Aibu to think builders work must be slowing down?

[Roastpotatoesat3]

Cant help but notice that our Towns facebook page and a few guys in my friends on Facebook have been stating things like “just had a job delayed, free for two months , contact for quotes” type messages. Also seems to be a lot of responses to requests of work saying they are free. Last few years nobody ever responded to the tags on these kind of posts and if they did it would be along the lines of “very busy”

Ive really noticed this in last two weeks and we know that the building trade is often first to show signs of weakness.

I probably notice this more than others as started a huge project just as Covid hit so know first hand how difficult it was to get tradesmen in those years.

We know new building and renovations have slowed down but everyone seemed to think there was such a shortage of builders that this wouldn’t touch them this time.

Anyone else noticed this or have builders in the family?

Just interested from an economic point of view.

I work in construction (architecture) and have noticed things slowing down for the first time since the first lockdown!

It's weird. I've gone from 90 projects on the go at various stages to 4! It's very eerie.

Well I just had a big(ish) week long job booked. After not showing up on day one and then day two (both days agreeing to meet me on site) builder called me to say he doesn't want the job anymore as it's too big. So personally, I'm hoping building work is drying up, they might be a bit more reliable and available.

If you’re looking for an indication of the wider economy, business insolvencies have massively increased in the last few months. This government is driving the country into the ground imo.

The economy is slowing down. Our micro-business in heavy engineering has seen a few projects deferred or scaled down, but there's often a lull during winter, so it's fairly normal but we're hoping it will be a blip.

No,

I’ve just turned a fairy big one down. It was riddled with liability and uncertainty and the price didn’t reflect the risk.

Sometimes you’re better just staying in bed.

Currently have two years work in front of me and more enquiries still coming in
a friend who runs a skip company has been quieter recently

Outside building work often slows down in winter.

Good builders and tradesmen will generally be busy because people will recommend them to friends and family. It's the crap builders who generally ask for work.

@MrsMoastyToasty over past 3 years, even the worst builders were non stop. I know the best builders will still get work. Not everyone loses their job in recession but we do usually start to see it in the builders earlier than most jobs

I think a lot of people are putting things off, only doing what is necessary. We were planning a new kitchen but we're getting it wrapped instead, far far cheaper (and I don't have to empty my cupboards😁).

4 houses currently having building work done on my street of roughly 30 houses. Another 3 houses have landscape gardeners in.

We can barely move for skips and builders vans

Due to CoL and mortgage hikes, I'd imagine lots of people are putting off unnecessary spending

Agree about trades posting that jobs have been cancelled. I've noticed that too

From what I see with my colleagues and friends. All work getting done now are energy saving things such as new windows and repairs. Only hear people saying other things are now “on hold”. Best friends new kitchen is “on hold”. Auntys expensive garden refurb is “on hold” etc. know a window fitter that’s never been busier because people are redoing their widows for long term energy savings. Colleague just had this done, cost about 28k and said it didn’t make as much as a difference as the loft insulation he did himself for cheap the week after.

I've been able to get a decorator in this week with just a days notice, he's also doing an extra day for me. I think it's COL and Christmas - if it doesn't need doing and that money can be for Xmas, then it can wait.

@ChiefWiggumsBoy this is kind of thing I’m seeing. You always got people saying “need some to decorate lounge, start the n next two days” and they just got ignored or companies were tagged but never responded. Now I’m suddenly seeing people hop on saying “I’m free, can start this week etc”

I feel for people earning less, but (a) it might make it easier to get smaller jobs done; and (b) stop ludicrous extensions that cause mayhem for the neighbours for months/years. My neighbours have put in planning permission (for a second time) to remove an extension and build a new one and I dread it because of the noise. Machinery etc can't be helped, but yelling and loud music can.

I’m in London. Last month I contacted three bricklayers from Checkatrade who all gave me a quote within 24 hours of seeing the job, all roughly the same price and all had availability to do the 1 day job within the week.

Well it was bound to happen. Cost of living has risen significantly and the cost of building materials has shot up. So it's become more expensive to "build" at a time when people have much less money. Pretty obvious that what would happen is that people just stop having work done.

I wonder if the ones who couldn’t be bothered to even turn up for a quote previously, will be sniffing around for work now?

Right, so you didn't accept the job first. Make arrangements to start in a couple of months time, including taking a deposit for materials. Not show up on day one (after I drove 100 round trip to meet him). Apologies, say you'll be there on day two. Not show up on day two. Day three say the jobs too big and don't want it anymore.

This is far, far from the first time tradespeople have let me down by just not showing up. They all have so much work, they can do this with no cost to themselves. And don't start me on that racist bollocks about Polish plumbers taking their work.

I’m in London. We just started a build and Reno that was first planned and costed 4 years ago. Put off as we were on wait lists for builders at the time when costs spiraled - quotes nearly tripled and we could no longer afford the work. Have scaled it back. Put it out to tender in September and have had people (with long historic lists) chasing us for work since/our choice of teams. Quotes still a lot above 2019 but less than 2021/22.

No definitely none of that.

i just kicked it out at the first meeting.

I couldn’t act like that ^^ I’ve got perfect google reviews and they would get trashed.

plus it’s a shitty thing to do.

We were planning on having an extension in about a years time but with the mortgage hike we can't afford it now.

We’ve been struggling to find trademen to do work on our house so I agree with pp that it’s area dependent

Trouble is they charge too much and this can’t just be due to the cost of materials.