How long does it take you to do a bathroom?

[Bernie2]

By saying "el cheapo" I was of course referring to what a customer is prepared to or can afford to pay, not the quality of the work.

In the economic climate at the minute I assume high spec bathroom work may be a bit thin on the ground.

So how do you reduce your time element whilst still keeping up quality and so meet the lower price?

Lets be honest, there are all kinds of drying times to take into account if your doing plastering to any degree, as well as installation times.

 

[warren]

A standard type bathroom could be done in 7 days, although i find 16sqm a small bathroom for sure.

Standard bath and tray, ceramic tiles, basin and pedestal, close coupled pan and cistern.
Taps out of bath basin. yes no problem.

vs

Free standing bath, wetroom shower area,impey tanking system, taps coming out of walls or floor. re plastering part wall and ceiling, new ip65 lights, inline extractor fan, shaver sockets, led lights and mirror. porcelin tiles or trav ( even more time ) . Alcoves.set in mirrors. audio, speaker systems. underfloor heating. grohe frame with hidden cistern, wall hung basin with chrome trap.

The 2 are totally different animals.

saying that i have done basic style bathrooms in 4 to 5 days it all depends whats in them

 

[tamz]

Bernie

There really is no such thing as a cheapie bathroom nowadays. Sure you can get someone to swap a suite for £250 and the customer will do their own tiling and such but most people, even in the schemes, who are looking for a new bathroom know exactly what they are after. They all watch the telly and read the magazines and want some of that. We guide them on some things but mainly they get what they want. They want the full service done at the one time. Plumbing, joinery, electrics, tiling even painting. Few of the ones spending the money now want a cheap £200 suite. It costs more than that for a half decent pan.
If you start offering the lot you are up well over 5k for a std 3 bed semi bathroom without being extravagant.

 

[tamz]

Warren

Why don't you start an apprentice?

 

[warren]

Bernie,

That is the bottom line, its all about what the client can afford to pay, i look to be honest with the client. i listen to what they want to do and try to give them a few options can get a feel for what type of money they will look to spend, if someone wants the earth but doesnt want to pay the going rate, i just say that i cant help them. Im quite felxible but some people are unrealistic.

No , it would suprise you at how many people are having bathrooms done that are 10k plus.

You have to work effectively, organise materials so you are on the job all day, think and plan ahead as you are installing. experience will tell you how you ccan get over problems.

I use rapid setting adhesive walls and floor, mix up what i need and i know i can fit in time. I plaster myself saving being kicked out of a room by the plasterer.
If a wall has to be stripped back to brick work on many occasions i dot and dab.

There are lots of time saving methods i have picked up over time, somethings you can crack out like rip out and first fix, whilst tiling and second fix demand more time.

Warren

 

[REDSAW]

thought 3 weeks on my own was good, will have to get a young lad in next time,

 

[tamz]

You might have hung the picture

 

[warren]

I have had 3 apprentices in 8 years, i guess i havent found the right one yet.

All on PAYE

They didnt cut the mustard, i dont know where the passion has gone, seems like young guns just dont want to work.

I am mega fussy with install, how we treat someones house, how we treat the customer. Maybe i expect to much.... but then again people come back to me and say we want Warren, so i guess it answers its self.

I do want to find good people to work with, bathroom fitters and tilers but they have to be S*** hot, but thats another story

 

[warren]

See i thought that bathroom looked to American to be a bathroom in Notts....lol

 

[REDSAW]

See i thought that bathroom looked to American to be a bathroom in Notts....lol

well spotted, just tried downloading one of my travatine b/rooms but i cant locate the pictures so i stuck this one on. the air con above pic gives it away i recon...

 

[tamz]

I know where you are coming from as i am still like that. A bit like if you want something done right do it yourself.
There are some good lads out there but they are thin on the ground. It takes a bit effort to find a good one but they are worth it IF you can find the right one.

 

[warren]

Redsaw,

I thought surely no one does a bathroom like that anymore, but i didnt want to insult you. Looks like a american bathroom.

 

[warren]

Its true, no one does it like you do, on the other hand

No Man is a island.

I agree with what you said about the suite prices £200 is just nuts and if somone wants you to fit it run a mile.

I think it comes down to who is your target market. I would much rather deal with a client who is talking Aqualisa,crosswater,duravit,matki,kudos. I know that i am dealing with quality products, i use quality materials and i do a quality job.

. I went to a job i done 6 years ago last night, it was bathroom , ensuite and cloakroom. It still looks great not 1 fault has emerged in that time. Although the new home owner wants a wetroom. im going to take pics of the old before i yank it out.

When you take on a £200 suite, its going to be a problem if not at time of install, in the near future is it worth putting you name to it. The client is not going to want you to smash out the soil pipe under the floor in order to get the waste pipe under the floor, thus your new pan is more than likely going to be 6 inches from the wall, it could be boxed or like i have seen on bodge jobs i have be called to look at i could wedge it out with a bit of batten. OMFG

Buy cheap, buy twice...... and that mean materials or labour

 

[Henno82]

Seeing as you asked ...!!

Before and after

View attachment 1083

View attachment 1084

Thats impressive, how long did it take you to complete?

 

[dontknowitall]

Thank you. 12 day job for the bathroom for me and builder (£150 each per day). Remove airing cupboard, repair walls and ceiling, decorate ceiling, door, frame, skirting, install HTR, corner bath, basin, WC, new lights, fan, remove old electrics, repair floor. There's always much more than just replacing a basin, wc and bath!

 

[Bernie2]

Hmm!

Yes done lots of high spec stuff myself.

But that is not the bulk of Plumbing work, you are talking niche market not mass market. And niche markets have always been good, if you can get the work. The problem is out of a major cities housing stock of say 10,00 houses about 8,000 will probably be HA or council.

And they usually want rock bottom prices.

By the sheer number of houses owned by HA's, landlords, council's and money available to them, that is probably the area most Plumbers will be working in and companies competing in. The private market has always been good if you can build the clientèle and that can take years.

Even the Pimlico Plumbers pick the plumb jobs.

Its not so much the rich niche market its more about competing and giving quality in the cheap end, where most companies will probably find themselves operating, in other words its mostly Primark not Harrods.

Must admit I did like high spec jobs, plenty of time with quality not quantity the operative word. The thing is, they are not the bread and butter work of most companies and the markets that the new guys will probably be going into. Its about how to survive in a low price competitive cut throat industry and still turn out quality work.

 

[Henno82]

aint that the truth lol

 

[justlead1]

Hi. When trying to comply with standards i have found it difficult. Customers have no idea they exist and the fact that the average house / bathroom has insufficient room to form ducts and alike to accept soil, waste and hot , cold services, etc. Make it difficult / impossible to install to standards laid out in Approved document H. Have others experienced this dellema?