The Tradesman's Entrance

[NurembergVillan]

That's got your attention, you filthy devil!

I was going to start a thread asking for some help with double glazing, as my parents need a full set of new windows installing at their house in Kidderminster so thought I'd check on VT and see if anyone was in that line of work.

Then, I figured I can't be the only one who would like to keep local Villa-supported firms in business so decided this could be VT's answer to Checkatrade.

So, first request - any double glazing pros here on VT that want some business in the next few weeks?

[sne]

 

[villa4europe]

Kiddys a glazing town so you should be able to shop around and find a good deal, several of my family do it, not a clue if they're any good at it though

[BOF]

 

* good idea though.

[Brumerican]

I am a kitchen designer at a trade only outlet in Brum .

If you need a kitchen survey then give me a shout .

We also do flooring and doors.

DO NOT BUY RETAIL KITCHENS ...THEY ARE EXTORTIONATE. 

[Kingman]

I put the hairs on the coconuts. 

If you need any Non receding coconuts then I'm ya man!

[peterms]

So you want business around your tradesmans entrance, and someone has offered to deal with the hairs on your coconuts.

Things can only go downhill from here.

[mockingbird_franklin]

15 hours ago, Brumerican said:

I am a kitchen designer at a trade only outlet in Brum .

If you need a kitchen survey then give me a shout .

We also do flooring and doors.

DO NOT BUY RETAIL KITCHENS ...THEY ARE EXTORTIONATE. 

have to keep this in mind, could very well be fitting out a 15' x 15' kitchen sometime next year,

[maqroll]

On 11/21/2016 at 15:30, NurembergVillan said:

That's got your attention, you filthy devil!

I was going to start a thread asking for some help with double glazing, as my parents need a full set of new windows installing at their house in Kidderminster so thought I'd check on VT and see if anyone was in that line of work.

Then, I figured I can't be the only one who would like to keep local Villa-supported firms in business so decided this could be VT's answer to Checkatrade.

So, first request - any double glazing pros here on VT that want some business in the next few weeks?

I glazed about a dozen windows when I flipped a house a while back. Self taught, mind you. But they came out good. You can DIY, man.

[Midfielder]

Just a feeler for any VT lads or lasses over Hereford way. Plenty needs doing might have stuff on for

carpenter (bespoke staircase, poss a small strange triangular shape shed, replacement / refurb entrance gates, plus fencing in diff areas and types)

builder (build single garage into raised gardens retaining wall and a small "summer room" / garden gym built onto raised garden) 

landscape gardener (some of garden is concreted by a former owner with a fetish for owning several caravans)

Driveway genius

roofer (replacement of missing "top tiles", the curved ones - technical term that)

Ain't got Bill Gates bank account but worth a try on here if anyone's over that way for few extra bob or a foreigner. Also if anyone's a wiz with planning permission I'd appreciate it. Got questions that official guidance doesn't cover and Herefordshire planning dept want me to pay for a pre application submission just to investigate my questions before actually filling out the online forms! 

Edited April 5, 2017 by Midfielder

[snowychap]

11 minutes ago, Midfielder said:

Herefordshire planning dept want me to pay for a pre application submission just to investigate my questions before actually filling out the online forms!

My only suggestion would be to move to Malvern as it seems you can just build away and apply for permission afterwards (as long as it's not in the conservation area).

[Midfielder]

Had a delay of a few weeks added to mine as it turned out the conservatory and a raised garden were built without planning permission , all what happened in the end , was the seller had to take out an indemnity policy covering me against any inherited aftermath , cost them between 100-150 one off payment . No even any need for any retrospective application or so forth , they just went that route at solicitor request

youd think they'd be shit hot onto it in Malvern. Plus worth it. To protect against the kinda monstrosities I'm conceptualising 

have to say though, I've called Hereford planning office a few times, always get this one bulldog woman, have tried faking different voice and phoning different times a day and week, all she ever says is about their pre planning system

[snowychap]

9 minutes ago, Midfielder said:

Had a delay of a few weeks added to mine as it turned out the conservatory and a raised garden were built without planning permission , all what happened in the end , was the seller had to take out an indemnity policy covering me against any inherited aftermath , cost them between 100-150 one off payment . No even any need for any retrospective application or so forth , they just went that route at solicitor request

youd think they'd be shit hot onto it in Malvern. Plus worth it. To protect against the kinda monstrosities I'm conceptualising 

have to say though, I've called Hereford planning office a few times, always get this one bulldog woman, have tried faking different voice and phoning different times a day and week, all she ever says is about their pre planning system

I think there are/have been 'issues' with Malvern's planning (there's a few things that can be gleaned from the Gazette/Hereford Times/Ledbury Reporter over the last few years).

Is she asking you to make the cheque out to 'Concrete And Steel, Herefordshire' in the style of Alan B'Stard?

[Midfielder]

11 minutes ago, snowychap said:

I think there are/have been 'issues' with Malvern's planning (there's a few things that can be gleaned from the Gazette/Hereford Times/Ledbury Reporter over the last few years).

Is she asking you to make the cheque out to 'Concrete And Steel, Herefordshire' in the style of Alan B'Stard?

Also there's the list they have to publish of all planning decisions made, to see what their rejection rates are and for what although the absolute specifics are unknown. 

Regarding council bulldog, no, she's just instantly hostile, speaks with higher Received Pronunciation really patronising. My first encounter was when the definition of principalelevation was confusing me the house has no official principal elevation due to its setup. Was built in the old days before modern planning permission and wouldn't get approved today but the official guidelines do to cover my basic questions to even begin an official application! I've asked her please, can you just put me through to a planner or an email address I can show pics or land registry plan just so I can get an application in the system, but noooooo

some people, it's either a power trip to be so obstructive patronising and obtuse , or they're simply a nasty all out bitch. Feel free to prank her on their phone number won't insert here might get warning. Always seems to divert to her extension. You'll know within seconds it's her 

[Guest av1]

Bump. Thought I'd dig up this thread after an interesting (and terrifying) conversation I've just had with the local authority building control. 

A bit of background. I'm a fully qualified Electrician that has been in the trade for about 15yrs. About 12yrs ago new legislation came into force (around Part P of the building regulations) that required Electricians to register with an approving body like the NICEIC so each job could be registered with building control, for any work carried out in domestic premises. The idea was good (to get rid of the cowboys) but ultimately it's been poorly executed. 

At the time i was self employed so needed to register at a cost of £500 per year. About 8yrs ago however i took a PAYE job and wasn't doing enough foreigners to justify £500 per year so i cancelled my membership. Which leads us on to one of the floors of scheme. Because I'm no longer paying my £500 a year I'm no longer allowed to work in domestic properties, even though there is no issue working in a commercial or industrial setting. So i can go and rewire a hospital, but i can't fit a socket in someones house, go figure. 

Onto todays conversation with building control. 

A friend phoned me a couple of days ago and asked i could rewire his house. Now having not had my Part P for a number of years i thought I'd speak with the local authority to see if there was any sort of pay as you go option (for want of a better word). Ie just pay to register a single job rather than a full years membership, and indeed there is. 

This is the scary bit. I was told that there are 2 tariffs. 

1) If i can prove I'm a fully qualified Electrician (which i can) the job can be registered for £74 plus vat.

2) For non qualified DIY enthusiasts, the job can be registered for £450 plus vat. 

 

Just let that sink in. Any plonker can rewire a house and officially register the job with building control provided they pay a (admittedly large) fee. 

It's just one big money making exercise, and these plonkers in power wonder why the good tradesman out there get the hump. 

Edited August 30, 2018 by av1

[lapal_fan]

4 minutes ago, av1 said:

Bump. Thought I'd dig up this thread after an interesting (and terrifying) conversation I've just had with the local authority building control. 

A bit of background. I'm a fully qualified Electrician that has been in the trade for about 15yrs. About 12yrs ago new legislation came into force (around Part P of the building regulations) that required Electricians to register with an approving body like the NICEIC so each job could be registered with building control, for any work carried out work in domestic premises. The idea was good (to get rid of the cowboys) but ultimately it's been poorly executed. 

At the time i was self employed so needed to register at a cost of £500 per year. About 8yrs ago however i took a PAYE job and wasn't doing enough foreigners to justify so membership so i cancelled my membership. Which leads us on to one of the floors of scheme. Because I'm no longer paying my £500 a year I'm no longer allowed to work in domestic properties, even though there is no issue working in a commercial or industrial setting. So i can go and rewire a hospital, but i can't fit a socket in someones house, go figure. 

Onto todays conversation with building control. 

A friend phoned me a couple of days ago and asked i could rewire his house. Now having not had my Part P for a number of years i thought I'd speak with the local authority to see if there was any sort of pay as you go option (for want of a better word). Ie just pay to register a single job rather than a full years membership, and indeed there is. 

This is the scary bit. I was told that there are 2 tariffs. 

1) If i can prove I'm a fully qualified Electrician (which i can) the job can be registered for £74 plus vat.

2) For non qualified DIY enthusiasts, the job can be registered for £450 plus vat. 

 

Just let that sink in. Any plonker can rewire a house and officially register the job with building control provided they pay (an admittedly large) fee. 

Its just one big money making exercise, and these plonkers in power wonder why the good tradesman out there get the hump. 

Sounds silly doesn't it.  I suppose in a way it would help a retired sparky to do his own work, in which he knows he can do it to a good standard.  

But it also allows for cowboys out there to chance on people (say older people) "yea I can rewire your house, £3,000" - and that's the problem. 

I guess it would be better if, for that £450 quid, it came with a assessor to come out and "sign off" on the work, like a normal building regulator, but I doubt that's the case. 

When I was moving house, we got a guy who was a bit old school to rewire our house when we moved in (do'er up'er), we asked about this kind of stuff, knowing we'd be moving on in a few years and he was all "yea it'll be fine", then when we came to moving and we were required to have paper work, we called him and he just said "I don't do that stuff anymore" which left us up shit creek.

In the end we took out an indemnity policy as we couldn't verify his work.  It was all fine and above board, he was a sparky (he worked in my wife's old Bournville College), but the foreigner he did for us wasn't registered with a body, so we took the bump - if that makes sense. 

[Guest av1]

2 minutes ago, lapal_fan said:

Sounds silly doesn't it.  I suppose in a way it would help a retired sparky to do his own work, in which he knows he can do it to a good standard.  

But it also allows for cowboys out there to chance on people (say older people) "yea I can rewire your house, £3,000" - and that's the problem. 

I guess it would be better if, for that £450 quid, it came with a assessor to come out and "sign off" on the work, like a normal building regulator, but I doubt that's the case. 

When I was moving house, we got a guy who was a bit old school to rewire our house when we moved in (do'er up'er), we asked about this kind of stuff, knowing we'd be moving on in a few years and he was all "yea it'll be fine", then when we came to moving and we were required to have paper work, we called him and he just said "I don't do that stuff anymore" which left us up shit creek.

In the end we took out an indemnity policy as we couldn't verify his work.  It was all fine and above board, he was a sparky (he worked in my wife's old Bournville College), but the foreigner he did for us wasn't registered with a body, so we took the bump - if that makes sense. 

It's seems that used to be the case. Apparently the fee used to incorporate the cost of a site visit from building control to verify the work, but they have now stopped doing that. 

Which made me wonder about liability. Should the worst case scenario happen and a property burn down, who's responsible? The DIY enthusiast for carrying out work he isn't qualified to undertake, or the local building control for registering the job in the first place without checking that the installation is safe?

[lapal_fan]

5 minutes ago, av1 said:

It's seems that used to be the case. Apparently the fee used to incorporate the cost of a site visit from building control to verify the work, but they have now stopped doing that. 

Which made me wonder about liability. Should the worst case scenario happen and a property burn down, who's responsible? The DIY enthusiast for carrying out work he isn't qualified to undertake, or the local building control for registering the job in the first place without checking that the installation is safe?

It'd be interesting to find out in court. 

[Guest av1]

The whole thing is a sham, and as i say it's just a money making exercise.

I know a couple of electricians, including and college lecturer who flat refuse to take out membership with any of these bodies. 

 

His reasoning is that the electricty at work regulations 1989 (our bible) state that anyone carrying out electrical work needs to be competent to do so. 

His argument is that he has been a practising electrician for 40yrs, he is qualified to degree level, has his own business and teaches the next generation of electricians in his role as a college lecturer. 

He argues that he will happily go to court and watch some plonker from the local authority try to convince the court that he isn't competent to fit a new light fitting in someones house, simply because he refuses to spend £500 on membership. 

 

Edited August 30, 2018 by av1

[AVFC_Hitz]

26 minutes ago, av1 said:

About 8yrs ago however i took a PAYE job and wasn't doing enough foreigners to justify £500 per year 

 

 

I could get you some cheaper foreigners.