Why is it so hard to find a trades person for a small job??

Forums › Home Workshop DIY › Why is it so hard to find a trades person for a small job??

1 | 2

Bung

6733 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 2926

Subscriber

#1971128 8-Mar-2018 11:36

I can see leads going to a missing battery. Is there actually any siren or speaker in that box?

PS If it was just an external alarm box it wouldn't have the bird's nest of other wiring. That will limit how small you can replace it with.

Fred99

13684 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 10018

#1971143 8-Mar-2018 12:06

quebec:

timbosan:

Have you tried Builders Crack? https://builderscrack.co.nz/

I have had lots of replies to small jobs I have posted on there

Yes tried builders crack, one builder replied asking for $500 + GST. Isn't that a bit much to replace. I saw the other handyman when he was replacing the other side and he pretty much pulled the nails and pulled the piece out and put the new one in place with new nails. Took him like less than an hour. I don't really want to but might try him again, he is a bit of a cowboy.

Pretty much. To do that job means a site visit to measure up, a trip to a timber supplier to buy the right sized board, presumably a piece of H3.1 treated dressed clear which usually involves a bit of waiting around, then a return trip to do the work. Without seeing it, then a builder may assume that there's additional complications that they can't deal with - that sectional door should be no problem, but tilt doors usually have flashings and possibly the arms attached to the decorative jamb which can be a potential can of worms - a gut reaction may be for a builder to not want to touch any garage door jamb ever again. $500 seems a bit rich though, but $300 or so quite understandable. At a guess the piece of timber may cost you about $30-$40.

The photo seems a bit odd - a decorative jamb like that would normally be set back flush rather than what looks like 20mm in front of the door panel - leaving a gap. It looks like it was originally a bad job/afterthought, and not how it should be properly done.

I haven't had much luck with Builder's Crack. When I did try using it, I was approached by a couple of very dodgy builders who I thought had a predatory approach and tried hard-sell tactics to justify quoting prices well above market rates.

1cloud

164 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 19

#1971155 8-Mar-2018 12:22

quebec:

I had to get my Garage do

they are keen on big job though

SepticSceptic

2263 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 779

Trusted

#1971292 8-Mar-2018 16:10

I think there maybe a bit of rot in a couple of place - the wood looks quite discoloured around one of the screw holes - if you can dig your thumbnail in, as compared to the rest of the wood, then it's rot.

Also, at the bottom, it looks discoloured where it's been sitting on the concrete - there maybe moisture under the paint.

You concrete footer needs repair too.

Should be do-able with average handy~~man~~person skills.

pctek

807 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 157
Inactive user

#1973455 12-Mar-2018 18:33

Can't comment on your requests but husband when he was plumbing would do small jobs.

What he hated was the oh I have a small job, only take you a minute (or x minutes), nothing to it really.

And of course nonsense, it always involved more than they could see, they wanted to pay $10, they'd tell him how simple it was etc etc.

So...why didn't they DIY then? Yeah right.

tdgeek

30048 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 9455

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#1973461 12-Mar-2018 18:52

pctek:

Can't comment on your requests but husband when he was plumbing would do small jobs.

What he hated was the oh I have a small job, only take you a minute (or x minutes), nothing to it really.

And of course nonsense, it always involved more than they could see, they wanted to pay $10, they'd tell him how simple it was etc etc.

So...why didn't they DIY then? Yeah right.

Yep, $80 an hour thats ok, so $1-33 a minute for 10 minutes, awesome. What they need to know is I can do that. Take me 10X as long, might break something, and if its electricity or water, then.............. Do it once and do it right, $80/hour might end up being REAL cheap, notwithstanding the peace of mind (and insurance risk)

Lenovo

Shop now for Lenovo laptops and other devices (affiliate link).

mattwnz

20515 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 4795

#1973514 12-Mar-2018 19:51

It's interesting you can't get anyone to do the job at all. Normally they will just price it really high if they don't want to do it.

Linux

12185 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 8478

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#1973519 12-Mar-2018 20:05

Go look for a tradie at the local massage parlours

Linux

BTR

1527 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 449

#1973965 13-Mar-2018 13:48

Most builders are not builders these days and simply put together pre-made framing. I asked a builder about retrofitting new windows into a house and his answer was I don't know how to do that I've only ever built new homes......

I ended up finding a retired builder who as very good and doesn't charge like a wounded bull.

kryptonjohn

2523 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 953

Lifetime subscriber

#1974034 13-Mar-2018 15:19

BTR:

Most builders are not builders these days and simply put together pre-made framing. I asked a builder about retrofitting new windows into a house and his answer was I don't know how to do that I've only ever built new homes......

That's not been my personal experience, but I believe you!

I ended up finding a retired builder who as very good and doesn't charge like a wounded bull.

You're lucky to have snagged that guy!

Last two builders we've used for significant projects including structural, roof, wall and glazing elements, could happily build a new house from materials. In fact they damn near did for us! They're qualified master builders and they have younger guys working for them who are picking up their skills. But there will be thousands of young builders training/working for the big house builders like GJ Gardner, A1 Homes, Fletcher Residential etc who will be assembling rather than building.

Bung

6733 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 2926

Subscriber

#1974159 13-Mar-2018 18:14

The skill that would count would be the design of the frames. I don't see any merit in constructing the frames on-site from a packet of timber.

1 | 2