Plumbing price

[Ian]

Went to look at a bathroom yesterday and took a mate of mine to price the plumbing side of things. Its a fairly big job, full rip out (I'm going to rip all the old plasterboard off the stud work and replace as I beleive this is the best way to go). I've asked him to price for removing, toilet, sink shower and shower cubicle and replace with good quality but not rediculously priced gear. The only pipework that needs any major work is for the sink, as the client wants it hiding in the stud wall, all other pipework is staying as is. So here's how the price goes; £150 shower tray, £160 shower, £280 shower enclosure, £170 semi-pedestal sink and £145 toilet. Total £905 taps, wastes and fittings all included. I think this is reasonable the part of the price I'm questioning is the labour, correct me if I'm wrong but there is no more than 3 days work here max for a competant plumber and he wants £865 labour so £1770 grand total. I appreciate that no one can see the job I just want to make sure I'm not having my pants pulled down, he's not doing any ripping out other than the sanitary ware and I'm pricing the skip into my budget. Any opinions on this greatly appreciated, thanks Bri.

 

[kilty55]

hiya brian,everyones prices vary but 865 for a re fit is too much if hes subbing to you imo

is he havign to pick up and deliver the suite you have requested also.if so he may be adding on for this which is fair enough

it shouldnt take a plumber 3 days for a swapover bathroom anyway,if it was here brian id be looking to pay 450 to 550 for a swapover labour only i hope this helps

 

[tfs]

seem a bit high if its pretty much straight swap over e.g.

shower simply being replaced

new tray being fitted into existing waste

toilet fitting into existing waste etc

sink into existing wasted (but concealed pipes, pressuming there isnt alot of studs etc to be drilled)

To be fair this guy needs to make profit too but, you could get the work done cheaper if wanted to.

Perhaps he is putting in a half day or even a days labour to cover the removal and isolation on his first visit.

 

[Ian]

hiya brian,everyones prices vary but 865 for a re fit is too much if hes subbing to you imo

is he havign to pick up and deliver the suite you have requested also.if so he may be adding on for this which is fair enough

it shouldnt take a plumber 3 days for a swapover bathroom anyway,if it was here brian id be looking to pay 450 to 550 for a swapover labour only i hope this helps

Yeah thats what I thought, £500 max labour. I'd say he's making a couple of quid on the suite but I expect that. I'll have a word as he's battering my budget and I'm not losing profit because he wants £290 a day.

 

[Ian]

seem a bit high if its pretty much straight swap over e.g.

shower simply being replaced

new tray being fitted into existing waste

toilet fitting into existing waste etc

sink into existing wasted (but concealed pipes, pressuming there isnt alot of studs etc to be drilled)

To be fair this guy needs to make profit too but, you could get the work done cheaper if wanted to.

Perhaps he is putting in a half day or even a days labour to cover the removal and isolation on his first visit.

He's a good plumber and gets me a few jobs but no one is worth £300 a day when its subbed work, or am I being naive?

 

[kilty55]

you could aproach it by tellinh him the budget,see if he can meet it

i had this issue with a mate he was asking for really high prices and i simply told him what i could afford

good luck bri

 

[kilty55]

brian,is it really going to take him 3 full days for a swap?

its more like 1.5 days,half day to remove and sort and pipe changes and a day to re fit

 

[tfs]

He's a good plumber and gets me a few jobs but no one is worth £300 a day when its subbed work, or am I being naive?

Some guys may be worth that but, I think its a bit expensive for this type of installation. I would ask him if he could budge on the price but also offer to supply materials if it makes it easier for him to offer you a btter price. He may be charging as much due to him putting so much money out up front.

Your deffo not wrong in saying that the price is high.

 

[tfs]

how many visits will he need to make to the site Brian?

 

[Ian]

brian,is it really going to take him 3 full days for a swap?

its more like 1.5 days,half day to remove and sort and pipe changes and a day to re fit

Well I've been around long enough to know how long these things take and I think 3 days is very generous! 2 is realistic. Thanks for the advice, I'll let you know how I get on.

 

[Ian]

how many visits will he need to make to the site Brian?

2. One to rip out and move any pipework, and another to do second/final fix.

 

[kilty55]

Well I've been around long enough to know how long these things take and I think 3 days is very generous! 2 is realistic. Thanks for the advice, I'll let you know how I get on.

sorry brian,i wasnt meaning you didnt know how long it would take,just imo 865 for max 2 days is too much

 

[Ian]

sorry brian,i wasnt meaning you didnt know how long it would take,just imo 865 for max 2 days is too much

Oh no mate I was agreeing with you!!!! I thought 2 days was about right, I'm glad you agree!!!

 

[tfs]

2. One to rip out and move any pipework, and another to do second/final fix.

So it not even a case of him charging a half day rate each time for having to make multiple visits. You need to make some profit too mate. I would deffo ask if he has room to educe the price.

I know how awkward it can be dealing with these issues when its a friend your dealing with.

Good luck mate

 

[Thespanishtiler]

For that price i will drive down from york and do it for you.

1 day strip out and first fix (at the most)

1 day 2nd fix

materials are minimal cost for this minor work,

why dont you source and supply the suite and make a few quid rather than the plumber? all merchants deliver for free and you can set up a cash account no probs - just get payment up front from client

 

[Ian]

For that price i will drive down from york and do it for you.

1 day strip out and first fix (at the most)

1 day 2nd fix

materials are minimal cost for this minor work,

why dont you source and supply the suite and make a few quid rather than the plumber? all merchants deliver for free and you can set up a cash account no probs - just get payment up front from client

Thats a good idea, just thought I'd get a good price off him. Obviously not!!! I know a couple of other plumbers, I'll give him the chance to drop his price or go elsewhere.

 

[Colour Republic]

I bet when you do work for him you don't sting him! You run the risk of losing the job if you submit those prices for basic plumbing work.

I suppose you could always stick your day rate up to £300 next time you do work for him

 

[Ian]

I bet when you do work for him you don't sting him! You run the risk of losing the job if you submit those prices for basic plumbing work.

I suppose you could always stick your day rate up to £300 next time you do work for him

I feel a bit dissapointed if I'm honest, my price to rip out, reboard, supply and fit 20m2 of tiles and dispose of all waste was only £1600 and thats the main bulk of the work. My personal opinion is that it shouldnt be any more than £12-1300 for the plumbing side. A 20m2 shower room shouldn't be costing more than 3 grand to strip out and refit especially when the tiles are £17m2 from the mighty B&Q.

 

[Scott]

When i work out my costings for a refit it cost a standard suite at £650 for like for like swop. Thats no shower incuded. He has given you a price for what he want to do the work if you think its too high then talk to him about it. Theres a saying that i always stick to and thats "there are no mates in business"
I dont think £3000 plus for a bathroom is lot, in fact i think £280 for a shower cubicle is very cheap.

You could have a look at this site for comparisons:

Bathroom Fitting Prices - Bathroom Installation Costs - Costs Charges& Estimates

 

[Andy Allen]

im in the middle of a similar job at the momment, were ripping out a bathroom, replaceing the bath with a shower tray, new sink and pan, replastering, and 16m2 tiling, my plumber on this job charged £500 and he boxed all the pipes in.

 

[devonmark]

I'd say around the £450 mark, that's going on what the plumber I work with would charge on average

 

[devonmark]

When i work out my costings for a refit it cost a standard suite at £650 for like for like swop. Thats no shower incuded. He has given you a price for what he want to do the work if you think its too high then talk to him about it. Theres a saying that i always stick to and thats "there are no mates in business"
I dont think £3000 plus for a bathroom is lot, in fact i think £280 for a shower cubicle is very cheap.

You could have a look at this site for comparisons:

Bathroom Fitting Prices - Bathroom Installation Costs - Costs Charges& Estimates

that's a handy site, thanks

 

[Scott]

im in the middle of a similar job at the momment, were ripping out a bathroom, replaceing the bath with a shower tray, new sink and pan, replastering, and 16m2 tiling, my plumber on this job charged £500 and he boxed all the pipes in.

Does he travel

 

[Ian]

Went to visit my customer this evening to discuss my quote. She laughed at the plumbing quote, so we agreed that I would do the tiling and they would get their own quotes for the plumbing side. Got the job, but my mate has lost out. Still makes me look like a bit of a chump for recommending a £300 a day plumber!!!

 

[Scott]

I was looking for this thread earlier but couldnt find it!

I was im my plumbers merchant todaya dn a local guy was in, i see them around and even in Tile Giant a few miles away. I hear they do a good job, they use quality materials and i did spy them buying only powdered addy from TG.

Anyway, they had a quote of theirs on the counter, £2000 fo rth esuite including shower cubicle etc, I can only assume that the labour incuded tiling as it was £3600

Now i know im not the dearest and certainly not the cheapest but i have never been able to charge more than £2600 on a bathroom even with UFH replacemnt floor, stud walls concealed cisterns in besoke boxes etc

 

[Ian]

I was looking for this thread earlier but couldnt find it!

I was im my plumbers merchant todaya dn a local guy was in, i see them around and even in Tile Giant a few miles away. I hear they do a good job, they use quality materials and i did spy them buying only powdered addy from TG.

Anyway, they had a quote of theirs on the counter, £2000 fo rth esuite including shower cubicle etc, I can only assume that the labour incuded tiling as it was £3600

Now i know im not the dearest and certainly not the cheapest but i have never been able to charge more than £2600 on a bathroom even with UFH replacemnt floor, stud walls concealed cisterns in besoke boxes etc

She said that she was more than happy with the tiling price and that she would source her own white goods and plumber, so that takes the pressure off me now because I don't have to worry about anything other than the tiling, which is my trade, I don't know enough about other trades to be getting involved.