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David66316

Hi
Was wondering how much everyone charges for small simple jobs because I'm not sure if I'm charging right or not,
For example changing a set of bath taps which involved taking the plastic side panel off, hack sawing one of the taps of cas it was seized on then replacing taps in an awkward tight spot, I charged £30 plus parts, now I think that's cheap, but custard didn't?
 
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my best domestic customer who is now 68 and I still send a card to came off a tap wager I change for hear many moons back and charged her ten bob for a ice cream. the following year I did new bathroom suites top to bottom for all 3 of her daughters
 
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David66316 said:
Hi
Was wondering how much everyone charges for small simple jobs because I'm not sure if I'm charging right or not,
For example changing a set of bath taps which involved taking the plastic side panel off, hack sawing one of the taps of cas it was seized on then replacing taps in an awkward tight spot, I charged £30 plus parts, now I think that's cheap, but custard didn't?
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Could i ask how long you have been in the plumbing industry for?
 
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for about 3 years now, was working with someone, but he just paid me a wage and never went into detail about how much he charged for each job, but he's retired now and all work was in a different area.
 
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I see oh well i suppose you can make up for it next time, just remember when charging for jobs that the custard is not just paying for your labour but your experience and knowledge as well. Also i do not always see changing bath taps as a basic plumbing job ( though it should be ) as sometimes it can be a total nightmare ie whb/pedastal in way, old drifted connections that need replaced, water wont turn off properly and the list goes on so just remember that if you are a good plumber that you deserve to be paid to your advantage and not what you think the custard can afford.
 
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bod said:
dont think of what they can afford treat them all the same, more money means more on the tick generally
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That's what i was meaning, if your only charging 30 quid it sound's like the job was charged on what the custard could only afford or all that the custard wanted to pay
 
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i find the easiest way for small maintenance jobs is a fixed fee for the first hour, extra for the second hour, then move to half a day.
most small jobs can be done in 1 or 2 hours.this way the customer knows what they are paying and you've explaned to them the costs in advance.
if they dont like it they can go somewhere else.

the amounts depend on competition in your area. but 30 is too cheap.

how did you all find work when you first started out
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you need to advertise ! its expensive but its the only way.
also get a decent website. probably 75% of all my enquiries now come via the internet
 
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I always like reading these posts about charges as im from wolverhampton and find the cost changes from area to area. I only work a 15 mile radius but price you get is different in birmingham i can get £55 per hour max and 400 500 for a straight swop bathroom but in wolvo can if lucky get 250 for straight bathroom swop and 25 to 35 per hour or small job hence i try work birmingham as much as possible i had customer phone up for out side tap install and i charged 65.00 plus parts and they said i was way to dear and they had been quoted £35 including parts i said go with them as i can not afford that.
 
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quality said:
50 quid to get in the van plus mileage plus your hourly rate plus materials
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Are you serious? You charge £50 on top of your hourly rate and materials? Nice work if you can get it.



I've read lots of evidence that in many areas £30 would be absolute top dollar for an hour's wet plumbing work. It's not down where I am (think more like £50 or £60) but if £30 for the first hour is the going rate in your area then that's what you should charge when starting out.

Always allow 2 hrs minimum money for bath tap change if only because they're a pain in the rear! Then if you're done in under an hour the other hour's money was for the fact your cracked your head on the basin and pulled a muscle in your back.

But to be fair only those who aren't struggling to find work or meet the bills can truly have the 'take it or leave it' attitude towards pricing. The rest of us - if we've not much booked in - and get the feeling the custard is stressed about the cost will go in a bit cheaper just to get the job and fill the day. I don't mean tight-fisted, distrustful, pain-in-the-posterior types. I mean the great masses of everyday hard-up.
 
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If you want an easy to work out pricing structure.......just tally up how many jobs and hours it would take you to make a basic wage out of doing jobs for thirty quid. Include working costs, travelling expenses, fuel, insurance and of course cost of materials. Think you'll find you will need a hell of a lot of thirty quid jobs just to live on mate.

I'm not trying to sound patronising to you in any way, I'm offering you my advice. Work out your marketing strategy and aim for 3 x £100 jobs instead of burning yourself out for 10 x £30 jobs or get a happy medium between the two. I seriously think you have to do your homework and find out all you can about your local competitors, how much they charge, quality of work etc and give yourself a reason why you can be better than them and be able to tell your customers this. In this game not everything is based solely on price alone. If that is the type of customer you attract, then you have to give them a reason why you can do the work, do it better and charge more for it. You get what you pay for.

You could find yourself driving round daft doing thirty quid jobs and getting nowhere. Don't be a "busy fool" is a good saying!
 
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Ive just quoted a toilet install, new pan connector and alteration to the supply to accommodate new toilet, £80. Custard said that is way to expensive and cant afford it :skep: Didn't bother discussing, just wished her luck and set off home.
 
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