What is everyone charging? Are you getting enough work?

[WHPES]

Just wondered what everyone is charging at the moment. I am charging £26 per hour with no call out charge and boiler service at £50 all in and am struggling to get much work at all. Even at a fixed price of £200 for a powerflush I am struggling to get any takers.

What's the work like at the moment? It's desperately quiet here (North Yorkshire).

 

[justlead1]

Hi, I think its similar though out the land. Although there ar exceptions. I have never given clients an hourly rate but a price on arrival for the job. You might loses out one in ten but gives you more incentive. And the client knows if its within funds available. Hope it picks up. Good Luck

 

[WHPES]

I usually give a price on arrival it's just that's how I work out what I am going to charge.

 

[PlumbBobBob]

i never give a price over the phone but wait until i have seen the job sometimes the custard doesn't tell the whole truth about the job. quiet for me as well at the moment

steve

 

[ringw]

dire all round ithink everyone is finding it hard to make a crust , 2 jobs fa me this week ,can't see it getting any better ,double dip i hear

 

[WHPES]

So far this week I re roofed a garden shed, did a days gardening, drove a tractor for an afternoon, pressure washed a patio. No plumbing work at all. Boiler service tomorrow.

 

[johnmcginty]

I charge 55 per hour and am quite busy £75 for emergencies during day , had 2 today and am very busy , things seem to be finally picking up to a good pace. Had a call from a "property developer" who said 4 bathrooms need plumbing 1 by end of tomorrow including cubicle and mixer, I said £200 per day then he tried to haggle almost like he heard that from a few plumbers before me , I just said i dont need the work that much mate as its now not so much a customer driven market this year, he hung up on me. I really hope it is not just a good couple of months.
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[secret squirrel]

I was watching the news and the government cuts are hitting the north and midlands more than here in the sunny south. I think it'll get a bit worse than better to start with.

 

[fuzzy]

why does it hit the north worse????????????????????

 

[WHPES]

If I asked £55 an hour here I would get no work at all! Is that some kind of out of hours rate? Everyone has slashed their rates just to get some work. The most expensive plumber round here is £35 an hour and that's one of the big companies.

 

[dontknowitall]

£165 here!!








But that's for a full day.

🙁

 

[REDSAW]

£200 a day £35 an hour £45 first.

rather do half as much work than halve my rate.

things are picking up a bit again but more than likely drop straight off again like a dodgy shower pump.lol.

 

[bengasman]

Make no mistake guys, this is the worst recession in living memory. The amount of damage done by 13 years of Labour mismanagement, simply beggars believe. Most of us believed in this "extended period of boom", whilst in reality there was no boom at all. What happened was a whole country living beyond it's means by piling up the debt, both privately and publicly.
The whole construction sector is very low, and only one in ten (if that) is busy.

 

[tackleburger]

I was dead for most of July 7 into begining of August now i don't have enough hours in the day and I am running a day behind myself also got work booked into October. It is like a different business. Two months ago i thought I was going to have to do something else. Now it is busy again. It may well be just a couple of busy months which is the worry. I hope it picks up for you guys as there is nothing worse than sitting waiting by the phone and you can only do that for a short time.

 

[Toddyplumb]

Just heard one of the big companies (the only ) round our way is gettin shot of plumbers voluntary redundancy for some (dont know the number) and then 5 extra to go !! More scrattin for jobs

 

[dontknowitall]

Tackleburger - the rate of your work is exactly the same as mine. I reckon most people are cutting back and only doing maintenance. Those who are building new things tend to have more money "to spare" (it's never spare!) and those people tend not to build in the holidays or in the winter but sort of during term time.

 

[kay-jay]

got 5 calls in my first week of trading advertising in local rag

1) could't help as was a washing machine circuit board problem nothing earned
2)service of 2 pillar taps and replacement of 2 globe taps 30 quid earned
3) diaphragm bog not flushing. mechanism change 25 quid (bloke now wants me to do a full en-suite fit and replace a massive main bathroom basin and vanity unit 900 quid cost....i'll get a couple of hundred from this guy next week
4) a blokes bog inlet won't turn off and his push button wire is knackered and won't flush, replace both 25 quid.

5) family whose bathroom i installed for my nvq now want me to sort out a rad in the extension that the cowboy builder installed and fit an outside tap 70 quid earning today.


all in all i don't think its too bad for my first week! considering there are 8 other plumbers advertising in the same paper.

i charge 25 per hour, 30 for first hour unless i'm doin someone a favour! i always ask what the customer does for a living in case its beneficial to offer a favour for a favour.

KJ

 

[REDSAW]

i charge 25 per hour, 30 for first hour unless i'm doin someone a favour! i always ask what the customer does for a living in case its beneficial to offer a favour for a favour.

KJ

you mean like the inland revenue?.

 

[dontknowitall]

Lol lol

 

[PlumbBobBob]

my brother in law works for the inland revenue knowing that he is such a numbskull and he is a trainer i wouldn't ask him any tax advice or indeed any advice at all!!

steve

 

[johnmcginty]

I honestly don't know mate I am in Leeds though , maybe cities are easier to charge that rate , round here prices range a little though I think especially for emergencies are easily around the £70-£90 during the day. Have you actually tried £50 ish and just see what they say, probably more of a thread for the plumbers arms maybe as my forum name stupidly is my real name and i will give more insight in there. Where abouts are you based?
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[johnmcginty]

why does it hit the north worse????????????????????

Up north there is less privatisation per head than down in that London with all thems suits and keyboard dust gatherring in them fingers the daft apeths thats what thems sky telly says anyways! 🙂

 

[REDSAW]

are those numbers at the bottom of your posts your swiss account details john?.

 

[johnmcginty]

Hahaha , yeah what the hell are those numbers ??
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[justlead1]

Has the time come to open a plumbing and electrical shop in the high street? Giving the potential client more confidence in placing orders for installations and alteration, in response to the horror stories that circulate regarding our trades people. I am toying with the idea of investing in such(although i do very little practical work now) along with very good plumber and friend of mine whose in his late forties. One of his prime concerns, although he has a great business, he recognises that at 60 and retirement he's got nothing to sell, a small pension he pays into is massively underperforming. The mission being to build up a local business for both plumbing, heating, solar etc and electrical. Where punters can enter 8 hours a day, to discuss their particular issues and sign up with confidence. I would be most interested in comments/feed back regarding the proposal.