Changing HWB taps tomorrow, need some pricing advice please.

[armyash]

Hi everyone

I have been asked to change some taps on the basin in an ensuite tomorrow.

It's a guy from work who I don't know but a guy I work with has told him I'll be able to do the job. I'm happy to do it as it's good practice.

I haven't seen the job yet but I'm thinking of giving a set price regardless of how long it takes but i'm not sure what to charge. I'm thinking £30. Seems reasonable and like I said it will be good practice even if it turns in to a nightmare of a job. He needs to go and buy the taps from B&Q tomorrow so I'm going in blind.

Any advice would be good, thanks.


and yes I will be declaring any extra money I make.

 

[CES]

Seems like a fair price to me. Take your time, I'm sure you will manage it ok. Small steps etc..

 

[Guest123]

If its B&Q taps, swap the plastic back nuts with these for the brass ones you're taking off the old taps. The plastic ones snap when tightened. Fit a iso on each supply pipe, saves time if you have to go back to do maintenance on the basin.
Tighten the taps fully but not overtight as nothing is worse than a loose tap that turns.

Job should take about half an hour, depends on whether hot water supply is easily isolated. If it's a combi, then you're laughing.

I charge £25 per tap.

 

[Leo21]

If its B&Q taps, swap the plastic back nuts with these for the brass ones you're taking off the old taps. The plastic ones snap when tightened. Fit a iso on each supply pipe, saves time if you have to go back to do maintenance on the basin.
Tighten the taps fully but not overtight as nothing is worse than a loose tap that turns.

Job should take about half an hour, depends on whether hot water supply is easily isolated. If it's a combi, then you're laughing.

I charge £25 per tap.

PIE agree but plus ISO valves. And extra for new stop tap if required.

 

[Leo21]

Meant I agree. Bloody I pads.

 

[GQuigley67]

he said fit iso valves

plus i'm lead to believe its in the regs now that you have to fit an iso valve at each outlet

 

[Leo21]

Even in existing and not a new basin?

 

[Leo21]

Sorry meant charge extra for valves.

 

[GQuigley67]

not sure about existing but i always do it anyway its good practice even if it isnt in the regs

 

[armyash]

Thanks, the bloke has just text me and said wants me there at 12 and finished by 1. I have said no gurantees that I will be finished by 1 especially if he has to mess around getting taps from B&Q. He also has BG going round as there is a problem with his boiler and he thinks the dripping hot tap is the cause.

Has asked me to call him in the morning which I will do.

Thanks for the advice system3, fitting the iso's is a good point, that's what I have been taught to do. I'll more than likely charge more when it's not someone related to work. I'll see what he says in the tomorrow, ideally I would have seen the job first. If it sounds like there will be problems with him I'll advise him to go to someone else.

Don't particularly need someone standing next to me with a stopwatch hassling me to get the job done in 1 hour. The guy I work with said he has had a pig of a job with taps that have taken hours to do as they had been on so long that he couldn't shift them. Won't do anything for my confidence if I mess it up.

 

[Leo21]

It depends, some times on tank fed systems they can reduce flow. And also old ones always seem to pee out through the screw head.

 

[GQuigley67]

tell the man that you would rather do it in a more convenient time where there is no time limit, i have had to take basins off the wall before to change taps, reseal etc, always give an estimate without seeing the job as you dont know what your walking into

 

[armyash]

GQuigley67, that's probably the best thing to do in this situation. Thanks, i'd obviously rather do the job (even for free) to get more experience but don't need the extra pressure of having time restraints just for the sake of changing some taps.

 

[GQuigley67]

i've learned from that mistake, basin was stuck to wall with tile adhesive or something, nearlly broke my back getting it off the wall, sweating buckets for about 2 hours to get it off the wall was in a vanity unit mixer tap so no way in hell i could get my box spanners in

 

[JCplumb]

That's the kind of job that could really knock your confidence at this early stage of your career. A 1 hour time limit without even seeing the job is just silly.
You never know, there may be ample room to remove the old taps and they haven't seized, the new taps may fit perfectly without any need for new piping. There may be ISOs already fitted. But it could also turn out to be a nightmare as pointed out above. On badly fitted water systems, it can sometimes take an hour to cure the airlocks after you've turned the water back on...
Just the fact that the customer is going to buy the new taps would make my sphincter twitch, they almost always get the most difficult and awkward things they can because they're cheap. (cheap for a reason!)
Good luck pal, hope you don't need it

 

[JCplumb]

Just thought....
New taps because one is dripping? Service the dripping tap instead of changing it, that'll save him having to get new taps. If it's a washer then your total outlay will be 9p

 

[armyash]

Just thought....
New taps because one is dripping? Service the dripping tap instead of changing it, that'll save him having to get new taps. If it's a washer then your total outlay will be 9p

Thanks for the replies JCplumb! I did actually mention the washer to the customer yesterday but they seem to have their heart set on new taps. Who am I to argue haha

 

[secret squirrel]

Meant I agree. Bloody I pads.

Its not the Ipad its the 10 thumbs you've got............

 

[JCplumb]

How did you get on Ash?

 

[Guest123]

Yes me too, how did the tap change go?

 

[armyash]

I spoke to him this morning and I said due to the time constraints that it would be best that they asked someone else to take a look who can promise it will be done on time. I said that it was very unlikely to be completed in 1 hour without having seen the job. I also said that if they don't have it sorted by Monday (I'm working this weekend) then I would be more than happy to do it after taking a look. As the bloke is a Sergeant at my regiment I thought best to let him go to someone else rather than attempt the job myself and annoy them by not having it done quick enough.

The job is something I can handle but I'm not putting myself in that position where it HAS to be completed in 1 hour. He is the landlord and he said the tenant wanted me there at 12 and done by 1. Looking back through our conversation on text he also said "it should only take half an hour" I'm glad he let me know that haha. I replied there's no guarantees that it can be completed in that time but that it would cost £30 regardless of the time. Can't say fairer than that.

Not heard anything back since this morning so he either thinks I'm useless or he got it sorted. Either way it's no skin off my nose, I feel I went about things the right way.

 

[Guest123]

Good call Ash.

 

[GQuigley67]

90% of the time its a straightforward job but there are some horrors out there, going in blind and promising it be done in under an hour is risky

 

[GQuigley67]

you made the right call

 

[CES]

I agree, "should only take..." jobs usually have a "pain-in-the-arse-multiplication-factor" attached to them... Good call Ash, you're learning the business side of things not only the practical..