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Job Pricing

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Hey guys i just wondered if you could all give me a varied pricing structure that most of you use, either by this thread or pm if you dont like to disclose it, i have done quite a few jobs now for friends and family to get my work signed off and i am nearly complete with my file, i am now in the middle of trying to set up my own business, i have managed to get my tools and my business cards, i have also been in touch with advertising companies in the local area to help so when i do go live i just need to ring them......... my last thing is for my facebook page and for anything else i make, just a pricing structure of how much i charge for certain jobs, i know for things like bathroom fits it is a full days work minimum so prices for that kind of work and then little jobs like flush valve changes

any help would be great thanks, i am just a little unsure at the moment
 
You need to just think of an hourly price then estimate how long you think jobs will take. Usually first hour will be higher as this then covers your petrol. Say £40 first hour and £25 each subsequent hour.

However if you are new and gonna be a bit slower then some of the more experienced you may need to consider a set price for certain jobs - but don't price too cheap as you'll only end up out of pocket and simultaneously driving down the price everyone else charges and thus causing the industry further probs.

For example if I was doing a syphon swap I'd probably charge £50 if there are no difficulties, but be warned whilst some may only take half hour some have taken me 5 hours! That was an extreme case though where I had to grind the bolts off, couldn't isolate so drained down, got an air lock that I couldn't shift etc (have I ever said I hate close coupled toilets)!
 
haha thanks mate, i know what you mean about jobs taking alot longer, iv had a couple of them, had a job at a mates house where the stopcock was turning and turned off but water wouldnt stop, it took me about another hour to release the stopcock as it was on tighter than anything i have ever known before, got there in the end and managed to fix it for them so they are happy cos in future it will be fine
 
Agree with Resolute, but don't work for nearly nothing, get paid your worth. You have trained and earned a qualification to become a professional plumber. Let handymen and diy'ers do it cheap, you can always go fix their "work" and say "I told you so!"
 
depends on the job and locality, rough guide for me is 30 for first hour and 15/20 per hour after that
 
this is how i do it worked out over the last 3 years of self employment

bathrooms/kitchens/showers or anything you are giving a written quote for
break down the job into its component tasks, then write down how long each task will take you
once you've done this add up the hours and times by your hourly rate, and there is your labour charge for the job
i always add on on contingency, which for a bathrooms is a days labour.
on the written quote break down the job into each task, so not just "fit new bathroom suite".
this way there can be no arguing over what you were supposed to be doing or not, plus then if there are problems you can
arrange for extra payment. there are laws relating to quotes and contracts that plumbers have to abide by !!

the above got me out of a very nasty situation this year where a customer reported me to trading standards for not fixing something
as part of a bathroom refit. i was able to point out that everything was itemised on the quote and this was what he had agreed to have done. trading standards said he didnt have a leg to stand on. still lost a £1000 though.

get trade accounts at local merchants then you can offer a discount on retail price but still make something on
the materials. you should get 20% - 40% off.

maintenance, as others have said a minimum fee, then per hour. make sure the customer understands this.
this way you will not lose money.

dont drop your prices if customers haggle. be prepared to put the phone down
 
Pricing is a sticky subject in itself. Just this week did a quote for a bathroom. Supplying bath, sink, taps, w/c and about 4mtr of tiles. Only to be told someone would do it for £500 far too cheap. This price does not give you much to play with let alone a profit. What kind of job are they going to do? Quality comes with a price. I agree with other posts don’t sell yourself short. The old saying goes. You pay peanuts, you get monkeys. I find this so true.
 
whyte46 said:
Pricing is a sticky subject in itself. Just this week did a quote for a bathroom. Supplying bath, sink, taps, w/c and about 4mtr of tiles. Only to be told someone would do it for £500 far too cheap. This price does not give you much to play with let alone a profit. What kind of job are they going to do? Quality comes with a price. I agree with other posts don’t sell yourself short. The old saying goes. You pay peanuts, you get monkeys. I find this so true.
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Your materials would come to £500! Only way someone could do it for that were if they robbed the materials from another job!
 
much do you guys charge for unblocking toilets ?? done one yesterday was the worst job ive done, was nearlly sick a few times and was absolutely vile !!
 
GQuigley67 said:
much do you guys charge for unblocking toilets ?? done one yesterday was the worst job ive done, was nearlly sick a few times and was absolutely vile !!
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Depends where the blockage is and what needs doing!
 
thanks guys you have helped me out loads, i have a clearer plan of action now so will put it onto paper and i can use that to go by, i just never seem to know what price to say, i always say il buy products then a fee on top so say just for a mate i bought taps for £50 and then fee £30 for swapping them over..... people seem to be ok when you say products money then my fee
 
GQuigley67 said:
much do you guys charge for unblocking toilets ?? done one yesterday was the worst job ive done, was nearlly sick a few times and was absolutely vile !!
Click to expand...
How long's a piece of string? Charge an hourly rate as you can't tell how long a choked drain is going to take. One of the pressure washer manufacturers (Nilsen I think) sell a 15m attachment which is in essence a long hose and works just like a jet drain rod machine. Highly effective and both pressure wash and attachment costs about £100.
 
blockage was on pan connector, basin connected into the pan connector and was blocked there as shower was draining fine, alot of plunging and removal of crappy water so i could plunge properly without getting crap spraying all over me, and when i finally shifted the blockage all the crap came up out the shower tray and then once the traps were syphoned out with the large volume of water draining away the smell was torture lol not a pleasant experience, I charged £50 and took me around an hour, but i think next time I'll want £80 to even consider it lol
 
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I've got a wet vacc, I just d/c the basin connection and drained from there into a container
 
system3 said:
Mine's is minging. Couldn't bring myself to clean it after last urinal blockage A wee job for the boy on Friday? LOL
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Lovely! I've only used mine for fairly clean jobs! Wish I brought two now - one for clean water and one for cack!
 
it all depends what the job is really, you will get a feel for what to charge after a while.
 
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