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News Professional Builder

STATE OF TRADE SURVEY

86 per cent of builders call for industry to be licensed, says FMB

In the most recent State of Trade Survey from the Federation of Master Builders (FMB), an overwhelming 86 per cent of respondents said now is the time to introduce mandatory licensing for building firms. With a focus on standards, licensing would professionalise the industry, remove rogue traders and help protect consumers. “Rogue traders take work away from quality builders and leave consumers out of pocket,” explains Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB. “With the cost of living rising the issue will only get worse as consumers are drawn in by unscrupulous builders offering unrealistic timelines and prices.”

© auremar/Adobe Stock

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION VISIT: WWW.RDR.LINK/BAE001

PAYING THE PENALTY

Van drivers risking fines, according to VW

Almost half of van drivers are risking a £200 fine and six penalty points on their licence as a result of using a sat nav app on their smartphone, according to a study by Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles. The law now states it is illegal to touch your device –designed to prevent a loophole that allowed taking photos or scrolling on social media. While it is still legal to use sat nav on your mobile phone, it must be safely secured to the dashboard or windscreen, where it must not block your view. In addition, you must also have hands-free access, such as a Bluetooth headset, voice command, or integration with the on-board infotainment system, with police able to stop you if they see you are distracted by the phone.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO KNOW MORE VISIT WWW.RDR.LINK/BAE002

SUPPLY AND DEMAND

Nine in 10 tradespeople forced to delay projects due to ongoing supplies shortages, finds Simply Business

Ongoing supplies shortages are costing UK tradespeople over £3.5bn in lost earnings with the vast majority forced to delay projects or turn down work. Nine in 10 (87 per cent) of tradespeople are being © Flamingo Images/Adobe Stock forced to delay projects due to the ongoing supplies shortage, a new report reveals. The shortages are caused by a damaging combination of unprecedented demand, tighter restrictions on imports after Brexit, and rising costs of materials, with costs ultimately passed down to the tradespeople and then the consumer.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO KNOW MORE VISIT WWW.RDR.LINK/BAE003

OFFICE SPACE

New research from Velux reveals a dedicated home office is non-negotiable

Velux’s research shows one in five (20 per cent) of those working from home want to do this more and nearly half (46 per cent) of people who work from home, now work from home five days week. The findings also reveal that installing or replacing a window was one of the top three home improvements undertaken to transform a working from home space (10 per cent) Injecting daylight and fresh air into a room with a roof window is one of the easiest ways to transform a home office and improve working conditions, argues Velux.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION VISIT: WWW.RDR.LINK/BAE004

MAKING AN IMPROVEMENT

The Latest Home Pride Index from Checkatrade reveals £40 billion was spent on home improvements last year

British homeowners spent a collective £40 billion on home improvements in the last 12 months, according to Checkatrade’s latest Home Pride Index. Despite shortages of skilled trades and raw materials, over a third (37 per cent) of homeowners were more eager than ever to carry out work on their homes, spending an average of £2,706 on home improvements.

TO VIEW CHECKATRADE’S HOME PRIDE INDEX, VISIT THE CHECKATRADE BLOG WWW.RDR.LINK/BAE005

News Professional Builder

RECRUITMENT DRIVE

Construction needs to rethink how it attracts its workforce

Construction employers are being encouraged to rethink how they attract their workforce as competition for skilled workers gets more intense. CITB’s Rethinking Recruitment research has shown that just two per cent of those outside construction see it as their preferred industry to work in. Yet the same findings also reveal that construction could be more successful if it aligned its recruitment approach to values where it scores highly, including stability & security, the variety of work, the opportunity to have a positive impact and the chance to specialise and become an expert. The industry also needs to recruit more women, who currently only make up 14 per cent of the workforce, and workers from ethnic minorities, who number just 6 per cent.

YOU CAN READ THE RETHINKING RECRUITMENT REPORT AT WWW.RDR.LINK/BAE006

ON THE LEVEL

Local builders have a key role in helping the country level up, according to the the Federation of Master Builders (FMB)

In response to the announcement of the Government’s Levelling Up White Paper, Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB said: “For local housebuilders, loans through the Home Building Fund should be targeted at reversing the decline in SME housebuilders, who are now delivering only 12 per cent of our housing stock, down from 40 per cent in the 1980s. Local housebuilders develop on underutilised land that will be vital for hitting housing targets.”

FOR MORE DETAILS VISIT: WWW.RDR.LINK/BAE007

THE HOUSE WINS

NHBC reports 25 per cent boost in UK new home registrations in 2021

Housebuilding has demonstrated its resilience with figures from the NHBC revealing there were 153,339 new home registrations in 2021, a 25 per cent increase on 2020. Compared to the 8-year-low seen in 2020, where registrations fell to 122,935, the sector experienced a significant rebound as it emerges from the pandemic. New home completions also showed a significant uplift in 2021, increasing by 21 per cent to 139,333 (2020 115,561). Private sector registrations were the key driver, rising from 80,475 in 2020 to 114,477 in 2021, an increase of more than 40 per cent.

FOR MORE DETAILS VISIT: WWW.RDR.LINK/BAE008

DIGGING FOR VICTORY

The UK’s safe digging industry is seeing its best performance to date

LSBUD, the UK’s leading online safe digging resource, welcomed more than 3.4 million searches for underground pipes and cables through its central system in 2021. This figure is up 13 per cent on 2020, showcasing how construction is more committed to safe digging than has ever been the case before. Richard Broome, MD at LSBUD, comments: “In order to approach the 3.5 million milestone, our portal has received a search enquiry every two seconds during the average working day. This is more often than we blink.”

FOR MORE DETAILS VISIT: WWW.RDR.LINK/BAE009

THE HOME MAKERS

Government loans to help SMEs build more homes

A £1.5bn home building fund offering loans to SMEs to help them deliver 42,000 new houses across the country has received a lukewarm response from the construction industry. The National Federation of Builders (NFB) has said the loan scheme would only be of any use if smaller housebuilders could borrow prior to gaining planning permission. NFB housing and planning policy head Rico Wojtulewicz said: “The government has not understood the planning and lending process, so the money has not gone in the right places such as the south east where there are more barriers to gaining planning permission despite acute housing shortage need.”

FOR MORE DETAILS VISIT: WWW.RDR.LINK/BAE010

GET A TRADE!

Access Training UK has found that more Britons than ever are learning a trade skill with the goal of undertaking a career change

The training provider has seen demand for courses explode in recent months and, since June 2021, applications have increased by 29 per cent. The most popular professions are electricians, with a 38 per cent increase, closely followed by trainee gas engineers (29 per cent) plumbers (24 per cent) and carpenters (13 per cent). Research has suggested that people are recognising that tradespeople have significant earning potential.

FOR MORE DETAILS VISIT: WWW.RDR.LINK/BAE011

News Professional Builder email your news to us at pb@hamerville.co.uk Tel 01923 237799

GUIDING LIGHT

The Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity has launched its HARDHAT to 85258 service

The text HARDHAT to 85258 service will complement the existing 24/7 Construction Industry Helpline and Helpline App and offers immediate support to those who feel more comfortable texting with someone rather than holding a one to one telephone conversation. Just like the charity’s helpline, the text HARDHAT to 85258 service is available at any time of the day or night and offers free, anonymous and confidential support to anyone in the industry who is feeling overwhelmed, stressed, anxious, suicidal or simply struggling with everyday life.

If you need help or support now, or know someone that does, you can call the charity’s 24/7 Construction Industry Helpline on UK 0345 605 1956, ROI 1800 939 122, text HARDHAT to 85258 or visit WWW.RDR.LINK/BAE012

OWNMINDER APP

Pioneering app launches to help tackle mental ill health issues

Ownminder is the first industry-specific proactive psychological health solution created to help address the sector’s stark mental health situation that sees a suicide rate three times more than the national average. It enables organisations to provide their employees with a set of accessible tools and strategies to enable them to take a positive, proactive and preventative approach to their psychological health and wellbeing.

FOR FURTHER DETAILS VISIT: WWW.RDR.LINK/BAE013

HIRE AND SALARY

Builders are the most in demand trade across the UK and rank in the top ten paid trades

The Bionic trade index looked at 10 of the highest populated cities in the UK outside of London, to find the trade jobs available and the average salary per trade in each city. London was omitted from the index to avoid skewing the results because of the sheer size and density of the capital’s population. Building and construction roles receive the highest average annual salary for trades in the UK – with builders ranking up to £31,300.

RANKINGJOB ROLE CITY SALARY

1 Bricklayers Bristol £38,775 2 Plasterer Birmingham£37,765 3 Carpenter Leicester £36,582 4 Handyman Bristol £35,451 5 Electrician Glasgow £35,141 6 Mechanic Bristol £34,739 7 Plumbing Coventry £33,993 8 Painter Coventry £33,859 & Decorator 9 Builder Bristol £31,300 10 Scaffolder Bristol £31,300 Building and construction trades have the highest number of trade job vacancies, with the highest volumes of these being in Birmingham (2,825). However, Bristol offers the highest average paid salaries for all construction trades analysed, sitting at £33,266.

FOR FURTHER DETAILS VISIT: WWW.RDR.LINK/BAE014

FALSE ECONOMY

Constructions firms urged to prevent ‘false self-employment’

Employment status expert and insurance firm, Qdos, have responded to the news that a sole trader has won her battle to be classed as an employee – a verdict that could spark similar cases among self-employed and gig economy workers, along with having significant tax implications for any construction businesses facilitating ‘false self-employment’. Qdos CEO, Seb Maley, commented: “The ramifications of facilitating false self-employment can be severe. Let’s say a construction company engages someone as selfemployed when in reality the relationship reflects employment, HMRC will expect the business to stump up missing employment taxes, which can mount up considerably just for one worker.”

FOR FURTHER DETAILS VISIT: WWW.RDR.LINK/BAE015

RENOVATION NATION

The UK is planning kitchen renovations for 2022 whilst gardens are still a priority

A new survey of UK homeowners who are intending to move, extend or convert their property over the next 18 months by price comparison website Local Surveyors Direct (LSD), uncovers the nation’s home renovation plans for 2022. From a list of 22 refurbishments – including lofts, basements and windows – kitchens came out top (30 per cent). Of those intending to complete home renovations next year, the majority (68 per cent) are planning to spend over £2,500 up to £10,000 over the next 18 months, while over half of all those surveyed (57 per cent) intend on doing some of the renovation work themselves.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO KNOW MORE VISIT WWW.RDR.LINK/BAE016

...problems solved

PROFESSIONAL BUILDER TOOLFAIR 2022

POWER TOOLS • HAND TOOLS • BRANDED ACCESSORIES

ALL THE FUN OF THE FAIR

Dear Professional Builder

Could I ask when your next Toolfair will be taking place? I’ve always liked being able to get hands on with the tools and I’ve picked up some great show deals at previous events I’ve attended.

Jason Priestley, Stockport, Greater Manchester

PB: If you make use of our digital reader enquiry service and use the rdr.link below you’ll find a full schedule on the Toolfair website. There are actually two Toolfair shows scheduled for March: The Bolton Arena on 3rd & 4th March and Alexandra Palace on 29th & 30th WWW.RDR.LINK/BAE105

FUEL FOR THOUGHT

© Iryna/Adobe Stock

Dear Professional Builder

I run a groundworks company and have a couple of mini excavators and a dumper as part of a small fleet of plant. As from April 1st , 2022, I understand that it is the case that we will no longer be able to use rebated red diesel or rebated biodiesel in our machines? I only found out about this quite recently myself and there doesn’t seem to be enough publicity on the subject. I fear a lot of smaller plant owner/operators could be caught unawares. David Leadbetter, Cromer, Norfolk

PB: It is, indeed the case that white diesel will need to be used from that date, which carries a duty of 57.95p per litre –46.81p higher than red diesel – as well as VAT charged at 20 per cent. More information can also be found on the Government website here: WWW.RDR.LINK/BAE017

WHY SOFWARE HAS NEVER BEEN MORE IMPORTANT

“Hefty inflation, material and labour shortages, and project delays are placing a huge pressure on building firms. If they drop the ball even for a moment, there’s a chance they’ll lose serious money. Estimating software is vital,” says Joanna Mulgrew, HBXL Building Software’s Managing Director.

EstimatorXpress tracks the latest prices and can work out not just today’s cost but the job start date cost as well - which is almost definitely going to be more. Material schedules are produced automatically so suppliers can be given advanced notice. The clever on-board dashboard provides loads of analysis including a visual overview of profit, cash flow and progress.

Managing a building firm with the help of software is no longer a ‘nice to have’ but a necessity, according to Joanna. “Building firms that are still reliant on pen and paper and spreadsheets risk being left behind, or worse still, disappearing. The interest in construction software over the last 12 months has risen significantly, and with good reason,” she explains. “The more profitable businesses today are letting digital solutions do the heavy lifting - from the quoting and project management, through to health and safety and contract writing.”

HBXL’s ‘Go Digital’ campaign is designed to take any fear factor out of software programmes, by making them accessible to smaller 1-5 person building firms.

According to Joanna, IT skills are really not needed for using HBXL’s software. The suite is made up of five end-to-end construction software tools: As well as EstimatorXpress, there’s PlansXpress; Health & Safety Xpert; ContractsXpert and ProjectXpert. Each one has been re-engineered to be even more straightforward for the user. The whole process is ‘step by step’ with visual aids and hints and tips that appear in the window as you go. The project data in the estimate also populates the health and safety, contracts and project management software, saving the user even more time.

As for the design side, their PlansXpress software helps builders draw architect quality buildings plans and models - without the need for qualifications. Less costly than architect services, the software’s impressive graphics are job-winners.

SUPPORT AND FREE TRAINING

All new users receive an onboarding session, help with their first estimate or CAD drawing, and have the option of eight free hours of live-streamed training to sharpen their new found skills if they feel they need it.

In the first instance builders are being invited to have a short online demonstration. The number of slots has been expanded to meet the demand. Call 0117 916 7898 to book your demonstration or go online to www.hbxl.co.uk/online-demo

Jack Lemon, Head of Tradespeople Marketing at Rated People, explains how the company can help your business thrive.

HIGHLY RATED

At a time when there’s high customer demand for tradespeople, you may wonder what an online marketplace has to offer. At Rated People, we’re in the business of lead generation for tradespeople but we know that it’s not just the amount of work that matters, it’s knowing that it’s the right work at the right time. Plus, there’s a lot more to running a successful business and enjoying doing it, than the number of customers you can line up.

Jobs waiting for you, when you

want them

With 24/7 access to work opportunities, and no shortlists, you’re fully in control of the jobs you choose to go after. You tell us what work you’re interested in and set your own filters, and we show you the jobs that match your criteria. That immediate access to new job opportunities means you don’t have to turn lots of work down or worry about where your next job will be when you’re busy

We do your marketing so you can

focus on doing your job

You don’t need to burn through your own hard-earned cash experimenting on channels that might not bring in the work that you’re looking for. We have the inhouse expertise to do the marketing for your business. You’ll get your own profile page that does the same job as an SEOoptimised website, so you can build your reputation and secure new customers.

Build genuine ratings and reviews

Homeowner customers are encouraged to leave ratings and reviews for the tradespeople they’ve hired through the platform which helps you build your online reputation and is crucial to landing more work. With ratings and reviews tied back to individual job leads, it’s an honest way of gathering real feedback from real customers.

Get help with the admin

Admin is not the nicest part of the job and it’s easy to fall behind. You can organise your business from anywhere with Rated People’s free Trades App and benefit from features like a Lead Tracker to keep an eye on how different jobs are progressing both on and off the platform, and an invoice generator. It’s handy for helping get through the admin quicker so you can spend more time on the tools or with friends and family.

Drive down your business costs

with offers and discounts

To help you run your business more efficiently, members on annual plans get access to Member Benefits Premium, a collection of over 250 offers and discounts on business and personal expenses. You can save over £3,000 annually with six of the leading benefits, including up to 20 per cent off trade supplies and discounts on the seemingly ever-increasing price of fuel.

Exclusive insights to get your

business thriving in 2022

With so much uncertainty over the past couple of years, we’ve all realised just how important it is to safeguard businesses. One of the ways you can do that is by seeking out new areas of opportunity. Our Rated People Home Improvement Trends Report is available for trades businesses like yours and it’s full of insights that help you identify those opportunities – whether that’s knowing what home improvements homeowners plan to spend the most money on in 2022 and what jobs are rising in popularity or benefitting from other tradespeople sharing how they’re responding to the increase in demand. We keep you up to date with all those must-have industry insights to benefit your business and give you an edge.

FOR MORE ON GROWING YOUR BUSINESS WITH RATED PEOPLE, VISIT WWW.RDR.LINK/BAE018

INVENTORS’CORNER

TALE OF THE TAPE

Phil Hogan, the inventor of the Gator Tape

Professional Builder’s Lee Jones meets an inventor who’s developed a product that is quite literally made to measure for the trades.

Measure twice and cut once might be the old adage, but even having abided by that time-honoured precaution you can still be at the mercy of the limits of your tape measure. Long lengths or door and window reveals can all prove problematic, but not so with the Gator Tape. Inventor, Phil Hogan, first identified a gap in the market when setting up an interior refurbishment company with his wife, as he explains: “As well as painting & decorating, we also specified and installed shutters, blinds and curtains. It was when I found myself measuring up rooms for these products, that it became apparent that there wasn’t really a suitable tape measure for the job.”

With necessity the mother of invention, Phil set up finding a remedy that would measure up. “It became a real voyage of discovery because in finding a solution for a very specific task we found that we’d developed a tool that would be useful for virtually every trade.” In fact, Phil would spend four years from initial prototype to finished product, perfecting its features and benefits.

Collaborating with a designer, Phil focused on refining the ergonomics, to ensure the measure is a comfortable fit in the hand, but it is in accuracy and userfriendliness that the Gator Tape makes its mark. “Like other top reading tape measures on the market it works by measuring from the back of the base plate to the hook of the tape,” continues Phil, “with the result viewable in the top viewing window. Existing examples only feature a maximum blade width of 19mm, however, whereas ours is 25mm, which provides a far superior stand-out of 2.3m on a 5m blade.”

“Not only that, the Gator Tape is the only top viewing tape measure with a Class 1 blade, which means it has the highest standard of accuracy available, with an error of no more than +/- 1.1mm over a 10m length. Readings from that hi vis blade can be viewed in millimetres, centimetres and inches and the backplate has been specifically designed so that it will stand up on its own. A powerful snout lock means you can move it around with confidence once you’ve taken a measurement, whilst there’s also a curtain claw available.”

This attachment allows for the highly accurate measurement of the drop of curtains from a pole. It has been designed to fit securely to the blade tip of the Gator Tape, which is then simply hooked to the eyelets or rings on the curtain pole. Unlock the tape, slide it down to the floor, and you have a very accurate reading. In addition, the product’s durable casing can be complemented by a holster which means the tool is always by your side.

There’s also no more bending the blade to try and read a measurement. In addition, with the extended stand out the self-supporting blade affords, and a base plate that allows the tool to stand up on its own, measuring the height of an area is a far more straightforward proposition.

Feedback from end users has revealed that the Gator Tape has found a place with multiple users, as Phil explains: “Kitchen and bathroom installers love it because they’re doing a lot of internal measurements. I recently demonstrated it to a carpenter on site and, having taken a measurement of the door lining he was working on there and then, bought three for him and his two lads on site.”

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE GATOR TAPE VISIT WWW.RDR.LINK/BAE019

INVENTORS’CORNER

Professional Builder’s Lee Jones talks to the tradesman behind the Bricky’s Buddy, a time-saving trowel holder that’s a friend at your side.

BUDDY UP!

We’ve all been there; you put something down and – almost as soon as you have –you forget where. Experienced builder, Mike Clarke thinks he has the answer – a magnetic trowel holder that means you never have to part with your trusty tool in the first place, and it will always by your side, even when up and down scaffolding or moving around site.

“I made a rudimentary version to use myself and the result was many positive comments from other tradespeople on how useful it looked,” explains the North Yorkshire-based builder. “I don’t think even brickies themselves are aware of just how often they’ll put their trowel down in the course of a day. The feedback I get from people who’ve used it is that it’s a lifesaver.”

Mike, together with his business partner Terry Ashmore, a North Yorkshire based Joiner, set about producing a version that they could bring to the market as a solution for the trades, and the result is the Bricky’s Buddy. The benefits, as Mike explains, are multiple: “It’s not just saving you time because there’s also a safety consideration, especially working at heights. The highgrade neodymium magnets means that the trowel will stay in place, it’s dual sided and is very easy to keep clean. The Bricky’s Buddy has a seat belt like material strap that hangs from a belt making it very durable. From my own experience of using it, I can say that it’s absolutely no encumbrance to your movement. It only weighs 180g, in fact, so you’ll barely notice it’s there.” In the first instance, Mike used his own Marshalltown Philadelphia as a template for the design, but it will equally work with any trowel available today. The Bricky’s Buddy launched in April 2021 with Mike and Terry moving quickly to achieve a presence in tool shops and around the world via their website, the team are now keen to expand its retail availability still further.

“Whilst we both kept running our own successful businesses and trying to make a new product a reality has proved to be more challenging than we could have envisaged,” admits the North Yorkshirebased builder, “and there’s been a lot of working evenings and weekends on the idea. Now that we’ve got something that is genuinely useful to the industry, we would like to scale up the manufacturing and get it out there to more individuals, companies, and stores. I know it works because we’ve thoroughly tested it ourselves on our own jobs and I wouldn’t now be without it.”

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE BRICKY’S BUDDY VISIT WWW.RDR.LINK/BAE020

In recent years, sustainable and ethical construction techniques have become a main focus for the dampproofing industry. Now, Safeguard Europe has upped its game by offering an award-winning ecologically-minded breed of cavity drainage membranes.

NETGAINS

SUSTAINABLE

Safeguard Europe, UK dampproofing experts since 1983, develop high-spec waterproofing technology. In recent years, sustainable and ethical construction techniques have become a main focus for the damp-proofing industry. Now, Safeguard Europe has upped its game by being the UK distributors of an ecologically-minded breed of cavity drainage membranes.

Oldroyd Eco membranes are created with an end-to-end process centred around dramatically reducing carbon footprint. They are manufactured with modern procedures, transported with significantly reduced road miles and made of at least 50 per cent recycled plastic. This makes them the most efficient cavity drainage membrane on the market in terms of workability, practicality –and environmental impact.

Environmentally-friendly

Oldroyd Eco is an opaque studded cavity drainage membrane designed to manage the passage of moisture away from decorative surfaces on damp or contaminated internal walls and floors. As part of Oldroyd’s commitment to environmentally friendly production techniques, the Oldroyd Eco range was launched to manufacture standard cavity drainage membranes with up to 100 per cent renewable energy. Embedded within its multi-layer technology also lies 50 per cent recycled plastic –but not the kind you would find from a typical 2 litre Fanta bottle. Eco plastic formed from discarded fishing nets and other recovered plastics from the ocean, which otherwise would have been a hazard to marine life for centuries to come.

Around 30 per cent of the decline in some fish populations are a result of abandoned fishing equipment – and more than 70 per cent of marine life ensnarement is caused by discarded plastic fishing nets. They are one of the most harmful forms of aquatic plastic pollution due to the lack of end-of-life solutions. Oldroyd Eco gives new life to this seemingly purposeless plastic. Not only does it drastically reduce the amount of energy required to produce the membrane, but also helps to improve the condition of the marine environment.

This unconventional production process doesn’t detract from the product’s quality in any way. Oldroyd’s