(https://pendraken.co.uk/ProductImages/NewPremises.jpg)
We've been keeping this very quiet for a long time, but we can now announce that we are moving to our very own premises! This is the culmination of 3 years of careful planning at our end, trying to manage the finances and build a deposit, whilst still paying the bills and keeping up our heavy release schedule. But it's all come together just in time!
We grew out of our current unit a long time ago and we've had to hold back on some plans due to the limitations of our workspace. Our unit is essentially a large breeze block cavern so it is very cold, very open and very dusty most of the time. With it being a rented unit it's also difficult to make many changes to the structure, as we would just have to undo everything again when we eventually moved out, so it's never been viable for us to install partition walls, dropped lighting or mezzanine floors.
The new place solves all of these problems instantly, taking us from 1400sq/ft of compact cavern to over 4000sq/ft of proper rooms and separate workshop, so we can have a large casting workshop, a separate laser machine room, a dedicated packaging room, a kitchen, staff area, large office and... a 700sq/ft retail space! That's right, there will soon be a proper Pendraken shop that you can come and visit for your gaming goodies!
All of this is contained in our own grounds, all fenced off and secure, with parking to the front. We've also got a separate building to the rear (about 20ft square) that might make a lovely little gaming room for people to hire...
We'd hoped to be able to announce this news a lot earlier but it was almost scuppered entirely by the Covid situation. Getting viewings on properties is hard enough to begin with, but with so many businesses struggling at the moment the banks are extremely reluctant to lend at all. It's taken over 2 months of jumping through constant hoops for the bank to finally agree to our commercial mortgage, so it's been a nervous time. They also insisted on a much higher deposit than we'd originally planned for, but the pandemic actually helped on that front as the increased sales have allowed us to put away a bit extra to cover that.
So the rough plan at the moment is to get the purchase completed and get our keys in mid-March. There's about 2 weeks worth of work to be done inside (new wiring for the machines, decorating, etc) and then we'll need around 2-3 weeks to transfer the business over. Unfortunately we will need to close temporarily during that bit, but it should only be for about 2 weeks. We may leave the website up and running but on the understanding that there might be some delays on shipping.
Finally, we want to thank all of you for your support and custom for all of these years. Getting our own premises is a massive step for our business and gives us the security to move forward with so many new and exciting projects. Whether you started buying from us 29 years ago or placed your first order last week, every single one of you has contributed to this move and we are eternally grateful to you. We hope that you'll continue to support us on the next step of the journey!
I imagine that there might be one or two questions on all of that, so fire away!
(https://pendraken.co.uk/ProductImages/NewPremises2.jpg)
Well that's fantastic news :)!!! Fingers crossed it all goes through smoothly.
Excellent news! If I'm ever dragged up to the northeast by work again I'll drop in :)
Best of luck with all that.
Congratulations! :D That's great news. All being well I should be moving into a new home around then too. Good times all around!
Hope it all goes well for you Leon :-bd
I was lucky enough to be able to visit Pendraken's current premises.last time l was in the UK in 2015 and Leon gave me a quick tour of the unit....it's pretty compact. Hopefully one day l will be able to get back and visit the new shop, but it will be a while yet till international travel gets back to some degree of normality.
In the meantime l will do my best to assist with further orders 🙂
Great news. Now you just need a California annex...
Congratulations, and best wishes for the move to your new base.
Great News , Congratulations to you all.
While your sales to us may have financially made this possible, its the all your hard work, brilliant customer service , to say nothing of the friendliness found dealing with you all.
I remember helping Sunjester and another friend operating as 'Behind the Lines' at a show (can't remember which show), perhaps 26 years ago. Dave was on the next table. He had a 6 foot table and on it were 30-40 army packs of the then small range. (including a certain DBA army that I have promised never to mention on this forum. -- Oh how i wish I had bought one for posterity).
He was hoping 10mm would take on so he could expand the range a bit. Well you have expanded hugely and deservedly so.
You should all be very proud of what you have achieved.
I hope the move goes smoothly, and no doubt a 2 week closure will cause mass panic in the Forum and you will have a glut of orders before and after the move. :)
Does this mean Phil gets two weeks off?
(Best wishes on the move) :)
Great news, it is contagious as we've just bought our 1st house here in NZ :)
Cheers
Ian
Spot on as well Ian!
On 10mm, if we'd known how good it would be 26 years ago we'd never have bought any 15's :D
Fantastic news! Congrats to all at Pendraken!
Very much deserved for all your hard work and excellent customer service.
Good luck!
Best wishes and every success for the future :)
Great news for all concerned with the business, all down to your hard work and well deserved. Best of luck for the future, it's certainly looking good. :)
Congratulations. What wonderful news.
Congratulations and all the best on the move!
So not the Maus then?
Good news. Hopefully the casting dwarves will be able to all have fresh air at the same time in these new premises. Also, I assume there is room for the Obsidian Throne.
Hope everything goes smoothly. It's good to see such a great company growing, especially in these dire circumstances.
Enjoy the new premises
Brilliant news.
Good luck with it all
Great news and thoroughly deserved :-bd :-bd :-bd
Superb news. Good luck and I hope everything runs smoothly. :D
Amazing news, well done guys <:-P
Quote from: Westmarcher on 26 January 2021, 11:00:33 PM
Does this mean Phil gets two weeks off? (Best wishes on the move) :)
I wouldn't think so, Davy. ;)
Chuffed to bits for you, Leon...Really pleased to hear that the bank has finally agreed ! :-bd
Cheers - Phil. :)
Massive congratulations
Richard
Thanks for all of the comments, I really appreciate it. It's been a nervy few months trying to get this over the line, especially as our rental contract expires at the end of April and the business was about to be homeless if the funding didn't come through in time (we could have got an extension but they would only consider a 12 month contract).
Luckily we got it and it's exciting times ahead. It does feel a little weird to have good news for the business when the world is completely upside down though.
"good news for the business" Well deserved. Good luck with the move and your future plans.
What fantastic news! Onward and upward.
Excellent news!
When are you getting a ridiculous gold statute to go out front :)
(https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cpsprodpb/16573/production/_102770519_gamesworkshop.jpg)
Just use a George Washington statue set!
How long would it take for Techno to make one?*
*(the big gold statue)
Congratulations to you all.
Regards
Sean
Aye, most excellent news. Hope all goes well.
Quote from: Matt J on 27 January 2021, 12:20:33 PM
When are you getting a ridiculous gold statute to go out front :)
That's changed. Used to be a Space Marine™, didn't it?
Congratulations Leon, and all the best for the future.
'M'
Maybe there needs to be a special 'Pendraken' statue - "I can feel a competition coming on" ;)
How about Uther plunging Excalibur into the stone maybe ???
With his Red Dragon banners (or Dracco's) fluttering on flag poles on either side.
Quote from: Matt J on 27 January 2021, 12:20:33 PM
Excellent news!
When are you getting a ridiculous gold statute to go out front :)
There's one there already but it's in 10mm so you have to squint
real hard to see it ;)
Quote from: Matt J on 27 January 2021, 12:20:33 PM
Excellent news!
When are you getting a ridiculous gold statute to go out front :)
Perhaps a lifesize Techno, flourishing a new dolly? ;)
Na his Bren Gun
29 years? I only discovered 10mm last year....
still, making up for it now :)
best of luck with the new premises
With too much bad news bouncing around this past year, this is a real spot of brightness, excellent and also nice that as a company and a family you have a customer base that genuinely shares in your excitement.
Well done folks, looks like an excellent move and I look forward to paying you a visit over there.
Graham
Excellent news, well deserved.
Fingers crossed the move goes well.
Open day? (Covid permitting.)
Quote from: fsn on 27 January 2021, 04:56:30 PM
Open day? (Covid permitting.)
Definitely, if we're allowed to. I want to start running events there if possible, putting games in the room at the back and also in the shop.
Quote from: kipt on 26 January 2021, 10:15:22 PM
Great news. Now you just need a California annex...
I 2nd this motion!
A California Pendraken annex is a must.
Although if some were to view my lead pile, they may think this has already been accomplished. :-[
Congratulations on the soon to be successful redeployment Pendraken.
Quote from: M113Grunt on 27 January 2021, 06:42:54 PM
I 2nd this motion!
A California Pendraken annex is a must.
Although if some were to view my lead pile, they may think this has already been accomplished. :-[
Congratulations on the soon to be successful redeployment Pendraken.
Not my sort of noise, but I thought it had to be a California Hotel?
Great News and well deserved. No shame in feeling excited and happy about your and the company's success during these dark times. Feel good stories are always welcomed. Keep up the great work, can't wait for the Peninsular Project to hit the shop
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Quote from: Westmarcher on 27 January 2021, 12:50:28 PM
How long would it take for Techno to make one?*
*(the big gold statue)
I'm not making something that size with Green Stuff !....I'd get tennis elbow, and probably get some sort of allergic reaction, like I did when I was mixing handfuls of it to make 90mm figures.
(I wonder how many boxes of said putty would be needed to make something that size.) :-\
Cheers - Phil :)
Perhaps we could have a statue of Pendraken's most avid Fan - FSN
We could entice him to a special opening ceremony , and trick him into standing on the plinth that we had previously covered with superglue. One life size statue and no green stuff needed :)
That'd definitely save on Green Stuff ! :-bd
Cheers - Phil ;)
But all he'd have to do is take his shoes off ;)
Quote from: Orcs on 28 January 2021, 07:23:21 AM
Perhaps we could have a statue of Pendraken's most avid Fan - FSN
We could entice him to a special opening ceremony , and trick him into standing on the plinth that we had previously covered with superglue. One life size statue and no green stuff needed :)
I would be honoured to serve.
Quote from: ianrs54 on 28 January 2021, 08:55:58 AM
But all he'd have to do is take his shoes off ;)
I could promise to take them off. Just make sure the glue is warm. I have sensitive feet. :-[
Done in the Australian movie Man of Flowers. Sculptor and art collector present the bronze statue of a murder victim to a local park....
Quote from: M113Grunt on 27 January 2021, 06:42:54 PM
I 2nd this motion!
A California Pendraken annex is a must.
Although if some were to view my lead pile, they may think this has already been accomplished. :-[
Congratulations on the soon to be successful redeployment Pendraken.
May I suggest a USA-side gold statue:
(https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/familyguy/images/e/e5/Digem.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/300?cb=20100728025640)
(Supposed to be the Kellogs cartoon frog.
A running joke from the Family Guy cartoons.
Mayor Adam West unveils the statue).
Quote from: Techno II on 28 January 2021, 07:08:28 AM
I'm not making something that size with Green Stuff !....I'd get tennis elbow, and probably get some sort of allergic reaction, like I did when I was mixing handfuls of it to make 90mm figures.
(I wonder how many boxes of said putty would be needed to make something that size.) :-
Cheers - Phil :)
I recall (from an old documentary at the sadly deceased Whitechapel bell foundry).
Once you hit that size it's not green-stuff.
The big boys get by with sharp sand, clay and goat-dung.
Yes, goat dung.
Congratulations again.
A move like this reflects on a well managed and planned business with positive future plans.
It's a tribute to all involved, and a sign that 10mm and Pendraken intend to be part of the hobby for years ahead.
I don't know whether my experience of moving computer datacentres will be at all useful.
Here's what I would expect.
1. It's important to have a floor plan for the new place: From this flows the order of moving items, and the division between misison critical and "will catch up later".
2. Get the utilities (Power, water, fire suppression) in early - preferably before any kit arrives.
3. Stuff that's been transported outdoors gets cold and will form a layer of condensation. Best to gently raise the temperature in the new premise, and (where possible) give stuff a couple of days for that condensation to evaporate.
4. Don't forget to immobilise parts that aren't supposed to move during transit (Robotic arms for me, maybe spin caster parts for you).
5. Once in, you'll enjoy the additional spare space - you may even find productivity improvements result.
6. Don't devote all that spare space to your existing processes, otherwise your growth space gets chewed up by business as usual.
7. Expect at least one thing to not survive the move, be prepared (as Baden Powell used to say).
I wish you all the best, and look forward to a great leap forward in the world of 10mm figures.
Maybe a giant sized Leon, rotating to face the sun?
Don't laugh, it's real...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neutrality_Monument (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neutrality_Monument)
Leon, You said that COVID and resultant increased sales were instrumental in realising this. Every cloud does indeed have a silver lining!
What a fantastic example you have set for anybody who aspires to start their own business. I'm really pleased for you. Well done and all the best for the future.
Quote from: steve_holmes_11 on 28 January 2021, 10:36:39 AM
I don't know whether my experience of moving computer datacentres will be at all useful.
Here's what I would expect.
1. It's important to have a floor plan for the new place: From this flows the order of moving items, and the division between misison critical and "will catch up later".
2. Get the utilities (Power, water, fire suppression) in early - preferably before any kit arrives.
3. Stuff that's been transported outdoors gets cold and will form a layer of condensation. Best to gently raise the temperature in the new premise, and (where possible) give stuff a couple of days for that condensation to evaporate.
4. Don't forget to immobilise parts that aren't supposed to move during transit (Robotic arms for me, maybe spin caster parts for you).
5. Once in, you'll enjoy the additional spare space - you may even find productivity improvements result.
6. Don't devote all that spare space to your existing processes, otherwise your growth space gets chewed up by business as usual.
7. Expect at least one thing to not survive the move, be prepared (as Baden Powell used to say).
Thanks for the advice, really helpful. We got in a fortnight ago and measured everything so I've been putting together floorplans for each room and working out what will fit where. The utilities have been delegated to Adele (although we must have appeared on a database somewhere as I've had 11 'energy supplier' phone calls in 2 days).
The current plan is to take about 2 weeks to get the internals customised (new wiring, mould racking, boxing in a mezzanine floor for my office) and then we'll start bringing the business over room by room. Luckily the new place is only about 2 miles down the road so we can make multiple trips in the show van and we should be able to get the bulk of it done in about a week.
And I was a Scout for many years so always prepared!
Quote from: John Cook on 28 January 2021, 11:10:13 AM
Leon, You said that COVID and resultant increased sales were instrumental in realising this. Every cloud does indeed have a silver lining!
What a fantastic example you have set for anybody who aspires to start their own business. I'm really pleased for you. Well done and all the best for the future.
Thanks John, I appreciate it. The Covid situation has been a blessing and curse at the same time really. We knew that our rental agreement ended in April '21 so we've been working towards that date for 3 years, slowly building the deposit, buying in equipment, hiring the new staff, prepping future ranges, etc., all so that we could hit the ground running in a new place.
When the pandemic hit buildings weren't coming onto the market anymore and it wiped out any property viewings, so that was an initial hurdle. Then the sales ramped up so we were able to put a bit more into the deposit fund and the books looked a lot healthier. But then once we found somewhere the banks just refused to lend at all. Our own bank took us 90% of the way down the process and suddenly just said no, so then we had to go to a different lender and start the whole process again. Even with this mortgage, the banks are so nervous due to Covid and the number of hoops I've had to jump through and the questions I've had to answer are just crazy. Plus a much higher deposit than we planned originally. All of this with the impending rental termination date in my head and the prospect of being homeless if we got turned down again!
Quote from: FierceKitty on 28 January 2021, 10:02:15 AM
Done in the Australian movie Man of Flowers. Sculptor and art collector present the bronze statue of a murder victim to a local park....
Did they simply draw the chalk around his feet?
Chalk - on grass ?
Congratulations - good to see Pendraken get a new HQ.
Hope to visit once we're past Covid.
Congratulations! Brilliant news.
My experience with new build and moved library premises is that it's the small stuff that gets forgotten in the planning - not enough waste bins, no mugs for "visiting firemen," no loo brushes and the like. Minor but irritating!
I note that you last moved in 2012 and that you are now moving 200 yards. Sounds like WW1 Re-enactment.
All the very best for the future and I wish you every success. Hopefully we'll have a chance to meet up again in Antwerp in the not too distant future.
Andy
Quote from: holdfast on 28 January 2021, 06:03:18 PM
I note that you last moved in 2012 and that you are now moving 200 yards. Sounds like WW1 Re-enactment.
:D
2.2 miles to be precise, about 1.5 miles as the artillery shell flies...
Hi Leon and Co.
Belated congratulations from me as well. Will be popping into the shop when I'm up your way.
Cheers Paul
Nice one! Can you post a Streetview link please, so we can work out how to get to the new shop later this year ;)
Never mind, found it:
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@54.5738703,-1.1838898,69m/data=!3m1!1e3
Quote from: andys on 31 January 2021, 09:40:24 AM
Nice one! Can you post a Streetview link please, so we can work out how to get to the new shop later this year ;)
Never mind, found it:
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@54.5738703,-1.1838898,69m/data=!3m1!1e3
Well that's disconcerting... I'm not sure what black magic you've used there but that's worried me a bit!
Quote from: Leon on 31 January 2021, 07:36:25 PM
Well that's disconcerting... I'm not sure what black magic you've used there but that's worried me a bit!
Temporary Traffic Management - designing jobs all over the country makes site visits a bit impractical (especially these days). So Streetview is an absolute godsend to see work/job sites, (allowing that it can occasionally be a bit out of date). So sussing out photos to find places is a useful trick. Beware the power of the traffic cone, bwahahaha?
The photo you posted of the front of the building showed it set back slightly from the road, with a few trees and grass in front of it and sat next to a big tin shed. Measuring a line from your current gaff 1.5 miles out made that industrial estate just about the only area it could be located. A quick scout around on the overhead imagery, drop to street level to confirm and it was job jobbed. Took about 10 minutes or so to find the new place.
The little white label on the gatepost was a good confirmation item.
As the artillery shell flies, Streetview says it's 2.01km (1.25 miles) :D :D
Quote from: andys on 01 February 2021, 12:01:17 AM
Temporary Traffic Management - designing jobs all over the country makes site visits a bit impractical (especially these days). So Streetview is an absolute godsend to see work/job sites, (allowing that it can occasionally be a bit out of date). So sussing out photos to find places is a useful trick. Beware the power of the traffic cone, bwahahaha?
The photo you posted of the front of the building showed it set back slightly from the road, with a few trees and grass in front of it and sat next to a big tin shed. Measuring a line from your current gaff 1.5 miles out made that industrial estate just about the only area it could be located. A quick scout around on the overhead imagery, drop to street level to confirm and it was job jobbed. Took about 10 minutes or so to find the new place.
The little white label on the gatepost was a good confirmation item.
As the artillery shell flies, Streetview says it's 2.01km (1.25 miles) :D :D
Wow, that's quite a skill. I'm tempted to post loads of pictures of random buildings now and see if you can find them...! :D
There was a story in the news, not so long ago, where a 'stalker' (Korea ?...Japan ?) managed to find where some 'pop' star lived......He even used reflections in the sunglasses of his victim to pin down where she lived. :o :o :o :o
Now, THAT'S disconcerting !
Cheers - Phil.
I'll have to work on that one Phil
That's excellent news, congratulations on the new expansion. =D>
Quote from: Leon on 01 February 2021, 09:40:10 AM
Wow, that's quite a skill. I'm tempted to post loads of pictures of random buildings now and see if you can find them...! :D
The first one, (the new gaff), was free. Other needs paying for! :D
Quote from: andys on 02 February 2021, 05:56:30 PM
The first one, (the new gaff), was free. Other needs paying for! :D
Nah, after the bank have cleaned us out for this deposit there won't be anything left!
Just to update on this, we're still waiting for the banks and solicitors to get everything worked out and get this finalised for us. It's strange how often they seem to be surprised at their own processes and suddenly realise they need something from me or the sellers... =)
My wife's an estate agent. Every night she comes home with tales of woe about how absolutely useless solicitors are.
Pro tip: If there's any sort of hold-up in your house purchase, >98% chance it's because of a solicitor somewhere.
Quote from: Raider4 on 19 March 2021, 08:23:40 PM
Pro tip: If there's any sort of hold-up in your house purchase, >98% chance it's because of a solicitor somewhere.
I think you're right there! We've been telling them for 4 months that we need to complete by the end of March but now that we're getting to that date they all seem shocked that we need some urgency from them.
Imo., a lot of solicitors are a bunch of chancers. On at least three occasions, I can cite examples where I ran rings around them on their lack of knowledge. Often as not, you are dealing with unqualified, underpaid individuals and not the actual qualified solicitors within the firm. Once you escalate things, they will cave in and things will start to happen.
Quote from: Raider4 on 19 March 2021, 08:23:40 PM
My wife's an estate agent. Every night she comes home with tales of woe about how absolutely useless solicitors are.
Pro tip: If there's any sort of hold-up in your house purchase, >98% chance it's because of a solicitor somewhere.
Estate Agents Vs Solicitors.
Harry Hill might say "There's only one way to decide this - FIGHT!!!!!
We would ask "OK, but what rules?"
Rules, what rules ;)
We just moved house yesterday. It's been a long old process with the first house falling through and having to move quickly on a second lest we lose our buyer.
Our solicitor was great, a family friend and very attentive and communicative, but he gave off numerous times about how poor the other three sets of solicitors were to deal with. Slow to respond, not sending things through, weeks without replying, never returning calls... Seems to be s common theme. Lot of kids handling accounts they've no experience with. Was literally the evening before the move when all the bits were actually in place so we knew for sure we could go. Then dealing with the mortgage company from my old mortgage was a nightmare (thankfully new mortgage company is much more efficient).
Can sympathise with your plight, but hope it all comes into place for you! Just keep on at them as often as it takes to move things on. And the estate agents can sometimes apply pressure too if someone is dragging their feet.
Good news, Matthew ! :)
Steve....Hope you get sorted soon !
We were SO lucky with our last sale.
The buyer paid us up front.....and said we could stay in the old home for almost as long as we liked.....(a month rent free...and he'd only start charging rent after that month)...while we looked for our next home...The current Techno Towers.
The buyer was a pretty wealthy neighbour, who didn't want to see a group of houses built on our old home's land.
After he'd paid us, Von started looking on the 'net'.....found three or four potentials, with this place 'the favourite'... after that she drove over here on a recce.
Made an offer on this place....accepted...so the wheels were set in motion...Really fast result.
Before it was all sorted out, Von asked.."Do you want to go and have a look at the place ?"......"Nah...if you like it, I'm sure I will".
I'd never seen Techno Towers until the day we moved.
Von WAS fairly bothered that I wouldn't like it on the day we drove over... ;D ;D ;D
The only iffy thing that happened on the day of the move, was the removal firm telling us that they wouldn't be delivering any of our stuff until the next day...So we ended up sleeping on the sofa and chairs that we'd bought from the previous owners.
Cheers - Phil :)
My mums a lawyer.
She's a bloody good one. Even if the family can't stand her. She gets it done.
She always says that to get things done phone at 9.30 each and every morning. Even if you don't need to. It annoys them and keeps you in the loop. Why 9.30? Lawyers get flooded with family/marriage issues at 9 each morning, and will prioritise those.
Then ask for the complaint forms...
They say an unrepresentative 99% of lawyers get the rest a bad reputation.
Quote from: FierceKitty on 20 March 2021, 08:47:13 AM
They say an unrepresentative 99% of lawyers get the rest a bad reputation.
As few as that !
I've less experience than many of you, but have had good results by applying the same rules as I would for any other hired professional; from roofer to datacentre construction manager.
* Figure out what you want/need in advance, write it down and try to not make changes once they've started work.
* Ask for a written quote on price and completion date.
* Ask for regular updates (Could be daily, weekly, or when certain milestones have been achieved), this could be a phone-call, a brief email update, or a face to face (mask to mask?) if it's a long and complex business.
* Demand to know immediately if events (dear boy) affect the timeline, or viability of the plan.
It all sounds a bit official, but with preparation, you can squeeze your requirements and expectations into that initial 30 minute meeting.
On the other hand, some people are just useless at organising things, others delegate to the cheapest employee in the office (who ought to be photocopying and making tea).
On that subject, why does every 3 person office have an industrial strength photocopier the size of a range cooker?
The sort that would happily serve a building with 500 staff.
Quote from: mmcv on 20 March 2021, 06:59:51 AM
Can sympathise with your plight, but hope it all comes into place for you! Just keep on at them as often as it takes to move things on. And the estate agents can sometimes apply pressure too if someone is dragging their feet.
I'm emailing daily at the moment trying to get them to do something. It's the lack of any structured process that I can't fathom? They do this thing hundreds of times a year but no-one can provide me with an itemised flowchart of what to expect and what will be needed. Had we been given something to work with I could have got 90% of the last-minute queries dealt with months ago.
Quote from: Lord Speedy of Leighton on 20 March 2021, 08:23:54 AM
She always says that to get things done phone at 9.30 each and every morning. Even if you don't need to. It annoys them and keeps you in the loop. Why 9.30? Lawyers get flooded with family/marriage issues at 9 each morning, and will prioritise those.
Then ask for the complaint forms...
I'll start doing that on Monday, definitely. Most of the time when I ring him it just goes to answerphone and I have to leave messages but someone else from his firm got involved on Friday so I'll be ringing them as well.
Quote from: steve_holmes_11 on 20 March 2021, 09:55:30 AM
* Figure out what you want/need in advance, write it down and try to not make changes once they've started work.
* Ask for a written quote on price and completion date.
* Ask for regular updates (Could be daily, weekly, or when certain milestones have been achieved), this could be a phone-call, a brief email update, or a face to face (mask to mask?) if it's a long and complex business.
* Demand to know immediately if events (dear boy) affect the timeline, or viability of the plan.
It all sounds a bit official, but with preparation, you can squeeze your requirements and expectations into that initial 30 minute meeting.
That's one of the annoying things from our end because we had that chat with everyone at the beginning and they all told us that it would be complete and done by mid-Feb, as our rental contract was due to end on the 31st Mar. When the bank started dragging their feet a bit I got an extension from our landlord through to 30th Apr, just to give us some cover in case things took longer. The timescales have been communicated to all of them throughout and here we are now, a week from our target completion date and still no end in sight.
The trouble is that we need at least 5 weeks to move into the new place. We need 2 weeks to kit it out with new rooms, wiring, workstations, etc. Then another 2 weeks to bring all of the machines, moulds and stock over from Pendraken, get phone lines installed, etc. And then 1 final week to redecorate and restore the current unit before we give the keys back. I've squeezed those timeframes as much as possible and dropped a few plans from the schedule but I don't have any leeway left now. We can't get another extension on the rental either as they've got new tenants ready to move straight in, so all I can do now is badger these lazy bar-stewards on a daily basis and look forward to a lot of 14-hour shifts if we don't get completed on the 26th.
The key things about professions people dislike is that they tend to be well paid, require some kind of specialist training and, as a result, can be bit of a mystery. So, to envy and lack of comprehension add today's culture of victimhood.
I've used solicitors to move house twice, write wills and, on three occasions, execute wills. Can't say I have any complaints.
I must admit, though, that your experiences so far, do seem unreasonable.
Most actual lawyers aren't that well paid, but the high earners in "exciting" positions at the top suck up a disproportionate amount of "screen time" and money...
I have had it said by practising solicitors that no action is taken/not taken without instruction by the client, with the implication it's the person they're acting for that's to blame. In my house buying experience that did indeed appear to be the case, but on anecdotal experience from others it suggests that every person except solicitors is deliberately screwing the whole process... which seems less likely :D
Quote from: toxicpixie on 20 March 2021, 10:55:20 AM
Most actual lawyers aren't that well paid, but the high earners in "exciting" positions at the top suck up a disproportionate amount of "screen time" and money...
The average salary of a solicitor in the UK is £70K. The average annual pay of a person in the UK is £29K, apparently. I think £70 will sound like 'well paid' to most people in the UK.
We're dealing with one of the partners so in the T&C's we received he's on £235-£300 per hour...
Quote from: John Cook on 20 March 2021, 11:08:45 AM
The average salary of a solicitor in the UK is £70K. The average annual pay of a person in the UK is £29K, apparently. I think £70 will sound like 'well paid' to most people in the UK.
Average, on the latest figures I could find, 29k for women and 38k for men.
I'd love to see the mean rather, than average, figures but 30 minutes googling is all I'm willing to commit to the search and in that time I couldn't find up to date figures. The google fu is weak in this one :(
Yes, thats actually 'Cos the "Magic Circle" and big City corporate positions offer their top few stupendous salaries in the six figures and upwards. Who suck up a vastly disproportionate amount of the "lawyering budget", as it were.
And note that's explicitly referring to *solicitors* which is a long and ludicrously awkward training/acceptance scheme intended to keep numbers down and prices high.
The vast bulk of lawyers in the UK are not on that sort of money, and even any solicitor you or I will deal with is very unlikely to hit that money - unless you're literally dealing with the boss.
Not that most of law is a badly paid profession, but it's only great if you have the ability to get an "in" at the right level, as with so much of our economy.
Similar situation to my work in IT. Our wage budget looks decent split equally, but the boss sucks up two, two and half shares of it, their boss sucks up five shares of it and so on.
Tl, dr - despite being seen as well paid, law suffers from the same inequalities in wealth and income that the rest of the country does :D
Just from a mildly higher starting point.
Ithoriel - prospects.ac.Uk has some good info on reasonably realistic wage scenarios for the law in general and solicitors in specific. It's still a bit focused on "look at what the top 1% can get!" But at least they acknowledge you're likely to spend a decade training and then assuming you pass and can find a job you'll probably be doing either high street or corporate law at generically somewhat above average skilled professional rates until a couple decades more when if you're lucky you'll make partner and hit top ten percent earnings!
Sounds a bit too conspiratorial. Just as long as the Illuminati, the Bilderberg Group and George Soros aren't involved.
;D ;D ;D
John, the the "Magic Circle" is what the big five City law firms call themselves/are known as - it's been their informal group name for decades.
Edit: a fuller answer is that they're the five most prestigious and high earning firms, based in London. They just happen to almost exclusively deal in corporate law. The next five are Silver Circle buts a new term (early 2000's) and they've undergone a lot of change.
Wiki has a good precis if you find law magazines dull, with a very apt to the wages discussion bit in the "Relationship to the Silver Circle" part...
Quote from: John Cook on 20 March 2021, 10:51:13 AM
The key things about professions people dislike is that they tend to be well paid, require some kind of specialist training and, as a result, can be bit of a mystery. So, to envy and lack of comprehension add today's culture of victimhood.
I've used solicitors to move house twice, write wills and, on three occasions, execute wills. Can't say I have any complaints.
I must admit, though, that your experiences so far, do seem unreasonable.
Quote from: toxicpixie on 20 March 2021, 10:55:20 AM
Most actual lawyers aren't that well paid, but the high earners in "exciting" positions at the top suck up a disproportionate amount of "screen time" and money...
As a generality dentists and doctors have been the best paid people because the mean is higher in those professions than that of others. Businessmen and professional accountants do not earn the vast telephone number salaries that can be attributed to a few people in the City of London but as a general statement they do seem to earn a good salary in comparison with others. As with lawyers and most other professions a few very wealthy income earners bias the salary statistics. The real image damage is those in the really big business companies where senior
remuneration packages are now becoming astronomical multiples compared to the income of the average member of staff.
My impression of the legal trade is that they over extend themselves by taking on more work than they can cope with, so in the end he, or she, who shouts loudest and most often, gets attention. The whiff of currency notes does wonders.
Quote from: toxicpixie on 20 March 2021, 12:19:08 PM
John, the the "Magic Circle" is what the big five City law firms call themselves/are known as - it's been their informal group name for decades.
You have the advantage of me. I have never heard of The Magic Circle, except in a different context entirely. As ever, nothing succeeds like success, and nothing like success generates envy in the less successful.
Nothing sucks seeds like a beakless budgie.
This is the current timeline, obviously dependant on the solicitors and banks getting things done as planned!
- Week commencing Mar 29th: We will be away working on our new unit and no casting will be done.
- Week commencing Apr 5th: We will have some staff back at our current unit to catch up on orders.
- Week commencing Apr 12th: We will be moving all of our equipment and stock over to the new place so no casting will be done.
- Week commencing Apr 19th: Most of the machinery and equipment will have been moved and we should be able to start casting again.
If your order only contains stock items, such as bases, paints, flags, etc. then these will be shipped much quicker than the figures. We'll have some of our staff back in the current premises every few days to package up those orders and get them out to you.
Quote from: John Cook on 20 March 2021, 11:08:45 AM
The average salary of a solicitor in the UK is £70K. The average annual pay of a person in the UK is £29K, apparently. I think £70 will sound like 'well paid' to most people in the UK.
Never trust averages (I assume these are means).
They're easily skewed by a few high rollers.
The median is a far better indicator for earnings.
Quote from: toxicpixie on 20 March 2021, 11:42:49 AM
Tl, dr - despite being seen as well paid, law suffers from the same inequalities in wealth and income that the rest of the country does :D
Just from a mildly higher starting point.
Ithoriel - prospects.ac.Uk has some good info on reasonably realistic wage scenarios for the law in general and solicitors in specific. It's still a bit focused on "look at what the top 1% can get!" But at least they acknowledge you're likely to spend a decade training and then assuming you pass and can find a job you'll probably be doing either high street or corporate law at generically somewhat above average skilled professional rates until a couple decades more when if you're lucky you'll make partner and hit top ten percent earnings!
I put it to the jury that the biggest benefit to a law career isn't the money (great for a few, but lower than expected for most).
It's the fact that you aren't constrained to living in the big Smoke, or other major city that hosts 90% of your chosen industry.
Quote from: hammurabi70 on 20 March 2021, 11:50:31 PM
As a generality dentists and doctors have been the best paid people because the mean is higher in those professions than that of others. Businessmen and professional accountants do not earn the vast telephone number salaries that can be attributed to a few people in the City of London but as a general statement they do seem to earn a good salary in comparison with others. As with lawyers and most other professions a few very wealthy income earners bias the salary statistics. The real image damage is those in the really big business companies where senior remuneration packages are now becoming astronomical multiples compared to the income of the average member of staff.
My impression of the legal trade is that they over extend themselves by taking on more work than they can cope with, so in the end he, or she, who shouts loudest and most often, gets attention. The whiff of currency notes does wonders.
The other factor that skews the averages for Doctors (GPs at least), Dentists, Lawyers and Accountants, is that they mostly work for companies that are led by one of their own.
So for these professions, all that lovely CEO remuneration remains with the job description.
My own line of work (Engineering). 12 jobs, only two with an Engineer at the top of the pyramid.
All other capo de capos have had a qualification in Law or Accountancy.
Yeah, my mum definitely isn't on 70k!
Quote from: Lord Speedy of Leighton on 23 March 2021, 06:49:49 AM
Yeah, my mum definitely isn't on 70k!
Deplorable how some mothers don't realise the importance of gathering together a very large amount of money in their later years.
Quote from: steve_holmes_11 on 22 March 2021, 11:26:31 PM
I put it to the jury that the biggest benefit to a law career isn't the money (great for a few, but lower than expected for most).
It's the fact that you aren't constrained to living in the big Smoke, or other major city that hosts 90% of your chosen industry.
Indeed, our solicitor was an hour away from us but majority of interaction by phone or email and only needed to visit once to sign. He was somewhat disparaging of the city lawyers though, suspect they were over extended with the crazy housing market, but they never replied or returned calls without constant pestering, and it was legal stuff not client delays. The first house that ended up falling through I think their solicitors replied a grand total of twice in four months... They were one of the best known and long established firms in the city.
With remote working things are changing in a lot of industries as they come to terms with the fact that concentration of workforce in a smaller geographic region isn't quite as necessary any more. Will probably see more of a migration out of the cities continue as people see they can get more for their money a little ways out and no longer have to do long commutes.
Quote from: Leon on 22 March 2021, 10:55:57 PM
This is the current timeline, obviously dependant on the solicitors and banks getting things done as planned!
- Week commencing Mar 29th: We will be away working on our new unit and no casting will be done.
- Week commencing Apr 5th: We will have some staff back at our current unit to catch up on orders.
- Week commencing Apr 12th: We will be moving all of our equipment and stock over to the new place so no casting will be done.
- Week commencing Apr 19th: Most of the machinery and equipment will have been moved and we should be able to start casting again.
If your order only contains stock items, such as bases, paints, flags, etc. then these will be shipped much quicker than the figures. We'll have some of our staff back in the current premises every few days to package up those orders and get them out to you.
Leon, Delighted to see that all the 'ducks' seem to have lined up in the end. Hope the move goes smoothly.
Good luck, and fingers crossed :)
Luck with it ;)
Quote from: Leon on 22 March 2021, 10:55:57 PM
This is the current timeline, obviously dependant on the solicitors and banks getting things done as planned!
- Week commencing Mar 29th: We will be away working on our new unit and no casting will be done.
- Week commencing Apr 5th: We will have some staff back at our current unit to catch up on orders.
- Week commencing Apr 12th: We will be moving all of our equipment and stock over to the new place so no casting will be done.
- Week commencing Apr 19th: Most of the machinery and equipment will have been moved and we should be able to start casting again.
If your order only contains stock items, such as bases, paints, flags, etc. then these will be shipped much quicker than the figures. We'll have some of our staff back in the current premises every few days to package up those orders and get them out to you.
Has someone set up a help line for the addicts unable to receive their fix ? :)
Yes it's 0151 709 6010 - Merseyside Police control room :d
We've had some good news today as it seems my endless badgering has produced some results! All of the paperwork is done and we're off to sign the contracts on Thursday morning! The deposit will be sent over in the afternoon and funds should be released later in the day as well. So, we're on track to get our keys on Friday!
Superb!
Spot on :)
Brilliant News!
=D> =D> =D>
Congratulations!
:-bd :-bd :-bd :-bd :-bd
:-bd :-bd :-bd :-bd :-bd
Cheers - Phil. :)
Have fun Leon
Contracts all signed today and deposit paid! Just waiting on the final confirmation from the solicitors that all of the contracts and monies have been exchanged, and then we should have the keys on Friday afternoon.
A good job as well as I've got the electrician booked for Saturday, timber and metal all arrives Monday morning, security guy comes Monday pm, worktops and packaging room kit on Tuesday, electrician back on Wednesday, staircase is being delivered next Thursday, sparky back again on the following Tuesday, carpets being fitted on the Wednesday. Then we start on all of the equipment, moulds and kit in Week 3...
Hurrah! Sounds like you're well planned on that :)
=D> =D> =D> =D> =D>
carpets :o Luxury ;)
Quote from: paulr on 26 March 2021, 04:29:10 AM
=D> =D> =D> =D> =D>
carpets :o Luxury ;)
When I were a lad we only had caltrops....
Quote from: steve_holmes_11 on 26 March 2021, 08:29:43 AM
When I were a lad we only had caltrops....
Caltrops - you were lucky - we had flaming pits :'(
Quote from: steve_holmes_11 on 26 March 2021, 08:29:43 AM
When I were a lad we only had caltrops....
Quote from: ianrs54 on 26 March 2021, 08:37:24 AM
Caltrops - you were lucky - we had flaming pits :'(
Caltrops, Flaming Pits, Luxuryy, When I were a lad we had to walk over the caltrops and flaming pits , fight off hordes or rats just to get to our swampy quicksand floor. :)
Quote from: Orcs on 26 March 2021, 02:31:00 PM
Caltrops, Flaming Pits, Luxuryy, When I were a lad we had to walk over the caltrops and flaming pits , fight off hordes or rats just to get to our swampy quicksand floor. :)
Right:
We used to 'ave to get up at 3 in the morning.
Get shot by a churchill crocodile.
Then sweep the minefield with our bare feet.
Course, you tell kids that these days and they don't believe you! ;)
At the very last possible moment we have completed! I've spent most of today making phone calls and sending texts, then hitting 'Refresh' on the emails to see if there's any updates. At 4pm they told us that we weren't going to complete today and it would have to be Monday, triggering a mad panic as we've got deliveries and tradesmen booked in for Saturday. At 4:30pm they said that there was a small chance and could we drive to the estate agents office just in case. And then at 5pm we got the call, the money had finally gone through, the contracts were exchanged and it was all ours! The estate agents were almost closed for the day but we got the keys and headed off to Pendraken's new home!
I don't think I've ever had a day as stressful as today, but it's all worth it now. There's a ton of work to be done but it's going to be exciting work.
(https://scontent-man2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/s960x960/165386605_10158783507285412_2377290834948491927_o.jpg?_nc_cat=109&ccb=1-3&_nc_sid=730e14&_nc_ohc=fTgnSd911FgAX9lvB2j&_nc_ht=scontent-man2-1.xx&tp=7&oh=35c86e20cea9e6ff67722325e787c8e2&oe=608561FF)
(https://scontent-man2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/165670283_10158783507370412_8219476776880118120_o.jpg?_nc_cat=103&ccb=1-3&_nc_sid=730e14&_nc_ohc=bOSlhZk0-MQAX-IArCt&_nc_ht=scontent-man2-1.xx&oh=09a20d3930158a3da3014397e9b4dccb&oe=6085B0E0)
Thats great, I would say "go and put your feet up" but not much chance of that for a couple of weeks.
Brill! Onwards and upwards!
Congrats !!
=D> =D> =D> =D> =D>
Someone is incredibly organised with all those lists :-bd :-bd :-bd
Onward and upwards :!! :!! :!!
No stress no fun Leon
Great stuff, Leon ! :-bd
Cheers - Phil ! <:-P <:-P <:-P <:-P
That really is cutting it fine - bloody banks :o
Quote from: paulr on 27 March 2021, 01:05:21 AM
Someone is incredibly organised with all those lists :-bd :-bd :-bd
Not only the lists, but each one with its own pen and clipboard! :o That level of organisation scares me a little...
Superb news, congrats! 🎉
Bravo!
Great news
Quote from: paulr on 27 March 2021, 01:05:21 AM
Someone is incredibly organised with all those lists :-bd :-bd :-bd
Quote from: fred. on 27 March 2021, 07:34:36 AM
Not only the lists, but each one with its own pen and clipboard! :o That level of organisation scares me a little...
With all of the delays I've had a lot of time to do the planning...!
It's mainly due to the timescales involved, we've got a very real deadline on April 30th where we have to be out of the current unit, with no wriggle room at all. There's so much to be done in the new place before we can start bringing our stuff in that we need to make sure we've got everything laid out clearly. The theory being that anyone who's in each day can walk into a room, glance at the worksheet, and immediately know what needs doing. It saves me having to spend my time checking on each room constantly during the day and I can focus on getting the big jobs done.
Remember that no plan survives contact with the enemy, and if it can go wrong it da*md well will :'(
Sounds like you are well organized and on-top of things Leon
Good luck and well done on getting things moving.
Not only the lists, but each one with its own pen and clipboard! :o That level of organisation scares me a little...
[/quote]
'For Want Of A Nail...'
But, form work experience, Clipboards need to be 'Securely' identified and pens chained on... ;)
On a more serious note... hope your flooring is up to movement of 'Heavy Stuff'. Don't know about your flooring, or what sort of 'Loads' you will be moving around, or 'how'. Previous workplace... 'Heavy Duty' lino tiles couldn't cope with VERY heavy stuff (2-3+K Kg)...esp. when shifted with electric 'stackers', etc. Got chewed up in a couple of years. I got a week of 'night shift' while some firm 'regraded' heavy use floor areas with 'Diamond?' flooring.. and still small hole fixes needed where 'expansion joints'... ever after. Normal concrete, Ok... but DUST! Wish Well! :)
And... dunno what design new 'Shed' has... but watch roof guttering! VERY VERY heavy storm water, while back... flooded roads, etc, Gutters couldn't cope/ blocked.. and some 'plank' had designed that 'overflow' went 'INSIDE' instead of outwards! Cheers! lol! :) ;)
Quote from: Heedless Horseman on 27 May 2021, 07:06:55 AM
Not only the lists, but each one with its own pen and clipboard! :o That level of organisation scares me a little...
'For Want Of A Nail...'
But, form work experience, Clipboards need to be 'Securely' identified and pens chained on... ;)
For want of a nail...
There must be someone somewhere living in a house made up of all the pens and paperwork bumpf that "disappears" :D
Quote from: Heedless Horseman on 27 May 2021, 08:18:33 AM
On a more serious note... hope your flooring is up to movement of 'Heavy Stuff'. Don't know about your flooring, or what sort of 'Loads' you will be moving around, or 'how'. Previous workplace... 'Heavy Duty' lino tiles couldn't cope with VERY heavy stuff (2-3+K Kg)...esp. when shifted with electric 'stackers', etc. Got chewed up in a couple of years. I got a week of 'night shift' while some firm 'regraded' heavy use floor areas with 'Diamond?' flooring.. and still small hole fixes needed where 'expansion joints'... ever after. Normal concrete, Ok... but DUST! Wish Well! :)
And... dunno what design new 'Shed' has... but watch roof guttering! VERY VERY heavy storm water, while back... flooded roads, etc, Gutters couldn't cope/ blocked.. and some 'plank' had designed that 'overflow' went 'INSIDE' instead of outwards! Cheers! lol! :) ;)
Most of the floors are concrete so we're all fine there. The new room upstairs is only desks and computers, so nothing majorly heavy.
My shed will have full gutters around it as we've had a lot of trouble with the groundwater here. I've actually had a 'man with digger' out today to completely skim the top off the whole lawn as the water wasn't going anywhere. We've dug some drainage channels now to fix it in the longer term.
Glad to hear, and congrats on the move! :)
Do check out Roof guttering though. On a 90s 'unit' with roof gutters integral to the structure, somebody had made the outside 'facade' higher than the inner 'wall' under the eaves. So, when EXTREME rainfall happened, (And gutters may not have been cleaned for a while!), the overflow went inside instead of down the outside wall ! :o
Stock/packaging shelving and Managers Office got VERY wet! No 'real' harm done, though! LOL! ;)
Only happened once in 20 years. But... although 'peanuts' to a National organisation, a small business could have been hit hard. Worth a look into...weather getting more extreme, so they say! Another, very similar, 'unit' in another part of the country, lost most of its roof in a gale!
Still. not to worry... 'worse things happen at sea!'. ;)
We had that at the old place, it's usually a build-up of tree/leaf debris that causes them to block up. It took about 18 months to get the landlords to clean them out last time.
With the new place there's no trees in the close vicinity, just one to the side which doesn't seem to be causing any problems at the moment.
Quote from: Leon on 28 May 2021, 12:15:21 PM
We had that at the old place, it's usually a build-up of tree/leaf debris that causes them to block up. It took about 18 months to get the landlords to clean them out last time.
With the new place there's no trees in the close vicinity, just one to the side which doesn't seem to be causing any problems at the moment.
Old trick with gutters is to put another piece of loose guttering upside down, inside the existing fixed gutter, along its length, so you end up with the equivalent of a tube - you overlap the upturned piece so it goes over the hole to the down-pipe. Water can still run into the gutter ok as the upper and lower 'halves' are not connected.
I have used it with great success on my allotment shed for years - where there is a large bay tree on a neighbouring plot that has ended up filling my run-off rain-water barrel with its autumn leaf fall or they chokes the down pipe. Some people use chicken wire to the same effect, but that still lets in smaller pieces of leaves or moss clumps.
You might only need to do it on the side nearest the trees Leon.
NB: it is also a good trick to stop moss (which will eventually grow on the roof) getting pulled up by birds and washed into the down-pipe and clogging it, as well as leaves.
Just a thought
Quote from: Big Insect on 28 May 2021, 02:09:39 PM
Old trick with gutters is to put another piece of loose guttering upside down, inside the existing fixed gutter, along its length, so you end up with the equivalent of a tube - you overlap the upturned piece so it goes over the hole to the down-pipe. Water can still run into the gutter ok as the upper and lower 'halves' are not connected.
That's a nifty idea, I'll have a look at that. I need to get on the roof and fix the approx. dozen leaks that are coming into the workshop so I'll check the gutters while I'm up there.
Quote from: Big Insect on 28 May 2021, 02:09:39 PM
Old trick with gutters is to put another piece of loose guttering upside down, inside the existing fixed gutter, along its length, so you end up with the equivalent of a tube - you overlap the upturned piece so it goes over the hole to the down-pipe. Water can still run into the gutter ok as the upper and lower 'halves' are not connected.
I have used it with great success on my allotment shed for years - where there is a large bay tree on a neighbouring plot that has ended up filling my run-off rain-water barrel with its autumn leaf fall or they chokes the down pipe. Some people use chicken wire to the same effect, but that still lets in smaller pieces of leaves or moss clumps.
You'll have to make sure that the upper pieces are firmly attached as you wouldn't want any injury claims made against you.
Quote from: jimduncanuk on 30 May 2021, 11:09:35 PM
... as you wouldn't want any injury claims made against you.
I'm always depressed to read something like this. In the human race I'd prefer to be a member of, it would take the form "...as you wouldn't want to injure someone."
Why use some Heath Robinson solution when you can get gutter guards that clip on and are designed specifically for the job.
Quote from: John Cook on 31 May 2021, 07:11:47 AM
Why use some Heath Robinson solution when you can get gutter guards that clip on and are designed specifically for the job.
Cost I expect