Off The Job: A Tradesman Podcast

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If you're self-employed and your body suddenly stops you working… how long could you actually afford to be off the tools?

Pete and Keiran are back for another Off The Job Overtime, and this week Pete’s back injury sparks a conversation that every self-employed tradesperson should probably think about.

After struggling with severe sciatic pain, Pete was told to rest for up to 12 weeks, but when your income depends on physically turning up and doing the job, taking three months off isn't exactly straightforward.

That leads into a bigger discussion around income protection, insurance and looking after your body when you work in the trades.

Pete also looks back on 27 years on the tools and admits he ignored advice about protecting his knees when he was younger, because, like most people starting out, you assume your body will always be fine.

They also get into:

• What happens financially if a self-employed tradesperson can't work
• Whether income protection is something more tradespeople should consider
• Looking after your knees and body before problems start
• Why £160 isn't a realistic day rate for an experienced tradesperson
• Why mates rates don't always make sense
• Whether charging by the job is better than telling customers your day rate
• Is staying a one-man band actually underrated?
• Why more staff doesn't automatically mean more profit
• The extra stress, wages and responsibility that come with growing a trade business
• Where one trade's job ends and another one's starts
• Should the carpenter or decorator caulk decorative panelling?
• Who makes good after plumbers and electricians chase into walls?

The lads also get into an important health and safety discussion after looking at an HSE case involving workers who were injured during maintenance work where isolation and lock-off arrangements were among the failures identified.

It raises a simple question:

Would you trust another tradesperson telling you something is safely isolated, or would you always check it yourself?

There's also plenty of audience debate around staying solo versus growing a trade business. Some tradespeople say keeping things small means less stress and stronger customer relationships, while others point out that staying solo eventually limits how much work one person can physically handle.

If you're a plumber, gas engineer, electrician, carpenter, decorator, builder or self-employed tradesperson, this episode gets into the realities of running a trade business that don't always get talked about.

👇 Let us know in the comments:

If you couldn't work for a month, would your business and bills be covered?

And would you rather stay a one-man band or build a bigger team?

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⚠️ Warning: Contains adult humour and strong language. Tradesmen banter ahead.

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Big changes are coming to new homes in 2027, but what could they actually mean for tradespeople?

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Pete and Keiran are back for another Off The Job Overtime, and this week they get into the upcoming Future Homes and Buildings Standards and what they could mean for gas engineers, plumbers, electricians, heating engineers, renewable installers, builders and developers.

The lads look at what is expected to change from March 2027, including new-build heating, heat pumps, solar PV, ventilation, energy efficiency, commissioning and the evidence trades could increasingly be expected to provide.

One of the biggest talking points is gas boilers.

The episode clears up an important point: this does not mean existing gas boilers suddenly become banned in March 2027. The discussion is specifically around new homes built to the new standards, where gas boilers are not expected to meet the required performance standard and low-carbon heating such as heat pumps will become increasingly important.

They also get into:

• What the Future Homes Standard could mean for UK trades
• Gas boilers in new-build properties
• Heat pumps and why they are not always a straight boiler swap
• Solar PV becoming more common on new homes
• Ventilation in increasingly airtight properties
• Water efficiency and changing requirements
• Digital evidence, commissioning and proving work has been completed correctly
• Whether houses could eventually have a digital service history
• Which trades could be caught out if they are not keeping up with the changes

There’s also a really interesting conversation around whether homes should have something similar to a car service history, recording work, certificates, alterations and important information so future homeowners and tradespeople can see exactly what has been done to the property.

And because it’s Overtime, that’s not all.

Pete and Keiran also get into whether plumbers should actually deal with blocked toilets, when it is time to call a drainage specialist, whether trade customers should get better merchant pricing than the general public, and where the line sits between plumbing and specialist work.

If you’re a gas engineer, plumber, electrician, heating engineer, builder or self-employed tradesperson, this episode gives you a first look at some of the changes worth keeping on your radar before 2027.

👇 Let us know in the comments:

Do you think the Future Homes Standard will significantly change your trade?

And do you think the industry is ready for more heat pumps, solar and digital evidence?

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⚠️ Warning: Contains adult humour and strong language. Tradesmen banter ahead.

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Is there really a skills shortage in the UK trades, or is there simply not enough work to go around?

Pete and Keiran are back for another Off The Job Overtime, and this week they get into a question a lot of tradespeople are starting to ask.

We constantly hear that the UK needs more builders, plumbers, electricians and skilled tradespeople, but at the same time apprentices are struggling to find placements and plenty of trades are saying work has slowed down.

So what’s actually going on?

The lads discuss recent construction figures showing activity contracting, particularly in residential work, and whether different trades are being affected depending on whether the work is essential or something customers can delay when money is tight.

They also get into:

• Is there really a UK skills shortage?
• Why apprentices are struggling to find opportunities
• Whether residential construction and home improvement work is slowing
• Which trades are likely to feel a downturn first
• Essential work vs jobs customers can put off
• The reality of being self-employed when costs keep rising
• Making Tax Digital and what the changing thresholds could mean for tradespeople
• Why working on the tools can take such a toll on your body
• A recap of all 10 guests from this season

Pete also talks about badly hurting his back after years on the tools, leading into a very relatable conversation about how much tradespeople rely on their bodies to earn a living and how little thought most of us give to warming up, stretching or protecting ourselves before a day’s graft.

There’s also a discussion around Making Tax Digital, with the lads talking through the turnover thresholds moving from £50,000 to £30,000 and then £20,000, and what that could mean for smaller self-employed businesses.

And because this is the final Overtime of the season, Pete and Keiran also look back at the guests from the last 10 episodes, from trade business owners and gas engineers to painters, electricians, floor layers and tool repair specialists, and pick out some of the funniest, most useful and most inspiring conversations.

If you’re a plumber, electrician, gas engineer, builder, apprentice or self-employed tradesperson, this episode gets into one of the biggest questions facing the industry right now:

Do we actually need more tradespeople or do we need more work?

👇 Let us know in the comments:

Has work slowed down in your trade recently, or are you busier than ever?

And do you think the UK has a genuine skills shortage?

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⚠️ Warning: Contains adult humour and strong language. Tradesmen banter ahead.

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Makita, Milwaukee or DeWalt, which power tool brand actually comes out on top when you’re the person repairing them?

Billy Jobson from Jobson Tools joins Pete and Keiran to give a completely different perspective on the power tools tradespeople use every day, what breaks, what’s worth repairing and which brands make life much harder when something eventually goes wrong.

Having grown up around tools and now working alongside his dad buying, selling and repairing power tools and machinery, Billy has seen inside everything from Makita and Milwaukee to DeWalt, Bosch, Hilti and more.

And his verdict isn’t as simple as saying one brand is the best.

Billy explains why he rates Milwaukee for performance but finds some Milwaukee tools expensive to repair, why Makita stands out for repairability and access to individual parts, and why different brands can be better depending on the actual tool you’re buying.

They get into:

• Makita vs Milwaukee vs DeWalt
• Which power tool brands Billy rates and why
• The easiest and hardest tools to repair
• Common power tool failures
• Why some tools cost more to repair than replace
• Whether cheaper tool brands are actually worth buying
• Why every tradesperson should consider having backup tools
• Simple power tool maintenance that could extend their life
• Lithium battery safety
• Battery adapters and whether Billy recommends using them
• Hilti’s tool hire and fleet model
• Why so many tradespeople throw repairable tools away
• Tool theft, marking tools and buying second-hand equipment

Pete also discovers that the Makita drill he recently threw away because of a broken chuck could potentially have been repaired for around £30–£40 - which leads into a bigger conversation about the amount of perfectly usable trade equipment being thrown away instead of repaired.

With power tools becoming more expensive, is constantly replacing broken equipment really the best option?

If you’re a plumber, electrician, carpenter, builder, gas engineer or anyone who relies on power tools for a living, this episode could make you think differently before you throw your next drill, impact driver or multi-tool in the skip.

👇 Let us know in the comments:

Makita, Milwaukee or DeWalt - which are you choosing?

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⚠️ Warning: Contains adult humour and strong language. Tradesmen banter ahead.

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After 27 years in plumbing, what would Pete actually do differently if he had to start all over again?

Pete and Keiran are back for another Off The Job Overtime, getting into the reality of working in the trades, running your own business and whether the path most tradespeople are encouraged to follow is actually the right one.

Pete looks back at his career in plumbing and heating and talks honestly about what he would change if he was starting again today, from getting qualified earlier and learning as much as possible, to keeping overheads down, choosing the right work and thinking more carefully about how he builds his business.

That leads into a bigger conversation around whether staying a one-man band is underrated. Is growing a trade business, employing people and taking on more responsibility always the goal? Or can keeping things simple, reducing your outgoings and focusing on profitable work give you a better lifestyle?

They also get into:
 * The real cost of being self-employed in the trades
 * Why retraining later in life can be so difficult
 * Rising fuel, food, tools and business overheads
 * Whether tradespeople feel pressured to grow their businesses
 * The types of trade work that can offer better margins and less stress
 * Why apprenticeships and getting proper experience are still so important

There’s also a debate around a new government-backed home improvement scheme and why Pete and Keiran think the conversation around “trusted trades” also needs to include protecting tradespeople from customers who don’t pay.

And, as always, Overtime goes off in a few other directions, from a customer asking whether £160 was Pete’s day rate, to the cost of everyday life, haircuts, supermarkets, possible career changes and whether Pete could eventually swap plumbing for training guide dogs.

If you’re a plumber, gas engineer, electrician, heating engineer, sole trader or self-employed tradesperson, this episode gets into the questions most people only start asking after years on the tools.

👇 If you could start your trade career again, what would you do differently?

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⚠️ Warning: Contains adult humour and strong language. Tradesmen banter ahead.

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How does a simple flooring idea turn into 400 emails overnight, sell out in minutes and end up stocked by flooring suppliers around the world?

Sam Prosser, the floor layer behind MyScribe, joins Pete and Keiran to talk about his journey through the flooring trade, building a following on social media and turning a simple idea he created on the tools into a real product business.

Sam started in flooring young, following his dad and brother into the trade, but his route there was anything but straightforward. He talks openly about spending part of his childhood in the care system, leaving school without GCSEs and eventually building a career for himself through flooring.

The conversation then gets into how MyScribe actually started. After one of Sam’s homemade herringbone flooring templates gained millions of views online, he realised there could be a better way of doing it. A 3D printer bought by his wife gave him the chance to turn the idea into a physical product — and the response was bigger than he expected.

After putting a small batch up for sale, Sam received around 400 emails in one night. Later batches sold out within minutes, leading to outside investment, bigger production and MyScribe eventually being stocked by flooring suppliers and shipped internationally.

They also get into:

• How Sam got started as a floor layer
• Growing a flooring business and working in commercial vs domestic jobs
• Creating MyScribe from a simple on-site idea
• Selling out stock and dealing with sudden demand
• Finding investors and scaling a trade product
• Protecting an idea with trademarks and design protection
• Building a brand rather than relying on one product
• How social media helped grow the business
• One YouTube video reaching around 17 million views
• Dealing with trolling and criticism online
• The pressure facing the flooring industry from DIY and other trades
• Sam’s long-term goal of eventually opening his own flooring shop

It’s a great example of how an idea born from actually working on the tools can turn into something much bigger.

If you’re a floor layer, carpet fitter, tradesperson, self-employed business owner or anyone with a product idea you’ve never acted on, this episode is packed with lessons around starting small, testing an idea, using social media and building something from your own experience.

👇 Let us know in the comments:

Have you ever had an idea on the tools that you thought could become a real product?

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⚠️ Warning: Contains adult humour and strong language. Tradesmen banter ahead.

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What does it actually take to leave a secure job at British Gas and build your own heating business?

James Davis from JWD Heating joins Pete and Keiran to talk about spending 17 years at British Gas, why he finally decided to leave, and what the reality of going self-employed as a gas engineer was actually like.

James opens up about starting out in plumbing straight from school, joining British Gas at 19, spending years working in service and repair, and eventually leaving during the fire-and-rehire period to start building JWD Heating for himself.

The episode gets into the parts of self-employment that tradespeople don’t always see from the outside — pricing jobs properly, understanding your real business costs, taking on apprentices, managing a team, dealing with customers, keeping cash flow healthy and learning how to stop charging like an employee when you’re running a company.

They also cover:

• What working at British Gas was really like
• Why James stayed for 17 years before leaving
• Boiler breakdowns, fault finding and when replacement makes more sense than repair
• Starting JWD Heating from scratch
• Using local Facebook groups and social media to win work
• Pricing jobs and learning what your company actually costs to run
• Taking on apprentices and growing a heating business
• Social media hate, showing real jobs and not pretending every install is perfect
• Air conditioning as an extra income stream for gas engineers
• Deposits, unpaid invoices and protecting yourself financially
• The pressures of employing people and learning how to manage a team
• Why James still wants to stay on the tools

James also talks about the early days of self-employment, when simply earning more than his old daily wage felt like success, before realising that once you factor in vans, wages, VAT, tax, materials and overheads, turnover and profit are two very different things.

There’s plenty of honest trade chat too, from customers tampering with boilers and difficult breakdowns to apprentices, mate rates, social media comments and the constant balancing act between staying competitive and actually making money.

If you’re a gas engineer, heating engineer, plumber, apprentice or self-employed tradesperson thinking about leaving employment, growing your own business or taking on staff, this episode gives a realistic look at what that journey actually involves.

👇 Join the conversation:

Would you leave a secure job after 17 years to go self-employed?

And if you already run your own trade business, what was the hardest lesson you had to learn?

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⚠️ Warning: Contains adult humour and strong language. Tradesmen banter ahead.

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What do people outside the trades actually think the job is like, and how close is that to reality?

In this episode of Off The Job: Overtime, Pete and Keiran get into some of the biggest misconceptions around working in the trades, from how much tradespeople really earn to the physical toll of doing the job year after year.

They also discuss the latest progress around tool theft, whether advertising “no call-out fee” can be misleading, why the UK still has an electrician and apprenticeship shortage, and how rising material prices are affecting quotes and trade businesses.

Plus, Pete shares one of those plumbing jobs that reminds you exactly why some jobs are better left to the drainage engineer… 💩

In this episode:
 • The biggest misconceptions about working in the trades
 • What customers don’t see behind a tradesperson’s price
 • The physical reality of staying on the tools
 • Progress being made against tool theft
 • Are “no call-out fee” adverts misleading?
 • Why so many people want apprenticeships but shortages remain
 • Financial support for businesses taking on apprentices
 • Rising copper and material costs
 • Should your quotes increase when materials do?
 • Boiler prices, warranties and servicing
 • Would Pete and Keiran encourage their own kids into the trades?

👇 Get involved in the comments and let us know your take on this week’s debates.

Got a story, rant or topic you want Pete and Keiran to discuss on Overtime? Send it over and it could feature in a future episode.

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⚠️ Warning: Contains adult humour and strong language. Tradesmen banter ahead.

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How do you go from being a one-man-band electrician to building a specialist trade business turning over around £1.5 million?

Richard Pearson, founder of London Basement Pumps, joins Pete and Keiran to break down how he went from electrical work and subcontracting to finding a niche, building a team and creating a trade business with more than 2,500 recurring service customers.

Richard started his career working on neon signs and electrical systems across London before eventually becoming a qualified electrician and running his own electrical contracting work. But general electrical work wasn’t where he saw his future. After being asked to work on his first pumping system, he spotted an opportunity in a specialist area that eventually became London Basement Pumps.

The conversation gets into what actually happens when a self-employed tradesperson decides to grow beyond being a one-man band- hiring your first employees, learning how to run a business, building systems, dealing with 24-hour emergency call-outs and creating a service that customers return to year after year.

Richard also explains why moving towards recurring servicing and service agreements completely changed the business. Instead of constantly relying on Google and chasing the next job, London Basement Pumps now has thousands of existing customers who require ongoing maintenance, something Richard believes has helped make the company more stable and ultimately more valuable.

They also discuss:

• Finding a profitable niche within the trades
• Growing from sole trader to employing a team
• Working inside multi-million-pound London properties
• Building repeat and recurring customers
• Pricing, risk and the real costs of running a trade business
• Mental health and the pressure of owning a company
• Pensions, exit strategies and building a business you can eventually sell

There are some unbelievable stories from Richard’s years working in high-end residential properties too, including a flooded two-storey basement where a diver had to be sent into the property before the water could even be pumped out. And perhaps the biggest question of the episode: is growing a trade business actually better than staying a highly profitable one-man band?

If you’re an electrician, plumber, gas engineer, heating engineer, sole trader or trade business owner, this episode gives a real look at the opportunities and pressures that come with turning your trade into a business.

👇 What would you choose: stay a one-man band earning good money, or build a company you could eventually sell?

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⚠️ Warning: Contains adult humour and strong language. Tradesmen banter ahead.

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From sleeping on a kitchen floor to becoming the UK's first National Plumber of the Year, Louchavan Lemard's journey is unlike any other.

Pete and Keiran sit down with Louchavan Lenard, founder of PH247, Master Plumber and the first-ever National Plumber of the Year, to discuss the challenges that shaped his career and why he believes the trade industry deserves far more respect than it gets.

Louchavan opens up about growing up in difficult circumstances, leaving school with no GCSEs, experiencing homelessness, overcoming discrimination during his apprenticeship and building a successful plumbing and heating business through resilience, professionalism and a commitment to giving back to the next generation.

Throughout the episode, the conversation explores:

• How plumbing completely changed Louchavan's life
• Why attitude matters more than exam results
• Apprenticeships, work experience and the future of the trade industry
• Why tradespeople deserve more respect
• The difference between plumbers, fitters and engineers
• Building a profitable plumbing and heating business
• Why so many self-employed tradespeople undercharge
• Business mentors, coaching and creating long-term success
• Finding your niche and growing a sustainable trade business
• Why professionalism is the future of the construction industry

Whether you're a plumber, gas engineer, heating engineer, electrician, builder, carpenter, apprentice or running your own trade business, this episode is packed with honest advice, real-life experiences and practical lessons that every tradesperson can learn from.

👇 Join the conversation:
Do you think schools still undervalue careers in the trades? And what's the biggest lesson you've learnt since starting your apprenticeship or business?

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⚠️ Warning: Contains adult humour and strong language. Tradesmen banter ahead.

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