good one. Do you know some of the "good builders" I found have got a years waiting list and they never bother advertising.

And they cost double.
Only for customers who understand that quality work is done once.

 

[teaboyjim]

View attachment 214152

Is this building a traditional timber framed house?

 

[mrrusty]

I've become quite good at skimming walls over years of renovating houses. However, I have a very good plasterer who I rely on for any rendering work, ceilings, or walls which are a long way out of plumb and need truing up.
After ripping out my old kitchen and seeing the state of the walls, my plasterer offered to do them for me. I told him I would do them myself. He raised his eyebrows, and was surprised to see I made a very good job of them with a few bags of Hardwall, a straight edge, and some multifinish.

You and me both. I'll skim a couple of walls and to my eye make a pretty decent job of it - and it has never fallen off yet but I wouldn't call myself a plasterer and for this last refurb house I had a pro in to do 90% of it, and he made a far better job than I ever would. In fact I wouldn't call myself a roofer, bricky, chippy, kitchen & bathroom fitter or anything else, but I'll have and have had a go at pretty much everything over the years.

The point was made earlier that years ago it took a very long time to learn a trade. Of course, back in the day we didn't have youtube, downloadable installation guides, easy access to decent tools etc. If you're handy, you can easily find most of the basic knowledge to do most things.

 

[RonnyRaygun]

You and me both. I'll skim a couple of walls and to my eye make a pretty decent job of it - and it has never fallen off yet but I wouldn't call myself a plasterer and for this last refurb house I had a pro in to do 90% of it, and he made a far better job than I ever would. In fact I wouldn't call myself a roofer, bricky, chippy, kitchen & bathroom fitter or anything else, but I'll have and have had a go at pretty much everything over the years.

The point was made earlier that years ago it took a very long time to learn a trade. Of course, back in the day we didn't have youtube, downloadable installation guides, easy access to decent tools etc. If you're handy, you can easily find most of the basic knowledge to do most things.

Same here. As I said in an earlier post, on top of renovating several houses now, on the house I currently live in I have built a 40m2 timber framed extension. I did everything except plumbing, electrics, the plastering the existing brick wall that was 30mm out of plumb over 3m, and the thin coat render. Everything else, from digging the foundations, to laying the substructure brickwork, making the timber panels, tiling the roof, fitting the rooflights, fitting the bifolds, tiling, fitting the kitchen, and decorating was all my work. Came out alright too
I will upload to "Your Projects", but here's a couple of pics...