/diy/ - Do It Yourself

[Anonymous No.1248494]

I've just bought a van and a fuck load of Tiling tools, and now I'm lying in bed shitting myself that i won't be good enough and not ready for this.

I was a kitchen fitters apprentice for 2 years, tiling on pretty much every job (although he was the main one laying them, i was doing the cuts).
Laid a few walls and floors myself during that time.
Been unemployed 7 years and just one day decided to fucking go for it.
Is it just nerves or have i fucked up?

And i don't know what to charge. I'm in Ireland.

[Anonymous No.1248496]

>>1248494

do u even have customers?

[Anonymous No.1248497]

>>1248496
No, but handed a load of business cards to a few flooring and tiling places yesterday

[Anonymous No.1248499]

>>1248497
Ahahahahahaha

[Anonymous No.1248500]

>>1248494
Here's a few tips:

Be on time
Complete jobs on time
Do things the way the customer asked

Congrats, you can now outcompete most tradesmen.

Don't worry, buddy, I believe in you.

[Anonymous No.1248501]

>>1248497
this makes no sense.

[Anonymous No.1248502]

>>1248501
It kinda does, that's sort of how it is where I am - people buy their own tiles, then might ask the shop for someone to lay them. If OP wasn't a smelly autist, they might relay his contacts.

[Anonymous No.1248503]

>>1248502
yes but flooring and tiling places have thier own shit so why trust a stranger?

[Anonymous No.1248504]

>>1248503
Do they always, where you're at? In my neck of the woods only the massive hangar type DIY stores offer installation - and hardly anyone uses those services because it's usually the same incredibly incompetent floor personnel, pretending they're tradesmen all of a sudden.

[Anonymous No.1248505]

>>1248502
This is right. And you're not a stranger long. Not many tilers in my area apparently, so i think work will flood in. Think I'll tile my utility for practice this weekend

[Anonymous No.1248509]

>>1248504
i'm in germany

[Anonymous No.1248510]

>>1248494
Op here. Did this for my grandad couple years ago. He supplied 2 boxes of tiles only, so the edges aren't finished, and 5he sides overlapping that way was the only way i could get it to fit without overly big joints.

[Anonymous No.1248511]

>>1248510
Also it was late and he only gave me 20euro so told him to do the last couple wipes himself

[Anonymous No.1248512]

>>1248505
You could make samples - a lot of folks don't even realize tiling grout comes in various colours.

Do samples of various colours on some light-yet-durable material so you can haul them around and show people - do them nice, spacers and all, emphasize you can match the tiles they want with the grout colour -

and you're again better than most tradesmen.

[Anonymous No.1248515]

Found another pic

[Anonymous No.1248516]

>>1248512
That's a pretty good idea. Ill make a few ply frames with 2x1 borders and tile in between

[Anonymous No.1248517]

>>1248494
photograph EVERY job, till you got something to show punters. Or just steal a few job photos of some other firms, long as they aint near and it aint complicated shit.

[Anonymous No.1248518]

Do a few cheap jobs for friends and family members.

I don't see how the rest of /diy/ expects you to have clients before the business. But maybe you should have had heard of some friends/family/neighbors/associates complaining about the lack of good tilers before you sprung on this. Obviously you would have hit up those people after you got babby's first tile cutter

[Anonymous No.1248519]

>>1248516
The thing is - see what the customers want, and the regular tradesmen aren't delivering, because they're old, fat and averse to change.

When I was renovating my homestead, the worse things with tradesmen were:

1) Late to start, later to finish
2) Prices keep hiking
3) Always tried to do things the easy way with shit results
4) When left to their own devices, bought shit materials, or okay materials in shit colours
5) Rarely understood what I wanted
6) Needed constant surveillance to do things properly

So if you're proactive, show you are willing to do things the way the customer wants (within limits of course), on time, don't hike up costs (unless warranted, naturally) - you'll be ahead of the curve already.

[Anonymous No.1248523]

>>1248494
and do removals/transport with the van as well meantime, maybe a while till you can rely on plumbing fulltime.

[Anonymous No.1248529]

>>1248523
>>>1248494 (OP)
>and do removals/transport with the van as well meantime, maybe a while till you can rely on plumbing fulltime.

Plumb8ng?

>>1248523

[Anonymous No.1248531]

>>1248529
..and take up plumbing as well, maybe easier than tiling
>stops posting on more than one board at once

[Anonymous No.1248533]

>>1248529
You're doing plumbing now, OP. Try and keep up.

[Anonymous No.1248638]

>>1248494
>And i don't know what to charge. I'm in Ireland.
I can help a little, but your tax situation is different.

First off be insured, bonded, and get all your tax stuff in order. In the US you can get a business tax id number and I imagine Ireland is the same. Why? Because trust me if you have all this stuff you look a lot better than the people that refuse to do it.

Primary US taxes
>medicare 2.9%
>soc sec 12.4%
>fed varies, but say 20%
>state varies, but say 10%

That is is 45.5% and we will round it to 50%.

So to bid a job in the US you have to expect 50% of the money to go to taxes.
So if you think you can make $2000 off this job for a week of work after supplies and expenses, then you really made $1000.

Next don't forget overhead! Calculate how much it costs you ever work day to afford that van and them tools, insurance, bonds, etc. Get a daily dollar amount (using 50 weeks times 5 days), so say it is $50 a day. I do a 5 day job and I also have to subtract my $250. So your $2000 job is now only making you $750 or like $18/hr. Your time is valuable! Should be making $50 to $100 an hour!

[Anonymous No.1248718]

>>1248529
> plumbing
You are a cook now. Stay flexible, carpenter.

But seriously, you have a transporter. Buy sofas or tables off from ebay or craigslist, clean properly and resell WITH SHIPPING/DELIVERY in the meantime if you have some space at home.

Also, get your TAX shit sorted ASAP. Thats what fucked me in Germany after a few years. The audit broke my back, now i have 60k € in debt and slave wage to pay it off.

Good luck m8, don't forget, it's doable.

[Anonymous No.1248755]

>>1248638

And people say that the US is where you make money?

[Anonymous No.1248774]

>>1248755
>Wages are stagnant
>Prices are going up
>Too many hacks and mexicans
>Companies would rather hire cheap

Not an authoritarian by any means in fact I swing liberaterian but Jesus fucking Christ the government needs to regulate Carpenters just like they do Electricians and Plumbers.

The Mexican situation doesn't help. I have met some Bueno Carpenteros and then I have met guys I want to strangle. Regardless of this they take the money and wire it back home.

Reagan fucked the trades.

[Anonymous No.1248986]

>>1248500
>Be on time

Hell, just fucking SHOW UP. None of this "I woke up with a hangover/took on a better job/can't be arsed so I told them the van broke down" bollocks.

[Anonymous No.1248990]

>>1248494
>i don't know what to charge

/biz/ might be able to offer more detailed advice, but the simple answer is "What it costs you, plus a margin"

"What is costs you" is the hardest part. You need to include your gross hourly rate (what you pay yourself, before any personal income tax etc.) and your overheads (running costs for the van, fuel, insurance, any business costs E.g. accountant, bank etc.), cost of tools (they have to pay for themselves; you'll need to replace them eventually) & consumables (blades & cutting discs!), incidental costs.

Overheads are hard; you need to work out your monthly total, and then divide that by the number of hours you expect to work, to get your hourly total. Consumables & tool costs might be per. job: large, complex jobs with thick hard to cut tiles might be hell on your tools, for example.

Then you add margin: that's your profit. You can normally extract profit from a business separately (and under different tax rules) to your income. Although if you're a sole trader and don't plan to expand as a business, maybe your margin is 0 and you just pay yourself your wage and be happy?

[Anonymous No.1249062]

>>1248990
That'll take some working out

[Anonymous No.1249069]

>>1248494
Call a few places and ask for a free estimate at your place, that will give you the going rates.

Make a Facebook page keep it up to date with tile related shite.

Start posting adverts on free sites.

Leave the worksite cleaner than you found it and people will love you for it.

Best of luck!

[Anonymous No.1249072]

>>1249062
Yes, and it's why some people work hard, gets loads of work, and still have no money at the end of it: they haven't costed their work and are giving it away.

[Anonymous No.1249316]

>>1248515
Pretty good. Take that much time planning jobs for customers and you should have no trouble.

[Anonymous No.1249348]

What if.... your business card.... WAS A LITTLE TILE WITH WRITING ON IT.

How fucking cool would that be

[Anonymous No.1249362]

>>1249072

Well that and poor money management in their personal life

[Anonymous No.1249363]

>>1249348
yes, normal people love carrying scribbled bits of tile around in their wallets, just because, y'know. Sign on the van (+email/phone/website) maybe an idea tho, unless you doing everything on the qt without troubling the taxman.

[Anonymous No.1249391]

How do craftsmen advertise in your area? Get your name out there so people will find it when they need tiling. Many people around get signs made and post them all over town. Get on the internet, at least on facebook, and then get that listed on google or wherever so that when people search for "tiling near me", your name comes up. Advertise. Advertise. Advertise. It just takes a little money and a lot of effort.

[Anonymous No.1249404]

>>1248500
>>1248986
>just fucking SHOW UP. None of this "I woke up with a hangover

fuck he lives in Ireland, he'll srill be drunk when on the job, the client will probably be hungover and forget they hired him when he shows up.
Just blame it on the Púca OP

[Anonymous No.1249408]

>>1248986

no. Just be on time.

Showing up is what most assholes do.
If you can't make it just give a heads up via the phone, much appreciated.

[Anonymous No.1250140]

>>1248494
Nice van. What is it? Looking for that size too

[Anonymous No.1250148]

>>1248494
Assemble yourself a portfolio, asap. Social media is a big thing these days, post photos of your quality work. Find remodel contractors and try to subcontract off them. Sometimes they'd rather pay you more upfront than having to pay money for employee costs. Don't take jobs you don't earn off of just to get jobs. Don't underbid. If you fuck up a job then eat it and fix it. Better take a loss once than look incompetent. Be ready for people to be unhappy with your work, residential is a bitch in any field. You get people who try to say you did a shit job to pay you less, and people who will never be happy. If you don't already have balls, grow a pair and quick. Don't be a dick to your customers, but don't let them fuck you. Get everything in writing, contracts are king.

If you're talented, competent and smart start learning about takking on employees. Look into starting an LLC. Also, insurance on your company, look into it.

[Anonymous No.1250149]

>>1250148
Oh, and the IRS will fuck you. Invest in a filing cabinet and a scanner.

[Anonymous No.1250938]

>>1250149
Scan what mate?

[Anonymous No.1250973]

>>1248503
not always, sometimes they're just the suppliers and they bring in outside contractors to do the work

lowe's and home depot do this, i would assume B&Q and wickes would be the same

[Anonymous No.1250978]

>>1250938
Paper of course ya dingus. Keep track of all you invoices and hours. This shit will bite you in the ass after 2 years if you don't.

[Anonymous No.1250999]

>>1250149
>irs
>ireland
you hold no power here

[Anonymous No.1251103]

>>1248494
Nerves.

Figure out what to charge.

Get insureance and business liscense.

Act confident even if you are terrified.

If someone asks u to check out a job u cant handle be sure and be buddies with a real pro. Hand out his bisiness cars and say sorry, but we are too far behind right now. This guy here will treat you right tho.

Other tilebro while being a compeating business and may through you small shit jobs he doesnt want. He may let you helo for free on the bigger ones you cant handle to learn.

Perhaps partber uo or at least maintsin a great working relationship.

There is always plenty of business to go around. I find it exponentially easier and more peaceful to be bros with your competition than fight like pit bulls.

Theres no reason for it. You dont need that stress.

Good luck bro

[Anonymous No.1251105]

>>1248500
This 100%.

[Anonymous No.1251111]

>>1248512
OP. Take photos of you work and mail each customer an "anonymous" survey on your services. Dont take shit personal, sone people are just pricks, and you may find areas yoi need to work on that you didnt even know about.

Most of all don't be affraid to fire a customer. 1 bad customer will talk shit, cost u time and money, and run off 10 good customers.

Pull them off like a bandaid and blacklist them. Forever when they call say "sorry we are backed up for several months and not accepting new jobs. But i can give you a call if you like or recomend you to another company.

And if they say to recomend a company be sure to have a few cards from any competition you hate. Give them the shitty clients if they ever screwed you.

Dude undercut my boss one day. Was an uninsured tradie and kinda biddies with the homeowner. Says pack your shit up and go i can do it for half that. Rather than get angry the boss said no problem, gave the homeowners a card, wouldnt take payment for the 2 hours of work we already did, and bullshited with the owners and the other tradie fag. Said well, we get busy at times if you are looking for work at all, gimme some cards to hand out man.

Dumbass excitedly hands boss like 200 business cards.

I asked wtf on the way back and he just smiled and flashed one of his cards. Said its better if i show you.

Over the next few months we fet shitty service, tradiebro business cards on the board. Lumberyard pisses him off, sets a stack on the counter. Goes hone and calls 5 recently fired customers thst were simoly impossible to please and cunts. GREAT NEWS, we found a new tike guy in town that you will love, sorry we couldnt help you out. Etc...

Last i heard the guy didn't make it 3 months and was tied up in more than one lawsuit because his new clients are shitty imposible to please cocksuckers that sue for fun.

No need to fight if other companies can be cool. If not, well...

[Anonymous No.1251112]

>>1248517
Lol, should get testomonials also

[Anonymous No.1251114]

>>1248523
This OP. Protip. Most equipment rental places rent a tile peeler machine until yiu can buy one. Peels imposible sticky tile and shit off wood floor.

Also cinsider laying wood floor. Hand scraped pre stained oak is popular right now and easy af.

[Anonymous No.1251117]

>>1251103
Sounds good

[Anonymous No.1251119]

>>1248638
Fuggin solid. This advice may have saved my last business. Your largest expense is likely taxes. Get a good cpa and learn how to properly write off everything u can if they do thst accross the pond

[Anonymous No.1251123]

>>1248755
"The only way to have slaves and guarantee that there will never be an uprising is to not let them discover they are slaves."

>property tax
>state tax
>car tag
>sales tax
>medicare
>medicaid
>taxed when you biy
>taxed when you sell
>taxed when yiu die
>etc.....

Land of the free.

[Anonymous No.1251129]

>>1248990
DO NOT go to that faggot fuckibg pump and dump scam board. I spent YEARS there trying to filter shill threads and find knowledgeable bros tha might understand investing to some degree. No, just stock pump and dumps and the same shit fucking advice that all of us brokefags give each othet

>stay out of debt
>save money
>"invest" in stocks
>buy and fix up and flip houses
>work more hours for more money to make shit investments
>go to school and get a good high paying career so you can invest.


Every single point above is shit that we have all heard. It is not only wrong vut ass fucking backwards.

You want financial freedom op? Study personal finance, investing, and business.

Poor your souk into the visiness until you have a client list and system in pkace that a gigh schook kid of mild intelligence can run it. Pay good employees well to stay and do good work, start another business and keep going.

By the time you are running businesses from financial statements you will have a harder time finding shit to do with your money than worry about bills.

Git gud!

[Anonymous No.1251131]

>>1249348
Genius!

Time to visit the asshole og the internet OP pinterest...

Get half sized business card size tiles, design, print, transfer, modgepodge i thing.

Tons of google guides

Possibly rare earth magenets for legit fridge magnet for people you like or give a few to good cusromers to hand out.

Or go full blown 4 tile coaster set and small simple wooden holder.

[Anonymous No.1251133]

>>1250938
Every fucking thing and google how to sort it and properly file it for a cpa.

[Anonymous No.1251134]

>>1250999
Trips of peace.

Time to move to ireland. Keep the vaseline irs bros. You will need it to assrape others

[Anonymous No.1251136]

>>1251117
Is seriously what i did and my biggest help and advice were my competition. I flipped them jobs a lot because i could only work after work and they did it full time.

It got to the point i was so busy i had to quit my job or my business.

Business was barely running at a profit for many reasons and i wss tired at 90 hours per week. Offered it up to my competition cheap and none needed it. But they found my buyer and i still am bros with them

Don't let amyone take adcantage of you amd tradies are naturally defensive so it wont always work, but you'd be surprised the sgit you can learn from your competition if you are willing to listen and not be a battle ready fag

[Anonymous No.1252496]

Congratulations on the discovering the recipe for poverty.

[Anonymous No.1252523]

>If someone asks u to check out a job u cant handle be sure and be buddies with a real pro. Hand out his bisiness cars and say sorry, but we are too far behind right now. This guy here will treat you right tho.
Dont give business away like that, at least take some of it for yourself. Rather than telling the customer the job is too big or whatever, tell them youd be happy to take it on. Ask the other guy to look at it and give you a price. Add on a percentage, say 10%. You pay the subcontractor $5000, the client pays you $5500. Better than nothing and youve made the customer happy.
Aside from that, be a decent guy and make people like you, thats half the battle. Smile, make small talk, do what you said you would do with no excuses, answer the phone, return messages the same day, be on time. All that counts for something.

[Anonymous No.1253648]

>>1252523
Good call anon.