Home Owners Under Pressure

Crawl space underneath property in High Barnet. Taken during inspection for leaks.

Property in England is like gold mines in the Wild West of America. The lure of home ownership in the U.K has become a high vaulted and coveted prospect, chimerical and elusive as the modern American Dream. Like that dream, it's promised rewards are turning out to be more of a blackberry bush than an olive tree; one must pick carefully and gingerly, between the brambled limbs, to procure but a few tasty fruit, and others which turn out to be bitter.

Over the last two years, we at Elephant Handyman Service have worked with several customers feeling the pressure of the current economic conditions. Living in huge properties, they may still be paying mortgages, whose rates are now unfrozen. They also face the cost of maintaining these old buildings, the bricks and mortar of their walls being laid several generations ago. During former more abundant times, the properties were extended, by agreement with exuberant contractors relishing in a construction boom, increasing the value of the property. All of these additions require aftercare, yet others were carried out neglectfully, with a flippant attitude, "that'll be alright...." "that won't show for years to come...". These alterations, though adding value, thereby also add cost themselves, which can be significant if the contractor or trades conduct their work without high standards.

The population is only getting older. As families age, their great houses begin to shed inhabitants. Children grow and move out (eventually!) grandparents pass away, spouses grow old and depart to the heavens. Caring properly for the property left behind becomes burdensome. We are witnessing the end of the wealth of the propertied class of people, the end of the Anglican dream of generational investment in property. Moves that families and individuals make, to respond to this phenomenon, will be crucial to their immediate future.

The demand for quality and trustworthy tradespeople has, as a result of these largely economic conditions, increased exponentially. Home owners are riding a learning curve, after having cheap extensions and renovations done twenty or thirty years ago; are observing the resultant longer term costs of cheap contractors and labour. Extension projects are being avoided in favour of cheaper loft conversions. Repairs are being prioritised, and space saving innovations are welcomed. Customers are looking for good relations with tradesmen they can trust, rather than the lowest rate and cheapest price available. They are becoming more consciously involved in the maintenance of their homes or property, many are trying their hand at d.i.y to save money. The advent of internet resources has led to a large number of customers becoming more aware of what is required for the resolution of maintenance issues. All these factors are contributing to an increase in standards in the trades, and reliance on multi skilled tradesmen with extensive experience. Simultaneously, the number of such tradesmen has declined over the last ten years. The maintenance industry is suffering the results of a nationwide labour shortage, economic instability, and the severance of traditional family ties.

The importance of the agreement cannot be understated.

As handymen, maintenance tradesmen, and contractors, there is a great opportunity for those providing quality work. At the same time, financial constraints require competitive pricing. There is a market to be carved out but you must be ready to walk a fine balancing line between these pressures. The importance of customer relations and trustworthiness has grown significantly. Contractors and tradespeople also need to be aware that there are customers who operate in bad faith, who will try to bind those serving them into constraints, to avoid payment, or reduce prices.

Many customers are looking to skip the design stage.

At this point I'd like to highlight the importance of design. A factor which suffers as the economic decline of the U.K continues. The element of design is always present in any solution to any problem provided, it's absence is often the reason for failure. With the current austerity and cost-of-living crisis constraining budgets, the process is being streamlined. I can give example myself with regard to cabinetry. E.H.S gets one cabinetry job per year, roughly speaking. Everybody knows design is an expensive part of the construction process, so they avoid it when it comes to having the job done. The customer will simply say to me, "we want a cabinet there..." I would inevitably ask them to do a drawing of what they want, and work off of that. Recently I have changed my practice and begun asking customers if they have a design, and I will tell you why. Firstly there were too many grey areas popping up, and some unrealistic designs, ideas on paper that could not be realised by a carpenter/joiner. This meant that I would have to translate these customer sketches into viable designs, and the customer wouldn't receive what they had in mind, because it wasn't viable. This generates extra unpaid work, for which an architect would be handsomely paid. I am now considering the introduction of compulsory design, and charging a fee for that design. I will have to improve the quality of my designs and may have to attend a course. This is how I intend to expand E.H.S cabinetry service in order to exploit this opportunity. I recently heard from my father, whom I worked with for several decades on loft conversions and extensions. He told me of a mirror to the design issue described above, but regarding a renovation job. The contractor was carrying out a renovation for a customer who had no architect drawings or engineer's calculations. He worked alongside the customer alone, who had no prior experience. This resulted in awkward, incoherent, and cumbersome project management, affecting both customer and workers. Sudden changes, wasted efforts, low morale and poor results are the consequences. Be aware that every solution requires a design, and providing that design is not, "part of the job" its a skilled service in itself, and it's chargeable! If your customer is particularly involved, he or she may already have identified the desired or chosen solution. They may have talents in CAD and provide you with good drawings. This leaves the contractor in the right position, of deciding how to execute those plans, and identifying any inherent impracticality. Smaller tasks don't require this, but they do require a solution, if your business is providing it, you need to consider how you are are charging for this service. In providing the solution you are taking on an extra layer of responsibility too, as you are not only judged for your workmanship, but also the efficacy of your solution.

Economic and societal pressure, gradual degradation of old housing stock, and labour shortage, are all having a significant effect on household improvement and maintenance. Households are moving out of wealthy areas in order to release funds from expensive properties. There is a shift towards maintenance and renovation, and away from extension. People are looking at holding onto their property and keeping it in shape, rather than viewing it as an asset for the future. This all represents opportunity for those willing to shape their business to tailor to a changing market.

Tom Rutland

Elephant Hnadyman Service.