Welcome to the TBE Wheelchair Basketball team!

It was a full day or leagues and finals, which TBE managed to be part of.

The final didn't quite go our way but the team did a great job!

Take a look at the photo's to see what we got up too. Anyone who tells you it's easy is lying, but if they tell you its great fun they are right. We had an awesome day and a big thanks to Jack and the rest of the trainers on the day.

If you want to see some real wheelchair basketball check out the Outlaws team based in Chelmsford.

In the olden days, say 2001, buying buckets was a simple process. You could buy cheap black buckets for 99 pence, knowing that they would lose their handle, split or get holed in the near future. But there was an outside chance that the bucket for a quid might just last a couple of years. The alternative was the yellow bucket. Considerably more expensive, maybe five or six pounds, but it was advertised as indestructible and almost was. Perfect for dragging up and down scaffold, chucking tools in, mixing muck, anything and everything.

Over the last few years, a sneaky change seems to have taken place. I partly blame this transition on B&Q because they introduced orange buckets for 99 pence in store and made them available as shopping baskets. I assume the unsubtle ploy was customers use the bucket, and when they get to the checkout decide that a new bucket might be handy. Hey Presto! They have an extra pound from every customer. And we all fell for it until we realised that the orange buckets were even worse than the black buckets. Incredibly brittle, they would shatter if you looked at them the wrong way.

The next change was the emergence of a yellow bucket the same price as the black bucket. The good news for the builder was he could now have a bucket in a choice of two colours. The bad news was he had no choice in the respective quality of his buckets because they were now both rubbish. Cutting costs, especially when set against rising oil prices, means a plastic bucket must have less material or a lower grade of construction. The net result is all buckets now seem to be worse, but they are still trying to trick us into thinking yellow buckets are better.

I realise buckets do not make the world go round, but for all those people who like to buy decent kit and rely on it for a living, it is frustrating to see something manufactured worse than it was a decade ago, all in the name of price. This feeling towards the evil bucket making industry has been festering for some time, but it all came to a head this week. Exactly five weeks ago I bought two brand new yellow buckets (£3.99 each) instead of the slightly cheaper black ones. I was delighted that I had found decent yellow buckets again. But how disappointing. The first one shattered a week ago for no particular reason and today the other one developed a leak all of its own accord. Of course, I didn’t notice until there was a small lake on the floor. The buckets were clean and had not been worked hard, so their performance is frustrating.

Like many consumer items, quality is being downgraded in favour of cost. I am sure if I returned the two buckets they would be replaced, just like all the TV’s, fridges, computers, lights, tools etc that are broken when they leave the factory. It is cheaper to replace a badly made product with another one and hope for better luck, than to build every unit to a higher spec in the first place. Ultimately the end consumer must shoulder the blame, it is our thirst for cheap goods that has created the market. For me though, please, can someone make a yellow indestructible bucket? I will pay handsomely for the privilege of not spilling water all over my clients’ floors.

A decision was taken recently at TBE to embark on a recruitment drive. During this process we met a very varied collection of applicants. Those that we invited into our ever-expanding building family have been very impressive. Seeing these ‘youths’ brought to mind some of the media stories of recent times. The press would have us believe that the only vocations of teens in this country are getting drunk, getting pregnant or getting killed. This has got me thinking as to how the building trade might have something to offer on a social level.

If the government has its way 50% of young people will be going to university. Not only does this devalue attainment of a degree for those of genuine intellectual calibre, it is a waste of three years for the lower sections of that 50%. They will still be unable to compete with the more able students at the better universities in the job market and will end up getting the same jobs they would have got without university, competing against the same peer group. The only difference being three years on the lash and the resultant debt. But the real worry for me is the 50% who don’t get a place at university.

Over the last decade I have detected a two tier society develop in the UK based entirely on money. There are more well paid jobs with excellent career prospects than ever before, but what if you can’t get one of those jobs? The ever-increasing bureaucracy of certificates and qualifications is making the working world impenetrable to those on the outside. For a 16 year old who does not want more education, which is a perfectly reasonable choice, a professional career is all but beyond him forever.

The construction industry now finds itself in a curious position. It employs over a million people in the UK , business is as strong as it has ever been, and it has traditionally been one of the most popular routes for non-academic young people. But it seems to be falling out of fashion. The golden rule for British working life now is equal opportunities to everyone. Unfortunately, the hard lesson of life is that not everyone has equal ability. Not everyone has the same maths ability to be an accountant, not everyone has the same people skills to be salesperson. We can’t all have the knowledge and confidence that our GP has. But what is most disturbing is the trend towards promoting ‘cool’ jobs to young people. There are very few jewellery designers in this country, and lots of nurses, but careers advice suggests that a person can have either job, with an equal chance of success. We certainly can’t all be DJ’s or television presenters, but an ‘educational’ careers program I saw on daytime television recently highlighted these media jobs as legitimate and sensible choices. We need tens of thousands of bricklayers in this country, but only a handful of talking heads. So the careers advice is misleading and betraying our youth. Britain is a fantastic place to live if you want to be successful. I firmly believe the class system is dead, but we can’t all end up on telly so lets get realistic. 17 yr old lads with a basic education need to be on building sites, not learning media studies 3hrs a week at Basingstoke Polytechnic. Everyone wants to wear a suit and have a £25k starting salary or failing that go on X Factor. There are not enough of these jobs around but the construction industry is crying out for labour. So let us be a little more honest. It is nothing to be ashamed of. Why make people feel they have ‘ended up’ in the trade after their career as a jewellery designer sadly didn’t work out?

A day on a building site is tiring on an easy day, and physically punishing on a hard one. There is no sitting down, other than for tea, and constant movement, lifting, carrying. The teenagers who are roaming the streets in the early hours of the morning shooting each other would find it a little more difficult if they had been mixing concrete all day. Uppermost in their thoughts would be home, shower, food and bed. Stabbing and drinking would seem like a lot of effort after all that exertion.

Perhaps the real point is to fully appreciate the value of work. With the focus on becoming pop stars and journalists we have forgotten that 99% of the working population only do so for money. Work to live, not the other way round. Why sell young people impossible dreams so they have a disdain for the everyday life that is the reality. What is wrong with being a plumber, electrician or bricklayer? It can be a good life with freedom, opportunity to earn good money, ample chance of self-improvement, and that spirit on site that cannot be bettered. There is no better feeling than getting stuck in on site, working up a sweat to get the job done and going home with a feeling of satisfaction. Work brings confidence and self-worth.

There should be no young men aged between 16 and 21 who are not in education or employment. With the current building boom we could put these youngsters to good use by introducing eighteen months national service, but on a building site rather than a war zone. They could be paid more than the dole, but not enough to stop them from trying to improve their situation. If they go on to hold down a steady job they can leave their service early but if they quit they have to come back and complete their term. Once introduced, we will have thousands of young men who are up and out to work early instead of lying in bed. We would be teaching a skill, and dispelling any idea that these boys are too good for manual labour. Finally, earning a modest but regular wage teaches financial responsibility. The result is a generation of young men who don’t need to be out on the streets at night looking for something to dispel their boredom because they have just had an exciting and tiring day on site.

It will never happen… but imagine if it did?

What is the point i hear you asking. Well if this is the case did my stint in the corporate world affect me and has it helped or hindered my attempts to set up The Building Experience? If you are wondering what has brought this issue to my attention it is because my business partner recently asked me to tone it down a little in meetings because he thought i was being a little too aggressive with our partners. I was also recently told that i was talking to my sister as if we were in the boardroom!

Spending time in any profession is bound to have a major influence on an individual. Take Nick Knowles for example. I'm sure years in the media spotlight and on the front of glitzy magazines has affected him. Likewise many years in the corporate world has certainly influenced my management style and may even have increased my already massively competitive nature.  Perhaps on occasions this may have riled certain people and had a negative affect on the progression of The Building Experience.

But equally i hope and believe that there are many things i learnt during my previous life which have been a massive help in what we are trying to do now. Quite honestly the boardroom is not that different to a building site anyway. Wolf whistling may be prohibited and getting your shirt off and pectorals out when it's sunny is frowned upon, but many similarities remain. Plus the rules for success in both fields must be the same, hard work, ambition, good people around you and a bit of luck.

So for my business partners sake i'll try to tame the beast when it rears it's ugly head next time, but quite honestly i'm a pretty lame example of a corporate animal anyway. I'm more a pussycat really.

I am not suggesting that builders are filthy animals, quite the opposite, such is the dirty nature of the work, a shower afterwards is essential. But knowing that they will get dirty opens up some interesting options in the morning. For me, the brushing of teeth is essential (unless I am running very late!) but the of brushing ones hair is less of an issue. There is no point in being perfectly coiffured at 7.30am only to have a big dollop of plaster in your Brylcreem by 8.30. For the office worker every strand must be in place on his head, lest he should be accused of exhibiting some individuality.

The novice builder will spend his first months protecting his appearance before the penny finally drops that the ladies are few and far between on site. Likewise, wearing those Reebok Classics was a great idea before it rained. Now the wet feet and ruined shoes make the sensible but'dorky'work boots much more attractive. Once the initial attempts at maintaining some street cred have failed, the floodgates are open.

It starts at lunch. The salad cream, tomato, piccalilli that cascade down the hi-visibility jacket make a real mess… But is it any messier than the drywall adhesive you will be using later? Clearly there is no point in cleaning it off. No-one will notice it anyway. Imagine our man in accounts with a drop of dill pickle on his silk tie. It would be a catastrophe. And should it touch his Hugo Boss suit he would be ashamed to re-enter the office.

The low point/high point (depending on your point of view) for the builders cleanliness comes a couple of times a year when he gets a cold. The runny nose that lasts for a couple of days is really annoying for every sufferer. Continually blowing, sniffing and reaching for the tissues. But not the hardcore builder. Why try and stem the flow? Let the nose drip itself dry… onto the floor. With two hands on the tool and deadlines to meet he cant afford to stop every couple of minutes to wipe. Just let it hang on the end of your nose, and then to the floor. This is a tactic best avoided when working in a nice private residence, but if you are knocking walls down or digging holes, anything goes.

Builders are not dirty people, but they do have a dirty job and clearly this has advantages and disadvantages. I would suggest one should go with the flow, turn the negatives into positives, and leave the handkerchief at home. A sleeve is just as good.

The silver rule of picking a tradesman is to go with a recommendation. This is sound advice but perhaps not quite as simple as it might seem. Very few people bother to follow the golden rule, which is to get three separate quotes. So when they get their man in to do the job, they have no idea if the price is reasonable. Most builders will do a good job for a high price, they only bodge it when there is no money in it. The customer then recommends their man to everybody, with no idea what the alternatives are. Some people like their builders so much on a personal level they will speak highly of them, even though their work may have been substandard. And don’t forget, people have different expectations of the work. Thus a recommendation on its own is not enough to get you the quality tradesman you deserve.

So back to the yellow pages. You will need to phone more than three because a proportion won’t turn up, and of those that do show, some won’t bother to get back to you with a quote. This is an easy way to narrow down the choices. Don’t waste time on builders who don’t show, move on. But do remember that builders hate quoting and are unlikely to do it very quickly. They will never give you a price on the spot, and it would be inappropriate to ask.

By now you will have met your three prospective builders and got their quotes back. There are a few criteria to look at from the outset. Pay attention to their presentation. Professional letterheads on the quote, a decent vehicle and appropriate personal appearance (don’t expect a suit, don’t accept muddy boots) all say something about the calibre of the man. It is important how you communicate with your builder so see if you develop a natural rapport. It is hard to tell the swindler from the genuine guy so don’t solely pick the builder that you like the most.

The ace up your sleeve is to ask to see some of the previous work the builder has done. This is quite an inconvenience to all parties, and the previous customers who will be letting you into their home, so save it for big jobs. By viewing previous work you will learn two things. Firstly, the standard of the finish. Try and ignore stylistic elements that you dislike and focus on the detail and quality. Second, and most important, pay attention to the chemistry between the previous client and the builder. The fact that they are allowed back is something of a clue, but the degree of friendliness and mutual backslapping will show just how pleased the client was. If you find a builder who has keys to a property (and he has not nicked them) and shows you around on his own then you are onto a winner as this demonstrates a high degree of trust.

To find a good builder when you don’t know one is going to require a lot of effort on your behalf. Most people don’t bother, and then complain about the poor chap they do end up with. To avoid this, follow the advice, use your common sense and trust your instincts.

It is no longer sufficient for work to be up to building regulation standards. Now the individual has to prove that he is up to standard as a worker. From 2010 all tradesmen on Major Contractors Group (MCG) sites will have to carry a card containing a computer chip detailing their qualifications. Access onto the site will be denied to anyone unable to prove their worth. The contractor is liable to a heavy fine if found employing an unqualified tradesperson.

Already in recent years we have seen the arrival of Part P regulations for electrical work and an extension of Part L for plumbing work. This is in addition to the longer standing CORGI and FENSA registration schemes.

Increased regulation is attractive in many ways. At the very least it shows a minimum level of experience on behalf of the tradesperson. Perhaps most important of all, he or she will also have had to go on, and pass, a comprehensive health and safety course. The technology of the card readers and microchips makes head counting and resource allocation easier. But there are obvious pitfalls to this scheme.

Much like the great identity card debate, opponents will highlight the potential for fraud. The cards are supposed to be able to ensure higher wages for skilled operatives. The influx of migratory workers from abroad has meant that labour prices in the construction industry have remained steady for the last five years while the business as a whole has boomed. One could suggest that a card which gives a person the ability to get work, and consequently higher wages, will become a big target for fraud. Those foreign workers with poor language skills, or UK workers unwilling to study, may find obtaining a fraudulent card easier than a training course.

Certainly the card scheme will not improve the quality of the work. A card tells us that a worker has proven skills and health and safety education. It does not say that he is conscientious, a perfectionist, or even bothered about the standard of his work.

For a modest homeowner looking to have an extension built the new working practices are unlikely to have an impact, at least not for some time. Small scale building companies will not be subject to these new checks. The homeowner will still be stuck with the problem of finding a good builder, and the worries about punctuality, tidiness and intrusiveness. This is a problem that organisations like the Federation of Master Builders are now trying to fill. One only has to view a recently finished house on a large scale development to see that the quality of the work is the last concern. The priorities are different. The work must comply with the Building Regulations as a minimum standard, it must be safe, and most of all it must be done quickly. This will always mean aesthetically new houses are a disappointment, and no amount of regulation will change that.

Now we have a huge bureaucracy to train our builders, issue certificates, enforce the system and administer it. And all this before any work has been done. It is no coincidence that many of our large projects (the new Wembley, the Scottish parliament and surely the Olympics) run over budget. Consider all the expense involved in just getting a builder onto the site. The bureaucracy is in full swing at many levels, and costs are passed on to the end user, long before a single brick has been laid. The construction industry is getting more sophisticated and more regulated. This is increasingly expensive. But to the ordinary homeowner, a more expensive builder is not always a better builder.