Gates
By sewingkilla
12 comments
I thought there was a recession on and people were gasping for work? I have rung 6 companies to ask for a quote for some gates across my driveway, 1 for security, 2 for privacy and 3 to keep in little people who want to push their buggies right down the driveway onto the path!!! I am hoping it will also cut down some of the wind that blows up the driveway like through a tunnel! Soooo i rang these companies and all said yes we’ll come out to give you a quote, they ranged from big companies to men working on their own or for a Franchise, I had 2 quotes sent back!!!! 2 out of 6 not much of a recession then is there!!! One quote was for £845 ( i nearly fainted) and one for £350 the expensive one was for tongue and groove wood and all fixtures and fittings but i still thought it was exhorbitant and they probably didn’t want the job!! The other was for what looked like a fence panel but thicker with a frame behind it, but i didn’t like the look of them i wanted it to look nice. I can’t believe that only 2 companies got back to me. In the end a friend of mine came for a coffee and i happened to mention all this and she said a friend of her husbands had made them a dog kennel (she said its actually more like a shed LOL) did i want her to ask him if he was interested? Did i ? you bet i did!! so he came out and measured up and suggested designs, he’s making them now and coming either next week or the week after to fit them….Price? oh £238.00 and that includes fitting a metal post into the concrete drive!! I will post a photo of my new gates when up and running!
25 Jun, 2009
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Comments
It's who you know :o)
Well done on your gate order...
25 Jun, 2009
I understand exactly what you mean Sewingkilla. I needed my guttering fixed, and out of five 'specialist' firms I contacted, only one came out, and then sent me a ridiculous estimate. I think it's because I live in a mobile home, but my guttering is the same as anyone else's! A chappy who lives on site did it for me in the end, for 20 quid.
Bbb
25 Jun, 2009
Yeh its a familiar story we wanted extra radiators fitting & called about 5 companies didnt get one quote not the sort of job they wanted I guess & 1 even took my measuring tape !
25 Jun, 2009
I have had similar problems - only one firm out of four bothered to turn up to give me a quote on some tree work and two out of four for fencing
25 Jun, 2009
Perhaps we should get this blog and the resulting comments published. It might wake the industry up a bit.
Bbb
25 Jun, 2009
It always annoys me when they advertise 'No job too small'.you just know they are not interested. It's finding the local craftsmen that's difficult. They are probably so snowed under from personal recommendations that they don't need to advertise. Word of mouth counts for a lot !!
25 Jun, 2009
The other side of the coin.You will always find these variations people can do cheap jobs if they have little or no overheads, he may also be retired or between jobs! already have the material left over from another job you can go on and on also is there any VAT.
Mind you i am not saying I would not use them If needed.
Brian (retired tradesman)
25 Jun, 2009
All I can say is I am glad I have been a jack of all trades in my time I wooded my own kitchen I knocked down a pantry and refitted the roof with plaster board and cemented the floor and plaster the walls and built a breakfast bar put up fencing and slabed my own and helped my son s with his garden tiled my own bathroom and kitchen, what money I have saved and head aches lol
25 Jun, 2009
Yes Bis he does this in his spare time, BUT the other companies were not interested so pfffft to them!!! I asked them first!!
Morgana.... do live anywhere near me LOL!!!
26 Jun, 2009
Terra's right about 'who you know'. We're very lucky as we have a monthly village magazine which has about eight double pages of adverts, mostly of local firms and one-man businesses. I've used it several times with great success and satisfaction - I think all being locals helps.
27 Jun, 2009
I agree with Morgana, until I became ill earlier this year I did all my own fix-its and odd jobs etc. When I asked for quotes for some new fencing I almost had another stroke when they gave me their prices. I know people need to make a living but going off one quote and knowing how long this job would take me to do, he wanted to charge me £75 PER HOUR for labour !!!!!!!!
I think SOME people see disabled or older customers as a meal ticket and just heap the costs on. Needless to say, this particular job can wait a few more months until I can do it myself.
Great blog as always sewingkilla.
H & K's.....Ian
27 Jun, 2009
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Enough said Sewingkilla.
This kind of thing happens a lot to me too, unbelievable isn't it ???
25 Jun, 2009