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 Chris Auld on -
Depends on your age and fitness i would imagine, i start at 8am finish between 7 and 8pm, have dinner, then spend 1 or 2 hours giving quotes, 6 days a week. But im planning on cutting back a bit from now on.
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PRO MemberPermalink Reply by Nick @ NM Garden Services Ltd on -
When does it stop....? Does checking on LJN in the evening still count?
Generally we start on site at 8, leaving the depot at 7.55 (short commute) and try and finish at 5 but sometimes later in the summer. Quotes and paperwork are often outside of these but not exclusively.
Nick
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PRO MemberPermalink Reply by andy@ Doughty Garden Maintenance on -
Not just the landscapers that work hard Clive, us maintenance boys (and girls) are hard at it too!
I usually get to my first job around 8.30 - 9.00, the little jobs are usually an hour or two each, then it's straight in the van and on to the next.
I have a weekly commercial cutting contract that i usually do on a wednesday which is an hour of strimming then 4 hours of mowing,
I have a churchyard contract which is 4 hours non stop mowing.
I also have a contract at a manor house which is 8 hours of all sorts of work which i tend to spread over 2 or 3 days.
Then there's the one off's and the fortnightlys.
I finish my last jobs between 6 and 7 most nights. 6 days a week. Then monday comes and the cycle starts again.
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Permalink Reply by Paving & Landscape Company Ltd on -
I can appreciate that maintenance is hard going too. And surely as one gets older, the need to be smarter becomes more apparent.
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PRO MemberPermalink Reply by andy@ Doughty Garden Maintenance on -
was that a dig at my attire clive or my intelligence?
Clive Courtney said:I can appreciate that maintenance is hard going too. And surely as one gets older, the need to be smarter becomes more apparent.
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Permalink Reply by Paul @ Ashgate Garden Care on -
Aim to start at between 7 and 8 depending on the customer and finish for five. Usually try and see any customers to quote for work on my way home. I'm lucky that I don't work more than 20 minutes max from home so the commute is not too bad.
I do my invoicing in the evening or before work. The rest of the paperwork is done by my wife who's a trained accountant (and my business partner).
I must admit over the last month or so my body feels shot to bits and I'm having to cut back on jobs that involve digging. (I had to leave a job today because of sciatica which was not good). So as I get older I'm having to learn to work smarter too.
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Permalink Reply by Paving & Landscape Company Ltd on
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Certainly no dig at you..just a general observation :-))
andrew doughty said:was that a dig at my attire clive or my intelligence?
Clive Courtney said:I can appreciate that maintenance is hard going too. And surely as one gets older, the need to be smarter becomes more apparent.
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PRO MemberPermalink Reply by Dan Frazer Gardening on -
I am tired today due to having to heave a machine about yesterday as the starter failed during a job. Need to take it easy the rest of the week.
I tend to do 8-5, 5days a week. Don't work weekends as I am rather fond of my free time and I need the rest, don't really have to work them anyway. When I do jobs such as spreading stone I do feel it come the evening, especially in the legs. I was thinking last night that I couldn't do hard landscaping without a labourer!
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Permalink Reply by Classic Gardens on -
Iam the same I try to work 8 to 5 if I can sometime though during busy times in the summer I finish around 6 to 7. We have a young family and they come before work. I very rarely work weekends. When it comes to holidays we tend to go camping or days out at the weekend and during jan/feb I take a month and a half off.
Dan Frazer Gardening said:I am tired today due to having to heave a machine about yesterday as the starter failed during a job. Need to take it easy the rest of the week.
I tend to do 8-5, 5days a week. Don't work weekends as I am rather fond of my free time and I need the rest, don't really have to work them anyway. When I do jobs such as spreading stone I do feel it come the evening, especially in the legs. I was thinking last night that I couldn't do hard landscaping without a labourer!
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Permalink Reply by ian mcletchie on -
i try to be on the jb for 8 am and i leave when i phisicaly cant do any more for the day this is sometimes around 8 pm although the wife doese not like it as i dont see much of the kids so i am going to have to cut down my hours a bit and stop working weekends but this time of year is when we make our money .
as we all know the winters can be hard
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PRO MemberPermalink Reply by andy@ Doughty Garden Maintenance on -
o.k clive, sorry, must have misinterpreted you comment! :-)
Clive Courtney said:Certainly no dig at you..just a general observation :-))
andrew doughty said:was that a dig at my attire clive or my intelligence?
Clive Courtney said:I can appreciate that maintenance is hard going too. And surely as one gets older, the need to be smarter becomes more apparent.
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PRO MemberPermalink Reply by andy@ Doughty Garden Maintenance on -
Winters are hard, that's why i try and fit as much as i can in through the summer!
ian mcletchie said:i try to be on the jb for 8 am and i leave when i phisicaly cant do any more for the day this is sometimes around 8 pm although the wife doese not like it as i dont see much of the kids so i am going to have to cut down my hours a bit and stop working weekends but this time of year is when we make our money .
as we all know the winters can be hard
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