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Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2007 2:10 pm
by Tony McC
??? CITB and Lantra certainly do exist - if they don't, I'd like to know who's been paying my invoices to them over the past couple of years!
Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2007 2:53 pm
by lutonlagerlout
we paid a £4k levy to the citb last year 
and the bricklaying apprentice has been going to college for 2 years and cannot build a corner??
LLL
Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2007 4:46 pm
by James.Q
my mistake on citb but went to a meeting with elevate, one of these government initiatives to get main contractors to use local trades men. Whilst there I met lots of people, one of whom was from citb, got talking to him about what tickets I had, including my Lantra chain saw card _ he's the one that told me that Lantra didn't exist! I've been trying to find his card so that I could double check, but it would seem that I've put it somewhere safe!
(It was elevate east lancashire that were holding the meeting www.elevate-eastlancs.co.uk if anyone's interested.)
Posted: Sun Dec 02, 2007 1:16 pm
by matt h
SEEMS EVERYONE WANTS TO PROVIDE A LIST OF REPUTABLE TRADESMEN, AND YOU ARENT REPUTABLE UNLESS YOU ARE ON THEIR PARTICULAR LIST... AND OF COURSE YOU HAVE GOT TO PAY... Check a trade, eworkmen...and a host of others. I am a member of the Hampshire county councils Buy with Confidence scheme however, and that meant getting police and mod vetted as well. It seems to have paid off, as I recieve regular enquires from their sites. Only trouble is they seem to think you'll do the work for less than the going rate because you are listed as being vetted by trading standards..soo sorry... my rates are what they are regardless, I am not as so many clients seem to think a charity! I know my rates are competitive, and the client always gets what they pay for. In fact they often get a whole site more besides. It is the little thing you do which make all the difference between a good job and a great one imho;)
Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2007 12:36 am
by surreyhillslandscapes.com
I just got approved for the Buy with Confidence scheme here in Surrey last week, It was free to join when I applied but now its £117 for the year,but you get a lot for that money though, If your looking on the net for driveway companies their site is usually in the top 5 at least.
Going back to the pricing thing, I use a basic metre rate for each given type of paving, then add on the extras after, manhole covers, channels, kerbs etc.
I've been trading for a year and a half and I'm still learning so much, Have stuffed myself a couple of times but won't make those mistakes again!
Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2007 6:37 pm
by Dave_L
Now where did Haggy (The thread starter) go to??
Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2007 8:51 pm
by seanandruby
He is still working out the price of his first job :laugh:
Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2007 11:59 pm
by matt h
surreyhillslandscapes.com wrote:I just got approved for the Buy with Confidence scheme here in Surrey last week, It was free to join when I applied but now its £117 for the year,but you get a lot for that money though, If your looking on the net for driveway companies their site is usually in the top 5 at least.
Going back to the pricing thing, I use a basic metre rate for each given type of paving, then add on the extras after, manhole covers, channels, kerbs etc.
I've been trading for a year and a half and I'm still learning so much, Have stuffed myself a couple of times but won't make those mistakes again!
HAVENT WE ALL, BUT AS I USED TO BE TOLD BY MY OLD MAN THE DAY YOU STOP LEARNING IS THE DAY YR READY FOR YR BOX :p
Posted: Wed Dec 05, 2007 6:45 pm
by Brerrebate
I find pricing for the unexpected is the most difficult.
In groundworks, there's so much that can go wrong, and it immediately starts costing a fortune.
Where we live, we don't have too much problem with bedrock, but there are lots of large boulders - which usually have to be taken out. One or two is ok, but after ten or twenty the extra time starts mounting up, and there is the added transport for taking away; unless they agree to a spontaneous rockery.
Or a water main not buried deep enough and unmarked ...
Posted: Wed Dec 05, 2007 9:43 pm
by lutonlagerlout
what part of france are you dan?
i got a mate working in provence nr avignon
strange thing is, he is a painter but he buys all the paint here and drives it over,he reckons uk paint is cheaper and better quality
i wonder if landscaping materials are the same?
LLL
Posted: Thu Dec 06, 2007 6:39 pm
by Brerrebate
Hi LLL,
I live near Limoges, which is a little bit left of middle on a map of France.
Your m8 is quite right about the paint. Much as I hate to admit it. I've been living here 10 years now, and have got to know my way around the product market place quite well.
Most of the time, Brits still source products back in the uk, because they haven't yet found them here, or find them very expensive.
Paint, however, is one thing that has remained ridiculously expensive and completely crap. Even international names, like Dulux, for example are simply not the same here as in uk.
To solve this problem, I just avoid painting things - that works reasonably well. 
In landscaping, I must say, I havn't compared too much, as a truck load of 20/40 or 0/30, just has to come locally.
I pay 10.10 €uros exc vat p/metric ton for 20/40 for example - what are you paying?
Geotex works out to about 1€ exc vat p/sq mtr.
A good quality paving block 60mm thick comes in at 25 to 30€ p/sq mtr - which I think is probably cheaper than Marshal's?
Most everyday materials just have to be sourced locally, though, as any saving that could've been made is quickly gubgered up with the cost of transport.
Cheers
Posted: Thu Dec 06, 2007 6:58 pm
by DeckmanAdam
Hiya mate,
Do you run a firm out there?
I was very tempted to do that after laying a patio and building a pergola for my boss who has a house by charolles.
Really liked the culture and the general lifestyle...wasnt half hot though and it was in sep, june/july must be scorchin.
We found the paint very expensive and for the paving we got it shipped out from the uk to save language issues as none of us spoke decent french.
which was funny when it came to going to the BM looking for an 'outdoor screw'
Posted: Thu Dec 06, 2007 8:06 pm
by Brerrebate
Hi DA,
Yes - I run a plant Hire & Groundworks business here.
Trying at present to develop into paving - until now, the best finish I could offer the client was an impressively flat rolled 0/30 finish. Fine, but a bit industrial and not very sexy. 
It can get a bit warm here in the summer, and can stay just as wet as Britain.
Charolles isn't really that far from us...
Cheers
Posted: Thu Dec 06, 2007 8:37 pm
by DeckmanAdam
Sounds good.
I noticed there wasnt a huge range of domestic paving avaible and saw no indian stone although all the nearby towns/villages seem to have plenty of granite pavements alot of them looked very good.
We have flown to limoges before when i have been over and it only took us a couple of hours to get to the house.
Posted: Fri Dec 14, 2007 8:02 pm
by Brerrebate
Hi Deckman Adam,
Sorry for the delayed response - got tied up, and a few days got by before I logged on.
Paving is available here, as are many products, but they're often not clearly displayed. BM's assume you have an intimate knowledge of their catalogue collection, and know what you want.
Once you know them a bit, they're happy to sit & browse the catalogues - it's just a different way of doing things.
Anyway, cheers