Episodes
Robin Clevett is joined by Charlie Cameron from Treehouse Life (treehouselife.com). Treehouse Life is a family run business that travels the world building treehouses and rope bridges. Charlie talks about working in Hawaii, India, Seychelles, Monaco and also talks about the logistics of traveling and building in exotic destinations
Robin talks all the time about the need for more people to join the trade. Can re-training be a viable path into the industry? What should people re-training or looking to re-train know about the trade? Robin has two Carpenters join him to discuss all of this and more
Robin is joined by Marc Firkins & Dan Brown to talk about how they approach diet and exercise in their personal and professional lives. Robin shares how he approaches both and also reads some comments from well known Carpenters that join us on the show from time to time
Robin goes through some common and not so common Carpentry/Joinery issues faces by people working in the trade. This is everything from measuring to tools, working with builders and more
How do you know you're charging enough? That seems to be a question that's becoming harder to answer in 2023 with cost of living, tricky customers, material price increases and everything that can go wrong over the course of a job. Robin has invited Festool influencer John Argyle on the show to talk about how he works out his costs and former Screwfix Top Tradesperson Sean Matthews talks about how he's had to adjust his prices, how he works out his costs and both (along with Robin) offer you some valuable tips on how to protect your bottom line
Phil returns to touch on the private work he takes on, how he got started in the trade, how he approaches the design process, favourite projects completed and also talks tools
Phil Ladd AKA Cutswift Carpentry joins Robin Clevett to discuss what it's like working in television. Phil talks about the shows he's involved with, what it's like working in televisin, the rewards and the challenges, the logistics of juggling a shoot with expectation and materials and tools needed
Robin Clevett is joined by Jack Auletta, a builder from Robin's local area that runs a really well set-up domestic based building company. Robin asks Jack what his experiences have been like working with carpenters, How Carpenters can work better with builders, why there's such demand for builders and also touches on how Jack has managed to make great money from the domestic market
Robin talks to Mark Harvey, Building Control Partnership Manager for East Suffolk Council about what tradespeople should know about involving a building inspector about relevant work. Robin talks about how customers will try and conduct work without involving building control and what reputational damager that do to you. Mark talks about misconceptions tradespeople have about what a building inspectors aims are, how to engage properly with building control, when to involve them and also talks about what he's oberved on-sitr and in the patch he controls
Robin Clevett shares the final two of his seven sins of Carpentry that you should try to avoid at all costs. Joining Robin to talk through the final two sins is Sam Thomas and Marc Firkins, who between them have more than a lifetime of experience in the trade
Robin shares the first five of his seven sins of Carpentry. These are some classic missteps Robin has seen people countless times and how to avoid them. Joining Robin to talk through the first sin is Mark Firkins, a well rounded and vastly experienced Carpenter with 30+ years of experience
Robin talks about the role the Carpenter and Joiner can play on-site, which other trades they tend to come up against and is joined by two well known Carpenters from social media to discuss their experiences working with other trades
Robin Clevett is joined again by the team from Pitch Perfect to talk about working outdoors, timber, builders supplying materials, the next steps of the business, roof construction and more
Robin Clevett is joined by Max, Liam & James from Pitch Perfect Construction Ltd. who specialise in structural carpentry, cut and pitch roofing and loft conversions. They talk about how they all came to work together, why they decided to start up a business together, what it's like working together on-site and in the back end of the business and touch on working with builders and the general public
Robin Clevett is joined by Richard Wagner, who runs The River Shop in London offering woodworking classes for all ages and skill levels. Richard talks about his unconvential entry into the construction industry, why he started The River Shop, talks about sourcing timber, tools and more
Your ability to properly source your materials in a cost effective way is key to your profit margins when working for yourself. Robin talks about how to source timber and how to build relationships at a timber yard. Also, everything you should buy in bulk, what you will and can get a deal on, the importance of controlling the purchasing of your own materials, what to re-invest in your business and more
Sam Thomas returns for another experience after talking about his 30 years experience in the trade last week. On this week's show Robin and Sam talk about tonnes of topic that matter to Carpenters here in the UK from unqualified chancers and customers supplying materials to ULEZ, tool theft and more
Robin Clevett is joined by Sam Thomas, a Carpenter with 30 years experience to talk about the early days working on-site in the West End of London and some of the people you meet on-site. Sam and Robin discuss transitioning from site work to taking on your own private jobs as a sole trader and share some stories and memorable moments from this era of their careers
Kevin Page from Pentagon Carpentry joins Robin to talk about his work around the world as a Carpenter and his more than 20 years experience in the trade. Kevin talks about working in places like Colombia and Nigeria as well as his experiences on the tools domestically and also talks about some issues that matter to him and Carpenters and Joiners across the UK
Robin Clevett is joined in the studio by Jacob Bell who was a finalist on the Channel 4 show, Britain's Best Woodworker. Jacob talks about his experiences on the show, his challenges with his workshop in 2023 and some of the projects he takes on as Winterton's Furniture. Can you help Jacob kit out his new worshop? Email - mark@fixradio.co.uk
Robin Clevett wraps up his six show guide on setting yourself up as a sole trader with Henry Dex. Dan Giles, a sole trader who is a little further on in his journey through the trade talks about the challenges that are coming next for Henry and what to look out for
Managing your money can be challenging as a sole trader in carpentry and construction. Robin talks about how he's dealt with this over the course of his career. Jordan Jewitt, managing director of (Accountants) For The Trade joins us to answer some questions about handling tax, doing your books, National Insurance contributions and more
Robin Clevett talks Henry Dex through some experiences he's had and jobs he's completed over his decades of experience in the trade. Robin talks about setting up a business in the early days, working with others on-site, managing people on-site and dealing with different charecters that you're likely to meet over the years
Robin continues to help young self employed Carpenter Henry Dex with his early steps in the trade as a fully qualified chippy. Craig Wilkinson, founder of Trades Freedom Club (and Carpenter himself) joins us to give some expert advice on how to go about networking, marketing, presenting yourself to customers and when to expand your offerings as a sole trader and new business owner.
Henry Dex has found the costs of keeping his work van on the road challenging. Show host Robin Clevett offers some tips on how to solve some of these issues. They also chat about buying tools as a new self employed Carpenter as well as material costs and how to get yourself a good deal
Robin Clevett is joined by Henry Dex for the first in a series of how to develop as a self employed Carpenter. Henry recently went out on his own and has found many challenges that any self employed person in construction can relate to. On this episode Henry talks through a really tough situation he found himself in when quoting for work. Robin helps pinpoint what went wrong and offers some tips on how to approach the process from his decades of experience winning high end jobs and building a fantastic reputation
Robin Clevett is joined by self employed carpenter to chat about Sam Thomas' 30 years experience in the trade. Sam talks about how he got started, shares some stories about nightmare moments and tricky customers and also talks tools, ULEZ and more
Robin Clevett talks about his experiences working in the elements over the course of his career. Also joining Robin is Max Lee who does a lot of cut and pitch roofing and loft conversions. Max talks about which season gives him the most grief on-site, how he plans for the changing seasons and gives a few tips he's picked up for battling weather and working outside. Then, from the bespoke end of the structural carpentry market is influencer Oli Lee from With Bare Hands. Oli crafts amazing treehouses and cabins and works outside all 12 months of the year. Oli also shares some tips, insight an...
Robin talks about his experiences working in bespoke carpentry and cabintry. Derek from Derek Barrett Design Ltd. shares some of his business practices that have helped him found success and also talks about his workshop. Dan from DTS Carpentry also talks about some of the lessons he's learnt from his time in bespoke carpentry and also quoting for higher end clients
Robin Clevett talks about how digital assets are enhancing the businesses of Carpenters and Joiners across the world and shaping the future of the trade. Robin talks to Harris Sangster about how the business he runs with his brother who is a QS has been streamlined thanks to digital assets. Screwfix Top Tradesperson 2020, Sean Matthews talks about Sketch-Up, accounting and invoicing software and gives some advice on what you should look into and embrace if you haven't already