Who’s Who

You will need someone with a digger to both clear the site, which may involve very little work or a large amount of excavation if your site is sloping and you want a level one to build on, and to dig foundations. The actual work that has to be carried out will be set out by your engineer, surveyor or project manager.

In order to prevent damage to underground services, the final external drainage systems including treatment and discharge of the foul and surface water are usually left until all the heavy plant, equipment and machinery has left the site. The digger operator will complete the drainage, backfilling, laying clean hardcore or gravel on the driveway and tidying up the landscaping.

What they do & don’t do

• They will excavate the foundations and any preliminary drainage and also form the access to the site along with any bunding needed to prevent pollution from contaminated water runoff.
• They are not usually involved with the pouring of the foundations but can help to reach areas which the concrete lorry cannot.
• They may or may not own the digger; in both cases the cost of the digger is likely to be separate to their own labour cost. You may have to hire the digger yourself, which can cost in the region of £120/€150+ a day, so check this in advance and organise it if needs be.
• They are only there to carry out the excavation; where to put all of the earth/stone/vegetation will have to be planned in advance so you can tell them where to dump it. In some cases you will be sending material off site and you will need to plan for this in advance.
• They will also spread any hardcore for hardstandings required for safe access for plant and equipment such as delivery trucks, scaffolding, etc.

Qualifications

Plant and machinery operators should have an up-to-date Construction Plant Competence Scheme (CPCS) card, either as a Trained Operator (red card) or a Competent Operator (blue card). There are no set qualifications but the operator will have to be experienced. You will usually find the tradesman through word of mouth locally.

How are they paid?

By the day, based on an hourly rate. Digger rental cost is extra.

It can depend on what part of the country you are in, but carpenters and joiners are often labelled under the general term joiner or even chippie. When the roof structure has been erected, the tiles, slates or cladding can be fitted by a specialist roofer, but more often than not, this work is carried out by the carpenter/joiner. Some specialist roof coverings, e.g. green roofs, will be installed by the company from which you buy the roof covering materials. In most cases you buy the roof covering yourself for the joiner to fix. Some roof types such as green roofs require a specialised company to design and fit the product, which may have structural implications for the supporting roof structure.

Technically speaking a joiner builds things by joining pieces of wood, such as doors, windows and stairs and often works out of a workshop (as a bench joiner) but can also be found on site, depending on the processes required. The carpenter, meanwhile, cuts, shapes and installs timber to make roofs, floors and timber frames, and fits components such as skirting boards, architraves, doors and windows, during the construction of the building. Both professions can be responsible for cabinetmaking and furniture building, e.g. kitchen units and wardrobes.

What they do & don’t do

• Once the block layer is up wall plate level, the carpenter or joiner will begin work on preparing for the roof and making temporary stairs if they are needed; make sure this is part of the agreement if they are necessary.
• When the roof structure has been erected, the tiles, slates or cladding can be fitted by a specialist roofer, but more often than not, this work is carried out by the joiner. Again, always clarify from the get-go what you expect from the tradesmen and to what specification.
• At the appropriate stages during construction works, the joiner or steelwork contractor if there is one, may be needed to erect temporary works such as hoarding or safety fencing and propping or shoring to walls, floors, excavations or embankments.

Qualifications

Experience is the main thing to check for but carpenters will need to have completed training during their apprenticeship to achieve NVQ and/or City and Guilds qualifications. In ROI, an apprenticeship under the Statutory Apprenticeship system, leading to a qualification at level 5 to 10 on the National Framework of Qualifications, is the recognised way that people are trained and qualified in their trades.

How are they paid?

They will often charge for labour plus materials for either you to source or for them to find. Most tradespeople prefer regular cash payments but this practice has been greatly diminished by the recent health crisis and it is now much more common to transfer money electronically. Whatever the method, it is up to you the self-builder to find out when payments and deposits are required, to keep labour and materials paid up to date and to avoid delays.