To give up my job and set up as a painter decorator?

[sundayopening]

I have a crappy job, and although the annual pay is ok, I have to work anti-social hours away from home (but also have a lot of downtime in-between shifts). The job has no prospects at all, and is low paid - but I get a shift allowance. I currently earn aprox £21,000 pa with this job (I do work in a different field in my 'downtime' so have additional income to live on).

Although I am pretty well educated, I have no real 'proper' work experience (I have always worked, but odd self-employed things - I have been lucky with some great jobs that I have loved) but none look good on my CV for a professional/office job..

I would like to adopt in the near future (I am single & no other children) so will 100% need to change my current job if I am to do this plus earn enough for us to live on.

I have been musing about becoming a self-employed painter/decorator/tiler. I haven't much experience (although I have done most of my home/every home I've ever lived in myself) but I am sure I can learn, I'm pretty handy/skilled in other areas of art/craft.
I can also do flooring/shelves/flat-packed furniture/wallpapering no problem.

I have a degree & masters which is in the visual arts, and lots of knowledge of design/colour etc which might help with client relations etc.
I work neat and tidy, reliable and like to crack on with a job and am personable, so hopefully those traits will earn me repeat custom/recommendations.

I live in the SE, but a comfortable bit rather than a posh bit, although there's plenty of older money around. I'm hoping the type that need their houses decorated!

I could start the business alongside my current job for a couple of years if needed to build up my experience & client base etc. I have been self-employed most of my adult life so keeping books, HMRC etc isn't an issue.

I will need an income of £25k min or £30K to be comfortable, and preferably be able to do some/most school pick-ups and some/most holidays.

I am thinking £150 - £200 pd could be achievable, with very little initial outlay or running costs.
Anyone got any thoughts on how realistic this is, and how difficult it might be to get started?

All the best, op, better to try and fail than not try to begin with

Lots of naysayers on this thread Tbh OP, you'll never know until you try. Set yourself up as a handy woman, and get the ball rolling that way. The only way to gain experience is by doing. You're not a brain surgeon until you've actually done the surgery, right? Otherwise you're just someone who can read books and pass exams. Same thing for painter/decorating

200 a day might be a bit fanciful so early on, you might be earning half that to begin with. If you don't want to handy woman can you apprentice under someone for a few months? You say you know another woman painter/decorator, could you chat to her/work with her for a bit?

The school run thing needs to be re thought out. I wouldn't be happy paying a tradie 100 a day for them to turn up at 9.30 and leave at 2.30, I'd expect them to endeavour to do the job quickly and to a high standard. In the nicest possible way, I don't want you in my house

Good luck, ofc it can be done. If you're in the Herts region I may even take your number!

@Woobeedoo

Ok so over two years ago I ditched my day job and became a painter and decorator. I had no formal training as such apart from 20+ years personal experience but I did take myself off for a month long P&D course to see if I was up to scratch (incidentally came top of class in all projects).

This sounds like a stealth boast - it's really not - but I am one of the higher priced P&Ds in my area. I am fully CRB checked, I do an excellent job, I clean up each evening and then throughly vacuum the room after work is completed which home owners love (you'll be surprised how many don't and leave dust everywhere), however there is no way I could charge £200 a day. No-one could unless they were doing things such as marble effect painting, spraying kitchen units and furniture, customised artwork, etc.

I am hugely aware that my bookings mainly come about because I am female. I have linked up with an interior designer, plasterer, gas fitter, electrician and builder so we all recommend jobs to each other. These contacts can be vital incase of dry spells.

In terms of setting up / initial outlay:-
Course to see if you'll cut the mustard = £2,000 approx.
Public Liability Insurance = £150 approx PA.
Tool insurance = mine is linked to my PLI.
Tools = £500+ (Don't buy cheap, they break but this is on-going).
CRB check = I think I paid £25
Contract van hire (tax deductible) = £180 per month approx.
Vehicle insurance = depends on you!
Mobile phone costs = again, depends on you.
Business cards, print = £100
Business uniform = £500 (mine is all logo embroidered)
Website, purchase of domain name and email address = can't recall exact amount, but around £200.
Facebook advertising = £??
Google ad words = £??
Accountant = £300+
Book keeper (because doing your books is a pain) = £200
Biz banking = free for 1st year, then a monthly charge.

You also need to be alert in terms of personal safety. In my more naive early days I had one man lock me in his house with him and another expose himself to me. I'm sure that s**t doesn't happen to male P&Ds so you need to very aware of your surroundings at all times and check clients out throughly via Google and Facebook.

You also can't do this part time round a full time job, it's impossible. It's all or nothing I'm afraid and you do need a good degree of fitness to be up and down ladders, etc all day. Oh and you can't get that insurance package that pays your salary if you have an accident until you've been trading for a whole year as they need to know your average income before they'll allow you to apply.

I don't want to put you off, but there is more to becoming a painter and decorator than you would think. Maybe contact a few in your area to 'quote' on work in your home so you can guage the competition and their prices and then see if a local P&D will take you on for 6 months as an apprentice to see if you actually like the job. It's not all beautiful, sometimes the work is dirty, grotty, filthy and disgusting and you have to be able to accept those days too.

Excellent post. Just adding to the £££ costs all of the time costs that a hell of a lot of new tradespeople don't factor in as it's not just doing the work.

It's visiting potential clients to measure and discuss.
It's the time doing the pricing up and getting the quote to the client.
It's getting the materials.
It's the time travelling to and from jobs.
It's chasing clients for money.
It's sorting your paperwork out.

Oh, and tax. People forget that. HMRC don't.

My husband did this as a career change, he started gardening part time while still working his main job, then a pensioner customer asked him if he did decorating, so he agreed to decorate 2 rooms, it proved to be a better proposition than gardening, so he phased out the gardening and put an advert in the local paper, he did it for about 15 years eventually as his sole job, lots of return customers meant that he didn't need any advertising. Give it a go.

Go for it

'Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt.'

@Viviene

Do it. It's not rocket science. You need a steady hand, desire to learn and attention to details.

and an nvq and a cscs card. insurance and expierence.

You have a degree and a masters
And you’re on £21k pa

How old are you?

This OP started the exact same thread….

4 years ago!!!

@Heythere13

You have a degree and a masters And you’re on £21k pa

How old are you?

The OP was earning 21K FOUR YEARS AGO WHEN THIS THREAD WAS STARTED.

IT’S A ZOMBIE ZOMBIE ZOMBIE

I think the OP will have sorted it all out by now….

It is that thread!

Argh :(

@sundayopening

Atlas I am musing, putting the ideas out there, you need some more ambition if you don't think things like this might be possible for some people. I've done lots of jobs (as I'm sure others on here have) where I've learnt on the job, I've not been paid as much in the beginning, and I've made mistakes, but nothing reversible. I am not daft, in fact I am very competent in most things I go for because, in part, I am realistic. It's really interesting to read the comments, because, I must confess, I didn't think it was that difficult to become a paid decorator. I have said I am willing to spend a couple of years working PT, I was planning working with another 'qualified' decorator, getting my skill set up and learning on the job, to be honest if I can't do a pretty darn good job by then I would absolutely throw the towel in because I like work, and I like being good at work. I don't want to reveal what other unrelated paid jobs I have previously done completely un-qualified (and done a good job of it) as some of you might pop a vein! The school hours thing I can see might not work (but one of the female decorators I know of does this....so people it can happen). Not everyone has to grind it out in life, some people coast along pretty fine, and they do seem the ones with a bit of arrogance/confidence, good fortune and ambition so I am not going to apologise if that's how I have come across. But I am nice really and I am not sneering at people who have worked for decades in the trade, you have to start somewhere though. I wouldn't want to be a plumber/electrician, but I thought these were higher paid, and needing more tools/equipment? I have always assumed you need to be qualified as an electrician these days, and also as a plumber if you work with gas? I really don't want to study FT, I've done 6 years at Uni all in all!

I'd be happy having a decent efficient decorator nipping off to pick up, rather than the bloody late incompetent 'tradesman' we've had... (eg paying day rate... Arriving at 10,disappearing at 2,one who was fast and reasonably good, but left half way through a 2 week job leaving us in chaos).

I'd even byle happy for a well behaved child to hang out on site for an hour after school.

I'd be all about quality, reliability and agreeableness!