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Here in Australia in a semi rural non big city town there are a lot of professional grade DIY installs. The area has many FiFo (Fly In Fly Out) mine site worke

Here in Australia in a semi rural non big city town there are a lot of professional grade DIY installs. The area has many FiFo (Fly In Fly Out) mine site workers and farmers all of whom are capable of fixing panels to roofs and racking batteries .. the wiring and looms are either "done by a mate" or done from a sketch on the back of envelope, or reading the sheet of instructions that come with an order. The important part, safety, comes at the end when one of the few working town electricians (or an "off duty" mine electrician) checks the wiring for safety and compliance and signs off on the work for a fee. Like many things the total cost is sweat equity + mail order prices + professional inspection and sign off (for insurance and peace of mind).

Gibbon1 2y ago
Stupid thing I didn't do when I was in my 20's was take the contractors license exam. Back then you took a few classes, took the exam and you had a license. Now you need to work several thousand hours under someone with a license and then you're only allowed to do that type of work. And then California wonders why construction is sooooo expensive.
- defrost 2y ago
  Smart thing I did in my teens and early 20's was to work part time at mine sites every vacation break. I got a good lump sum saved up by the end of university and I was ticketed with experience on bobcats, haulpaks, loaders, mini-cranes, heavy rigid trucks, etc. along with trades assistant experience working for electricians, gas fitters, fitter and turners, riggers, plumbers, radio technicians, belt splicers, etc. That meant that while I wasn't a qualified electrician I did know how and what they did and had done most of the work myself under supervision. I veered into Engineering (Trad.) then Mathematics, then Geophysics .. but I was well set up to go into trades had I wanted to .. more importantly I could do a full gas fitting layout for a glass blowing studio (isolation valves, pressure valves, furnace, annealing oven, glory hole, leakproof joins, etc) just not legally connect it .. for insurance and peace of mind I get an actual working tradie with insurance to inspect and signoff on the connection to a large rented LPG tank. It's a very Weddings, Parties, Anything * kind of state (ie. many people here are comfortable taking on many types of work; typical for large area low population places). * Any song you want Playing requests now on the bandstand El Clash combo Paid fifteen dollars a day Weddings, parties, anything And Bongo Jazz a speciality
- HPsquared 2y ago
  So many of our high prices are due to this "legalized racket" mechanism.
  - barbazoo 2y ago
    Chestertons fence comes to mind.

Gibbon1 2y ago

Stupid thing I didn't do when I was in my 20's was take the contractors license exam. Back then you took a few classes, took the exam and you had a license. Now you need to work several thousand hours under someone with a license and then you're only allowed to do that type of work. And then California wonders why construction is sooooo expensive.

defrost 2y ago
Smart thing I did in my teens and early 20's was to work part time at mine sites every vacation break. I got a good lump sum saved up by the end of university and I was ticketed with experience on bobcats, haulpaks, loaders, mini-cranes, heavy rigid trucks, etc. along with trades assistant experience working for electricians, gas fitters, fitter and turners, riggers, plumbers, radio technicians, belt splicers, etc. That meant that while I wasn't a qualified electrician I did know how and what they did and had done most of the work myself under supervision. I veered into Engineering (Trad.) then Mathematics, then Geophysics .. but I was well set up to go into trades had I wanted to .. more importantly I could do a full gas fitting layout for a glass blowing studio (isolation valves, pressure valves, furnace, annealing oven, glory hole, leakproof joins, etc) just not legally connect it .. for insurance and peace of mind I get an actual working tradie with insurance to inspect and signoff on the connection to a large rented LPG tank. It's a very Weddings, Parties, Anything * kind of state (ie. many people here are comfortable taking on many types of work; typical for large area low population places). * Any song you want Playing requests now on the bandstand El Clash combo Paid fifteen dollars a day Weddings, parties, anything And Bongo Jazz a speciality
HPsquared 2y ago
So many of our high prices are due to this "legalized racket" mechanism.
- barbazoo 2y ago
  Chestertons fence comes to mind.