Cost to change bath tub and a few bits - Expensive quote??
Discussion
Evening all
Don't post many posts as I prefer lurking but I need some help,
I need my 1700x700 bath tub changed with end panel currently boxed in so would involve bath and the long front panel (mdf panel as current plastic one is crap)
There is a small area of around 15 to 20 tiles around the toilet base that need tiling and 1 tile in corner of bath that is cracked.
Taps wise a thermostatic kit would be bought to run off boiler and the current triton electric shower would be capped off and 3 or 4 tiles would be replaced.
Also sink taps will be changed so that they match the new thermostatic tap.
I have had a quote for the above (labour only) for £450 and the plumber has told me that the work should take no longer than 1 and a half days.
My gut feeling is that for the West Midlands area (Halesowen/Dudley) the price is steep as I thought going rate is around £150 per day.
Oh and he will remove waste and supply sealant and grout/tile adhesive for the 15 to 20 tiles (standard size)
So is that decent for the above work (is which rated, liability insurance)
Or is that too much?
Help appreciated as its not the cost, just don't want to taken for a mug
Tradesman stated that he prices up what is required individually and does not charge per day
Cheers
Don't post many posts as I prefer lurking but I need some help,
I need my 1700x700 bath tub changed with end panel currently boxed in so would involve bath and the long front panel (mdf panel as current plastic one is crap)
There is a small area of around 15 to 20 tiles around the toilet base that need tiling and 1 tile in corner of bath that is cracked.
Taps wise a thermostatic kit would be bought to run off boiler and the current triton electric shower would be capped off and 3 or 4 tiles would be replaced.
Also sink taps will be changed so that they match the new thermostatic tap.
I have had a quote for the above (labour only) for £450 and the plumber has told me that the work should take no longer than 1 and a half days.
My gut feeling is that for the West Midlands area (Halesowen/Dudley) the price is steep as I thought going rate is around £150 per day.
Oh and he will remove waste and supply sealant and grout/tile adhesive for the 15 to 20 tiles (standard size)
So is that decent for the above work (is which rated, liability insurance)
Or is that too much?
Help appreciated as its not the cost, just don't want to taken for a mug
Tradesman stated that he prices up what is required individually and does not charge per day
Cheers
That's ok if you ask me.
Carefully removing the bath and not smashing the side panel up or smashing more tiles, carrying it away and carrying the new one upstairs is a two man job, so he's pricing up at least half a days labour for his help. You could easily spend a day messing about swapping baths and he's got to get the tiles on the wall so he can grout them the next day or it's going to be another trip back to grout up. So that first day could be a long haul. Then swapping two sets of taps, everyone thinks it's a 20 minute job but in reality you can end up spending an hour on a set of taps. You don't say wether there's isolator s already in place, if not he will most probably fit them.
Carefully removing the bath and not smashing the side panel up or smashing more tiles, carrying it away and carrying the new one upstairs is a two man job, so he's pricing up at least half a days labour for his help. You could easily spend a day messing about swapping baths and he's got to get the tiles on the wall so he can grout them the next day or it's going to be another trip back to grout up. So that first day could be a long haul. Then swapping two sets of taps, everyone thinks it's a 20 minute job but in reality you can end up spending an hour on a set of taps. You don't say wether there's isolator s already in place, if not he will most probably fit them.
At least he is being honest that he is charging £300 a day labour. It does seem a bit high, but if the market is anything like in London it seems difficult to get anything done at any price.
The daily labour rate is often well hidden, and can look too high when broken out.
A friend recently had a £3k quote for supply and fit of a new boiler. When he added up the (retail) price of all of the parts, accessories mentioned on the quote, the total was less than £2k. The plumber confirmed that the job would be completed in less than a day...
The daily labour rate is often well hidden, and can look too high when broken out.
A friend recently had a £3k quote for supply and fit of a new boiler. When he added up the (retail) price of all of the parts, accessories mentioned on the quote, the total was less than £2k. The plumber confirmed that the job would be completed in less than a day...
kingston12 said:
A friend recently had a £3k quote for supply and fit of a new boiler. When he added up the (retail) price of all of the parts, accessories mentioned on the quote, the total was less than £2k. The plumber confirmed that the job would be completed in less than a day...
If he does it properly there's quite a bit of paperwork involved, which tradesmen hate. They do think £3Kish is reasonable for a boiler change but some will do it for less as competition keeps the price down.The OP's quote seems low for the work involved. Even if it does only take 1.5 days it might be hard for the plumber to usefully use the other half of the second day.
Mind you, when I had the whole CH system and boiler replaced in daughter's house, they hoped it would take 3-4 days, but would leave the week clear as there was a bit of uncertainty about the way the extension had been plumbed. In practice they did it in 2 days! A gentle request to review the bill was brushed away - they said some jobs just fall well and if they'd hit problems they wouldn't have charged more.
It sounds ok to me , he has to pay for transport , liability insurance , his tools , his apprenticeship and numerous other things on top of the bits and bobs you want him to supply .
You also asked for a quote , he has to build in some extra in case something's not quite straight forward as it seems .
If he wanted to work for wages he'd be working for a company that would be charging a lot more than his quote .
You also asked for a quote , he has to build in some extra in case something's not quite straight forward as it seems .
If he wanted to work for wages he'd be working for a company that would be charging a lot more than his quote .
jason61c said:
What he's doing are the most basic of jobs really, plumbing isn't rocket science. You should be looking at £150ish a day.
time served skilled craftsmen aren't £300 a day.
See your point, but having seen what some people consider a good job, I always go for a vetted and recommended bathroom fitter as opposed to a general plumber. time served skilled craftsmen aren't £300 a day.
Sheepshanks said:
A gentle request to review the bill was brushed away - they said some jobs just fall well and if they'd hit problems they wouldn't have charged more.
The vast majority of the jobs that I have had done by tradesmen seem to have 'fallen well' over the years!I had some work done on my roof quite recently. No materials involved and quotes varied from £600 to £3,500 (mostly at the higher end actually).
I picked the lowest quote, which was based on 2 men working for 2 days. In the event, they were finished just after lunch on the first day! I didn't mind too much as I had no intention of getting up there myself, but if I had paid the £3,500 that would have been an amazing day rate.
kingston12 said:
At least he is being honest that he is charging £300 a day labour. It does seem a bit high, but if the market is anything like in London it seems difficult to get anything done at any price.
The daily labour rate is often well hidden, and can look too high when broken out.
A friend recently had a £3k quote for supply and fit of a new boiler. When he added up the (retail) price of all of the parts, accessories mentioned on the quote, the total was less than £2k. The plumber confirmed that the job would be completed in less than a day...
We had a vaillant boiler installed by a proper company, vat paid. Boss and two guys on site. Done in a day. £1700 in London. The boss drives a big mercedes van and a CLS. Good guyThe daily labour rate is often well hidden, and can look too high when broken out.
A friend recently had a £3k quote for supply and fit of a new boiler. When he added up the (retail) price of all of the parts, accessories mentioned on the quote, the total was less than £2k. The plumber confirmed that the job would be completed in less than a day...
I think he will have made about £1k profit in that before paying his guys after a kick back for the boiler from vaillant. He seems to be doing them at a rate of 4-6 per week
t.
You talk about swapping from an electric hot water source to using your boiler; how complicated is the plumbing on this, ie where is the hot water pipe? That's the only bit that sounds complicated. Swapping the bath is only a two man job if the bath is a cast iron lump, but the new side panel may be problematic if it's a custom-sized MDF piece that the fitter can't easily cut and that needs to be sealed properly, as they may not be geared up to do that sort of work well.
By the time you've paid for materials you're into the thick end of a grand though, for what is basically bog standard man work.
By the time you've paid for materials you're into the thick end of a grand though, for what is basically bog standard man work.
kingston12 said:
The vast majority of the jobs that I have had done by tradesmen seem to have 'fallen well' over the years!
I had some work done on my roof quite recently. No materials involved and quotes varied from £600 to £3,500 (mostly at the higher end actually).
I picked the lowest quote, which was based on 2 men working for 2 days. In the event, they were finished just after lunch on the first day! I didn't mind too much as I had no intention of getting up there myself, but if I had paid the £3,500 that would have been an amazing day rate.
And I was miffed at £300 to get the verge refelted and felt support trays fitted, I let my daughter organise that herself, using a local general builder recomended by one of her neighbours. He dropped a lad off to do it, and he did daughter's house and next door in the same day. Charged the neighbour (a bloke) £400!I had some work done on my roof quite recently. No materials involved and quotes varied from £600 to £3,500 (mostly at the higher end actually).
I picked the lowest quote, which was based on 2 men working for 2 days. In the event, they were finished just after lunch on the first day! I didn't mind too much as I had no intention of getting up there myself, but if I had paid the £3,500 that would have been an amazing day rate.
MrJuice said:
We had a vaillant boiler installed by a proper company, vat paid. Boss and two guys on site. Done in a day. £1700 in London. The boss drives a big mercedes van and a CLS. Good guy
I think he will have made about £1k profit in that before paying his guys after a kick back for the boiler from vaillant. He seems to be doing them at a rate of 4-6 per week
That's only £1400 before VAT. You don't say which boiler but anyway I wouldn't know how much they pay for them, but even with just the boiler and flue (could easily be another £100) that's good going, especially fro London. eBay boiler change prices are higher than that.I think he will have made about £1k profit in that before paying his guys after a kick back for the boiler from vaillant. He seems to be doing them at a rate of 4-6 per week
jason61c said:
What he's doing are the most basic of jobs really, plumbing isn't rocket science. You should be looking at £150ish a day.
time served skilled craftsmen aren't £300 a day.
DELETED: Comment made by a member who's account has been deleted.
time served skilled craftsmen aren't £300 a day.
I also think joiners also deserve more than a genral plubming job. £300 is too much though.
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