Builder's blog

The Joys Of Being Self Employed

Things are going pretty smoothly for me at the moment...touch wood. This is a good saying for a builder as wood is pretty much everywhere I go! But to be honest I could say that this week has been pretty much perfect – work-wise.

I have been doing a series of little jobs, which are right up my street. There is nothing better than being paid for a days work, when the job only takes three or four hours. This week I have had three of these, so far. One more to go and then a day off... the joys of being self employed.

So on Monday I did a cat flap for one of my neighbours and fixed her outside tap. I was finished by 1.30pm and didn't feel in the least bit guilty. I did a good job, got paid a fair amount for a tradesman of my considerable skill and went home early to be with my kids. There was no stress, no having to go out and buy materials, no having to leave jobs unfinished and having to try and clean up at the end of the day. Done and dusted and there you go – easy!

Gadgets Are Useful, But ...

Today I am going to have a chat about technology, you know, gadgets. Those horrible things that seem to run our lives these days, but succeed in making life hell for everyone else.

I am talking about a specific incident which set off my train of thought today. I was at my local Screwfix this morning and a fellow builder was in front of me in the queue. I would say that builders are often thought of as easy going, salt of the earth types and to be honest most are. But this guy happened to be on his mobile while in the queue, something which seemed to transform his personality.

Recapturing My Youth – Not !

Well I am officially working out of town. I haven't had to do that since I gave up the 9 to 5 and decided to work for myself. But my brother was desperate to get someone he could trust for his kitchen, and well, I couldn't think of anyone better. I will be here until the end of the week and then go home to the family on the weekend. I miss them more than I thought I would.

I figured it would be nights on the town and plenty of trips to the pub to recapture my youth – but it turns out that my brother has grown up considerably in my absence and hardly leaves the house, other than to go to work. I thought free and single blokes are supposed to kick up their heels. Turns out the responsibility of a mortgage and a good job are about all he can handle at the moment.

At My Age I Should Know Better

Well, the job at my brothers did run over just a little bit and much to Claire's annoyance I didn't get back until Sunday afternoon. I told her it was down to trouble getting hold of the tiles, which was true, but it could also have had some something to do with the REALLY big night out on the Saturday.

I just don't do this sort of thing that often any more and so I was expecting I would go out for a couple of hours and leave it at that. But it turns out my brother had been keen to get out as well and the excuse of his friend's birthday was too much to turn down. So we headed to a pub which we used to frequent when I lived at home, where I ran into some old friends. I was surprised they still went to the same place, and it turns out their lives haven't changed that much. They have just added wives, girlfriends and kids to the mix. They still do the same jobs and live in the same area. Thinking about it later, this felt a bit sad, as they didn't seem overly happy with the situation and seemed really interested in my self-employed life in the village.

Aaaargh! I Don't Know How I Do It

Aaaargh! I don't know how I do it – I really don't! This week has been like an episode of Eastenders. I keep expecting the doof doofs and the spinning map of London. Needless to say I have been on the receiving end of some horrendous arguments and strange conversations in the divorcing household this week. Thank goodness I should be finished by the end of the week.

I arrived last Friday at just after 8am to the sound of breaking glass. I'm serious... I just sort of hovered at the door wondering if it was a good idea to go in. I was thinking “maybe someone is hurt”, but at the same time I was thinking “just walk away and leave them to it”. In the end I decided it was best to try and break things up, as I seemed to be the only person in that house seeing sense.

What a scene of destruction! The contents of the kitchen cupboards seemed to be all over the floor and three doors (the news ones which she didn't want) had holes kicked right through. I knew they were cheap, but it must have taken some welly to get her size 7's through them! All I could think of was the time I spent chiselling the holes for the hinges and how many times the bottoms needed planing.

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