Labourers

[Diamond Pool Finishers]

How many lads on here use a labourer ?

Is it hassle / worth the hassle ?
Do you have them on the books or just have them in when needed ?

 

[Ian]

Very rare if I have a job big enough to warrant having one, if I do I prefer to have someone who has a bit of knowledge of the trade, it's a huge waste of time if you have to train them for one off jobs.

 

[Bubblecraft]

Can this be moved to the TA 😉

 

[White Room]

I stick on my own.....

 

[charlie1]

have tried laborours in the past, my advice would be to consider how long you want them for be it short term or longer term, longer term then you will spend a lot of time training, dont expect to get lots more work done with a labourer as for some reason it just dosent work that way, i find i get just as much done on my own. It can be infuriating though if you get one and the either simply cant use inititive and constantly ask you questions.. some people i have found too are simply not good with there hands and this can also drive you mad, i came to conclusion that some people are not good with there hands. lastly, if you do get a good one that requires no training then use them well, make sure you have enough work for them of say bye bye to your profit

 

[Ian]

Can this be moved to the TA 😉

Its moved, I'm curious why? Have you murdered a labourer and want to tell the tale :lol:

 

[John Benton]

Don't really ever want a job big enough to warrant anybody else working with me.

A friend of mine was due to have 5 bathrooms and 300m2 @ £80m of floor in his new house and asked if I could do it. Luckily I was too busy as there was a schedule to keep to (August 2012). I would have had to take on a labourer for the floor for sure but glad I didn't do it anyway.

Turns out the tile supplier (prestigious one) had been out to measure, ignored drawings and measured themselves. Anyway after 250m had been fitted the tiler asked where the rest were. Went to order more and they are discontinued.

It is now in the hands of the solicitors of course. The floor is still not complete, 4 months late.

 

[jonnyc]

Don't really ever want a job big enough to warrant anybody else working with me.

A friend of mine was due to have 5 bathrooms and 300m2 @ £80m of floor in his new house and asked if I could do it. Luckily I was too busy as there was a schedule to keep to (August 2012). I would have had to take on a labourer for the floor for sure but glad I didn't do it anyway.

Turns out the tile supplier (prestigious one) had been out to measure, ignored drawings and measured themselves. Anyway after 250m had been fitted the tiler asked where the rest were. Went to order more and they are discontinued.

It is now in the hands of the solicitors of course. The floor is still not complete, 4 months late.

Well it couldn't have been fired earth coz they never measure anything or least didnt used to . If its in the arms I am intrigued to know. I could take an educated guess

 

[John Benton]

Well it couldn't have been fired earth coz they never measure anything or least didnt used to . If its in the arms I am intrigued to know. I could take an educated guess

PM me

 

[Bubblecraft]

Yeah, I killed a labourer

 

[Bubblecraft]

😉

 

[jonnyc]

I only use a labourer on big stone jobs which are not as frequent as they were.
but i have always used labourers when I used to do jobs abroad. Apart from the obvious saving of using local labour that does not need accommodation they have always been a great source of A good local bar and any other recreational needs when an Englishman is abroad.!!,
I certainly don't go to the local job centre or work agency .
i approach trades guys on site that are friendly and ask if they have any friends who want labouring work.

i don't want to compare labourers from different countries but I think can say that I have had some quite staggeringly exceptional labourers in foreign fields and I like to think that their work ethic rubbed off on my guys who worked really hard as well . We always work 12 hour days six days a week abroad but we play hard after work and go crazy on the Sunday .

 

[peteablard]

I advertised on gum tree for a labourer to help with a car showroom a few months back and couldn't believe how many tilers rang (had over 50 calls) offering to labour cheap as they were quiet. Got a decent bloke in the end, spent a bit too much time on his phone but more than paid for himself. Got a lot of jobs booked in in the next couple of months and need to decide whether I should get a labourer or draft in one of my tiler pals and split the jobs with them.

 

[Peter]

Been getting help in more and more lately from various people so definately looking at starting someone half decent in the new year as a more permanent thing. Need to speak to my accountant but think you can claim £80ish a week back on casual labour.

 

[jonnyc]

heres a picture of my main labourers on one of the overseas jobs
lyford quay.paradise island bahamas.
boy with the hat was called blackboy by his mates !!
but boy could he mix up . my boys were all from haiti
he could do more than the other two put together. non stop 12 hours .
starting with sieving the coral and shells out the beach sand we used .
and then hand mixing sand / cement all day in about 100 degrees for three of us fixing plus lugging old reclaimed french stone in .
larger photo same guys plus the other local trades on our site who were all mostly away from home like us m coming from antigua/st lucia /barbados/and other smaller islands ,
blackboy got his house burnt down whilst we were there and lost all the savings he had made whilst working for me but we all appreciated him so much, my guys all chipped in to cover half his lost money and i made the rest up.
trying to dig out a photo of my irish labourers on a job somewhere in a secret lock up pub west of arklow in the mountains.very strange evening indeed

 

[MTiler]

I mainly work on my own, when ever Ive needed an extra pair of hands its been another tiler, but have been let down. I now only trust my own work as its my reputation.

missyT

 

[Alan.P]

On the odd occasion that I've been involved with outside help, mostly it's been .................. disappointing, if I have to stand over someone and tell them what to do I may as well do it myself, sometimes though, you do find a diamond in the rough.

 

[Andy Allen]

i know a few good tilers i can call on for a hand, and they do the same with me, works well as we all know what were doing and deffo pushes the job along...

 

[Tony73]

I have full time labourers. Pay them £7.50 per hour , same time teach them tiling. Ones they get better i pay them more. It would be too expensive to unload tools , mix adhesive , cut tiles etc... if i did it my self. My job is to organise and lay tiles. If i do 10 sq.m per day by my self, with labourer can do 15 sq.m simple

 

[charlie1]

I have full time labourers. Pay them £7.50 per hour , same time teach them tiling. Ones they get better i pay them more. It would be too expensive to unload tools , mix adhesive , cut tiles etc... if i did it my self. My job is to organise and lay tiles. If i do 10 sq.m per day by my self, with labourer can do 15 sq.m simple

was working for a client this week who knows his stuff regarding productivity of increased man power... By adding a labourer you increase your output to 130% , not double or even half. What i find when i have a labourer is, i tend to focus on the tiling alone and delicate all the crap but i do tend to have an easier day. I also stress if i see him standing around which can distract me from my job. To sum it up, i only use a labourer to help push work along and i only use labourers who seem to have an appreciation for what they are helping to create.

 

[peteablard]

I think if you're paying someone to help you then it motivates you through the day. If they are costing you money then you need to keep busy so they are kept busy.

 

[EverDon Tiling]

The more people i work with the more time i spend chatting so in theory i'm paying people to talk to me. I get more done on my own with the radio.

 

[Peter]

Had to do an awkward 12m floor at short notice on Tuesday and brought a labourer in. Started at 1, finished for 4. if I was on my own I'd have been back next day which wasn't an option. Definitely worth the money if they can do the job and don't have to be told what to do.

 

[charlie1]

My last one accidentally mixed a bag of slc instead of plasterboard adhesive,... no even the same colour!! (15 quid down the drain) i then noticed he was not the best with a measuring tape, after giving him dimensions to cut plasterboard he just couldnt get it!! ... but, ask him to do all the dirty stuff like wash down and general graft he was good!... Ive now got him to a stage where he can grout so happy with his progress!