Labour only quote includes a Foreman!

[flanagaj]

Just received another quote from a building contractor and not only is it 30k more than the last, but it includes 9k for a Foreman.  When I used to labour as a youngster for a two brickies, the only time I remember there being a Foreman on site was when we working on large projects, eg schools or hospitals.

 

(Rant alert) - All I want, is a 2 * 1  gang who can build the shell up to plate and do a good job. 

Here is the prelims


Basically that 60k to build a 200m2 house with attached single storey double garage. 

 

Edited Thursday at 07:43 by flanagaj

[ToughButterCup]

The apparent lack of care and the price indicate ..... the company doesn't want the work? 

It's a very useful indicator. Better you discover that lack of attention to detail  now than later.

You might try talking to other customers to see what their experience was ? Effort I know, but lack of care in paperwork isn't always a good indicator of high quality practical work.

Why should a good builder be good at shuffling numbers, meeting dates, answering phones  or assembling estimates on paper?

 

Rant away BTW .... we enjoy others' rants, they do the rest of us all good. 😑

[nod]

 Buy a mixer 

Just sold one for £400

You can do the the Forman bit yourself If you can read a drawing 

[flanagaj]

I must admit, I do like "Vertical distribution".  Not heard that term before.

[DannyT]

I just commented on your other post but as a bricklayer in a 3-1 we get some work down in a day and your quote is taking the piss.

 

What’s the £500 for tools?

£9600 foreman? All of the gang should be capable of reading drawings, organising etc. 

Edited Thursday at 20:45 by DannyT

[flanagaj]

19 hours ago, DannyT said:

I just commented on your other post but as a bricklayer in a 3-1 we get some work down in a day and your quote is taking the piss.

 

What’s the £500 for tools?

£9600 foreman? All of the gang should be capable of reading drawings, organising etc. 

Thanks for your comment.  Yes, they are taking the proverbial ****.  Estimators online gave me a labour quote or around 20K for all masonry works up to plate.

The £9600 is an insult and the guy knew that I had worked in construction when I was younger.  No idea what he was thinking. 

[torre]

On 21/08/2025 at 13:49, flanagaj said:

"Vertical distribution"

Buying a hoist was probably the best £100 we spent and it sounds even better value now!

[Nickfromwales]

I wish I could charge for “tools” lol. 
 

Could just drop my stuff off at 08:00 and collect again at 16:30, and say “stump up please “  

 

Finally, the perfect career   

[saveasteading]

On 21/08/2025 at 21:41, DannyT said:

All of the gang should be capable of reading drawings, organising etc.

Really? In my experience of a 3 person gang. The lead bricky (or other trade)  sometimes can read a drawing and manage. The second bricky seems good until left in charge. The labourer no chance.

 

The potential need for a foreman will depend on the gang, the complexity  and the client.

[Nickfromwales]

Defo need one person at the helm and the others following. One person to take the info, and one person responsible. 
 

If not, it’s he’s said / she said, or worse; when the chap you programmed fecks off for a few days leaving Larry and Mo behind, who immediately start doing their own thing. 

[saveasteading]

11 minutes ago, Nickfromwales said:

Larry and Mo behind

Larry and Mo think it's easy, and moan about not getting 1/3 share,  until on their own, when it grinds to a halt at best.

Edited yesterday at 11:41 by saveasteading

[G and J]

We've just has a gang of 3 do our plinth and the majority of the ground floor blocks. They were super speedy and the quality of the work excellent, but they are used to having a "foreman" and their speed meant that without regular "eyes on" they could have completed a whole lot of "wrong" in no time at all.

 

They'll be back to do the remaining blocks to just under joist level and the single skin garage, and this time we'll be ready 😉

[saveasteading]

5 minutes ago, G and J said:

they are used to having a "foreman"

@G and Jyou are the foreman and knew what to watch for.  Some clients wouldn't know what they were looking for.

Plus reading a drawing is not a common skill. 

[Temp]

Our builder had a permanent staff of two people. Officially one was a foreman and the other a chippie but in reality they did almost everything from digging foundations to tiling the roof. Other trades (bricklayers, plasterers, electrician) were subcontractors.