besty57 Posted December 30, 2009 Report Share Posted December 30, 2009 hi all. was just wondering how many members work in the construction industry,an how 2009 went for you. how are you getting on in the recession,i am based in the north east and its been very quiet all year. if it wasnt for a guy down south i do work for i would be struggling for work.but even he doesnt seem too optomistic for 2010.so whats your views on last/next year. i am hoping it will be a better year but will have to wait n see. anyway happy new year to all .and atb for 2010 alan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjimmer Posted December 30, 2009 Report Share Posted December 30, 2009 (edited) I haven't worked in the building trade for 2 years. What I can't understand is the how the price of building plots has stayed up. In 'normal' times you have to pay roughly a third of the finished house price for a plot. In recessions in the past this has dropped to a quarter(of the reduced house price). I was talking to a chap who builds the odd single house from time to time and he was telling me that plots have gone up to a third-to-a-half of the finished house price. I don't circulate in the building 'network' now, but I get the impression that everybody is fairly miserable. One local builder is said to have £25M of completed houses unsold. I haven't been employed for nearly a year. My CPCS telehandler ticket has now run out. Edited December 30, 2009 by rjimmer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
besty57 Posted December 30, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 30, 2009 sorry to hear that mate.you need a ticket to to anything on site these days.just a scam to get more of your cash.health n safety gone mad.if u ask me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paddy Galore! Posted December 30, 2009 Report Share Posted December 30, 2009 things have been fairly quiet for me too, had some bits and pieces but nothing to write home about. i used to sub contract to large firms like kier group and carters doing industrial and commercial carpentry, the trouble is nothing much is getting built now so its a fight to get work in. I was thinking of setting up a small joinery shop but the bank isn't too keen. lets hope things start to pick up in the new year eh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pegleg31 Posted December 30, 2009 Report Share Posted December 30, 2009 last year was bad,My mate and i usually do comercial joinery on site but this year i did'nt set foot on site until a fortnight ago . most of this year ive been working for the general public doing jobs i would've turned my nose up at 2 years ago,And boy do i hate working for the public I'm in a bit of a dilema now though.A bloke we did work for has said he can keep us busy and the bloke we usually work for has a 6 month contract starting on the 18th of jan But i think next year is going to be tougher,the only good thing to come of this will be.It will get rid of the **** tradesman(alot of which work for the agencies).And the thing i'm looking most forward to doing is holding the ******* that have killed the construction industry by employing the eastern europeans to ransom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canthitathing Posted December 30, 2009 Report Share Posted December 30, 2009 We manufacture and install Ventilation and air conditioning systems, and have had a fairly good year. What we have noticed is that the bulk of the work is The new build installations really came to an abrupt halt around Mid 2008 and hasn't yet began a recovery (for us at least). Next year shows some promise but I wouldn't like to tempt fate. Good luck to all for 2010 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluebarrels Posted December 30, 2009 Report Share Posted December 30, 2009 Good luck to you all for 2010 we all live in uncertain times,take a job in the armed forces,at one point it was 100% secure,not anymore,sign or the times i suppose or a weak goverment BB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turbo33 Posted December 30, 2009 Report Share Posted December 30, 2009 Get yourself down south. Am just finishing a small extension. Plumbers, no-one interested, 4 plasterers promised to come and quote, only one turned up. Was happy to plaster out a 2.6mx3.5m room and lay screed all materials supplied for 1750+vat! Three roofing company's same story. The only one to show up in the end still hasn't finished the job 7 weeks on! Don't despair mate go where the work is. They dont know how lucky they are down here and deserve a wake up call. And besides we have Cheyl Cole down here now and if that isn't a good incentive!!! ATB. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paddy Galore! Posted December 30, 2009 Report Share Posted December 30, 2009 Get yourself down south. we have Cheyl Cole down here now and if that isn't a good incentive!!!ATB. i'm now gonna pack!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeeinVA Posted December 30, 2009 Report Share Posted December 30, 2009 Hey besty.. I am an estimator for a general Contractor, here across the pond.. I have never seen soooo many quotes come in below cost, nor have I ever seen so many good framing companies going out of business.. I have seen an influx of residential home builders crossing the line and bidding work in the commercial field.. Two totally different animals.. And from what i can ascertain? Our turn around shouldnt hit till last quarter of '10.. So in a nut shell? The rich bloated Americans have once more ****** the working man in the ***!! And we didnt even get a courtesy reach around Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisherman Mike Posted December 30, 2009 Report Share Posted December 30, 2009 Privately funded schemes will continue to suffer with commercial developments being very thin on the ground. I work as a Construction Estimator for a SW based Regional Contractor and we are reasonably boyant at the start of the year with several Framework and Healthcare contracts coming on stream. The problem lies with the cessation of public funding which will happen which ever party is elected at the next GE. House builders are infact releasing plots of land to be build and increasing their land banks, but many caught a big cold by buying too much at a too ridculously high price.... serves them right. Property maintenance will continue to boom. The biggest problem in my opinion is that the Government "experts" see the Construction industry just as the Major House bashers and if the number of Mortage awards drops then the Construction industry must be suffering likewise...... Stick with it..... good tradesmen will be well placed when the recovery comes and it WILL come. I think though it will be well into 2010 until we can safely say the worst is behind us. Good luck to all of you in the industry, you have my respect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RC45 Posted December 30, 2009 Report Share Posted December 30, 2009 I am in the damp proofing industry. It's totally *****d at the moment and it's not looking any rosier for 2010... Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Dog Posted December 30, 2009 Report Share Posted December 30, 2009 Work for a company supplying hardware to the uPVC and joinery trades. Absolute pants in 2009. Company went into admistration May, bought off the administrator and now looks in diffs again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeeinVA Posted December 30, 2009 Report Share Posted December 30, 2009 I am in the damp proofing industry. It's totally *****d at the moment and it's not looking any rosier for 2010... Phil Tell you what Phil.. Wish you were here as we are in dire need of damp proof subs.. I can think of only two within 100 miles.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Sarakun Posted December 31, 2009 Report Share Posted December 31, 2009 Worked on Agency driving Articulated Vehicles up to Jan. 2009. Sooper job going to Northern Europe, 3 day turnaround and earnt enough dosh in those three days to have the rest of the week off. Loadsa money, loadsa shooting too. So the work dropped off with the recession, Agency went bust and I was unemployed for 4 months. I applied for loads of jobs, even as a dog warden 'cos I could just see myself in the back of a Toyota pickup with a Kalashnikov, racing through the shopping malls banging off strays. But no, the job was driving around town emptying poop bins. "Hey Jim what are you doing for a living now"? "Well, I now take dog poo down the local dump", didn't quite have a ring to it. I didn't get the job, but a "sorry your application has been unsuccessful at this time" instead, to add to the stack I already had. Finally took on a full time night trunk job that came up and now take home the the same money as I did when I first passed my test in 1976. Messed up my whole social life, shooting included and I am glad that I now only have a small mortgage. So, just to bore you a little more, I wrote to my local MP to explain my situation, 3 kids, low wage, expensive shooting addiction. I asked if he would explain to me how I could dip into that fund that he and all the other MP's use to have their gardens landscaped, or to buy a bell for the bell tower in their gardens, the one they dip into to have their second homes decorated so they can rent them out. I explained that I did not need the money for such extravagance, I needed it just to survive. I've not yet had a reply and it's been 2 months, maybe it got lost in the Postal strike of late. Perhaps I should e mail him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
besty57 Posted January 2, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2010 Get yourself down south. Am just finishing a small extension. Plumbers, no-one interested, 4 plasterers promised to come and quote, only one turned up. Was happy to plaster out a 2.6mx3.5m room and lay screed all materials supplied for 1750+vat! Three roofing company's same story. The only one to show up in the end still hasn't finished the job 7 weeks on! Don't despair mate go where the work is. They dont know how lucky they are down here and deserve a wake up call. And besides we have Cheyl Cole down here now and if that isn't a good incentive!!! ATB. hi turbo.been working down south on & off for twenty five years.mainly shopfitting.the trouble is getting decent digs at reasnable rates.and if you arnt working 7, 12 hourshifts,by the time you pay tax, ni, digs, food, etc. its not worthwhile coming down, but as for cheyrl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mollydog Posted January 3, 2010 Report Share Posted January 3, 2010 been in the costruction job (bricklayer) for twenty six years now and have managed to find work but the last six months have been hard many of my custmers are struggling some are on the verge of bankrupsy i am owed money by a couple of companies that have been good payers for more years than i care to remember . i cant see 2110 getting any better persnally i think we need an election to try and get some confidence back locking on the bright side theres plenty of time to go shooting and fishing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digger Posted January 3, 2010 Report Share Posted January 3, 2010 Totally agree with turbo regarding trades in the south, they dont seem to realise we are in a recession. Still want to charge the earth and be in the pub by four, only want to work Sat mornings under duress etc. Ive been trying to get companies to tender for works, nothing major at all - 50k tops but cant get them to even visit site ! Bread and butter stuff like refurbs after burn outs or just basic void works. The shame of it is the work is there, the money is there but the work is sitting undone. One "firm" I am contracted to obtain tenders from never get them back on time, are always massively over priced when I open them and then bitch they get no work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddoakley Posted January 3, 2010 Report Share Posted January 3, 2010 sorry to hear that mate.you need a ticket to to anything on site these days.just a scam to get more of your cash.health n safety gone mad.if u ask me Couldnt agree more!!WHAT WAS THAT THING WE HAD BEFORE ''HEALTH AND SAFETY'':blink:?? OH YEAH COMMON F''''KIN SENSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have a small building firm down here in south Wales, 2 years ago i employed 25-30 guys(and girls) but now its rarely more that 8-9. its quiet all over and personally i think its gonna be for a while yet. The only upside to this it that i really cant be bothered with work at the moment as i would rather be shooting!!!!!!( or fishing) But i think we all need to plod on and stop believing all that the media says Edd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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