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Posted: Fri May 23, 2014 7:26 pm
by sy76uk
I don't do it any more but lemoncurd but I find working the ground on a dig out just as tiring. My Dad's 60 now and him and his labourer are still banging 100m2 a day down.
Lovesetts-I know £3 per m2 is shocking but pavers in that area are 2 a penny and they can earn £100 a day on those rates. The gaffer doesn't like em to make too much because they'll start slowing down or having time off so it works out a lose-lose situation for him.
He does do his best to keep his gangs going full time though.
Tony, I want to be doing more work like you boys do. Smaller more technical stuff and the ways things are going I will be. Some of the pictures of the natural stone work I see on this forum are stunning. I'd swap being able to lay 100m2 of CPB for being able to lay 25m2 of that a day any day of the week.
My next 2 jobs are big patios. Both natural stone, first ones plain but a lot of graft involved the second is busy but not too bad on the dig.
Both are in really nice areas.
I nipped in the bank today to tidy up my accounts. It's the first time the managers made me a brew 
Posted: Fri May 23, 2014 7:57 pm
by DNgroundworks
Not into site work much, was involved in 3000metre university square refurbishment project once and it bored me to tears.....one metre square granite flag after the other = repeat 3000 times.
I much much prefer smaller jobs, a week here a fortnight there.....much better money and keeps you interested in your work.
Just designing a patio with a brew cabin inspired gullioche detail.
Posted: Fri May 23, 2014 9:36 pm
by ilovesettsonmondays
Is the gaffer sy subbing to the main groundwork contractor?
Posted: Fri May 23, 2014 10:34 pm
by sy76uk
My old gaffer takes the work on from either the main contractor or the groundwork contractor and subs it out to us. He does supply the van, all the kit and stops tax and NI at source.
He get's work from all the major building contractors nationwide.
Years ago most of our work was massive car parks. We saw 5000 meters as a small job. The biggest I've been on was nearly 30000m2.
It was a storage yard for Charcon at Bardons quarry. All in 3 areas, the blocks were 80mm seconds and they didn't care about lines or levels. It was my first job on a price and i went from £200 a week to over a grand on a third of the split.
Most of the lads are happy to get £500 a week these days.
Posted: Fri May 23, 2014 10:42 pm
by ilovesettsonmondays
I worked for bardons for a few years good company.would you still get 3 quid if it was 45 degree herringbone .
Posted: Fri May 23, 2014 10:53 pm
by enigmaenigma
@sy76uk
as others have hinted at:
It’s worth bearing in mind that you only get one body, and when you are spent / broken, they will no doubt find themselves a fresh and unbroken carthorse to use until that one breaks.
Don’t get me wrong, I can understand all the reasons etc, but worth thinking long term about health / quality of life as well as wealth…and trying to find the holy grail of balance between getting work in but not crippling yourself & those that you work with along the way to get the work in etc.
Might sound a bit touchy feely / airy fairy and all that, but the horrible truth is that a lot of this world is made upon the broken bodies of people that just wanted a chance at bettering themselves…and alas, there never seems to be a shortage of money men that make their money upon the misery of the manual workers that have the long term / life changing problems as a result.
Posted: Fri May 23, 2014 11:30 pm
by sy76uk
The Bardons I did the paving at is an AI quarry in Leicestershire, is that the same one?
No we'd only get £3m2 if we laid 90 degree on big areas. 45 would have been about £3.50. £4 on footpaths.
Enigma- That is why I'm running my own business now matey
Posted: Sat May 24, 2014 12:14 am
by lutonlagerlout
enigma tells it like it is
that is why I employ men to do roofs ,carpentry ,plastering plumbing,and electrics
1 man can only do 1 days work
an organiser can organise 20 men
LLL
Posted: Sat May 24, 2014 9:34 am
by cookiewales
Better leaving them cheap jobs to the young uns we worked in London in the boom eighties £15 m2 cbp and clay bit more then found with our bricklaying skills we started putting in the key kerbs concrete and clay £10 liner meter we cleaned up as we got no cement on blocks . The laying gang got £8.50 m2 I know which job we wanted then came the granite and stone work 
Posted: Sat May 24, 2014 10:16 am
by sy76uk
If anyone knows anyone that'll pay me £8-10 per m2 to lay blocks please let me know. I'll only have to works 6 months a year
Posted: Sat May 24, 2014 11:17 am
by ilovesettsonmondays
Yes it's the same one . Massive nationwide firm and in the channel isles . If you own a quarry they want it.
Posted: Sat May 24, 2014 11:31 am
by sy76uk
I didn't know that. I thought that Bardons was just the name of this particular quarry. TBH I'd never seen anything like it before and haven't since.
When we asked the for a bit of sand they came over with a 40 ton dumper and a bulldozer the size of a house and started levelling it.
They were a right, good bunch of lad's. Do Anything to help out. All we had to do was screed and lay blocks. 99% of the cutts were halfs.
Posted: Sat May 24, 2014 11:42 am
by ilovesettsonmondays
They are owned by aggregate industries who own the likes of charcon, bradstone, london concrete and ronez to name a few . The only firm I know lol who gave you 25 pound a month for wearing your Ppe . Paid in your bank at Xmas . Always had a free day on the drink too at the end of every job that made money. A company that looked after it's workforce
Posted: Sat May 24, 2014 12:28 pm
by sy76uk
I know they're owned by AI. They had just built a unit there to produce charcon blocks. All the blocks we were using were charcon 2nds. some just crumbled, others were shaped like rugby balls, others were between 70 and 110mm thick. It didn't matter. we just banged em down.
We worked it out at the end of the job that around 4k per week went into the pot.
The 2 labourers took £200 each per weeks. (it was a long time ago)
My dad took 2 3rds and I took a third.
I wish I had looked after my money a bit better back then but it was the 90's
Posted: Sat May 24, 2014 12:50 pm
by ilovesettsonmondays
I know the feeling sy . 90s beer Friday , Saturday Sunday Monday Club recover rest of week 