A survey of Brighton builders has shown that customers are not only asking their advice on extensions and refits, but also parenting, finance,
The survey, which was carried out by Sussex builders’ merchant Chandlers, found that 95% of the 750 local builders they asked had been asked for advice or help, during the course of a homeowners building project, that is completely unrelated to their trade.
It’s perhaps unsurprising that one in four say they are regularly asked for financial advice and four in five have been asked their opinion on home furnishing choices.
But one in four have also helped a homeowner through a personal crisis and almost one fifth have even been asked to assist with completing school homework and childcare!
Sue McKinney of Chandlers Building Suppliers said: “What a typical builder’s day entails seems more far reaching than initially envisaged. While a refurbishment or renovation project is being completed, builders often find themselves consumed into the customer’s family life, so in many ways it is not surprising how involved some builders can become in their customers day to day lives.”
More than 80 percent said they loved their job and close to 90 percent of builders would still choose to go into the building trade if they had their time over again.
More than half (55%) of builders said they have another job as well as being a builder with nearly a quarter working as fireman or sports coach/trainer.
For more than half of builders (54%), stress levels peak around ‘chasing payments and getting paid’ with ‘the weather’ (47%), ‘ordering / waiting for materials’ (45%), ‘vat and tax returns’ (44%) and ‘managing apprentices’ (42%) taking a close second, third, fourth and fifth place. When asked what the most enjoyable aspect of their job was, 86 percent said ‘pride from a great job’ while 81% said ‘on site banter’.
Their over-riding view on the future of the construction trade was of general optimism (60%), with over a quarter describing their earnings as ‘doing well or it’s boom time’ and only 6% saying ‘it’s a bit of a struggle’.
