Need help with an estimate please

[newhome]

The last fixed price job I had done here ended up costing me over £500 a day (for joinery) as I clearly didn’t understand how long something would take and he seemed to capitalise on that. So with that in mind I’m keen to understand roughly how long things should take when I attempt to get someone out here. 

 

I need to get a plumber out to fix various things left over from my plumbing disasters in this house. This is what needs doing in the bathrooms:

 

1. Maintenance of 6 cisterns. I’m not sure what’s wrong with these other than none of them work properly. Mostly when you press them the water continues to run afterwards until you stop it. I’m not sure if they all just need adjusting or they are all faulty. 

 

@PeterW thought they were these:

 

https://www.plumbnation.co.uk/site/abacus-direct-easi-plan-wall-mounted-1180mm-wc-frame/

 

If I could turn the clock back I would buy Gerberit but too late now and hindsight is a wonderful thing. So assume they just need to be adjusted for now. 

 

2. Replace a tower shower with a new one. I’m hoping that the new unit will just go directly where the old one was so no tiling issues to worry about. 

 

3. Fit a shower. The plumbing has been done and a bar shower was fitted there previously. It just needs a new one installed. It’s a surface mounted one, nothing needs to be done behind tiles I hope. 

 

Just looking for a rough idea of labour time please. 

 

I was thinking that it might take a couple of days so a max of £500? 

 

 

 

 

[Jeremy Harris]

Prices are different down here, but probably higher than where you are.  Here are some guide prices from down here:

 

Brickies are between £150 and £180/day, excluding their labourer

 

Electricians between £170 and £200/day, reasonable joiner is around £180 to £200/day

 

Plumber at least £200/day, often way more; I've seen some close on £300/day

 

Decorators around £150 to £160/day (just basic gloss and emulsion stuff)

 

General builders vary a hell of a lot.  I know a reasonably competent basic general builder who's around £160/day, but only really any good for basic stuff, and at the other end I know an outstandingly good chap that's £220 a day, but is worth every penny.

 

Labourers vary a fair bit too.  I can get young lads with strength and stamina but little knowledge for around £60/day (cash in hand) or pretty good, experienced labourers for between £80 and £110/day (the latter for a good worker who can be trusted to dig trenches to the correct spec, mix muck exactly how the brickie wants it, etc).

 

 

[newhome]

One of the last local plumbers I had here charged me £35 per hour. If I had been pleased with what he had done I would have been fine with it but he charged almost £700 to do something that @Nickfromwales and @PeterW ripped out completely hence I want to make better choices this time. 

[Ferdinand]

Hourly rates here would be perhaps 15% below Jeremy’s quotes,depending on busyness, deals and whether the customer is a regular etc. Perhaps a plus or minus 10% tolerance on that.

 

Less for cash in hand, of course.

 

Ferdinand

 

Edited July 6, 2018 by Ferdinand

[newhome]

1 minute ago, Ferdinand said:

Less for cash in hand, of course.

 

They all want cash in hand round here IMO! 

[Ferdinand]

3 minutes ago, newhome said:

 

They all want cash in hand round here IMO! 

 

I do that very rarel6y these days, even if they ask unless it is a small job or favour of just a couple of hours ... but as a LL I offset against tax for normal maintenance, which makes it more rewarding for both sides to keep it the right side of the sheets anyway.

Edited July 5, 2018 by Ferdinand

[newhome]

Ah well I’m paying it tax paid from my salary with no chance of offsetting anything anyway. I struggle to get people out here to begin with without making ‘no cash in hand’ one of the conditions. I don’t care much as long as they do the job and do it well. 

[Ferdinand]

15 minutes ago, newhome said:

Ah well I’m paying it tax paid from my salary with no chance of offsetting anything anyway. I struggle to get people out here to begin with without making ‘no cash in hand’ one of the conditions. I don’t care much as long as they do the job and do it well. 

 

interestingly different situation.

 

For me the big risk is a not-good job and unhappy tenants. I need it done well and reliably in a single hit by someone who had good diplomacy skills.

 

F

[ToughButterCup]

14 hours ago, Ferdinand said:

Hourly rates here would be perhaps 15% below Jeremy’s quotes,

[...]

 

10% lower than  @JSHarris's numbers here.

 

.....IF you can get anyone to work for you that is.

On Tuesday, the owner of the largest local independent BM was asking me - perfectly straight-faced - if I knew anyone who needed a job

[newhome]

14 hours ago, Ferdinand said:

 

interestingly different situation.

 

For me the big risk is a not-good job and unhappy tenants. I need it done well and reliably in a single hit by someone who had good diplomacy skills.

 

I can see the need to not upset tenants but it seems to me that the quality of a job isn’t influenced by whether someone will invoice or not. Cock plumber invoiced. 

[PeterW]

Ok each of those toilets should take an hour to strip the flush mechanism and replace. If you can get spare seals for them then I would get a set for each and get the plumber to swap them as he goes - by the last one he should be done in 20 minutes..!

 

Tower shower is an unknown until he gets it off really - best thing is buy a replacement that is bigger all round than the existing one then you know you won’t have an issue. That could take a day to strip and fit in reality. 

 

Last shower is just fitting to a wall and I’m sure is a like for like (standard pipe centres) so a couple of hours most. 

 

I’d say a couple of decent days at most - offer a bacon sandwich on day 1 and I reckon they will get it cracked !

[newhome]

36 minutes ago, PeterW said:

If you can get spare seals for them then I would get a set for each and get the plumber to swap them as he goes

 

Thanks! Would somewhere like Plumbnation have the seals or do I need to get them from a ‘parts’ place? 

 

[Onoff]

13 minutes ago, newhome said:

 

Thanks! Would somewhere like Plumbnation have the seals or do I need to get them from a ‘parts’ place? 

 

 

Might get some freebies! 

 

http://www.abacusmg.co.uk

[PeterW]

31 minutes ago, Onoff said:

 

Might get some freebies! 

 

http://www.abacusmg.co.uk

 

unlikely as they sell their spares online, right the way down to the washers ... https://www.abacus-bathrooms.co.uk/#!/flushing-support-systems/spares-accessories

 

I also seem to recall that these flush units are Siamp ones as there are a very few manufacturers of flush valves so it could be a standard part to replace.