Open Association of Landscape Industries
Hours of work.
I know us Landscapers work our nuts off. And thought it'll be interesting to discuss just how hard we work and for how long. How long is a interesting one for me as I'll explain.
I'm currently working on a medium sized contract, an hours drive each way. I get up at 6am, leave 6.45..arrive on site just before 8am. Crack on with the day's schedule. I'm tackling this project on my own ( yes, it's one of those jobs! ) A back garden with access only via an alley way and three neighbours gardens. With the skip round the front, all rubbish is taken through neighbours gardens. Materials in and having completed 57 linear metres of 8' concrete post, panel featheredge with 12'' concrete gravel boards..I can tell you carrying those materials through is bloody hard work. 37 sleepers also recently carried through..on my own remember!
I work through to 5. Stopping only for a quick bite to eat if hungry. I don't go beyond 5, as I've an hours drive to do.
Now, having been in the game for a long time. I can recall the old days when starts were 7.30 with late finishers to 6.. occasionally 7 during the summer. Those hours are mad, and if one works at the rate, usually by 4pm one starts getting sloppy, with mistakes being made. I recall working for a company and my bug bear was some eejit suggesting at 4pm to tackle some complicated cuts. Sod that..morning is the best time for me to deal with the tricky brain teasers.
So, tell me what are your hours of work and also just how productive are you and your team throughout the day?
Replies to This Discussion
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PRO MemberPermalink Reply by Gardens4u.co.uk on -
im available for my customers and get the job done . i dont go away for 2 weeks ! - never in 9 years.....
i work when i want apart from when a job needs to be done.
thats my only benefit of self-employment.
but jobs in summer need to be done . i had 3 days free this week - did i take them off / go biking, walking NO.
had 4 jobs phone up by today so those days were 'filled'. im full next week anyway....
i work around the weather and live on my own so many household chores to work on ongoing to.
typically i work anywhere between 9 - 10pm , it averages out for everyone.
i dont want a bad back with 3 days off , or no point slogging your guts out.
i will work on a saturday anytime. - this means i will not go out any friday night.
my phone is on 24-7... so no set times , i just do what needs to be done for 9 years.
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Permalink Reply by Jane Heath on -
Andrew, my husband joined me in the business this year and after a hectic spring with loads of planting work, we too have to find some new business. Also several customers on the move out of the area which hasn't helped. A leaflet drop direct to people's homes in March proved really quite successful - approx 80 delivered and we got 6 new jobs out of it, maintenance and planting. So plan to do it again in the autumn which may be a bit more challenging! Very time consuming and I hated doing it but it was worth it. concentrated on middle income households upwards.
My husband is a former marketing exec, looking for a change of direction and less stress. He put the leaflet together and it hit the mark. He would be happy to help (at no charge) if you want it.
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Permalink Reply by Mark & Yasmin Roworth on -
We are putting everything into the business with it being our first year. The working day starts at 7am and ends at 8pm ish sometimes later at the moment. I work alone and some of the jobs are damned hard work, enjoyable but carrying concrete posts/base panels all day does take it out of you.
My wife does all our admin including the website,SEO and marketing, phone calls, typing quotes etc and she comes with me at least 3 times a week to jobs and is great mixing, carrying, digging and general labouring. If things carry on being as busy I am hoping she will join me full time on jobs too as well as office work.
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PRO MemberPermalink Reply by Dan Frazer Gardening on -
So you don't really work alone if the wife works with you! I wish my other half would be happy with a strimmer strapped to her back :)
Mark Roworth said:We are putting everything into the business with it being our first year. The working day starts at 7am and ends at 8pm ish sometimes later at the moment. I work alone and some of the jobs are damned hard work, enjoyable but carrying concrete posts/base panels all day does take it out of you.
My wife does all our admin including the website,SEO and marketing, phone calls, typing quotes etc and she comes with me at least 3 times a week to jobs and is great mixing, carrying, digging and general labouring. If things carry on being as busy I am hoping she will join me full time on jobs too as well as office work.
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PRO MemberPermalink Reply by Rowly Hill on -
We work as a H&W team as well Mark - you can't expect your dear wife to become wonder woman ( most are I know) working full time and doing the admin as well on top of a full working week.
The back room boring pc and paper trail is as important as the grunt going on outside ( I'm sure I'm teaching me grandma to suck eggs here).
I know you are in the early stages of your business so sacrifices (time mainly) have to be made but once you get established make a point of giving her the time to work on her side of the business...it will pay dividends over the years ahead I promise you.
Oh you can buy a wheeled carrier for posts, panels and gravel boards - £ 50-60 ish...cheaper than knackering your back.
Mark Roworth said:We are putting everything into the business with it being our first year. The working day starts at 7am and ends at 8pm ish sometimes later at the moment. I work alone and some of the jobs are damned hard work, enjoyable but carrying concrete posts/base panels all day does take it out of you.
My wife does all our admin including the website,SEO and marketing, phone calls, typing quotes etc and she comes with me at least 3 times a week to jobs and is great mixing, carrying, digging and general labouring. If things carry on being as busy I am hoping she will join me full time on jobs too as well as office work.
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PRO MemberPermalink Reply by Stuart Diprose Land-Scape.co.uk on -
the 'eejit' factor cost me 2 weeks work and gained me a very nasty wound (that is still not right) when i slipped with an angle grinder while dressing sandstone joints paving joints.
i totally agree that sometimes you should look at a days work and say it's too late to mess about with that, if i hadn't been asked to start on and the grinding out, it would have got started the next morning - as it was it got left for a couple of weeks.
i aim to start 8.30 and i go through to 6ish, if i'm really into something or i can see a means to shorten a job so that i don't have to come back for an hour to do some silly bits then i'll stay till dark if necessary- my record was clearing up by torch light. don't do that anymore. i've got flood lights.
if i'm bored, wet, cold, annoyed, feeling victimised or the client has just lent on a freshly set fence post of trod on the slab i'm working on then i might be gone by 4!
but in general 8.30 to 6 with a half hourish break and a few cups of tea...........
as for productivity, i pace myself quite well, so longer days work for me.
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Permalink Reply by Andrew Bowen on -
Hi all as I do my Garden Maintenance part time my time is split a bit different My day job is 8 am till 4 pm and then my gardening work startes from 4.30 till 8.30 4 nights a week and then a 10 hour shift on Saturday and an 8 hour Sunday ( all depends on work load and weather ) I take my hat off to you all that do this full time its dam hard work .Thanks Andrew .
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PRO MemberPermalink Reply by Stuart Diprose Land-Scape.co.uk on -
erm.... you do a 74 hour week??? i think i take my hat off to you
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Permalink Reply by Mark & Yasmin Roworth on
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Hi Rowly.
Yes its very important to let her do 'her thing' for the business as it is working wonders now for us.She also works for an exotic animal rescue center so she is very stretched at the moment.
Rowly Hill said:We work as a H&W team as well Mark - you can't expect your dear wife to become wonder woman ( most are I know) working full time and doing the admin as well on top of a full working week.
The back room boring pc and paper trail is as important as the grunt going on outside ( I'm sure I'm teaching me grandma to suck eggs here).
I know you are in the early stages of your business so sacrifices (time mainly) have to be made but once you get established make a point of giving her the time to work on her side of the business...it will pay dividends over the years ahead I promise you.
Oh you can buy a wheeled carrier for posts, panels and gravel boards - £ 50-60 ish...cheaper than knackering your back.
Mark Roworth said:We are putting everything into the business with it being our first year. The working day starts at 7am and ends at 8pm ish sometimes later at the moment. I work alone and some of the jobs are damned hard work, enjoyable but carrying concrete posts/base panels all day does take it out of you.
My wife does all our admin including the website,SEO and marketing, phone calls, typing quotes etc and she comes with me at least 3 times a week to jobs and is great mixing, carrying, digging and general labouring. If things carry on being as busy I am hoping she will join me full time on jobs too as well as office work.
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Permalink Reply by Paving & Landscape Company Ltd on -
All work and no play makes Andrew a very dull boy indeed. ;-))
Andrew Bowen said:Hi all as I do my Garden Maintenance part time my time is split a bit different My day job is 8 am till 4 pm and then my gardening work startes from 4.30 till 8.30 4 nights a week and then a 10 hour shift on Saturday and an 8 hour Sunday ( all depends on work load and weather ) I take my hat off to you all that do this full time its dam hard work .Thanks Andrew .
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PRO MemberPermalink Reply by Jen@A&J Owenwindows&gardens on -
Other half generously gives me Saturday morning off to do all the back office stuff (oh and all the housework/shopping etc etc)!
Must admit, I'd much rather be doing the work but with the software we use and the systems we have I'm not comfortable farming them out to someone else. Not sure if anyone else uses quickbooks simple start but it isn't half easy to delete things!
In terms of hours worked we both do 8 - 4 5 days per week. Alan often goes back out in the evening till 7 - 7.30 dependent on work loads whilst I update everything we've done (with the window cleaning business this is quite onerous because I have to log money owed etc).
Alan also works 9 - 3.30 ish on Saturday. Sunday's are only if we are hideously behind or want a holiday!
We are working fewer hours than last year though and definitely less stressed as at the same point so I think we're getting something right!
Rowly Hill said:We work as a H&W team as well Mark - you can't expect your dear wife to become wonder woman ( most are I know) working full time and doing the admin as well on top of a full working week.
The back room boring pc and paper trail is as important as the grunt going on outside ( I'm sure I'm teaching me grandma to suck eggs here).
I know you are in the early stages of your business so sacrifices (time mainly) have to be made but once you get established make a point of giving her the time to work on her side of the business...it will pay dividends over the years ahead I promise you.
Oh you can buy a wheeled carrier for posts, panels and gravel boards - £ 50-60 ish...cheaper than knackering your back.
Mark Roworth said:We are putting everything into the business with it being our first year. The working day starts at 7am and ends at 8pm ish sometimes later at the moment. I work alone and some of the jobs are damned hard work, enjoyable but carrying concrete posts/base panels all day does take it out of you.
My wife does all our admin including the website,SEO and marketing, phone calls, typing quotes etc and she comes with me at least 3 times a week to jobs and is great mixing, carrying, digging and general labouring. If things carry on being as busy I am hoping she will join me full time on jobs too as well as office work.
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Permalink Reply by Mark & Yasmin Roworth on
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Thats great to hear Jenny
Yasmin
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