Forum

Replies

• 

  Richard King May 10, 2012 at 9:10pm

  Please do up load this article I sounds worth a read.
  And out of interest I charge £22.50 per man hour but only get work by recommendation adverts just don't work for us. We work in Esher and Weybridge(Surrey) and have a lot of competition from jobbing gardener or hoe mow and blow as we like to call them.
• 

  ChaseLandscaping May 10, 2012 at 9:37pm

  Exactly right. I've just finished a job on a new build where there are still houses going up. Everyone dissapears at 4 leaving us on our own sometimes working until 7pm. It's the same when it rains, we crack on whilst they sit in their vans.
  I struggle and work very hard to earn 18k a year gross and have to read articles about scroungers getting a minimum of 24k on benefits. I love what I do, but its just not fair. I very much doubt there's much we can do though as there's always a bob a job prepared to undercut you.
  Were thinking of expanding our work force, but we like the way things are at the moment as its just me and my brother and we have our exacting standards, but it may be the only way to earn more.
• 

  ChaseLandscaping May 10, 2012 at 9:40pm

  The article is at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/9192938/Alan-Titchmarsh-attack...
• 

  Paul McNulty May 10, 2012 at 9:53pm

  To be fair, my mechanic charges a lot more than I do. But he has premises with all the asscociated costs to pay, and staff to include at least a receptionist.

  f you want to compare labour rates you need to compare like-for-like. I'd suggest plumbers or electricians? They both work without needing premises, and from my experience they carry a lot less expensive equipment than me. A grand a week isn't seen as unreasonable for a plumber or electrian near me, so what's the difference? You need to be certified.

  Roll on the day we have to be certified, and forced to do what most of us already do and carry insurance etc!
• 

  David Cox May 10, 2012 at 9:56pm

  I've found you have to trade on quality and quality alone - but that limits your expansion abilities unless your working with who ever you employ to ensure the same standards.

  As for the cheaper have a go competition - they rarely last a year or more so I dont think we can worry about them per say... more the damage they do as so many people can say "oh but the last guy charged £xxx" without realising - thats why they went out of business.
• 

  Austin Powell-Allen May 10, 2012 at 10:38pm

  Yes I agree and we need to put more pressure on the market. I have tried a few times to put my rates up above £18 an hour yet lost quite a few quotes. I know try to quote on a fixed rate per visit which has pushed this up a bit. If people could understand all the knowledge, care and skill involved i think they would pay more. I have been to a few gardens after they have had £10-£15 guy in who has butched there shrubs with a hedge cutter. rather than using a pair of secatures on the shrubs and you spend hours pruning and nurturing the damaged plants back to life and to there best.
• PRO

  Brian www.mibservices.co.uk May 11, 2012 at 6:20pm

  For my tuppence worth..................Paul hits the nail on the head, why ?, by stating that other trades are certified, so who among the members on this forum are just that..................Qualified. Lets get all our qualifications out there for the public to view, maybe then we can educate them that we are professional businesses with all the appropriate qualifications, skill-sets and experience, bringing quality professional kit on to their gardens, estates and business parks and doing a professional job.

  We all keep banging on about "bob a job gardeners" under cutting us, but how many of us are actually qualified in our particular trades, spent years at college, university or qualified through a distant learning course ??

  So long as the gardening and landscape trades are viewed as hobby trades we will never achieve our "worth" rate.

  
  
  Paul McNulty said:

  To be fair, my mechanic charges a lot more than I do. But he has premises with all the asscociated costs to pay, and staff to include at least a receptionist.

  f you want to compare labour rates you need to compare like-for-like. I'd suggest plumbers or electricians? They both work without needing premises, and from my experience they carry a lot less expensive equipment than me. A grand a week isn't seen as unreasonable for a plumber or electrian near me, so what's the difference? You need to be certified.

  Roll on the day we have to be certified, and forced to do what most of us already do and carry insurance etc!
• 

  Matthew Crudgington May 11, 2012 at 6:58pm

  One thing to keep in mind when comparing ourselves to plumbers, electricians and other similar trades is the cost of these services over a couple of years.  Just a weekly visit for a small garden can soon add up to a large amount for someone, whereas they would only have their plumber in every few years when something goes wrong. 

   Window cleaners on the other hand take the p***, charge the the same if not more, use a car with roofrack to afford increase car insurance, £200 of gear and away they go.
• PRO

  Gary RK May 11, 2012 at 7:09pm

  You're right Brian - a lot harp on about low ballers etc, but do little to improve their image, skills or gain recognised qualifications and promote best practice.

  As a start, how about do as they do in the US.... ? I am not talking about closed shop associations, with costly membership fees, but they have a 'State' controlled requirement to register and gain a license to run a 'landscape business'. It ensures you are registered as a legit business, with insurance, T&C's etc, pay tax, etc & not a fly-by-night.

  It's a start, it doesn't require massive amounts of certification, costs etc. In my mind it's similar to the volantary Trading Standards Buy With Confidence scheme run here in the UK (personally, I would love to see LJN move to this in some way...showing up the current lot :-)

  Here's the State definition of "Landscaper" in California, where you have to be licensed from when I was there;

  "A landscape contractor constructs, maintains, repairs, installs, or subcontracts the development of landscape systems and facilities for public and private gardens and other areas which are designed to aesthetically, architecturally, horticulturally, or functionally improve the grounds within or surrounding a structure or a tract or plot of land. In connection therewith, a landscape contractor prepares and grades plots and areas of land for the installation of any architectural, horticultural and decorative treatment or arrangement."

  
  I've said this before on LJN and got shot down....but it is a step in the right direction....

  Yes, for the record I am qualified via C&G & BTEC NHC/NHD and all our staff are either NHC qualified or at college gaining quals...All have H&S certificates, Emergency First Aid, Manual Handling, PA1/PA6 as required and a few specialised LANTRA tickets (ie woodchipper, ride ons).

  Want to be a professional ? Then let's start acting like it........

  There, let the fun the begin.;-)
• PRO

  Gary RK May 11, 2012 at 7:45pm

  Just another thought - how do you recognise and value 'experience' vs. 'qualifications' ?

  Is the ideal, a mix of the two ?

  If so, is there a ratio ?