On 1 Jan, 13:28, "Kate Morgan" wrote:
My daughter and son in law need a gardener just to keep their garden tidy,
you know the sort of thing cutting the lawn and the odd bit of pruning,
nothing heavy. They have approached several people and the charges are £25
per hour but the gardeners wont do less than 2 hours work. The family are
in Edinburgh, any comments, surely that a bit expensive.

Expensive place, Edinburgh. Long way, too, to take trimmings and
rubbish to dump them. Parking problems and costs.

Don't forget that most gardeners should be obeying the law on "Trade
waste", and have disposal licences or pay the ludicrous charges for
disposal otherwise.

There are two sorts of people in the trade, it seems to me. Young
people with a family who will work hard and quickly, efficiently, and
to a plan. They will need the sort of figure you are quoting, maybe
up to £35 per hour, to deal with the plant investment and replacement,
training (seen the chainsaw regulations?), insurance, rubbish
regulations, time off and non-productive time. Then there are the
old sods who like pottering round in other people's gardens and who
charge up to £10 an hour, where they get bugger all done in that time,
and tend to do what they want not what you want. It's the difference
in trimming a hedge in 3 hours or 3 days, and whether the clippings
get taken away.

Which is best?

There are two sorts of people in the trade, it seems to me. Young
people with a family who will work hard and quickly, efficiently, and
to a plan. They will need the sort of figure you are quoting, maybe
up to £35 per hour, to deal with the plant investment and replacement,
training (seen the chainsaw regulations?), insurance, rubbish
regulations, time off and non-productive time. Then there are the
old sods who like pottering round in other people's gardens and who
charge up to £10 an hour, where they get bugger all done in that time,
and tend to do what they want not what you want. It's the difference
in trimming a hedge in 3 hours or 3 days, and whether the clippings
get taken away.

Which is best?

but its only cutting a bit of grass which would go on the compost heap and a
few twigs that would burn, not doing a big job.

kate

On 1 Jan, 21:05, "Kate Morgan" wrote:
but its only cutting a bit of grass which would go on the compost heap and a
few twigs that would burn, not doing a big job.

Aye. But the professionals will have the same costs while they are
doing that as if they were doing landscaping.

Sounds like you need a lawn specialist - some will charge around £20
per job, usually doing a suburban lawn in about 20 minutes. There are
also companies that will take a lawn on contract, for a fixed amount
per year. I know nothing about them.

In article ,
says...
There are two sorts of people in the trade, it seems to me. Young
people with a family who will work hard and quickly, efficiently, and
to a plan. They will need the sort of figure you are quoting, maybe
up to £35 per hour, to deal with the plant investment and replacement,
training (seen the chainsaw regulations?), insurance, rubbish
regulations, time off and non-productive time. Then there are the
old sods who like pottering round in other people's gardens and who
charge up to £10 an hour, where they get bugger all done in that time,
and tend to do what they want not what you want. It's the difference
in trimming a hedge in 3 hours or 3 days, and whether the clippings
get taken away.

Which is best?

but its only cutting a bit of grass which would go on the compost heap and a
few twigs that would burn, not doing a big job.

kate


My son started doing work like this, but quickly found that unless
someone wanted him for at least a half day he could never get enough
hours in to make enough to keep body and soul together, he now avoids any
"small" tidying jobs as he would have to charge so much (he is still too
young to have the nerve!) he finds people will pay for large heavy jobs
so that is what he does, particularly clearing as he has a waste licence.
I know other people who do contract gardening for holiday lets, hotels
etc and they all do a minimum 2 hours at a time. So it sounds like you
need someone topping up a pension or similar (do check your insurance as
they are unlikely to have their own)
--
Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall
www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and
Lapageria rosea

On 2 Jan, 09:43, Charlie Pridham wrote:
In article ,
says...


My son started doing work like this, but quickly found that unless
someone wanted him for at least a half day he could never get enough
hours in to make enough to keep body and soul together, he now avoids any
"small" tidying jobs as he would have to charge so much (he is still too
young to have the nerve!) he finds people will pay for large heavy jobs
so that is what he does, particularly clearing as he has a waste licence.
I know other people who do contract gardening for holiday lets, hotels
etc and they all do a minimum 2 hours at a time. So it sounds like you
need someone topping up a pension or similar (do check your insurance as
they are unlikely to have their own)

Yes, and you still do need to know that they know what they're doing.
There's still this attitude amongst employers of both jobbing and full
time gardeners that gardening is an unskilled job. They think and so
do a lot of the so called gardeners that pruning is just hacking a bit
off things now and again - they don't know why nor do they know what
to expect as a result and they don't watch the results (consequences)
of their pruning as they develop. That's just one example. A
significant amount of my work when I was self employed was rescuing
gardens after a few years of these people.

"Kate Morgan" wrote in message
...
There are two sorts of people in the trade, it seems to me. Young
people with a family who will work hard and quickly, efficiently, and
to a plan. They will need the sort of figure you are quoting, maybe
up to £35 per hour, to deal with the plant investment and replacement,
training (seen the chainsaw regulations?), insurance, rubbish
regulations, time off and non-productive time. Then there are the
old sods who like pottering round in other people's gardens and who
charge up to £10 an hour, where they get bugger all done in that time,
and tend to do what they want not what you want. It's the difference
in trimming a hedge in 3 hours or 3 days, and whether the clippings
get taken away.

Which is best?

but its only cutting a bit of grass which would go on the compost heap and
a few twigs that would burn, not doing a big job.

kate
If its that simple do it yourself if u want a proper job done then pay a
professional . Im sure u wouldnt object paying that amount for a
roofer,brickie,chippie,plumber etc etc a gardener is just as skilled and has
the same overheads .
What would be left after tax ni transport fuel etc etc .
Its ok for the odd jobbers who top up their pensions and just doddle about
but for the self employed who need to make a living out of it u need to
charge the going rate.
I wouldnt take anything on that was less than 5k per year.
And I find people like u quite insulting to the trade.

snip Which is best?

but its only cutting a bit of grass which would go on the compost heap
and a few twigs that would burn, not doing a big job.

kate
If its that simple do it yourself if u want a proper job done then pay a
professional . Im sure u wouldnt object paying that amount for a
roofer,brickie,chippie,plumber etc etc a gardener is just as skilled and
has the same overheads .
What would be left after tax ni transport fuel etc etc .
Its ok for the odd jobbers who top up their pensions and just doddle about
but for the self employed who need to make a living out of it u need to
charge the going rate.
I wouldnt take anything on that was less than 5k per year.
And I find people like u quite insulting to the trade.


yes indeed I could fly up to Scotland every couple of weeks and do the job
myself.

kate

"Kate Morgan" wrote in message
...
snip Which is best?

but its only cutting a bit of grass which would go on the compost heap
and a few twigs that would burn, not doing a big job.

kate
If its that simple do it yourself if u want a proper job done then pay a
professional . Im sure u wouldnt object paying that amount for a
roofer,brickie,chippie,plumber etc etc a gardener is just as skilled and
has the same overheads .
What would be left after tax ni transport fuel etc etc .
Its ok for the odd jobbers who top up their pensions and just doddle
about but for the self employed who need to make a living out of it u
need to charge the going rate.
I wouldnt take anything on that was less than 5k per year.
And I find people like u quite insulting to the trade.


yes indeed I could fly up to Scotland every couple of weeks and do the job
myself.

kate
Why not it will keep u from keeping the minimum wage at an all time low

On 3/1/08 14:15, in article , "pied
piper" wrote:


"Kate Morgan" wrote in message
...
snip Which is best?

but its only cutting a bit of grass which would go on the compost heap
and a few twigs that would burn, not doing a big job.

kate
If its that simple do it yourself if u want a proper job done then pay a
professional . Im sure u wouldnt object paying that amount for a
roofer,brickie,chippie,plumber etc etc a gardener is just as skilled and
has the same overheads .
What would be left after tax ni transport fuel etc etc .
Its ok for the odd jobbers who top up their pensions and just doddle
about but for the self employed who need to make a living out of it u
need to charge the going rate.
I wouldnt take anything on that was less than 5k per year.
And I find people like u quite insulting to the trade.


yes indeed I could fly up to Scotland every couple of weeks and do the job
myself.

kate
Why not it will keep u from keeping the minimum wage at an all time low



Look, nobody is trying to gyp anyone else. What is being asked is what is a
fair and reasonable wage in a particular area. This varies enormously
throughout the entire country, as does the cost of rent, food, water etc.
If what *you* are being paid doesn't strike you as right or fair, then
perhaps you are in the wrong career. Or perhaps you should do as Rod did
and go into private service on an estate.
We don't know if the people charging the £25 per hour are qualified or
whether they are merely people offering to cut the grass and trim back the
trees but with no actual horticultural knowledge or training. I certainly
wouldn't employ a carpenter, plumber, roofer or brickie who had no skills in
those jobs and nor would I trust valued shrubs to someone who knew nothing
about pruning. But asking someone just to keep a garden tidy is not in the
same league and that seems to me to be what is being enquired about *in the
main* - not a ruthless land-owner trying to grind someone down to the lowest
living wage for highly skilled work on an arboretum filled with
horticultural rarities!
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove weeds from address)
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'

Which is best?

but its only cutting a bit of grass which would go on the compost heap
and a few twigs that would burn, not doing a big job.

kate
If its that simple do it yourself if u want a proper job done then pay a
professional . Im sure u wouldnt object paying that amount for a
roofer,brickie,chippie,plumber etc etc a gardener is just as skilled and
has the same overheads .
What would be left after tax ni transport fuel etc etc .
Its ok for the odd jobbers who top up their pensions and just doddle
about but for the self employed who need to make a living out of it u
need to charge the going rate.
I wouldnt take anything on that was less than 5k per year.
And I find people like u quite insulting to the trade.


yes indeed I could fly up to Scotland every couple of weeks and do the
job myself.

kate
Why not it will keep u from keeping the minimum wage at an all time low


Oh for goodness sake, I wish I had never asked, you don't know me and I
don't know you apart from being on the n/g, I refuse to quarrel.

On 3/1/08 11:59, in article , "Kate
Morgan" wrote:

snip Which is best?

but its only cutting a bit of grass which would go on the compost heap
and a few twigs that would burn, not doing a big job.

kate
If its that simple do it yourself if u want a proper job done then pay a
professional . Im sure u wouldnt object paying that amount for a
roofer,brickie,chippie,plumber etc etc a gardener is just as skilled and
has the same overheads .
What would be left after tax ni transport fuel etc etc .
Its ok for the odd jobbers who top up their pensions and just doddle about
but for the self employed who need to make a living out of it u need to
charge the going rate.
I wouldnt take anything on that was less than 5k per year.
And I find people like u quite insulting to the trade.


yes indeed I could fly up to Scotland every couple of weeks and do the job
myself.

kate


The baby being no attraction at all, of course!
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove weeds from address)
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'

"Anne Jackson" wrote in message
...
The message from "pied piper" contains these
words:

If its that simple do it yourself if u want a proper job done
then pay a professional. Im sure u wouldnt object paying that
amount for a roofer,brickie,chippie,plumber etc etc a gardener
is just as skilled and has the same overheads .
What would be left after tax ni transport fuel etc etc .
Its ok for the odd jobbers who top up their pensions and just
doddle about but for the self employed who need to make a living
out of it u need to charge the going rate.
I wouldnt take anything on that was less than 5k per year.
And I find people like u quite insulting to the trade.

There's no need to be nasty to Kate, she is quite right to
question the fact that someone is charging £25 an hour!

I own a roofing company, and I pay my roofers £15 an hour,
and I have no trouble whatsoever getting good workmen for
that rate!

So u pay them £15 an hour but what do u charge an hour including cost of
materials etc. Plus the overheads of running your business?
Plus gardening requires more skill and knowledge than roofing.

"Anne Jackson" wrote in message
...
The message from "pied piper" contains these
words:


"Anne Jackson" wrote in message
...
The message from "pied piper" contains these
words:

If its that simple do it yourself if u want a proper job done
then pay a professional. Im sure u wouldnt object paying that
amount for a roofer,brickie,chippie,plumber etc etc a gardener
is just as skilled and has the same overheads .
What would be left after tax ni transport fuel etc etc .
Its ok for the odd jobbers who top up their pensions and just
doddle about but for the self employed who need to make a living
out of it u need to charge the going rate.
I wouldnt take anything on that was less than 5k per year.
And I find people like u quite insulting to the trade.

There's no need to be nasty to Kate, she is quite right to
question the fact that someone is charging £25 an hour!

I own a roofing company, and I pay my roofers £15 an hour,
and I have no trouble whatsoever getting good workmen for
that rate!

So u pay them £15 an hour but what do u charge an hour including
cost of materials etc. Plus the overheads of running your business?
Plus gardening requires more skill and knowledge than roofing.

I don't charge by the hour, the charge is per metre...
"Keeping a garden tidy" most certainly does not require more skill
and knowledge! THAT was the question that Kate asked, was it not?

Her daughter wants the garden TIDIED, not LANDSCAPED!

AND the word is YOU, we don't use textspeak in here...

I can type and use what I like imagine if gardeners charged by the metre.
Yet another idiot who thinks gardening is not a skilled job why are U even
here?

"Anne Jackson" wrote in message
...
The message from "pied piper" contains these
words:
"Anne Jackson" wrote:
The message from "pied piper" contains these
words:

Plus gardening requires more skill and knowledge than roofing.

"Keeping a garden tidy" most certainly does not require more skill
and knowledge! THAT was the question that Kate asked, was it not?

Her daughter wants the garden TIDIED, not LANDSCAPED!

AND the word is YOU, we don't use textspeak in here...

I can type and use what I like imagine if gardeners charged by the metre.
Yet another idiot who thinks gardening is not a skilled job why are U
even
here?

What am *I* doing here? I might ask you the same question...

I was answering Kate's question, and it's not me that's disagreeing
with everyone!

--
AnneJ

U r a woman its ur job to disagree with everyone

"Anne Jackson" wrote in message
...

I own a roofing company, and I pay my roofers £15 an hour,
and I have no trouble whatsoever getting good workmen for
that rate!


but how much do you charge your clients for labour, overheads and profit?

pk