Fair price for this job?

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Fair price for this job?

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Foodface

Just finished a job for family this week (never working for family again!) and wondered what people thought would be a fair price for the following.

They had a load of building work done including an extension and interior design swollocks, the builder had a plumber they normally used but family took a dislike to him so they dumped it on me to:

Fit 5 designer radiators
Re-do and alter existing pipe runs
Treat the system with x400 then obviously x100 afterwards
With a boiler service thrown in.

The install and pipework took me two days to do, it was a full on nightmare with loads of elaborate pipework in confined spaces. Nothing went well for me on this one, previous plumber said he'd do the lot for £250.00 and it would take him not much more than half a day to do.

Now I've lost out a bit on jobs recently so not sure how to charge this one, would be great if I could get some honest opinions on labour only for the above amount of work.

Nice one.

Foodface.
 
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Exactly that's what I thought. I'd love to meet him, sounds like a muppet. I took extra care with this job too (not that don't normally) but the house has just been kitted out with posh stuff, like bamboo flooring.

Day rates are hard to calculate, I started by giving day rates at 250/300 but then I met a local plumber whome I'm friendly with who is cheaper than me on his servicing/gas checks etc but charges 400 day rate.

Even if I was charging 250 it would come in at 500 for both days, the materials will be a lot too cos I used top notch valves chrome etc, so worried now that my hard work will no doubt get exploited by immediate family.
 
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rule of thumb foodface - if family want work done I always say "im snowed with work" easier said than done I know, but your not a charity and we have all gotta earn a crust
 
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It's what you are worth. 10, 15, 20, 25 pounds per hour... The choice is yours.
 
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Foodface said:
Exactly that's what I thought. I'd love to meet him, sounds like a muppet. I took extra care with this job too (not that don't normally) but the house has just been kitted out with posh stuff, like bamboo flooring.

Day rates are hard to calculate, I started by giving day rates at 250/300 but then I met a local plumber whome I'm friendly with who is cheaper than me on his servicing/gas checks etc but charges 400 day rate.

Even if I was charging 250 it would come in at 500 for both days, the materials will be a lot too cos I used top notch valves chrome etc, so worried now that my hard work will no doubt get exploited by immediate family.
Click to expand...
where do you live to get that sort of day rate
 
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Ok well i need 35 per hour to cover costs and pay me a modest wage, plus leave a bit in the business. What does everyone else put out for a day rate?

Its hard, cos we all know how much it costs to do what we do and you can easily lose out if you get your fixed rates wrong.
 
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i think i said somewhere before i charged me mother in law 80 quid ish for a combi boiler swap. took me almost a day, made up to day by chasing parts. thought a tenner an hour was very cheap for family. this was 2 years ago. bint started complaining to missus that i had charged her at all. took money back round and posted thru letterbox. next day she at mine moaning cos i did that. she is a tight bottom. she insisted i took the money after a kerfuffle. i took my 80 quid and had 2 nice meals out with missus. she now calls her local "plumber" out to service the boiler (not even gsr) and gives him 20 quid !!!
i would normally grass this type of person up. but she is the fool. i have stated quite clearly the law to her and she wont have me working in the house again. so the plus side has worked out well. the downside is she has a dodgy boiler service. and may die from it one day. just wondering if i got the pros and cons the wrong way round.
anyway i digress.
never work for your family.
if they insist, quote them before hand. and treat them like a normal custard.
x
 
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I think any thing less than 30 per hour for a good job from a well served tradesman in our field is a bargain to be honest. Teachers get paid more than us, might become a teacher!
 
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Foodface said:
Exactly that's what I thought. I'd love to meet him, sounds like a muppet. I took extra care with this job too (not that don't normally) but the house has just been kitted out with posh stuff, like bamboo flooring.

Day rates are hard to calculate, I started by giving day rates at 250/300 but then I met a local plumber whome I'm friendly with who is cheaper than me on his servicing/gas checks etc but charges 400 day rate.

Even if I was charging 250 it would come in at 500 for both days, the materials will be a lot too cos I used top notch valves chrome etc, so worried now that my hard work will no doubt get exploited by immediate family.
Click to expand...

so, your witholding your location then??

is that to stop us all moving there.lol
 
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If they r family then the trust should be there already and they know you wouldn't rip them off, if there happy with the job and all looks goos and your happy with the work then the price is the price and they should be happy :)
 
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Ha ha ha ha, all of a sudden we're all poor plumbers now. Devon, South West where apparently I was told by another plumber you can't charge more than 12 per hour.
 
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£12 per hr is not even worth starting the van for but the £400 per day is certainly not achievable in Yorkshire - maybe the odd good day but not every day
 
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Hang on a second I don't charge 400 a day, 35 an hour if possible. But 12 is too low for sure, bet I'm not the most expensive on this thread!
 
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£200 a day if at custards house all day, which is never the case always have to do something else but yeah £200 day basically
 
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cost me £10 an hour to get in the van!!.

so at £12=£2 take home less 20%..........

i would go on the dole, sod it.....
 
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In all seriousness i'd like to see what the going rate on average was in different parts of the uk. Would make for interesting reading.
 
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This job was never going to be done in half a day sounds like you have been set up, you should just charge your normal rates or other wize you will be having uncles antys cousins you never new ringing you up,if you asked your family member to take two days off work to help you would they ?, its hard when its family but you still need to make a wage
 
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Just read yoyr link Ray so thanks for that, can-t believe someone mentioned working for 9 quid in hour. You're never gonna make a profut no matter how rushed off your feet you are, I coukd earn the equivelant in Tesco which require no training and you don't have peoples lives in your hands.

People are obviously under cutting the market which us causing other people to sell them selves short.

You're spot on, on that too Lee. Gonna nip this in the bud with a full on quote.
 
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