Changing HWB taps tomorrow, need some pricing advice please.

[armyash]

Hi everyone

I have been asked to change some taps on the basin in an ensuite tomorrow.

It's a guy from work who I don't know but a guy I work with has told him I'll be able to do the job. I'm happy to do it as it's good practice.

I haven't seen the job yet but I'm thinking of giving a set price regardless of how long it takes but i'm not sure what to charge. I'm thinking £30. Seems reasonable and like I said it will be good practice even if it turns in to a nightmare of a job. He needs to go and buy the taps from B&Q tomorrow so I'm going in blind.

Any advice would be good, thanks.


and yes I will be declaring any extra money I make.

 

[CES]

Seems like a fair price to me. Take your time, I'm sure you will manage it ok. Small steps etc..

 

[Guest123]

If its B&Q taps, swap the plastic back nuts with these for the brass ones you're taking off the old taps. The plastic ones snap when tightened. Fit a iso on each supply pipe, saves time if you have to go back to do maintenance on the basin.
Tighten the taps fully but not overtight as nothing is worse than a loose tap that turns.

Job should take about half an hour, depends on whether hot water supply is easily isolated. If it's a combi, then you're laughing.

I charge £25 per tap.

 

[Leo21]

If its B&Q taps, swap the plastic back nuts with these for the brass ones you're taking off the old taps. The plastic ones snap when tightened. Fit a iso on each supply pipe, saves time if you have to go back to do maintenance on the basin.
Tighten the taps fully but not overtight as nothing is worse than a loose tap that turns.

Job should take about half an hour, depends on whether hot water supply is easily isolated. If it's a combi, then you're laughing.

I charge £25 per tap.

PIE agree but plus ISO valves. And extra for new stop tap if required.

 

[Leo21]

Meant I agree. Bloody I pads.

 

[GQuigley67]

he said fit iso valves

plus i'm lead to believe its in the regs now that you have to fit an iso valve at each outlet

 

[Leo21]

Even in existing and not a new basin?

 

[Leo21]

Sorry meant charge extra for valves.

 

[GQuigley67]

not sure about existing but i always do it anyway its good practice even if it isnt in the regs

 

[armyash]

Thanks, the bloke has just text me and said wants me there at 12 and finished by 1. I have said no gurantees that I will be finished by 1 especially if he has to mess around getting taps from B&Q. He also has BG going round as there is a problem with his boiler and he thinks the dripping hot tap is the cause.

Has asked me to call him in the morning which I will do.

Thanks for the advice system3, fitting the iso's is a good point, that's what I have been taught to do. I'll more than likely charge more when it's not someone related to work. I'll see what he says in the tomorrow, ideally I would have seen the job first. If it sounds like there will be problems with him I'll advise him to go to someone else.

Don't particularly need someone standing next to me with a stopwatch hassling me to get the job done in 1 hour. The guy I work with said he has had a pig of a job with taps that have taken hours to do as they had been on so long that he couldn't shift them. Won't do anything for my confidence if I mess it up.

 

[Leo21]

It depends, some times on tank fed systems they can reduce flow. And also old ones always seem to pee out through the screw head.

 

[GQuigley67]

tell the man that you would rather do it in a more convenient time where there is no time limit, i have had to take basins off the wall before to change taps, reseal etc, always give an estimate without seeing the job as you dont know what your walking into

 

[armyash]

GQuigley67, that's probably the best thing to do in this situation. Thanks, i'd obviously rather do the job (even for free) to get more experience but don't need the extra pressure of having time restraints just for the sake of changing some taps.

 

[GQuigley67]

i've learned from that mistake, basin was stuck to wall with tile adhesive or something, nearlly broke my back getting it off the wall, sweating buckets for about 2 hours to get it off the wall was in a vanity unit mixer tap so no way in hell i could get my box spanners in

 

[JCplumb]

That's the kind of job that could really knock your confidence at this early stage of your career. A 1 hour time limit without even seeing the job is just silly.
You never know, there may be ample room to remove the old taps and they haven't seized, the new taps may fit perfectly without any need for new piping. There may be ISOs already fitted. But it could also turn out to be a nightmare as pointed out above. On badly fitted water systems, it can sometimes take an hour to cure the airlocks after you've turned the water back on...
Just the fact that the customer is going to buy the new taps would make my sphincter twitch, they almost always get the most difficult and awkward things they can because they're cheap. (cheap for a reason!)
Good luck pal, hope you don't need it 🙂

 

[JCplumb]

Just thought....
New taps because one is dripping? Service the dripping tap instead of changing it, that'll save him having to get new taps. If it's a washer then your total outlay will be 9p 😀

 

[armyash]

Just thought....
New taps because one is dripping? Service the dripping tap instead of changing it, that'll save him having to get new taps. If it's a washer then your total outlay will be 9p 😀

Thanks for the replies JCplumb! I did actually mention the washer to the customer yesterday but they seem to have their heart set on new taps. Who am I to argue haha

 

[secret squirrel]

Meant I agree. Bloody I pads.

Its not the Ipad its the 10 thumbs you've got............

 

[JCplumb]

How did you get on Ash?

 

[Guest123]

Yes me too, how did the tap change go?