traveling so far for plastering work

[Thedistinguishedplasterer]

hi, im new to this fourm , but not new to plastering, i started in 1980,i moved out to trnindad west , indies 20 years ago but come back to the uk,for at least 10 months of the year to work on sites around the south of england, i travel about 30,000 miles by plane , and 20,000 in my van, through out the year, as quote by stevethespreader, distance is becomming a nessery now days and having to drive at least 2 to 3 hrs to work and back again, 2 months ago i met him on a job in the middle of no where. down nr stone hendge, iv realised that cost of desil has doubled in the last 3 years , it cost £400 return by plane to trnindad , but £150 a week to drive to where the work is, so now days it is cheeper to fly by plane. this year has been a not so good one on plastering throughout england , there has been very little work to realy make a living with plastering ,"sitework" the sad thing about it things dont seam to be inproving latly, any one getting better luck then me? or are we all in the same sinking boat ?to cut travling costs and get more sleep , i have to sleep in my transit van near the sites. when i first started i could get on a bike, and work a mile away. i see many small jobs for a days work but how can anyone realy keep there price's down to a reasionble leavel to make it worth the effort , only to be told we charge to much but any idea what we can do to keep the costs down and the cilent ,happy ,iv yet to find an answer to it.

 

[Micilin]

Hi and welcome .

I remember when we used to only worry about how far away a job was because of the time it would take to travel - fuel wasn't really the main issue.

Now it is a big factor even if you are going to look at a job.

Okay, if self employed you can put it thru the accounts, but it is still a cash flow issue and needs to be built into your pricing.

 

[joe-90]

If you spend 10 months of the year in England then you don't live in Trinidad - you holiday there.

 

[Thedistinguishedplasterer]

If you spend 10 months of the year in England then you don't live in Trinidad - you holiday there.

for some that may be but ima regestered residident of trnidad and have been for last 18 years ,,this will be my last 6 months working in england and i will be hanging up my boots for good , i have my faimly , house , and all that i have worked for throughout the past years , a few more years i would have liked to carried on, iv been self employed for last 34 years and its a sad way that the high cost of travling around working has become a marathon to get to work and back , and strict h.s.e laws brought in have made it harder to get plastering work compleated then the way a lot of spreads used to do it, there are many resions to take into account and it has been a hard time searching for work , due to cut backs by goverment on new schools and house building , this has been a hard year for many and hopefully next year will be an inprovement for many guys in the plastering trade, but as we are unable to see into next year now , it will be a sad time for my self as i know no other trade at all.with a vast amount of exprence i have picked up throughout the years ,it is not much good in trnindad as 99% plastering is done with red sand and cement , with dry wall just starting with joint and tape, etc , the temps out there reach up to 40 deg and any british plaster would dry on impact, well thankyou for taking an intrest in the thing i wrote, thankyou,

 

[Thedistinguishedplasterer]

Hi and welcome .

I remember when we used to only worry about how far away a job was because of the time it would take to travel - fuel wasn't really the main issue.

Now it is a big factor even if you are going to look at a job.

Okay, if self employed you can put it thru the accounts, but it is still a cash flow issue and needs to be built into your pricing.

thankyou for taking an intrest in my quote ;-travling far to plastering work ... iv been self employed 34 years and know that fule costs can be added into accounts etc , but i thought to my self , how many spreads are going over 150miles each day and each way , some times clocking up 900 miles or more a week, a few years back i never even looked at the price of desil etc , only to fill up, now its so easy to clock up £600 a month just for fule. the sad thing is its become a marathon to get to work etc, iv a few more years left in me , but as the situation of the goverment cut backs and new build housing , and the lack of funds to budget large building projects like the last few years , things have taken a down hill turn and work getting futher afild then most would like to travel . if ever a thing on traveling just pop on the m25 near dartford tunnel and enjoy the slow drive home if going that way , a mind bloggling 9 hrs stuck in jams and up at 3am monday to start again , , i know its not a plastering topic but all of us have to travel to work to plaster, iv even started jobs where im knacked from the drive! and yet to start spreading. im hanging up me boots at end of the year as its becomming a hard way to make a living and i know no other trade . , im not the first to say it and wont be the last, id love the good old days back , and with out the very strict h.s.e. laws that have been brought in , making spreading walls and celins hard work. glove, goggles , hats, boots, hi,vis, etc, then towers, and the ban of steps , and many places have ban stilts. well thank youfor taking intrest with my quote, iv a vast amount of exprence in plastering and would love to pass it on , it is a reasion i joined this fourm , but thought ... i wounder how many other spreads are going many miles to work now days when i used to just go by bike up the road, ? untill people reply i will never know . and many households say i can never find a good loacle plasterer when we need them ,

 

[peaps2]

dwp in Sheffield can't get enough plasterers and are short...

Plenty of work out there.

 

[Thedistinguishedplasterer]

dwp in Sheffield can't get enough plasterers and are short...

Plenty of work out there.

thank you for the info on work situation on the north of england ,im happy to see that the situataion up north is good at the momment but down in the south of england its a compleatly diffrent story, if i had this info a few weeks ago i would have travled up to shefiled as i have already contacted firms in sheffild , nottingham , leeds, many parts of wales and cornwall, i could have easy got a 4 or 6 man gang to start straight awy as none of us have had much luck with single spread work, reasion this topic came up with me was this year since march when i returned it has been a very bleak time , it has resulted in a massaive amount of phone calls each day trying to get spread work anywhere, after a near 1000 calls and 7 jobs throughout 4 months and regestering with agencys at times and at the end of last month id been put on the books of nearly 135 agencys , iv now stoped counting !past years i only had 3 agencys , and had never been out of work at all except when the winter came and i flew home to the west indies , then returned when weather warm again, from the start of this year in march i and some other spreads contacted all work going any where, we ended up the same thoughts , many jobs advertised but no job , only detailes wanted, at the time of this in 6 weeks there has been not one call to any of us but have got work through word of mouth, , its been a hard few months , if any one has a need for a fully exprenced plaster in the portsmouth area a few spreads would be most greatfull , about 60 miles raduis or more if needed , it seams the south of england has suffered with the goverment cut backs of new buildings , but iv no idea where the plastering work has gone , a few greatfull spreaders would be happy even if its for a single spreader to start work soon, any where in south or hampshire , thankyou for the time, plasters wanting to plaster for people , have you a need for a spreader ,? thanks

 

[peaps2]

Firm is in the north, work is south Midlands and the south of England.

 

[stevethespreader]

Firm is in the north, work is south Midlands and the south of England.

what firms this then ?

 

[stevethespreader]

dwp in Sheffield can't get enough plasterers and are short...

.

plastering jobs with dpw????

 

[Thedistinguishedplasterer]

dwp in Sheffield can't get enough plasterers and are short...

Plenty of work out there.

thank you for the info on work situation on the north of england ,im happy to see that the situataion up north is good at the momment but down in the south of england its a compleatly diffrent story, if i had this info a few weeks ago i would have travled up to shefiled as i have already contacted firms in sheffild , nottingham , leeds, many parts of wales and cornwall, i could have easy got a 4 or 6 man gang to start straight awy as none of us have had much luck with single spread work, reasion this topic came up with me was this year since march when i returned it has been a very bleak time , it has resulted in a massaive amount of phone calls each day trying to get spread work anywhere, after a near 1000 calls and 7 jobs throughout 4 months and regestering with agencys at times and at the end of last month id been put on the books of nearly 135 agencys , iv now stoped counting !past years i only had 3 agencys , and had never been out of work at all except when the winter came and i flew home to the west indies , then returned when weather warm again, from the start of this year in march i and some other spreads contacted all work going any where, we ended up the same thoughts , many jobs advertised but no job , only detailes wanted, at the time of this in 6 weeks there has been not one call to any of us but have got work through word of mouth, , its been a hard few months , if any one has a need for a fully exprenced plaster in the portsmouth area a few spreads would be most greatfull , about 60 miles raduis or more if needed , it seams the south of england has suffered with the goverment cut backs of new buildings , but iv no idea where the plastering work has gone , a few greatfull spreaders would be happy even if its for a single spreader to start work soon, any where in south or hampshire , thankyou for the time, plasters wanting to plaster for people , have you a need for a spreader ,? thanks

 

[joe-90]

Stay in Trinidad and stop stealing work from Brits.

 

[Thedistinguishedplasterer]

dwp in Sheffield can't get enough plasterers and are short...

.

plastering jobs with dpw????

hi mr spreader.... i just woke up! been up north in the land of plenty and not enough spreaders! will it have a ripple afect to all the way down to the south of england for those who have been dreaming about a days work, we get so board waiting we end up plastering our own homes so we dont lose the knack... bit like ride a bike, once started hard to forget , but just a little pratice to keep our skill up to scratch... well its the first iv heard of ... more work then plasters . get in the van and start it up. zzzzzz must have falen asleep! i still cant bleave its true as to seeing no work for weeks down south and when it turns up a mad rush for the phone..... i will say no more. wheres the work near portsmouth and southsea.. im baffled but willing to travel again to the land of work.. even if it means getting a ferry to far away island of white. we might be lucky there as plenty of chalk and quartz about... any lime plastering going , will pick up some hair on the way... now wheres the work kind spreaders of the south of england ??? any answers?

 

[stevethespreader]

joe your in idiot the distinguished plasterer is just as british as you or me hes come onto this forum to chat about plastering not to be insulted

 

[peaps2]

dwp in Sheffield can't get enough plasterers and are short...

.

plastering jobs with dpw????

Yes with dwp. I will get the full details for you. They sub for Frank Haslan milan