KH Field Notes

What we actually do for tradespeople

Every service here comes out of a job that went wrong first. We test tools until they fail, cost materials in rand against real supplier quotes, and write up the parts nobody mentions in a showroom. If you run a crew, a workshop or a bakkie on your own, this is the working set.

KH Field Notes service menu

Looking for the wider picture on how these fit together? Start with our solutions overview or see use cases from site.

Costed job breakdowns

Full material lists with wastage, adhesive coverage and travel time included. Useful when a client asks why the quote is not the cheapest one they received.

Tool teardowns

Drills, grinders and nailers run through a Highveld winter, then opened up. We report what wore first and what a repair actually costs.

Repair walkthroughs

Damp, cracked plaster, leaking flashings. We trace the source before anyone picks up a paint brush, and say when a job needs an engineer instead.

Supplier and material checks

How to read an aluminium quote, spot a substituted board, and keep a paper trail when a delivery arrives short or damaged.

Workshop admin that holds up

Invoicing, deposit terms and follow-up wording for clients who pay late. Plain templates you can adapt to your own letterhead.

Reader questions and guest notes

Electricians, plumbers and cabinetmakers send in their own site problems. We answer them honestly, including the ones where the answer is "call a specialist".

What clients say after the work is done

Feedback from site foremen, workshop owners and homeowners who used our quoting templates, tool notes and repair guides on real jobs across Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape.

I used the tiling quote breakdown on a bathroom refit in Midrand. Adding the wastage and travel lines meant I stopped losing money on diagonal cuts. The client signed without arguing about the price.

Sipho M.

Tiling contractor, Midrand

The cordless drill teardown saved me a bad purchase. I run two crews in Durban and needed batteries that survive a cold bakkie overnight. Bought the one that held charge, and the chargers still work on our load-shedding schedule.

Riaan van der Merwe

Site foreman, Durban

We had damp creeping up a plastered wall in an old Cape Town house. The guide helped me trace it to a bridged damp course instead of just repainting. Stripped the plaster, treated the masonry, and it has stayed dry through two winters.

Nomsa Dlamini

Homeowner, Cape Town

The invoicing notes on late-paying clients changed how I write my terms. I now bill a deposit and stage payments on cabinet installs. Fewer awkward phone calls at month end.

Thabo Nkosi

Cabinetmaker, Johannesburg

I sent in a photo of a leaking downpipe I could not diagnose. The reply was honest: it was not rising damp, just a broken joint. Saved me from quoting a full replaster the client did not need.

Elsabe Pretorius

Plumber, Pretoria

The aluminium supplier checklist helped me vet three quotes for a shopfront job. Two could not confirm their extrusion tolerances. The third could, and the install went in square first time.

Deon Fourie

Workshop owner, Port Elizabeth

Questions we get asked about how the work runs

What we actually do, how a job gets scoped, and where our limits sit. If your question is not here, the editor reads every mail that comes in.

What does a site visit include?

We walk the space with you, measure the areas that matter, and check the substrate before anyone quotes. On a tiling job that means tapping for hollow screed and checking floor levels. On a damp wall it means tracing the moisture source first. You get written notes on what we found and what it changes.

Do you work outside Johannesburg?

Yes, but travel changes the schedule. Durban and Cape Town jobs are planned in blocks so we are not driving back and forth for a half-day task. Coastal humidity and inland winter dryness both affect curing times, and we build that into the programme rather than pretending it does not exist.

Can you work from my own material list?

Often, yes. Send the list and we will flag what is missing: adhesive quantities for a diagonal layout, wastage allowance, or a render system that will not bond to a treated wall. If the list is short on something critical, we say so before the first day on site, not halfway through.

What is not part of the service?

We are not structural engineers and we do not sign off on load-bearing work. If a crack or a sagging lintel points to something bigger, we stop and tell you to bring in an engineer. We also do not take on jobs where the scope keeps shifting without a revised written brief.

How do you handle invoicing and late payers?

Deposits cover materials, progress payments follow completed stages, and the final invoice goes out on handover with photos of the finished work. When a client goes quiet, we follow a written reminder sequence and keep the paper trail clean. It is dull admin, but it is the difference between a job that closes and one that drags for months.

Can I send job photos or a question?

Please do. Reader photos and questions get worked into upcoming posts, and we answer honestly even when the answer is that a job needs a specialist. Reach the editor at info@kh-demo.com or call +27155504205.

Working notes and terms of engagement: Contact the editor Terms
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