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UK diy (uk.d-i-y) For the discussion of all topics related to diy (do-it-yourself) in the UK. All levels of experience and proficency are welcome to join in to ask questions or offer solutions. |
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#1
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Suddenly I'm a Handyman!
Hi All
The day job finally finished, I will end up with enough dosh to keep me going for 5-6 months. At 54 I don't think its worth looking for another job, I doubt I would find one that paid as well as the old one anyway. I have two 'strengths'. One is as a magician (adults, not kids parties) and the second is DIY - I can do most things well. I plan to push the magic side hard - I've been doing it part time for 10 years+ and without being immodest I'm damn good at it. It's well paid, but you really only work weekends. To earn a bit extra Mon-Fri I'm going to start up a 'Handyman' business locally. I have all the tools and I've done most things. My day job was in sales, so I understand the business & marketing side of things. What I need to know however, is what consumables to carry on the van. Screws & fixings obviously, but I reckon basic plumbing will be a common job. Plumbing in dishwashers, washing machines etc, and toilets that overflow, won't flush, taps that drip etc. Looking through the Screwfix catalogue it makes sense to buy some van stock - they are much cheaper than B&Q or local shops. What would the team suggest as an initial stock? Any other advice welcome :-) Dave |
#2
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Suddenly I'm a Handyman!
david lang wrote: Hi All The day job finally finished, I will end up with enough dosh to keep me going for 5-6 months. At 54 I don't think its worth looking for another job, I doubt I would find one that paid as well as the old one anyway. To earn a bit extra Mon-Fri I'm going to start up a 'Handyman' business locally. I have all the tools and I've done most things. You know, I'm giving serious consideration to doing this myself as some sort of sabattical. I'd be very interested to know how you get on. I'm no Magician however, so i'd be relying on the handyman business to pay the mortgage ;-) I suggest you get hold of "PoP" via email who used to be on this group some time ago and who left to do this very thing. I'd have thought he'd be able to give some pointers. Cheers Paul. |
#3
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Suddenly I'm a Handyman!
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#4
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Suddenly I'm a Handyman!
Andy Hall wrote: None of this is to pour cold water on the idea - a career change or sabattical are very appealing things - however I think that one also has to look without the rose tinted spectacles. Most of what you say is correct I'd just add this: Buy the stuff you need as you get the work for it. Carrying stock is a pointless overhead to carry. It will get lost or stolen long before you get a chance to use it. Take care what tools you leave in the van as they can even disappear from your drive if you go for breakfast without securing them properly. Your main problem is getting work and knowing what you are doing. Going to see a job takes half a day, with no guarantee you will get it, so small jobs for people you don't know are going to be expensive if you are not careful and lucky. If it's a littl old lady wanting a tap washer fitted by all means call and do it but don't charge her the first time. When she want's more done perhaps give her a fairly small bill to cover your petrol. Either that or tell her you can't afford to do the job. If you are seen as honest and responsible you may get asked to do a better paying job by a neighbour. (Don't rely on that fat chance to pay any bills. It is strictly a civic responsibility. I'll do freebies for neighbours like that because I haven't got a life. There isn't a living in it, so don't bother trying.) A customer who phones a competent and experienced local tradesman will get a rough estimate over the phone that will be pretty much on the mark. You won't be able to copy that for a while. And it would be wrong to charge too much for small jobs to make up for it as they will soon spread word around about how much of a luxury item you are. Wherever you go, take all your tools with you at all times. So you want to carry them around in a shoulder strapped bag. Buckets and boxes are OK for reasonably secure sites. The lad who fitted my electricity meter even put all his tools together and took them with him from room to room in my small flat. You either do that or buy cheap tools often. One way or another, losing stuff is going to be the bane of the job for you. Going back to a place to retrieve a £15 claw hammer is an expensive outlay. All the more so when you are supposed to be using it in someone else's attic at the time. Doing that could cost double, so it might be best to just forget the old one and buy new. |
#5
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Suddenly I'm a Handyman!
Weatherlawyer wrote: Andy Hall wrote: None of this is to pour cold water on the idea - a career change or sabattical are very appealing things - however I think that one also has to look without the rose tinted spectacles. Most of what you say is correct I'd just add this: Thanks guys, very good food for thought. I'm in the fortunate position of having about 5-6 months buffer on morgage too. But i'm pretty much burnt out in IT at the moment & need a break for a few months. So I either take an unpaid sabbatical & go travelling, or look for something part time that'll give me some pin money to play with. Just exploring a few options. Cheers Paul. |
#6
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Suddenly I'm a Handyman!
wrote in message oups.com... Weatherlawyer wrote: Andy Hall wrote: None of this is to pour cold water on the idea - a career change or sabattical are very appealing things - however I think that one also has to look without the rose tinted spectacles. Most of what you say is correct I'd just add this: Thanks guys, very good food for thought. I'm in the fortunate position of having about 5-6 months buffer on morgage too. But i'm pretty much burnt out in IT at the moment & need a break for a few months. So I either take an unpaid sabbatical & go travelling, or look for something part time that'll give me some pin money to play with. Just exploring a few options. Sell yer body............ Medical science is always looking for a new challenge ;-^ |
#7
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Suddenly I'm a Handyman!
"Weatherlawyer" wrote in message oups.com... If it's a littl old lady wanting a tap washer fitted by all means call and do it but don't charge her the first time. What if she's a big old lady? Mary |
#8
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Suddenly I'm a Handyman!
On Sat, 21 Jan 2006 14:23:17 -0000, "Mary Fisher"
wrote: | |"Weatherlawyer" wrote in message roups.com... | | | If it's a littl old lady wanting a tap washer fitted by all means call |and do it but don't charge her the first time. | |What if she's a big old lady? Alternative methods of payment ;-) -- Dave Fawthrop dave hyphenologist co uk 17,000 free e-books at Project Gutenberg! http://www.gutenberg.net For Yorkshire Dialect go to www.hyphenologist.co.uk/songs/ |
#9
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Suddenly I'm a Handyman!
Mary Fisher wrote: "Weatherlawyer" wrote in message If it's a little old lady wanting a tap washer fitted by all means call and do it but don't charge her the first time. What if she's a big old lady? You can't make some jobs pay and that is all there is to it. You might want to do some of them as favours if they are not going to cost you anything. Whether or not you take a drink from whoever, depends more on their circumstances than on one's own needs. Some people need favours and never get them. It's always worth bearing that in mind, just in case there is a god. What goes around comes around and if there was ever a proof of the existance of god that is the one. How much can you charge someone for installing a washing machine if it has been delivered and all the plumbing is done? Or put it this way: How is a semi destitute, frail person going to pay for such a job when it has cost them their food ration for the week just buying the machine? It's a ten minute job for most people but to call someone out, it has to be a £50 job. Even if you could find 4 or 5 of those sort of jobs one week, you would soon flood the market. You'd have a thin time of the first 5 or 6 months before throwing in the towel. You'd be beter off arranging a government course and trying to find something on a site if you were interested enough in working at a trade. |
#10
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Suddenly I'm a Handyman!
"Andy Hall" wrote in message ... On 20 Jan 2006 17:50:31 -0800, wrote: All of this assumes that you are business aware - I am sure that both David Lang and you are - but doing the business "stuff" such as marketing, prospecting for and quoting work and billing and collecting money eats into time. Years ago, when Spouse was unemployed, he wanted formally to set up as the Local Odd Job Man - because he was always being asked to do things anyway and he could. I was terrified at the idea - because of all the business stuff. Efficient management is vital, he wasn't capable and he though I could do it but I knew my limitations. I also knew that he'd never be prepared to charge a sensible rate for any job. Neighbours expect you to do them favours ... I suspect that this is why people contemplating something like this as a longer term career objective go for one of the specific trades involving training and qualification. Yes. As a minimum, it would be a Good Idea to make a business plan, starting from what you need to make net to live, grossing it up and adding in costs such as insurances, transport etc. Then consider that you could well have 50% down time or perhaps more (i.e. unproductive time between jobs). That should tell you what you would need to charge. You could then call a few handymen and ask them to quote for such jobs and see whether the numbers add up. The hidden costs and overheads MUST be taken into account. A washer might only cost pennies but the structure involved in sourcing, buying, transporting, storing, knowing what to do with it, cost and time in travelling there and back and the time taken to do the job (even if it's only minutes) even without such things as protective clothing, tools, laundry, car, stock and accident insurance, pension, national insurance, bank charges, as well as the time not being paid for between changing washer jobs is expensive. For more ambitious tasks there might be plant hiring charges. And the minefield of having to employ somebody else even for occasional part time help ... There will be other costs, these are just the one I can think of off the top of my head. It's terrifying. None of this is to pour cold water on the idea - a career change or sabattical are very appealing things - however I think that one also has to look without the rose tinted spectacles. I agree 100%. Mary |
#11
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Suddenly I'm a Handyman!
Andy Hall wrote:
- Bittiness. In other words, lots of relatively short running jobs - an hour here, a couple of hours there. This is the nature of the typical jobs available - i.e. those that doing individual trades (e.g. plumber, electrician, gas fitter etc) either wouldn't do, or would fit in between larger jobs. I've done a lot of research into this. The bittiness is what makes the money, The larger handyman comnapies & franchises all operate on the basis; that they do jobs individual tradesmen aren't interested in. The way they charge for thier time is by having a high rate for the first half hour, then a reasonable hourly rate afterwards. A cal out by amother name. Most of them do't actually want bigger jobs because they are then in direct competition with individual tradesmen. So whilst they will fix a toilet that overflows, they won't even quote for installing a complete bathromm suite. - Customer expectation of amount to pay. What is an old lady going to expect to pay for having a tap washer changed, or a new pendant and flex on a light fitting? A tenner plus materials? Probably no more. Relatives and friends expecting a cheap job? What if you screw something up? I think thats a marketing issue. I have access to the CACI listings for local postcodes and my marketing will be directed to people who have the money! Fortunately the Medway Towns are commuter land, so there are lots of cash rich/time poor potentiual clients. So this is a marketing issue. What do you position yourself as? Handyman, plumbing jobs undertaken? This takes you down the path of accepting some jobs and not others. Would you then get repeat business from customers if you turn down too many things that are beyond you legally or in the customer's perception? The whole thing is about good marketing IMO, you are dead right. Bearing in mind I've been in sales & marketing for 30+ years I have a good head start here. For example, there are about 6 'handymen' listed in the local directory - none has a box add, none has a website. No doubt they are cheap, but they can only bill a caertain amount of hours in a week. - Regulation. You won't be able to do anything related to gas. That suits me actually Most people don't yet know about part P of the Building Regulations, but if you stick to the letter of the law, you are in fairly limited handyman territory. Again, it's the quick jobs I can do that appear most profitable. For a complete house rewire I would have to compete with individual tradesmen - and I don't want to. I do have several useful friends a - CORGI gas fitter, an electrician, a decorator etc. I've discussed a reciprical arrangement with them, in that they pass small handyman stuff to me and I pass on larger or regulated jobs to them. So, whether being a handyman is viable as a sole source of income, I'm not sure. It may be dependent on where one lives, although I have a feeling that customer expectation of what they will pay will track local cost of living to a fair degree. Good point. The Medway Towns is a large urban connurbation with a population of 250,000 approx and is 'commuter land'. Housing is the most expensive in Kent because of that and several areas are becoming 'trendy' - lofts, riverside apartments etc. None of this is to pour cold water on the idea - a career change or sabattical are very appealing things - however I think that one also has to look without the rose tinted spectacles. I don't think I have much choice given the job market for my age group - and I look through the eyes of a cynic. Thanks for taking the time & trouble to reply Andy, some food for thought which I appreciate. Dave |
#12
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Suddenly I'm a Handyman!
On Sat, 21 Jan 2006 11:50:38 GMT, "david lang"
wrote: Andy Hall wrote: - Bittiness. In other words, lots of relatively short running jobs - an hour here, a couple of hours there. This is the nature of the typical jobs available - i.e. those that doing individual trades (e.g. plumber, electrician, gas fitter etc) either wouldn't do, or would fit in between larger jobs. I've done a lot of research into this. The bittiness is what makes the money, The larger handyman comnapies & franchises all operate on the basis; that they do jobs individual tradesmen aren't interested in. The way they charge for thier time is by having a high rate for the first half hour, then a reasonable hourly rate afterwards. A cal out by amother name. That's good. At least it sets an expectation. Most of them do't actually want bigger jobs because they are then in direct competition with individual tradesmen. So whilst they will fix a toilet that overflows, they won't even quote for installing a complete bathromm suite. - Customer expectation of amount to pay. What is an old lady going to expect to pay for having a tap washer changed, or a new pendant and flex on a light fitting? A tenner plus materials? Probably no more. Relatives and friends expecting a cheap job? What if you screw something up? I think thats a marketing issue. I have access to the CACI listings for local postcodes and my marketing will be directed to people who have the money! Fortunately the Medway Towns are commuter land, so there are lots of cash rich/time poor potentiual clients. Clearly that's the target market, as you say, plus you have a large conurbation to address. So this is a marketing issue. What do you position yourself as? Handyman, plumbing jobs undertaken? This takes you down the path of accepting some jobs and not others. Would you then get repeat business from customers if you turn down too many things that are beyond you legally or in the customer's perception? The whole thing is about good marketing IMO, you are dead right. Bearing in mind I've been in sales & marketing for 30+ years I have a good head start here. For example, there are about 6 'handymen' listed in the local directory - none has a box add, none has a website. No doubt they are cheap, but they can only bill a caertain amount of hours in a week. Not altogether surprising. Thinking laterally, I wonder if it would be worth contacting these individuals and assessing whether they are any good at what they do. That's good market research anyway. However, if they are, I wonder whether it would be interesting to do some kind of local franchise/marketing arrangement with any that are. Probably not something to consider until you have a customer base yourself and an idea of the market size, but it occurs to me that this could be a way of providing local service without needing to turn work away. - Regulation. You won't be able to do anything related to gas. That suits me actually Most people don't yet know about part P of the Building Regulations, but if you stick to the letter of the law, you are in fairly limited handyman territory. Again, it's the quick jobs I can do that appear most profitable. Even with travelling time? I guess as long as you account for it..... For a complete house rewire I would have to compete with individual tradesmen - and I don't want to. I do have several useful friends a - CORGI gas fitter, an electrician, a decorator etc. I've discussed a reciprical arrangement with them, in that they pass small handyman stuff to me and I pass on larger or regulated jobs to them. I think that there could also be a "making good" play here. In other words sorting out the detailed stuff after the main trade work is done. I bet that they find that time consuming. So, whether being a handyman is viable as a sole source of income, I'm not sure. It may be dependent on where one lives, although I have a feeling that customer expectation of what they will pay will track local cost of living to a fair degree. Good point. The Medway Towns is a large urban connurbation with a population of 250,000 approx and is 'commuter land'. Housing is the most expensive in Kent because of that and several areas are becoming 'trendy' - lofts, riverside apartments etc. Has the right ingredients. None of this is to pour cold water on the idea - a career change or sabattical are very appealing things - however I think that one also has to look without the rose tinted spectacles. I don't think I have much choice given the job market for my age group - and I look through the eyes of a cynic. I think that you have to do that. At the very least, you are more likely to be pleasantly surprised. :-) Thanks for taking the time & trouble to reply Andy, some food for thought which I appreciate. Dave -- ..andy |
#13
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Suddenly I'm a Handyman!
david lang wrote:
I think thats a marketing issue. I have access to the CACI listings for local postcodes and my marketing will be directed to people who have the money! Fortunately the Medway Towns are commuter land, so there are lots of cash rich/time poor potentiual clients. Seems to me that the critical thing would be to establish a regular customer-base of cash rich/time poor households, each of whom will supply a couple of minor jobs per year and also seek your advice on bigger commissions. You mention elsewhere that you have some contacts in the trades, so you might be able to leverage this. You need to minimise the unproductive time spent getting to know people & winning their trust etc, and repeat business is the way to go for that. Repeat jobs involving a simple phone call could take half as long as dealing with new customers every time. To quickly build a regular 'round' you might want to offer "first job for free" or "materials only" promotions in targeted wealthy areas? This gets you through the door (remember that people are afraid of strangers nowadays, especially in their home) and gives you a showcase for a quick, neat job. Good luck! |
#14
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Suddenly I'm a Handyman!
On Sat, 21 Jan 2006 17:48:18 -0000, "Steve Walker"
wrote: david lang wrote: I think thats a marketing issue. I have access to the CACI listings for local postcodes and my marketing will be directed to people who have the money! Fortunately the Medway Towns are commuter land, so there are lots of cash rich/time poor potentiual clients. Seems to me that the critical thing would be to establish a regular customer-base of cash rich/time poor households, each of whom will supply a couple of minor jobs per year and also seek your advice on bigger commissions. You mention elsewhere that you have some contacts in the trades, so you might be able to leverage this. Aaaarrrghhhh. "Leverage" is a noun, not a verb. You need to minimise the unproductive time spent getting to know people & winning their trust etc, and repeat business is the way to go for that. Repeat jobs involving a simple phone call could take half as long as dealing with new customers every time. To quickly build a regular 'round' you might want to offer "first job for free" or "materials only" promotions in targeted wealthy areas? This gets you through the door (remember that people are afraid of strangers nowadays, especially in their home) and gives you a showcase for a quick, neat job. Good luck! -- ..andy |
#15
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Suddenly I'm a Handyman!
Steve Walker wrote:
Seems to me that the critical thing would be to establish a regular customer-base of cash rich/time poor households, each of whom will supply a couple of minor jobs per year and also seek your advice on bigger commissions. You mention elsewhere that you have some contacts in the trades, so you might be able to leverage this. It seems there is an opportunity here to "manage and tidy up" the bigger projects without getting that closely involved yourself. Say for example customer wants a complete a new bathroom, you could do the requirements capture at the start and then run the job calling on the services of plumbers, electricians, plasterers, tilers etc. Then be on hand to smooth over all the snagging etc at the end. The trades people may like the idea of being able to get in and do the job without having to worry about making good at the end or even spending too much time working with the customer establishing requirements. Since you are not doing all the work yourself you get a chance to duplicate your time a little since you could probably run more than one job at a time, or run one and carry out smaller handyman ones in parallel. You need to minimise the unproductive time spent getting to know people & winning their trust etc, and repeat business is the way to go for that. Repeat jobs involving a simple phone call could take half as long as dealing with new customers every time. I guess in reality you would have to analyse your sales records over a period of time to work out where most profit comes from (i.e. repeat business or new prospects), and devote your marketing efforts in an appropriate proportion. It sounds like the sort of area where ones initial assumptions may be way out. -- Cheers, John. /================================================== ===============\ | Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk | |-----------------------------------------------------------------| | John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk | \================================================= ================/ |
#16
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Suddenly I'm a Handyman!
wrote in message oups.com... david lang wrote: Hi All The day job finally finished, I will end up with enough dosh to keep me going for 5-6 months. At 54 I don't think its worth looking for another job, I doubt I would find one that paid as well as the old one anyway. To earn a bit extra Mon-Fri I'm going to start up a 'Handyman' business locally. I have all the tools and I've done most things. You know, I'm giving serious consideration to doing this myself as some sort of sabattical. I'd be very interested to know how you get on. I'm no Magician however, so i'd be relying on the handyman business to pay the mortgage ;-) I suggest you get hold of "PoP" via email who used to be on this group some time ago and who left to do this very thing. I'd have thought he'd be able to give some pointers. Spanners............you need to re-familiarise yourself with spanners! |
#17
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Suddenly I'm a Handyman!
david lang wrote:
What I need to know however, is what consumables to carry on the van. Pretty broad question... depends allot on the type of stuff you get asked to do. Screws & fixings obviously, but I reckon basic plumbing will be a common job. Plumbing in dishwashers, washing machines etc, and toilets that overflow, won't flush, taps that drip etc. Yup, sounds likely. For plumbing, a reasonable selection of pipe fittings, and perhaps a reel of plastic pipe in 15 and 22mm. A set of basic contract basin taps and spare washers perhaps. Washing machine valves, waste stand pipes, spare traps, plugs even. Radiator valves (including TRVs), CH inhibitor. A few types of siamp / fluidmaster / torbek type cistern valves. gas, solder, ptfe tape, silicone grease. Basic electrical accessories like single and double sockets, light switches and pull switches. Some FCUs, cable, earth sleeving, crimps etc. A selection of glues, solvents, and sticky tapes (gaffer obviously!) What would the team suggest as an initial stock? Nothing too specialised in the plumbing or electrical range since there are plenty of specialist dealers in this sort of stuff in most places. You will probably get through a fair bit of timber, but it is not always practical to carry that much on spec, but basic carcassing, shelving and floorboarding would seem like a good start. I would expect identifying good local suppliers would be as much value as anything else - why tie your money up holding stock when you can use theirs! Any other advice welcome :-) The usual stuff - keep the money separate from your own. There might be value in getting a merchant account and facilities to accept credit cards - might make it easier to help people part with their money and to upsell value added bits as you go. Google back on this group for others who have done similar (Andrew McKay / Kazmax / Pop / HandyMac would be one to look for) Buy a good selection of gloves (i.e. rigger, latex, nitrile etc) - damaged or stained hands won't do the weekend job any good! Let us know how you get on! -- Cheers, John. /================================================== ===============\ | Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk | |-----------------------------------------------------------------| | John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk | \================================================= ================/ |
#18
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Suddenly I'm a Handyman!
On Sat, 21 Jan 2006 02:16:11 +0000, John Rumm wrote:
Nothing too specialised in the plumbing or electrical range since there are plenty of specialist dealers in this sort of stuff in most places. Not round here there aren't. Nearest "trade" counters are 20+ miles away... The figures for charges are interesting, I doubt I'd get away with £40 for the first half hour, might £30 though. Hum... I would expect identifying good local suppliers would be as much value as anything else - why tie your money up holding stock when you can use theirs! I like that idea but the only "local suppliers" here would be all the other local tradesmen... One thing that hasn't been pointed out particulary well is the cost of transport. Don't just think in terms of the fuel used. My vehicle cost 14p/mile in fuel (diesel, 28mpg) but 38p/mile when you take into account insurance and maintenace but *not* depreciation. That 38p is below the average ATM as it's due a service, after that service bill hits I'd expect the cost to be 45p/mile or higher. So if you drive 20 miles, round trip, to do a job, that costs you £8.00 just for the transport costs... -- Cheers Dave. pam is missing e-mail |
#19
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Suddenly I'm a Handyman!
Dave Liquorice wrote:
Nothing too specialised in the plumbing or electrical range since there are plenty of specialist dealers in this sort of stuff in most places. Not round here there aren't. Nearest "trade" counters are 20+ miles away... The figures for charges are interesting, I doubt I'd get away with £40 for the first half hour, might £30 though. Hum... So "round there" is probably not the ideal location to setup as a handyman then! One thing that hasn't been pointed out particulary well is the cost of transport. Don't just think in terms of the fuel used. My vehicle cost 14p/mile in fuel (diesel, 28mpg) but 38p/mile when you take into account insurance and maintenace but *not* depreciation. That 38p is below the average ATM as it's due a service, after that service bill hits I'd expect the cost to be 45p/mile or higher. So if you drive 20 miles, round trip, to do a job, that costs you £8.00 just for the transport costs... You could work on the principle of jobs up to a certain distance are included in the call out fee (aka first hour premium), but over that are charged at a flat rate per mile. (might be worth doing a quick search over on uk.tech.digital-tv - I am sure Bill Wright has posted how he costs travel to distant jobs). -- Cheers, John. /================================================== ===============\ | Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk | |-----------------------------------------------------------------| | John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk | \================================================= ================/ |
#20
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Suddenly I'm a Handyman!
On Sun, 22 Jan 2006 03:01:12 +0000, John Rumm wrote:
Not round here there aren't. Nearest "trade" counters are 20+ miles away... The figures for charges are interesting, I doubt I'd get away with £40 for the first half hour, might £30 though. Hum.... So "round there" is probably not the ideal location to setup as a handyman then! I donno, no one is going to travel in from outside to do a small job are they? Just isn't economic. You could work on the principle of jobs up to a certain distance are included in the call out fee (aka first hour premium), but over that are charged at a flat rate per mile. Flat rate would have to be 40p or more per mile. If you showed that directly I bet you'd get more than a few raised eye brows, even though it is a realistic figure. Easier to set a "patch" that you work within in and only take jobs outside if the client will stand a higher first and subsequent period rates. Remember they have probably got your details and rates via word of mouth. -- Cheers Dave. pam is missing e-mail |
#21
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Suddenly I'm a Handyman!
On Sat, 21 Jan 2006 00:08:38 GMT, "david lang"
wrote: Any other advice welcome :-) Slip your location into your next followup - some of us could really do with a handyman although we would NEVER admit it... -- If you think education is expensive, try ignorance. |
#22
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Suddenly I'm a Handyman!
There's loads of work out there if you are any good, so you don't need
to cover all bases. I'd think about which sort of work I most enjoy and move to specialise in that, joinery, roofing, plumbing, electrical repairs etc whatever. Then kit up appropriately. Jack of all trades master of non - and also you tend to get lumbered with crappo minor jobs which although easy to do are difficult to do economically, especially if you've had to go out and search for a particular component which can take all day. bet of luck Jacob |
#23
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Suddenly I'm a Handyman!
Geoffrey wrote:
Slip your location into your next followup - some of us could really do with a handyman although we would NEVER admit it... Rochester, Kent. Dave |
#24
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Suddenly I'm a Handyman!
"david lang" wrote in message . .. Geoffrey wrote: Slip your location into your next followup - some of us could really do with a handyman although we would NEVER admit it... Rochester, Kent. Dave Do you travel as far as Belfast? I have a U-bend that still isn't fixed... and the useless twit is off this week to Oz... |
#25
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Suddenly I'm a Handyman!
Suz wrote:
Do you travel as far as Belfast? I have a U-bend that still isn't fixed... and the useless twit is off this week to Oz... No problem, there is the call out fee though........................................ :-) Dave |
#26
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Suddenly I'm a Handyman!
Suz wrote:
Do you travel as far as Belfast? I have a U-bend that still isn't fixed... and the useless twit is off this week to Oz... You sound pretty much like my target market. You want the job done properly, husband is a 'useless twit' away from home. If he is off to Oz I'd assume a reasonable income level? So, how would you see paying, for example £45 to have a reliable, polite, tidy professional do the job and guarantee it? I don't know what the local economy is like in Belfast, but I hear its doing OK? Just interested. Dave |
#27
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Suddenly I'm a Handyman!
On Sat, 21 Jan 2006 12:35:02 GMT, "david lang"
wrote: So, how would you see paying, for example £45 to have a reliable, polite, tidy professional do the job and guarantee it? I have contemplated doing thne same for a few years. I think £45 would be about right for the job, imho I'd always thought of quoting £30-£35 for the first hour, subsequent hours £15-£20. This includes fuel, labour and tools. In addition to the hourly charge would be the cost of parts, parking charges etc..etc. So...in the theoretical case of the u-bend: parts £7, 1 hour labour £35, total charge £42. Would the market stand these sorts of prices? sponix |
#28
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On Sat, 21 Jan 2006 12:35:02 GMT, "david lang"
wrote: You sound pretty much like my target market. husband is...away from home. LOL! |
#29
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Suddenly I'm a Handyman!
"david lang" wrote in message . .. Suz wrote: Do you travel as far as Belfast? I have a U-bend that still isn't fixed... and the useless twit is off this week to Oz... You sound pretty much like my target market. You want the job done properly, husband is a 'useless twit' away from home. If he is off to Oz I'd assume a reasonable income level? So, how would you see paying, for example £45 to have a reliable, polite, tidy professional do the job and guarantee it? I don't know what the local economy is like in Belfast, but I hear its doing OK? Just interested. Dave Ecomony is pretty much booming in Belfast at the minute. Semi in a decent burb now hitting the £200K mark. £45 for a tidy polite and reliable man sounds OK, but the problem is finding one. You are taking a chance with the yellow pages, and half the time they aren't interested. If you were recommended by someone who knows you personally I'd jump at it. If I could get someone that does lots of things I could give him 3 days work - and I'd be happy to do the running and fetching of needed materials. A price for 1/2 days work would be interesting to know. If you go for it, get a million small cards printed with your name & number and give them to people who would be happy to recommend you. I'd also keep a database of customers as you get them and then after a year you could send them a cheap A5 leaflet. You would expect a handyman's cards etc to be plain and basic, nothing flash. |
#30
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Suddenly I'm a Handyman!
david lang wrote:
Suz wrote: Do you travel as far as Belfast? I have a U-bend that still isn't fixed... and the useless twit is off this week to Oz... You sound pretty much like my target market. You want the job done properly, husband is a 'useless twit' away from home. If he is off to Oz I'd assume a reasonable income level? So, how would you see paying, for example £45 to have a reliable, polite, tidy professional do the job and guarantee it? I would pay that. |
#31
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Suddenly I'm a Handyman!
On Sat, 21 Jan 2006 10:03:06 GMT, Geoffrey
wrote: Slip your location into your next followup - some of us could really do with a handyman although we would NEVER admit it... I could regularly do with one - for lots of jobs I just don't have enough arms. |
#32
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Suddenly I'm a Handyman!
"david lang" wrote in message ... Hi All The day job finally finished, I will end up with enough dosh to keep me going for 5-6 months. At 54 I don't think its worth looking for another job, I doubt I would find one that paid as well as the old one anyway. I have two 'strengths'. One is as a magician (adults, not kids parties) and the second is DIY - I can do most things well. I plan to push the magic side hard - I've been doing it part time for 10 years+ and without being immodest I'm damn good at it. It's well paid, but you really only work weekends. To earn a bit extra Mon-Fri I'm going to start up a 'Handyman' business locally. I have all the tools and I've done most things. My day job was in sales, so I understand the business & marketing side of things. What I need to know however, is what consumables to carry on the van. Screws & fixings obviously, but I reckon basic plumbing will be a common job. Plumbing in dishwashers, washing machines etc, and toilets that overflow, won't flush, taps that drip etc. Looking through the Screwfix catalogue it makes sense to buy some van stock - they are much cheaper than B&Q or local shops. What would the team suggest as an initial stock? Very little, until you get a feel for what you need - stock is all overheads. For the plumbing, I would only carry a few compression fittings, spare olives and as many different types of washer as you can. If you need something else, you just say 'I used the last of those on my previous job - I'll have to pop down to the supplier for some more' and go and buy one. Buy your bits from Wolseley (Plumbcenter, Pipecenter, Draincenter, Hirecenter, Buildcenter, Climatecenter and Partscenter), or another trade supplier. Get a trade account if you can - you will get a discount off list prices (I only get about 7.2% off pipe fittings, but that is 7.2% more profit) and they are cheaper than B&Q or local shops to start with. Colin Bignell |
#33
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Suddenly I'm a Handyman!
"david lang" wrote in message ... Hi All The day job finally finished, I will end up with enough dosh to keep me going for 5-6 months. At 54 I don't think its worth looking for another job, I doubt I would find one that paid as well as the old one anyway. I have two 'strengths'. One is as a magician (adults, not kids parties) and the second is DIY - I can do most things well. I plan to push the magic side hard - I've been doing it part time for 10 years+ and without being immodest I'm damn good at it. It's well paid, but you really only work weekends. To earn a bit extra Mon-Fri I'm going to start up a 'Handyman' business locally. I have all the tools and I've done most things. My day job was in sales, so I understand the business & marketing side of things. What I need to know however, is what consumables to carry on the van. Screws & fixings obviously, but I reckon basic plumbing will be a common job. Plumbing in dishwashers, washing machines etc, and toilets that overflow, won't flush, taps that drip etc. Looking through the Screwfix catalogue it makes sense to buy some van stock - they are much cheaper than B&Q or local shops. What would the team suggest as an initial stock? Any other advice welcome :-) Dave Hi Dave, very interesting. I was in the same situation a couple of years ago, sort of retired but looking for things to do to occupy my time. I made it known in the village I live in (200 houses) I could do most things. I thought I would do 2-3 days a week. I did decorating, renovate bathrooms, lay floors, tiling, electrical (pre- partP!) and other general handyman stuff except for ladder work. I charged between 12 and 14 pounds per hour. Within 6 months I was working 5 full days per week with a growing backlog of jobs, so there is work to be had. As for stock, forget it, buy stuff on a per job basis or get the customer to buy it. Get 3rd party liability insurance and keep good books as sure as eggs is eggs someone will tell the tax man so best to tell him up front. You can offset quite a lot and in the end I did not have to pay tax. I have since finished that and take to selling on eBay as the full-time work got too much. Fortunately I do not have a mortgage so it's easier for me. Best of luck, you will do fine -- brian --------------------------------------------------------------- http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Ashnook-Plants www.ashnookplants.co.uk |
#34
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Suddenly I'm a Handyman!
david lang wrote: Hi All The day job finally finished, I will end up with enough dosh to keep me going for 5-6 months. At 54 I don't think its worth looking for another job, I doubt I would find one that paid as well as the old one anyway. I have two 'strengths'. One is as a magician (adults, not kids parties) and the second is DIY - I can do most things well. I plan to push the magic side hard - I've been doing it part time for 10 years+ and without being immodest I'm damn good at it. It's well paid, but you really only work weekends. There was a programm on tv recently where a guy did a magic act and wanted to earn extra money or somthing. Anyway the financial guru chappy wanted him to contact corporate customers because they were always entertaining and often needed some entertainment. He seemed to think this was a good source of work and some of it mid-week as well. To earn a bit extra Mon-Fri I'm going to start up a 'Handyman' business locally. I have all the tools and I've done most things. Any other advice welcome :-) A neighbour on our street has the same handyman booked in for a couple of days a month. They always have things for him to do and it suits them very well. As someone else said - cash rich, time poor. Contractors would be a good target market because they can always earn more doing thier job than mucking about with a sink. Maybe for small jobs you could quote for the job in hand using your high first hourly rate then offer a competitive half or full day to do any other jobs they have kicking around. Everyone ALWAYS has unfinished things which just stare at them all the time. If the householder feels that they would get better value for money AND get a handful of those annoying finishing off jobs done then it could be attractive. You then get to do a single job in one place and reduce you travelling and job hunting overheads. I believe in your parlance you would call it 'up-selling' is that correct? I think the key to reputation has to be honesty. If you over-run on a previous job, then as soon as you know you wont be at the next one, ring them and let them know straight away. Everyone has mobiles these days there is just no-excuse for being kept waiting for hours because someone can't be bothered to call you. Be transparent about your costs as well. If it will cost you £5 to come back and get payment another day explain this and ask for payment on the day. And finally if you do not want a job then just say so. No false, overinflated quotes, no 'I'll ring you at the end of the week'. Just tell people so they can get on with looking for someone else. If you are polite and explain why you don't want to do it they are more likely to come back and try you for other jobs. Nothing is more likely to get a tradesman onto my blacklist than not returning calls. -- Steve F |
#35
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Suddenly I'm a Handyman!
Fitz wrote:
There was a programm on tv recently where a guy did a magic act and wanted to earn extra money or somthing. Anyway the financial guru chappy wanted him to contact corporate customers because they were always entertaining and often needed some entertainment. He seemed to think this was a good source of work and some of it mid-week as well. It is a good source of well paid work, although it can be difficult to find. One large agency gets most of the 'venue' business and it's difficult to get on their books. Certainly something I'm looking at. Maybe for small jobs you could quote for the job in hand using your high first hourly rate then offer a competitive half or full day to do any other jobs they have kicking around. Everyone ALWAYS has unfinished things which just stare at them all the time. If the householder feels that they would get better value for money AND get a handful of those annoying finishing off jobs done then it could be attractive. You then get to do a single job in one place and reduce you travelling and job hunting overheads. Good idea, as you say everyone always has unfinished jobs - including me! I believe in your parlance you would call it 'up-selling' is that correct? Selling up! Yes. I think the key to reputation has to be honesty. If you over-run on a previous job, then as soon as you know you wont be at the next one, ring them and let them know straight away. Everyone has mobiles these days there is just no-excuse for being kept waiting for hours because someone can't be bothered to call you. I think that's the key as well. Communication is important. That seems to be the biggest grype with tradesmen, they don't grasp the concept of 'customer care'. Be transparent about your costs as well. If it will cost you £5 to come back and get payment another day explain this and ask for payment on the day. Payment on the day is going to be a strict condition. I've seen too many small business's suffer from slow payers. And finally if you do not want a job then just say so. No false, overinflated quotes, no 'I'll ring you at the end of the week'. Just tell people so they can get on with looking for someone else. If you are polite and explain why you don't want to do it they are more likely to come back and try you for other jobs. Nothing is more likely to get a tradesman onto my blacklist than not returning calls. Good advice, thanks. Dave |
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