You do realise he’s actually on other jobs when he gives you these excuses

This. He’ll be juggling a few jobs at the same time, while he waits for materials etc. But he won’t tell you that because then you’ll think he’s fleecing you.

To a certain extent its the perks of being self employed, and most trades people have had a very good run lately with customers queueing up so they've no reason to keep you sweet.

You have my sympathy. We need work done but I cba even trying to arrange it. I'll wait until the demand dies off and see whether I can afford it at that time.

YABU to assume being self employed is easy.

He doesn’t get paid for the days he doesn’t work. Being self employed is less secure than working for a “large organisation” and so I think people who are self employed should at least enjoy the freedom it brings.

How long does the building work take?

At least your builder likes you enough to bother lying about it 😂 Ours just wouldn’t turn up some days (on other jobs).

I think it's the other way round, having run 3 small retail businesses where you have to go to work no matter what, all through covid, no sick pay, no holiday pay no maternity pay, no not turning in because you don't feek like it.

This.

I agree - when my extension was built I was working from home 7.30-4.
They used to arrive at 8.30 and leave at 3.30.
God I wish I had those hours and get full time pay....

Yeah you are being a bit U. Being self employed is not a walk in the park. Bottom line, you don't work, you don't get paid. So self employed people can in theory take as much time off as they like, but they aren't expecting anyone to pay them for it either.

That said, I'm self employed and I would avoid messing my clients around as I want repeat business. It's in my interests to keep them happy and provide a good service. However, I don't work in a high demand industry like construction so it's a bit different for me.

You’ve had one bad experience. Might be fairer to have a whinge about him rather than making sweeping statements about millions of people.

The problem with builders is that there has been a shortage forever so they basically call the shots. Personally, having dealt with loads of them they also have very short attention spans, will do things the easiest way and cheapest way for them and don't care about the customer. They are also mainly only interested in dealing with the 'man of the house' and don't like being told what to do by a woman, despite being paid by that person.

Most self employed people would be fine, builders and tradies not do much.

I'm self employed because I hate working for big business. The politics, the presenteeism, the rigidity...why would I choose that when I can make more money in a way that suits me? And no worrying about a boss breathing down my neck threatening 'disciplinaries' if I fail to toe the line. Not sure why you're trying to make it sound like a failing?

This. He's lying to you.

You're conflating builders and tradies with all self employed. They can lie and take time off to work on other jobs, should they choose. Most self employed freelancers are the exact opposite and look in wonder at how large organizations carry a percentage of staff unable for one or another reason to be there. I'm one of those S/E freelancers, and one large organization has had to repeatedly use me and others to fill one particular employees role for years. (not complaining mind!)

And many people who work for large organisations couldn't hack being self employed. 🤷🏻‍♀️

God what a horrible post. Very short attention spans but can do a skill you obviously can’t do.

I’ve just had some work done. The starting date was actually brought forward! I know my builder pretty well and I know they now struggle to get supplies in a timely manner (which wasn’t the case when they did a bigger job for me, when they were here all the time) so it’s more efficient for them to have a number of jobs on the go at once. I was ok with this but it’s not fair of them not to be straight with you, as clearly the excuses they are coming up with are just fabricated.

I've done both, pretty successfully.

Yabu.

But not to moan about your builders! Hope it all gets sorted soon

I've done both. I worked for many years in corporate business and I am now self employed. Both require discipline in different areas and have challenges. If people are competent and diligent it is perfectly possible to adapt to either environment. It's not either or. In my experience being self employed isn't a picnic. There are no cushions and if you don't work you don't get paid.

Not fair to lump builders (notoriously over subscribed so can pick and choose their work, he is not off with a cold fgs he's working somewhere else for some quick bucks, probably cash in hand) not fair to lump all s/e in with cowboys.

I worked in a corporate role. Hated the routine of the same daily gossip, the office backstabbing, the micro-managing, the stupid rules for rules sake and lack of flexibility.

Now I work for myself in something that I love. But I work bloody hard as otherwise I don't get paid, no sick pay, no company pension.

People have made plenty of good points as to why you are unreasonable here. All self employed people are not the same. You are however not unreasonable to expect a better service from your builder.

I'm terms of the downsides to self employment, I'd also add chasing for payment. Late payment. Not being paid at all. Which are additional pressures a salaried employee doesn't have to think about.

Yeah, i'd say he's sorting other jobs/quotes etc. DP is self employed and works pretty much all year round with no holiday (maybe a week over Christmas and a few days in the summer) and many weekends with no extra days off in the week, just carries straight on through to the next job. No bank holidays either. He has to provide all his own tools, own truck, diesel etc and gets a day rate only just a little higher than he'd get if he worked employed in a similar job. Everyone doing his job is self employed though so it's not possible to just get employed doing what he does. Also the boredom would drive him nuts if he didn't have the variety. Everyone else I know who is self employed does the same including my uncle who is a builder and works 6 days a week, very very rarely taking a holiday (and then it's just a long weekend).

You've got it the wrong way round.

Generally people in small business get there by working for a bigger business and then branching out on their own.

Proof, if any was required, that they can indeed hack it in a big business.

I understand your frustrations but I think a lot of people working for a large organisation couldn't hack self employed!
Self employed have to do everything...there is no limit to their job description. There is no "that's not my job, let me pass you on to another department".
No HR. No holiday pay/sickness pay. Less job security -they won't have access to a formal redundancy package, for instance.

A bricky for a large organisation just has to turn up on time and do his brickwork scheduled for them that day following their companies instructions.
A self employed bricky needs to advertise/market themselves, they have to calculate the quote for the job , they have to negotiate/win the job, they have to plan/ schedule the job , they have to order/source materials, they have to create their risk assessments plus hundreds of other tasks , that large organisations have their own departments to do.

Why are you comparing these people to your husband and what he could/couldn't "get away with"?

What do YOU do for work?

Are you frustrated by other people's work whilst not working yourself, by any chance?