Hi mate, hope you're well.

The problem with the labour charges is that there are so many wealthy expats here who are prepared to pay whatever they ask, and the labourers also want jobs that will take a while so they're not worrying about constantly needing to find new work.
This is a problem for Thais who live here too. The whole economy on the island is geared towards expats and tourists, which is understandable, but makes getting a tradesman difficult and expensive.

Thank you as always for dropping by, and I hope you and your loved ones have the best weekend you can.