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Posted: Wed Dec 14, 2011 10:00 pm
by local patios and driveway
Im really enjoying the cabin at the moment, great bunch, good arguments in places and real pros here who teach me something new everyday but it led me to wondering how we all started so im gonna ask you to spend five mins and let us know how you started and how you got to where you are now.
Me? I got kicked out of skool at the age of 15, natural step would have been to work for my old man, but i tried 10 jobs before i gave in and put on my boots. Worked with him learning what i could as a general builder for 6 years before he took me on as a partner.. Did that for a while but as with always working with family the arguing got too much, as he got older he became a massive bodger and i considered it was killing the business as we wernt getting many customers returning to us like we had in the past. We bought an old kubota for a big job and decided to keep it, eventually doing footings for all the builders in our local pub i decided to set up a business offering driven plant hire, blagging driveway and groundwork along the way. Started researching, learning what i could online and ended up using paving expert as my own bible. I now make my labourers read up on what ever we are doing the very next day so that they can come to work and tell me what to do. I get a better result as everyone is on the same page, they Get what i consider a brilliant education, and the client usually has us back over the years
You?
Posted: Wed Dec 14, 2011 10:05 pm
by DNgroundworks
My story is on another thread, which i posted a while back, if anyone knows where?! lol I to have used this site as a bible, has taught me most of what i know re - paving
Posted: Wed Dec 14, 2011 10:41 pm
by ken
I left school in1996 and got a job with a paving company in direct competition with the gaffers company in the next village to where he lives. I am now aware that our firm was no threat too Tony’s we just picked up the jobs he couldn’t be arsed with. In 2003 I fell out with the boss and used all my savings to set up on my own, van, tools adverts ect. In 2004 I discovered this web site, at the time Tony was looking for photos of block paving being laid for his book. Offering to help him out was the best thing ive ever done, the gaffer taught me more in one day than id learnt in the previous 8 years.
Posted: Wed Dec 14, 2011 10:45 pm
by lutonlagerlout
left school with aspirations to be a scientist
sadly no funds for college, so straight to work on site
an international electronics firm asked my school for suitable apprentices and they recommended me so after 3 months on site and at tech college i got my lab job
and god how i hated it,every day was pure shite
and talking to scientists in their 30's and 40's then i thought "Christ, my old man makes a lot more than that on the muck hod"
plus I had to walk 5 miles to work every day and home as the £25 YTS money lasted me about an hour after i gave my mum £12 and £6 for a driving lesson
anyway got a job labouring for a scaffolding firm for the pricely sum of 80 quid a week
the old man said scaffolders are bottom of the food chain better to work with me
around this time he started a building company with 2 partners,initially they did quite large projects 1 off luxury homes ,factories and even developed land
but the 1990 recession stuffed all that so they ended up doing extensions
I went off to spain in 87 to seek wine women and song,and found them all but came back broke
I had experience of laying bricks and block s at this time but not to a high standard
i got a start with a subbie outfit as an improver (£35 a day) and did site work till 1993, when i rejoined TDF
the partnership never worked long term, which was a shame as my dad and dave french were best mates for 20 years before becoming business partners,and so they split around 1996-7
I kind of took on the day to day site side of things and my old fella took over the office side,and we have carried on like this ever since
I am 43 now and the day i left school I never thought I would still be working at 40+ on sites but there ya go
at some point I would like to buy some land and build a house but the right plot for the right money is rarely available down here
in teh dirty south
thats all folks!
LLL :;):
Posted: Wed Dec 14, 2011 10:53 pm
by lutonlagerlout
of course the paving!
I always felt that the finish of paving never matched the brickwork so i researched it as best i could and found this site in the late 90's
i used the site for over 6-7 years before i even noticed the forum
what happened was that i had a row with a slab layer
he was laying biscuits on hardcore on grass with sand as bedding
i argued he should have dug it out bla bla bla
anyway the more i read the more i realised that most builders treat drives and patios as they would venereal disease,
summat best left to others but a laugh down the pub with the lads
anyway now i feel that we build patios rather than just throw them down,all thanks to tony mcC
LLL 
Posted: Thu Dec 15, 2011 3:15 am
by Suggers
Firstly, would just like to apologise for sporadic dick-head random postings. (I love surrealism - and this is ripe) This site, was about half a dozen pages helped & guided me thru certain stuff in my self build, in the early days - Tony McC is a god in my book, and in his own book.... ha ha..
This is my intro - like the idea of this - will sit down & write when there are more decent class A drugs in the house - --
Last week - Alabama 3 - you will obviously know which one is me ?
Answers on a postcard - BTW - DDD - not allowed - we've met.
Posted: Thu Dec 15, 2011 3:55 am
by Suggers
By the way - LPD - you're history ......
Posted: Thu Dec 15, 2011 4:10 am
by Suggers
Fantastic night again at the Forum - the Marillos were frightenly good - musicianship - Steve Hogarth pitch perfect - a great unsung band - sold out tonight.... pics t o ollow x
Posted: Thu Dec 15, 2011 9:34 am
by local patios and driveway
History or the end suggers... Now then where did you get that hat? 
Posted: Thu Dec 15, 2011 4:05 pm
by lutonlagerlout
i think you have the black spot dan :;):
my guess is the gent on the far right
LLL
Posted: Thu Dec 15, 2011 4:40 pm
by London Stone Paving
You look really relaxed thier suggers :p
Posted: Thu Dec 15, 2011 5:45 pm
by dig dug dan
no comment suggers :p
Posted: Thu Dec 15, 2011 6:02 pm
by rab1
Bloke on the far right would be my first guess and then the lad on the far left.
Posted: Thu Dec 15, 2011 8:20 pm
by haggistini
Old rockers never die just get more smelly or is that fishermen ?
Posted: Fri Dec 16, 2011 2:41 pm
by seanandruby
History.... have to wait till statute of limitations up :;): :laugh: