Price question?

[Millsy 82]

Starting to doubt my self on pricing as I'm winning boiler changes but not a lot of other installs. The job I went out to has a brand new boiler installed but the heating system and controls are a bodied up a treat.

I'm pricing for

Change TRV and lock shields on 12 rads

Alter the bodge that is in at the moment as the system has 2 pumps 1 2 port valve and hot water won't bring the boiler on. So basically repipe the boiler and pipe up an s plan next to boiler.

Rewrite heating system and move the programmer so it is accessible and install a new rf stat.

The gas pipe is undersized to the boiler and hob so repipe in 28mm for about 18mtrs under a floor and through a wall.

Install a macerator for a kitchen waste and dishwasher. And running it across to the waste.

Run new hot and colds about 18mtrs to new kitchen sink and dishwasher.

The parts are just below £800+ vat and I'm pricing it for 3 1/2 days (an extra half day as it looks a bit of a pig) and I'm coming out at just below £2000!

Do you reckon that's too high?

 

[Leo21]

Starting to doubt my self on pricing as I'm winning boiler changes but not a lot of other installs. The job I went out to has a brand new boiler installed but the heating system and controls are a bodied up a treat.

I'm pricing for

Change TRV and lock shields on 12 rads

Alter the bodge that is in at the moment as the system has 2 pumps 1 2 port valve and hot water won't bring the boiler on. So basically repipe the boiler and pipe up an s plan next to boiler.

Rewrite heating system and move the programmer so it is accessible and install a new rf stat.

The gas pipe is undersized to the boiler and hob so repipe in 28mm for about 18mtrs under a floor and through a wall.

Install a macerator for a kitchen waste and dishwasher. And running it across to the waste.

Run new hot and colds about 18mtrs to new kitchen sink and dishwasher.

The parts are just below £800+ vat and I'm pricing it for 3 1/2 days (an extra half day as it looks a bit of a pig) and I'm coming out at just below £2000!

Do you reckon that's too high?

No, but people won't see the value in it. It's only when you fit a shiny boiler that they see what they're getting for they're outlay.

 

[Millsy 82]

Yeah that's what I think it is. I priced up about 6 new rads the other week and new valves through out and that came up £950 all in and they said I was massively over priced! Lol. I did take a bit of a knock in confidence from that.

 

[rpm]

Wont need a macerator for the sink and dishwasher just a water pump.

 

[Millsy 82]

I've gone for a grundfos solo lift 2 c3 so is that incorrect? If so what is it I need? Please

 

[Millsy 82]

Oh the bloke came back saying he was expecting it to be between £1000-£1500 and he saying he's installed a full heating system for 2k so I'm guessing it's going to be a no from him as well lol.

 

[rpm]

I've gone for a grundfos solo lift 2 c3 so is that incorrect? If so what is it I need? Please

No that`s a good choice of pump, discharge pipe size can be anywhere betweeen 22 & 40mm.

 

[woodsy]

Presumably the parts are before profit, so I don't think your a million miles away price wise, but unfortunately he will probably get it done for 1500 tops as too many working for no profit or Valuing their skills, plus customers ability to cost every thing online. Sounds that if it's a good one to possibly miss as he's obviously had a cheap job done before which is why you are having to alter it, so he's not learnt his lesson , so leave him to it.

 

[Millsy 82]

Presumably the parts are before profit, so I don't think your a million miles away price wise, but unfortunately he will probably get it done for 1500 tops as too many working for no profit or Valuing their skills, plus customers ability to cost every thing online. Sounds that if it's a good one to possibly miss as he's obviously had a cheap job done before which is why you are having to alter it, so he's not learnt his lesson , so leave him to it.

He has just bought the property so has inherited all the problems.

He is a property developer (or kind of) so just trying it on I think, he keeps asking me to knock a bit off but I'm holding firm with it.

 

[julesverne]

Millsy just tell him you can have it done right or have it done twice. It's his choice

 

[Ch4 plumbing]

Write him a list of gear you will need for the job, he will then go on line and spend hours getting the cheapest price for everything and happily tell you your way over!! He will of course forget postage charges VAT and the golden rule that if he supplies it he deals with the carp when it goes wrong and you get to add money to the invoice when gear doesn't turn up right.

Idiot!!

 

[AWheating]

I to have been questioning myself over some of my recent quotes, ive even failed to win a few jobs with less than 140 a day labour and no profit or materials margin. I even offered to work for a day for 80+ materials for a friend of a friend and was turned down.

stopped at a job with a work mate recently to do a quote for a new bog and basin in a downstair loo, the woman said her fellas mate was going to do it but he said at the last min that they would have to pay for the materials because he could not knick them from the site he was working on, so they told him to fek off. some people..........

 

[Ray Stafford]

You should be losing some. If you win all your quotes, you are too cheap. You only need to win enough to keep you busy with good quality work.

An old customer of mine used to say to all his customers "Don't come to me unless you want to spend at least £7k on your bathroom". (This was back in the late 90s). He reckoned that 80% of the people fecked off quickly, leaving him to concentrate only on those who had £7k to spend.

He retired early...

 

[Millsy 82]

I wish I was busy but I'm not at all.

I'm ok getting small jobs under a day but unless it involves a boiler anything over a day I may as well not price as I'm not getting any of them.

I would be happy if I got just 1 of them.

It is as though people want you to work for less than minimum wage and if you dare go over it they don't want to know.

 

[Ray Stafford]

Are you just pricing it Millsy, or selling it?

Do you just email/post the quote, or go round and present it?

 

[Millsy 82]

I think I'm selling it. I do nothing different to when I'm selling boilers.

I either post them or email them if the people are in a rush to get it through. With the distance thing and travelling time it's not worth dropping it round in person.

I give them a list of what's being done as well so they know what is being done.

 

[SimonG]

You need to sell yourself when you go and look at the job. I have loads of photos on my phone of previous jobs, they can look at my checkatrade page, if they have a dog then make a fuss of it and know your products. A lot of time I know the jobs in the bag before ive even priced it.

Its a balance of coming across professional and confident without being smarmy or big headed. I always kick my boots off at the door, a lot of people like that when you go to look. I also let them know early on that I wont be the cheapest.

I was told that if you were winning 1 in 3 then you are doing well.

Speak to the people on the jobs you miss out on, ask for some feedback wether it was all down to price or some other reason.

 

[hammers4spanner]

I don't win many bigger jobs either millsy and you don't live a million miles from me , i can get a plenty commercial installs but when it comes to domestics i'm normally undercut . Just priced a heat pack 6 rads -baxi platinum and have pushed on the sell the 10 year warranty and that i FULLY commission the system in accordance with manufacturers instructions. Kinda hoping they like the idea that will do it properly instead of treating it like a council bash . Price just over 3 k so see where it goes.

On the flip side my phone has suddenly gone bonkers for loads of little jobs that no one wants £200 a day lately start nine home by one lol never had work so easy .( won't last tho never does)

 

[Millsy 82]

Well update. The bloke wants me to go ahead and do the work. After a bit of haggling and me standing my ground I got the text this morning.

 

[Leo21]

Don't forget Millsy, some of them may not have the work done at all. So your not losing it, it's just not getting done.

 

[Ray Stafford]

Don't forget Millsy, some of them may not have the work done at all. So your not losing it, it's just not getting done.

This is particularly true of renewables quotes. We did some research a couple of years ago into our "lost quote" file, and nearly 80% of the renewables quotes that we "lost" either never happened at all, or got changed so much that they were not recognisable as the same job.

 

[Millsy 82]

Don't forget Millsy, some of them may not have the work done at all. So your not losing it, it's just not getting done.

I suppose it's because a lot of customers don't understand how much things cost. I can remember pricing to remove a macerator and put in a soil to it and the woman looked shocked when I said it will be over 1k as it would of needed ceilings cutting down re plastering etc.

 

[Leo21]

And when they want a rad moving 6 inches.

 

[julesverne]

You also gets ones that you dont hear from for about 6 months then out of the blue phone you up with a go ahead.
And still want it done for same price.

 

[IDCHAPPY]

Don't work for peanuts, it devalues you and the rest of us mate 🙂