Blinking depressing

[Hybrid]

Priced an extension. 7 rads, hot and cold pipework, bathroom (back to wall wc with concealed cistern, recessed basin, mixer shower and enclosure), down stairs wc (back to wall wc with concealed cistern, recessed basin), zoned off from house which would involve new flow run back to airing cupboard, soil stack. Copper pipework, drops chased in etc.
Labour only. Said £1600 based on £200 a day for 8 days.

Had this email.

"Hi Tony,

Thanks for your quote, I have only had two quotes for doing the work and they are in copper. Sorry, but both are cheaper, the cheapest quote I had, the plumber allowed for about 10 days on the job, total cost being £1000 (£100/day), £300 first fix and £700 second fix). The other quote was for £1200 but he didn't say how many days it would take and he didn't give me a break down of first and second fix. Thanks for the quote though.
Regards"


Been a bit quiet lately so knew I was bottom feeding a bit but £100 a day shocks me. For an 8 hr day that's £12.50/hr! Who would bother?!
I rarely do new builds and extensions and now I've been reminded why.

 

[Leo21]

What a plick, let em get in with it. Charge £300 pound a day to put it right.

 

[hammers4spanner]

unfortunately its what we are up against these day , i would question the inteligence of the £100 a day and they will be kicking themselves after the 3rd day on this work . Also they may have had a quiet patch and £100 a day is better than nothing .

Sign of the times imho

 

[dancinplumba]

What a plick, let em get in with it. Charge £300 pound a day to put it right.

Didn't know you spoke Chinese LEO 🙂

 

[tamz]

I know guys doing 80 a day cash in hand. Good plumbers with full gas quals. Times are hard for many and 400 quid for a week pays a lot of bills.
The legit guys can't compete with this but such is the times we are in. Prices will stay low for years to come. Get used to it.

 

[Leo21]

I know guys doing 80 a day cash in hand. Good plumbers with full gas quals. Times are hard for many and 400 quid for a week pays a lot of bills.
The legit guys can't compete with this but such is the times we are in. Prices will stay low for years to come. Get used to it.

No,no and no.

 

[Leo21]

Didn't know you spoke Chinese LEO 🙂

I have many talents. Getting the water to the right level in manometer is not one of them.

 

[PatchettPlumbing]

It's ridiculous mate, but it's the issues we are faced with currently unfortunately. Like said, charge him more when he comes back. £200 isn't unreasonable either.

 

[hammers4spanner]

why are you presuming he will come back??
it may be a very good plumbs who has been very quiet and needs money

i know i lower my rate during hard times dont wish to but needs must

 

[Hybrid]

Since this recession hit i've been quite happy doing jobbing work, boiler services and repairs, the odd install and plumbing jobs. The last six months i've felt the pinch a bit but still getting by. Too many boys coming off the sites and cutting each others throats.

There are people prepared to pay a fair price for work and i've been fortunate to have a quite affluent client base. I'm just going to concentrate on attracting more and not worrying about the bottom end of the market.

 

[tamz]

No,no and no.

I was making £600 for a (hard) shift solid fuel to gas bbu in 1980 (yes over 30 years ago). The money is gone from the heating game helped down by the government schemes who are spouting they are "rising standards and driving down costs".
Fk off :smile: They are driving down standards and costs but just sign your name at the bottom of the paper work and everything will be hunky dory

 

[hammers4spanner]

the good times are gone and it makes me chuckle to see the guys in mid twenties thinking that signing up to all these schemes will make them millionaires .
fact is when we were bashing in packs you needed no more than corgi and P.I , never had all this pas2030 or regular inspections from some puller from the council was a case of get in and get it done .

money is well gone bubble has burst and its time to roll with the punches

 

[lame plumber]

in the mid 80s I was quoted £3500 for a boiler change and rad upgrade, theres some out there still charging the same now!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[hammers4spanner]

if my memory serves me correct we were getting between £600 to £750 a pack no trunking no commissioning water samples , blocking in fires ,painting cylinder cupboards just in out and a commissiong guy would come and set boiler up .

Now its about £500 with all extra aggro and from what i hear some contractors take scrap off you now !!!

 

[tamz]

and from what i hear some contractors take scrap off you now !!!

Thats true. I was in the pub earlier speaking to one of my mates who was on about that. He took out a doublo tank the other day and when the guy came round with the van to collect it he took the recip saw to it and gave him half of it (the smaller half) and told him to fk off as he had a cylinder :smile:

 

[kay-jay]

prices these days are bad and its a situation not helped by the lull in the new build sector which is causing many site workers to drop into the domestic sector which increases competition. these site lads are used to working for a £120/£130 per day which is fine when you have a continued source of work on site, but they mistakenly believe they only need to charge the same in domestics not realising that they will have quiet days. this is screwing us all up as customers now want things doing for nowt

 

[Mike Jackson]

Things are manic here. I'm charging 300 a day and getting plenty of work at the moment.

 

[hammers4spanner]

prices these days are bad and its a situation not helped by the lull in the new build sector which is causing many site workers to drop into the domestic sector which increases competition. these site lads are used to working for a £120/£130 per day which is fine when you have a continued source of work on site, but they mistakenly believe they only need to charge the same in domestics not realising that they will have quiet days. this is screwing us all up as customers now want things doing for nowt

the sites where i am are in full flow sucking in alot of labour to point of where agencies are offering 21 per hour for pipefitting.

You also have to look at how many people have lost jobs over last three years or so , all need to be working so can imagine X amount are either retraining or advertising themselves as property maintennace which will take some work away and drive rates down

 

[Leo21]

It's all dependant on where you are, and how much competition there is.

 

[supper plumb]

same as spreading tiling plumbing for me you give them the break down and there like why £150 per day (((((well you go get quotes from diffrent trades and add them up pal)))))))))

 

[Leo21]

Never breakdown a quote! All you get is " how much an hour?"

 

[supper plumb]

hour lol never worked for hour rate yet not for any of my old bosses

 

[vern]

Things are manic here. I'm charging 300 a day and getting plenty of work at the moment.

Nice one Mike quality costs IMHO, I never charge less than that and I am swimming in work, in fact I have only just taken a week off to take the family to the coast, my kids are like " who's that mister?" Mum " oh that's daddy" seriously!

 

[BLOD]

You also have to look at how many people have lost jobs over last three years or so , all need to be working so can imagine X amount are either retraining or advertising themselves as property maintennace which will take some work away and drive rates down

This is very true - I've noticed at least 10 new property maintenance vans round my way in the last few weeks

 

[julesverne]

I was making £600 for a (hard) shift solid fuel to gas bbu in 1980 (yes over 30 years ago). The money is gone from the heating game helped down by the government schemes who are spouting they are "rising standards and driving down costs".
Fk off :smile: They are driving down standards and costs but just sign your name at the bottom of the paper work and everything will be hunky dory

this is absolutley true the problem is that this is only happening at our end whereas business at the top end like banks are starting to make billion pound profits again which is fair enough but not so fair when it doesnt trickle down the food chain. the richer are getting richer and for everyone else its just getting tougher and tougher.

i think the problem lies in the fact that every political party left right or centre in government serves there own interests and ego's and do not serve the interests of the people for the common good, but thats democracy for you and trade unions bosses are no better.

until people wake up and smell the coffee it will be no better for a long time to come.

 

[julesverne]

Never breakdown a quote! All you get is " how much an hour?"

i dont even quote rad sizes from heat loss calculations now unless a deposit has been given.