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Some of the small builders I know are looking at minimum £125k to get involved. They have a 9 month order book. It depends on the number of staff but that seems to be normal if you have 12 or more.
I'm more in the ballpark you're discussing for the majority of my clients and I'm on my own so that's enough work with just a few clients like that. I'll end up getting a few months consistent work in one house and the tools will be there, if it's the first big job and it goes well, everyone is happy, then they usually become a regular. I've never had a business card or looked for employment on line, it's all word of mouth. I turn down about 2/3 of the work I'm offered because I can't fit it in. I try to be the tradesman I would like to hire, that's not always the what the client wants but you can't please all the people all the time!
What tends to happen to people doing that is they get involved with landlords and the demand increases and landlords are better at engaging trades, they are more insistent, require lower quality and more easily satisfied plus if they have a few properties they are in contact more often and they can just tell you what needs doing, you do the job and bill them with confidence that it will be paid. I only deal with one landlord/managing agent now through choice.
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Airhead
I have a particular plumber I use for small jobs (leaky tap, valve swaps etc) as he said to me that's the kind of work he prefers. He just doesn't like being on the big installs for weeks at a time as he gets bored. It must be that he just has a lot of small jobs on at the minute.
My builder is a new firm and I met him before he broke away from his old one and we had a frank conversation about the fact that I am looking for someone long term as there is A LOT to do in this place and then the continuing maintenance and I'm not after the cheapest or even quickest, just someone who can communicate. Just a let down that within a month or so it's gone the opposite way to what he said to my face. Now, obviously he's just taken on too much work given it's a new enterprise, but it doesn't stop it from annoying me. He could be getting a couple of grand a month from us for nothing overly taxing/complex (for a pro) and then a grand or so a year for general maintenance work.