State of the economy - Good or poor?

[Pablo]

Optomistic about 2008 might be a bit tighter but should weather it. Civils /commercial is great but takes a heavy investment and they can drop you like a stone just when you don't need it. Hopefully with people less likely to move they'll be thinking of improving on what they've got. Buy to let is where the problems have come from but never did much work for that crowd anyway because they didn't want to spend the money. Still a lot of money out there and most potential clients will be just as financially secure as they have been all along. Keep telling myself that anyway.

[williams]

sorry to drag up an old thread but curious to see how things are going.
i do domestic works and to be honest its pretty good,but am getting increasingly worried what with the cost of materials,muck away,this permeable paving thing meaning people having to get planning permission and just the general economy........i reckon we could be in for a rough ride

[MatthewWakeman]

got to say that Jan Feb were excellent we are booked untill 2nd week in May, but the amount of leads we have had over the past 3 weeks have been shockingly bad we normally get between 10-15 jobs to see a week i am currently seeing only 3-5.

I am hoping it's only a glitch

regards

Matthew
drivewaycompany.co.uk

[Dave_L]

At the present time, there's not enough hours in the working week to fulfill what we need to do!

Always wary though, a local large construction firm has gone belly up since Xmas.....

[lutonlagerlout]

america is in recession and when america sneezes we generally catch a cold
dont want to be a doom monger but hardly anyone can borrow money at the moment without punitive measures
a big dip is coming domestic wise,people spending now had their money sorted out before xmas
we are still getting a lot of leads but are looking at doing the LA jobs more as its guaranteed.

think of it like this
mr A's house was bought for 100k
its now worth 150 k
so he borrows 30 k for improvements
last year yes
this year no chance
fingers crossed guys
LLL

[TarmacLady]

Scary as all hell over here, boys -- entire housing estates sit empty and half-finished, Repossession notices everywhere, and for sale signs like dandelions, just as the queues at the employment offices are getting longer by the hour.

The dollar now has no more value than a loo roll, and petrol keeps skyrocketing, which means that the grocery trolley gets more and more pricey to fill, too.

We're okay for now -- our jobs are secure, but it's not looking good for lots of other folks. Hope to God you lot don't catch this cold!



Edited By TarmacLady on 1205849354

[matt h]

January was dire, but things have picked up since, and I,ve work to cover april now.. There are a lot of firms struggling, or only working half days at the moment locally..

[Rich H]

Busy round here. Most of summer's booked already but I think it's the thin end of the wedge. I'm still looking for new business because I'd rather have the work in and deposits paid than be scratching around later.

[matt h]

seems theres lots of small works, but nothing to get yer teeth into at the mo..

[bobbi o]

anyone feeling the pinch of the credit crisis yet? seems some are some arent. the fuel prices are a bitch at the moment.heard more people are risking it on red,which i wouldnt do as i know i'd get caught!

[seanandruby]

Wife and i have bought bikes for short journeys. great fun and we keep fit :;):

[lutonlagerlout]

busy as ever,am booking saturdays into september now for 1 off little jobs
however all the big site lads i know are travelling further afield.
blokes my age remember the last 1 in 90-92 and have made provision for it,its the young fellas about 30 who have just taken on big mortgages i feel for
LLL

[Rich H]

Still got work but have noticed that the conversion rate on quotes has dropped right off. Still Ok for a couple of months but starting to get nervous about the winter already.

[TarmacLady]

There's some flickers of light over here -- I've been talking with builders' merchants coast to coast, and they're reporting that the phone's begun to ring again, and they're starting to quote jobs.

The general consensus is that the patient is still in intensive care, but we seem to have at least managed to stop the haemmorhage!

Hope so...a lot will depend on which eedjit they put in the White House come November, I think.

[matt h]

and you are surprised t that!?we are always subject to the powers that be... unfortunately