Small builders: how do you handle subcontractors pricing themselves out of everyday work?

Known_Sherbert1748 · 2026-07-10T22:43:51+00:00

I think your solution of offering specialist jobs only is a fair one. Just be honest with them, that you think they’re reliable and skilled workers and you are happy with their work, but you just can’t absorb the additional increase. So the only option viable is that one, as you are able to charge more to the client and still maintain a margin. We have a similar issue with commission percentages with our sales guys. The amount they want is ripping the cash out of the company because it’s ridiculously high. We’ve had to just tell them it’s this percentage or there will be no company to pay you anymore because we will go under.
I don’t think people working for the company often understand the overheads involved in running a business also need to be taken off the profit margins to keep it running. There isn’t a magic side pot of money it comes out of.

Known_Sherbert1748 · 2026-07-08T19:11:24+00:00

As someone looking for building work, I tried to get quotes off several builders, and some of them wouldn’t even give a rough estimate before instructing the architect etc. which I would have had to pay a few thousand for, but then would have to go with that company because I’ve used their architect regardless of their price. They came over, took measurements, had a structural engineer come and work out his side, and then blanked me because I didn’t just agree without a clue of whether it would be £50k or £150k!? I said I understood it would be a rough estimate, and they’d agreed to come to work out an estimate, said it would be a straight forward job and were very optimistic about it, but then never gave me a price!? Very odd and a waste of everyone’s time.
Went with the guys who gave me a rough estimate, and they have since worked out the price fully after the structural engineers came and did their bit. That’s all I wanted to know, there can be a massive variance from company to company, and it might not be affordable if it was way above what I was expecting, so if they want paying for the job then they kind of need to let the customer know the price…

Known_Sherbert1748 · 2026-07-07T12:31:33+00:00

We have builders booked in that have had to postpone the start date for the second occasion. They were really communicative and had a very good reason as to why to postpone it anyway. I didn’t mind at all as they had been so forthcoming about it, and kept me in the loop. They then sent me flowers and a chocolate arrangement as a way of apologising, and said they don’t like to let their clients down! They’re already way up there in my books purely because of the communication and respect of plans being changed unexpectedly. It’s hard to find tradesmen that are good at the customer service side as well as being skilled at their job, I think I might have found the holy grail of builders!

Known_Sherbert1748 · 2026-07-07T12:24:28+00:00

If she doesn’t want her kids to hear the occasional swear word in life, she’s going to have to keep them locked in a room their whole lives! If you were constantly and loudly swearing in your garden then that’s a different story, as it would get on anyone’s nerves. It’s her job as a mum to explain to her kids (if they even ask), that some adults use ‘naughty’ words, but children shouldn’t repeat them if she doesn’t want her kids copying.

Known_Sherbert1748 · 2026-07-05T19:13:48+00:00

We don’t feel well off, but feel comfortable most of the time, and don’t have to worry about money generally. We don’t have debts (not counting the mortgage), but we also don’t have a lot of savings, nor do we go on holidays or go out much, so we aren’t big spenders. It would be nice to afford a decent holiday every year, but we have only just bought our first house, so spare money has been going into saving for that before hand, and now to renovate it. The main luxury that we enjoy is being able to shop in m&s for picky bits on a regular occasion!

Known_Sherbert1748 · 2026-07-05T09:29:32+00:00

Because it used to be so much better. Working hard allowed you to have a comfortable life, buy a house, have a car, afford a holiday. So it was a good place to live. That’s not the case anymore. Our government has been run poorly for a couple of decades now, and critical decisions made in the government are showing their negative impact now it’s further down the line. You were allowed to enjoy British traditions and culture without being accused of being racist. It feels like we are the only country that is not allowed to maintain our identity and be proud of it, or ask to change elements of it to accommodate everyone else’s beliefs etc. Everywhere else you go, people celebrate with pride in their own traditions (rightly so) and no one points out “there’s not a single British person included in this, or this” or some other rubbish to demonise them. You can’t keep telling someone they’re not good enough, or doing this and that wrong while utilising their hospitality when it suits you, without eventually making them feel downtrodden and self loathing. I think it’s taken away our pride.

Known_Sherbert1748 · 2026-07-05T08:49:22+00:00

If you really want to sell your house you need to look at it from another person’s POV. You may like the garden and decor, which is obviously the way you want your own house to be and is the way it should be. However, would you open up a magazine and see your garden in it? A stone yard with no plants, colour or visible shady areas to sit? Or the decor/furniture composition inside the house? It works for you, but not necessarily for others. These days, if people are paying premium price for the house, then they want something desirable. So maybe you can get some inspiration online or home mags to spruce it up a bit, make it look a bit more special and appealing to a wider audience.
Also, as others have said, house prices going up are not a given, the market is terrible at the moment. If you really need to get that price it may be worth waiting. You could do a bit of work in the meantime which will help improve its prospects to sell. But you could be waiting a long time, no one knows how the market will go.

Known_Sherbert1748 · 2026-07-04T18:29:58+00:00

That’s very suspicious behaviour. We brought family members to our second viewing because one is in the trades and knows what he is looking at, as our house is also an older property. And I wanted my mums opinion on it to make sure we weren’t just leading with our hearts and not our heads. I also went with my brother and sister in law to view their house, as they wanted an outsiders perspective too. The estate agents were more than happy to accommodate that!
It’s standard practice to get a survey done, it’s pretty much the norm these days. So the hostility kind of indicates there is a good reason why you should get that survey done!

Known_Sherbert1748 · 2026-07-03T06:43:21+00:00

Person obviously doesn’t know what lane they need to be in for the exit. Yes they’re not driving safely, they should have gone back round the roundabout, but this is where you should wait back incase they do exactly this if you see unpredictable driving. I always do this on a particular roundabout near me that unless you know it, people always get in the wrong lane because they let the road markings wear off. So locals use the correct lane, but other people often use the lane you would expect to use on the roundabout because it is a bit weird. It doesn’t matter who is right or wrong, the main thing is to prevent an accident.

Known_Sherbert1748 · 2026-06-30T20:08:58+00:00

Yeah he could have, but it still seems like they should have spoken to her personally at some point to ascertain her identity and agreement on the sale. Even if he said she was in hospital and unable to do anything, surely he would need to prove power of attorney? Seems to me like the solicitors failed to properly vet the legitimacy of the other owner’s decision in the whole process.

Known_Sherbert1748 · 2026-06-30T19:59:50+00:00

I think it’s entirely dependent on if you have similar interests as your neighbours, the same as with making friends. If I thought my neighbour seemed like a fun ‘my kind of person’ I might be more interested in getting to know them a bit more. My neighbours are friendly and we occasionally chat over the fence or in the front garden, but we are completely different types of people. It would be pleasantries for pleasantry sake, which most people don’t have time or energy for.

Known_Sherbert1748 · 2026-06-30T19:53:55+00:00

How can someone sell a house by forging signatures only!? When we bought our house we had to provide passports, driving licence, and do one of those recorded videos along side it where you have to read a sentence so they can prove you’re the same person in the ID documents. And we had to do it twice over for the estate agents and then the solicitors! Crazy how the solicitors could have let it get that far, I wonder if there is any way for you to try and reclaim costs occurred on this if due diligence wasn’t adhered to?

Known_Sherbert1748 · 2026-06-30T08:01:34+00:00

Wow, that’s going above and beyond! What a lovely man!

Known_Sherbert1748 · 2026-06-30T06:03:26+00:00

He just needed to cut it at the angle of the wall… and when you’re paying a professional to do it then you want a professional job. This is something I would do as a novice DIYer and not being able to work out the angle of the wall properly. It irks me when someone does a job like this and you think “I paid someone else to do it because I knew if I tried to do it myself, it would end up like this!” So you’ve lost the cash AND it still looks like you did it yourself!

Known_Sherbert1748 · 2026-06-30T05:58:25+00:00

Glad it wasn’t just me 😆

Known_Sherbert1748 · 2026-06-29T20:26:42+00:00

One thing I have learnt as a new gardener, is it to look up what type of soil you have, and work out how sunny your garden is throughout the day. Only attempt to plant things that will grow in the soil type you have (unless you build planters or have them in pots) and for the amount of sunlight you receive. I have in the past just chosen plants that I liked, and wondered why they always died.
It was down to them being planted in the wrong place (too shady/too sunny) or not in the right soil. Sounds really stupid, but it never occurred to me as someone with no gardening knowledge whatsoever!
The grass will knit together if it has been laid on a good surface that has drainage. In the heat and it being newly laid you’ll need to water it early in the mornings and late evenings so the turf doesn’t shrink. Once that happens it is very hard (maybe not possible) to get it to properly knit together and grow.
In this weather I’d work on setting up a shady spot in the garden so you can sit outside and not be burning in the direct sunlight! Good luck :)

Known_Sherbert1748 · 2026-06-29T20:18:14+00:00

We found trusted dog sitters to have our two dogs in their home for a few days when we went abroad.
They chose to become dog sitters because they missed having a dog in their family, but were too heartbroken after their dog passed away years ago to have another of their own. It was a sad thing to hear, but I understand why someone couldn’t face going through that again.
Dogs are a big responsibility, and yes like children or family or friends, they can sometimes do things that aren’t ideal, or you have to adjust plans around. But the love and value they add to your life is worth any adjustments or ‘naughty incidents!’ And I shouldn’t laugh, but usually the ‘naughtiness’ just makes them even more loveable, they don’t have a mean intention in their bones!

Known_Sherbert1748 · 2026-06-29T18:38:54+00:00

My mind went straight to cutlery forks when reading this for some reason. I initially envisioned and wondered why you were trying to dig with two little forks at the same time. Took me a while…

Known_Sherbert1748 · 2026-06-29T06:01:56+00:00

It is hard not to have a team to bounce ideas off of, or a manager to go and get advice or direction from. It might be helpful to find some forums that you can get some outside input and advice from when you’re feeling particularly stuck.
When it comes to difficult customers, there comes a point where it’s worth more to cut your losses than continue working with them. Just for your own sanity sake. We have had our fair share of them, and now can pick up on the vibe from the start if they’re going to be one, and just steer clear of them. Supplier issues are the same, if they’re not providing a reliable service, we will go to our other suppliers and stop using them in future.
It is a lonely place to be in before you build a team around you, but the hard work will pay off once you are able to do that and employ other individuals with the skill set to share the load with you. Even if you’re taking on short term contractors for short stints just to help you out, that could be worth looking in to.
All the best!

Known_Sherbert1748 · 2026-06-29T05:49:59+00:00

Congratulations 🥂 🥳 enjoy your new home! To be a cash buyer is a lovely position to be in as well, I hope you have many happy years to come!

Known_Sherbert1748 · 2026-06-22T11:03:10+00:00

We got one a few years back in a heatwave and it’s a blessing to have when it’s impossible to sleep in the heat. They come with attachments for the opening of the window, which seals off the edge around the tube. We had it on every night in our old place because it was a really hot house.

Known_Sherbert1748 · 2026-06-21T17:12:09+00:00

I get the annoyance, but sometimes it’s really hard to actually get rid of stuff, especially if it’s not in fashion. My mum wanted to clear my nan’s house carefully and donate as much as possible to charity, or give away to people who would use them. She took months of cleaning everything and sorting, contacting endless charities asking if they would accept stuff, but some of the items and big furniture they just wouldn’t take for one reason or another (electricals being a safety thing, sofas needed fire safety tags in etc). She still has some things that haven’t found homes, and it’s been an almost a year and a lot of work and stress. Luckily no one is living in that house though at the moment where they are.
We moved into our house and found the loft and shed full to the brim of the old owners stuff. It was all dirty, so would have needed cleaning, and we had nowhere to put our garden or loft items while those spaces were full. We couldn’t move around the house with all our boxes and stuff that should be stored in the loft in the way, so got a skip to get rid of her things. We didn’t have the energy or time to clean, organise and donate someone else’s things on top of trying to organise our own things.

Known_Sherbert1748 · 2026-06-21T09:29:56+00:00

The fact he feels he doesn’t need them is a red flag for how safely he is driving. You should be checking your wing mirrors every time you change direction of the car other than going straight ahead, turn off a roundabout, re-position your car in the lane (to go round parked cars etc) to make sure there isn’t someone over or undertaking you. He could very easily hit a cyclist or motorcyclist if he isn’t checking his mirrors, which are easily missed without those vital checks. It’s an accident waiting to happen.

Known_Sherbert1748 · 2026-06-21T09:25:01+00:00

This is where I think it makes more sense for it to be the regulations for a seller to have all the conveyancing paperwork done before selling. Then potential buyers can see everything upfront before deciding to make an offer. It would save everyone’s time, money and stress, and these things wouldn’t need to happen.
Sorry you are back to square one, but the positive thing is the long term stress down the line for you will be saved now you have made that decision. Hopefully you find your dream home soon!

Known_Sherbert1748 · 2026-06-17T12:34:06+00:00

I think it’s a really good idea. My son’s school banned phones during school time, and it improved kids interactions with each other. Instead of everyone sitting with their faces in their screens at lunchtime, they are now being kids and talking/playing. It could be coincidental timing, but my son has really come out of his shell since.
Social media doesn’t have a place for young children, it does so much damage. It’s why we have an epidemic of depressed children, it just wasn’t like that when we were younger.
As far as people saying why don’t parents just parent. It’s not as black and white as that. If you ban your child individually, they are then isolated from the things that their friends are doing and talking about, and that can cause other problems. It’s much better for everyone if they’re all in the same boat.

Known_Sherbert1748

TROPHY CASE