4000 a week? for a bricklayer

lomb

was talking to a guy the other day who is buliding houses(dad owns lot of land thats been rezoned) he was telling me he pays 4 grand a week to bricklayers? can this be right? hes given up medicine to build shops/houses!maybe i should do the same

Sleipnir

Yeah, it was in the paper about two weeks ago that some brickies are earning 175,000 a year.
Course, when they all declare their full earnings that comes down a good bit :rolleyes:

HashSlinging

2 euro a brick or something is the going rate.

Dan_B

And don't forget the wet money !!

lomb

hmm just sounded a lot thats all, maybe its not much these days

i can see them pulling up on site in a new SL500

this country has gone crazy thats for sure

leeroybrown

Not entirely unsurprising. The cost of the bricks that build a house haavn't significantly increased (when you include inflation) in 30 years. The cost of the person that lays them has grown hugely and the range of bricks (mainly by weight) that they will put down has diminished.

The funny thing is that there are small builders and block layers driving around in BMW's/Mercedes due to the building boom of the last 10 years or so. There's probably more 'ordinary' people in the construction industry significantly better off than in most other industries combined.

rooferPete

Hi lomb,

I had Mercs back when they were a status symbol but I didn't bring them to work except a few times when I had customers who loved to see success fitting their roof

Nothing surprises me regarding prices anymore, in fairness the good brickie always made good money.

They are a bit like the soccer players, their big earning days only last a few years and they do lose a lot of time due to weather.

The top earners have to allow for the days often weeks when income can be almost zero, "Wet Time" is for the older tradesmen who are working on the hourly rates not the lump.

I remember as kid reading about a hod carrier in England (labourer loading bricks) who was earning £1,000.00 a week and went to work in a new Rolls Royce Silver Shadow

.

Jim Kernsey

My father was a brick layer, he always said it was hard work, even if he did make good money.

He insisted that I go to college and get a pen pushers job.

I'm a Software Engineer that earns in a year what a brick layer earns in six weeks.

Capt'n Midnight

Jim Kernsey wrote:

I'm a Software Engineer that earns in a year what a brick layer earns in six weeks.

€175,000 / 6 x 52 = 1,516,000 !

where do I sign ?

Kristok

dosnt supprise me its a hard job to be doing everyday, they earn every penny of it.

Jim Kernsey

Capt'n Midnight wrote:

€175,000 / 6 x 52 = 1,516,000 !

where do I sign ?

I'm basing that on the title of this thread, where a bricklayer earns 4000 per week, I earn in a year what a brickie earns in six weeks:

4000*6 = 24,000 per year.

Its ok, you were only 1.492 million off

Rubens

lomb wrote:

he was telling me he pays 4 grand a week to bricklayers?

Its obscene overpaying like this that will lead to the slump that this country is heading for. "Greed" comes before a fall not "pride"

RJ

Jim Kernsey

Rubens wrote:

Its obscene overpaying like this that will lead to the slump that this country is heading for. "Greed" comes before a fall not "pride"

RJ

That sounds like typical Irish begrudgery.

Its a simple balance of supply and demand, if there were more talanted bricklayers, they'd get paid less. But there is a shortage of skilled bricklayers, and if anyone wants to offer me 4K a week, I'd be happy to accept.

Am I greedy?

Rubens

Jim Kernsey wrote:

That sounds like typical Irish begrudgery.

Wrong choice of words. Begrudgery is in part defined as "envy". There was no trace of "envy" in my post. I am merely stating the "reality" that this is too high a price to pay for a bricklayer.

I'm right and if you were not so "greedy" you might open your mind and admit it.

RJ

lomb

it is to high a price to be paying, without any question. however if a bricklayer can brick up a house and 'build it' in a week then he has my 4 grand! also like anything else it wont last, bricklayers in countries like india etc are paid under 5 euro a day, and their skills are ridiculously high. even in eastern european countries i doubt a bricklayer makes 15-20000 at his absolute peak. the economy wont bear it there.

it can bear extortionate construction costs here as essentially their labour is mortgaged over 35 years at very low interest. once interest rates rise in 4 years which they will then this economy as we know it will crash and burn. im not a pessimist but people in ireland are spoiled to the realities of a global world that we are living in. and it will hit home eventually although there may be another 5 years or more of it and price rises where the cost of houses will increase anotehr 35% as all increases are compound. perhaps in 5 or so years they may correct to current prices however it wouldnt stop me buying at all. all property rises at a compound rate over time and if u buy today u are certain of at least doubling the value of it in the next 20 years. also while it maintains its value in real terms u continue to get the use of the asset or rent, either way cant go wrong in my opinion, but back to the initial question if they get that they must be worth it, ie developers want to make money and need to build NOW.

stag39

emmmm....must change my career again...money money imagine working 6 weeks getting 24,000 quid then going for long holiday for 46 weeks!!!! tempting.. :rolleyes:

Capt'n Midnight

Bricks tend to be for the residential market, I'm guessing because it's low tech and the capital investment is low. Commercial buildings don't have that much brick anymore.

I know of projects where they wanted a brick effect so they had a lad cut bricks in half with an angle grinder and then put them face down in a mould and back filling with concrete to get a slab several meters long which was just bolted on to the building.

Irish people mostly live in cloned semi-detached brick cubes. The margins are so high that cost of construction doesn't seem to be an issue, if it was then all the advances in building over the last century would be in general use. The main changes in houses in the last 40 years has been a reduction in the amount of wood in the roof, and double glazing.

lomb

Capt'n Midnight wrote:

Commercial buildings don't have that much brick anymore.

no they dont, they are tin cans essentially if u look carefully. i was talking to a developer and he told me with land values so high and the reality that commercial propert HAS to be competive essentially the only way to make it pay and provide a return was to put up a tin can. he said the standard is very low and essentailly the buildings are of no quality.

Jim Kernsey

I meant no offence to anyone by using the term begrudgery, but I've heard so many people, jealous people, give out about how much builders earn. Many of these people feel that builders should be on crap wages because they haven't all got PhD’s or spent 7 years in college to become a doctor!!

Builders, for the most part work in harsh and often dangerous environments, If they are offered 175K a year why wouldn't they take it?

So many people spend their lives being jealous about what their brother in law earns or the builder down the street earns, that they never take a look at themselves.

Bricklayers don't hold anyone to ransom, look at the amount of English, Polish and Turkish builders out there right now. If skilled bricklayers from Poland or anywhere else worked for 500p.w. then the high charging bricklayers days will be numbered. To call them greedy is wrong, simply wrong.

I'm guessing that you earn substantially less than a bricklayer, your probably much more educated, and I’m guessing that in fact you are a little envious.

Last year I worked on an IT project with a few SAP consultants, they earned the same amount are they greedy?

A university dean earns over 100K + car + pension + benefits, are they greedy?

The new chief executive for the Health service executive earns substantially more is he greedy?

Look how much U2 made from their Vertigo tour, are they greedy!!!???

I do agree that the prices are very high, Housing market is highly inflated, and I don’t think I will last for ever, captain midnight is right, when is the last time you saw a factory being built with bricks, the market is already taking corrective action.

TBH I think bricklayers were lucky to find themselves in a position where they made so much, but its totally wrong to brand them as greedy.

JK

lomb

Capt'n Midnight wrote:

Irish people mostly live in cloned semi-detached brick cubes.

well they say 30% of homes are new in ireland and since most are apartments ie concrete blocks in the sky most irish people will be living at the mercy of land developers in their cement cubicles in the sky that they essentially dont own sharing common areas with others, being at the mercy of developers in years to come with their extortionate service charges aka 'rent' sitting on land that they dont own simply because the whole cement block is a leased propert over 900 years.

its a load of crap and it will affect and already has society. was reading the average age of marraige has gone up 2 years in the last 8 years! thats an insane social shift in such a short period. this country is essentially bringing its citizens to their knees from low interest rates. its just insane....

Rubens

This thread has veered towards a general speculative dicussion on the economy and futures as opposed to the rate being earned by some brickies.

My top tips (more educated than a bricklayer - and better looking )

1) Pay off as much of your mortgage as you can in the next 2 years because Interest rates will rise.

2) Dispose of any investment properties in the next 1.5 years just after the maturity of the SSIAs

3) Believe me because I'm usually right (not "greedy" or "envious" just RIGHT )

RJ

drdre

i wonot mind down bricklaying,does anyone know if theres any jobs goin for the summer you can pm me thanks:D

Jim Kernsey

Rubens wrote:

This thread has veered towards a general speculative dicussion on the economy and futures as opposed to the rate being earned by some brickies.

My top tips (more educated than a bricklayer - and better looking )

1) Pay off as much of your mortgage as you can in the next 2 years because Interest rates will rise.

2) Dispose of any investment properties in the next 1.5 years just after the maturity of the SSIAs

3) Believe me because I'm usually right (not "greedy" or "envious" just RIGHT )

RJ

I have to say I think you are completely right on parts 1 and 2, you'll have to post a picture if you're going to convince me you're better looking

I know there is another thread floating around about the impact of SSIA's, but I think rubens is right, interest rates will go up, and the SSIA's will provide a final burst of growth for house prices, rents are currently falling and will continue to fall. *??Bang??* But thats just what my crystal ball says.

lomb

Rubens wrote:

2) Dispose of any investment properties in the next 1.5 years just after the maturity of the SSIAs

i wouldnt do that, only asset stippers sell property, its one of the very few assets that peg inflation regardless of yield. rents have fallen to the same rate as interest rates hence the rents are low. what i would say is its a good idea to selectively dispose of non location investment property. although i loathe apartments personally and wouldnt live in one, i would certainly buy one in the city centre, they let easily and u are gauranteed 3% while while pegging inflation. the ssia are a drop in the bucket in comparison to even a flat, a 20 grand ssia is worth about 35-40 sqauare foot of a 999 year leashold flat ie bugger all.

gimpotronitus

Jim Kernsey wrote:

I have to say I think you are completely right on parts 1 and 2, you'll have to post a picture if you're going to convince me you're better looking

I know there is another thread floating around about the impact of SSIA's, but I think rubens is right, interest rates will go up, and the SSIA's will provide a final burst of growth for house prices, rents are currently falling and will continue to fall. *??Bang??* But thats just what my crystal ball says.

blatent lie...rents are not currently falling. Take a look at the daft.ie report released recently.

It is obvious to say "Interest rates will go up", I mean no prizes for that statement. The real questions are a) when? and b) by how much. If you consider that rates will probably go up slowly and I mean very slowly then *??Bang??* is not likely.

My advise, based on 30-40 years historcial averages is:

1. Own property so that it soaks up about 30% disposably income *now*. Later on, it will pay for itself.

2. Invest 30% disposable income *every* month in the stock market. Whether you like it or not, it always returns over the long term.

3. Enjoy your life with the other 40% cos you only live once!

magpie

Can we not get some Lithuanians in to do it for .25c per brick and put all these greedy ****ers out of business?

Its manual labour for crying out loud - you could literally train a chimp to do it if you had enough bananas.

Beta2

LOL !!

Although in fairness, if you wre offered 4K a week youd take it. I would. I think its wrong to call the bricklayers greedy it the developers that are greedy, putting 12 houses on a piece of land the size of a postage stamp, bricklayers wages are the product of high house prices, it the developers with their 25% profit margin that are greedy. It is a lot of money though...

Rubens

gimpotronitus wrote:

My advise, based on 30-40 years historcial averages is:

1. Own property so that it soaks up about 30% disposably income *now*. Later on, it will pay for itself.

2. Invest 30% disposable income *every* month in the stock market. Whether you like it or not, it always returns over the long term.

3. Enjoy your life with the other 40% cos you only live once!

"Historical Averages". What a silly statement regarding house prices. If we were to use historical averages to speculate on future house prices then in 30 years time the average 3 bed semi in Dublin will sell for €25,754,963.
(TWENTY FIVE MILLION)

Don't be a fool.

RJ

Scruff

gimpotronitus wrote:

1. Own property so that it soaks up about 30% disposably income *now*. Later on, it will pay for itself.

2. Invest 30% disposable income *every* month in the stock market. Whether you like it or not, it always returns over the long term.

3. Enjoy your life with the other 40% cos you only live once!

whats this thing called "disposable income" ?? 60% of sweet **** all wont buy you much property or shares and the 40% of the rest of it would mean i'd have a nonexistant social life. living in Dublin and "saving and investment" dont go hand in hand imo.
I had more disposable income in college

davidoco

In the mad year that was 2000 brickies were earning 1000 pounds a week. So what happened -- some construction went over to concrete shuttering and also timber frame took off.

2005
Leave school with the leaving, spend two or three years training. Earn that ridicilously good money until you are 30 when you hands start to fall off, your back gives in and you can't even lift the baby. I hope they invest it wisely now.

Beta2

davidoco wrote:

In the mad year that was 2000 brickies were earning 1000 pounds a week. So what happened -- some construction went over to concrete shuttering and also timber frame took off.

2005
Leave school with the leaving, spend two or three years training. Earn that ridicilously good money until you are 30 when you hands start to fall off, your back gives in and you can't even lift the baby. I hope they invest it wisely now.

Most brickies I know, that have been at it for sveral years have over time bought up sites, they tend to work on these sites during weekends, can do most of the work themselves and get good rates off roofers, tilers, plumbers etc.

They can probably build a house for less than half the price than anyoe else can. except if your a politician, then its free.

Its important to remember that it wasn't always this good for them, I remember the 80's, very few bricklaying jobs going. I was very young back then, but alot of my family are in the building game and they were on the bread line.