Pricing up a job

[cardigan]

Calculate the cost of materials.

Calculate the time to do the job in hours (x) / days (y).

Multiply the the hours / day by x or y + add the cost of materials - done.

That's it isn't it or is there some other factor?

 

[Roger Welton]

Nope that's it

 

[Ray Stafford]

It depends on how people represent their overhead.

Some put it into the hourly labour rate.
Some put a margin on materials.
Some use a rule of thumb
Some use a combination of all the above

Keeping a tradesman on the road with all his training expenses, insurance, van running cost and depreciation, tools, compliance time, time lost to "free" quotes and everything else that goes into running a business is not cheap. It will vary from trade to trade, but its a significant sum, and has to be recovered somehow.

 

[cardigan]

You can factor into the equation all you want and somethings unarguably should be factored in but at the end of the day, even if some jobs are more difficult it must simply mena that they take longer. So the next question is:

What is x

and

What is y

 

[cardigan]

What is x

and

What is y

OK how about this then?

Would the x and y be the same ormore for a plumber plumbin water pipes as it would be for gas fitter fitting a boiler or doing central heating pipes?

 

[SimonG]

x and y equals experience.

 

[cardigan]

x and y equals experience.

Does that mean that someone with less experience doing the same job to the same standard charges less and x and y ?

 

[Bless]

Can give an example of the principle. Nice one

 

[cardigan]

When you are identifying what x and y should be and you are factoring in things like experience and insurance does honesty, integrity and fairness come play any part as factors in the equation?

 

[TBServices]

Does that mean that someone with less experience doing the same job to the same standard charges less and x and y ?

It's relative to how much each individual needs/wants to earn and how busy they are. If you have a constant stream of work charging say £300 per day, why would you charge less? If you don't need the job then there's no need to drop your rates. This is especially true of work from recommendations, as you're not an unknown, so the customers know what they're getting for their money.

If you don't have a large customer base, and you're struggling to get work, you may have to work for less than the guys who are at the other end of the spectrum, regardless of how proficient you are.

 

[SimonG]

Does that mean that someone with less experience doing the same job to the same standard charges less and x and y ?

No, it's experience that tells you what x and y should be.

 

[cardigan]

If you have a constant stream of work charging say £300 per day, why would you charge less? If you don't need the job then there's no need to drop your rates..

£300 a day that's £1,500 a week or £75,000 a year (after taking a couple of weeks off) the insurance on that van must be expensive! And why would you charge less - hmmm, how about honesty, integrity, fairness? Was that laughing I can hear? Of course why would you charge less after all that work studying hard for 3 months at plumbing school you are worth it and in any case customers are simply something lower down the food chain to be exploited - that's what they're there for isnt it?

 

[hammers4spanner]

honesty ,integrity and fairness multiplied by insurance,experience and licenses = £300 per day

 

[villa_tom]

£300 a day that's £1,500 a week or £75,000 a year (after taking a couple of weeks off) the insurance on that van must be expensive! And why would you charge less - hmmm, how about honesty, integrity, fairness? Was that laughing I can hear? Of course why would you charge less after all that work studying hard for 3 months at plumbing school you are worth it and in any case customers are simply something lower down the food chain to be exploited - that's what they're there for isnt it?

3 months a plumbing school? Your a mug mate.

Find some other place to vent your frustrations rather than here, if you don't want to pay someone to work in your house, do 3 months at plumbing school and do it yourself.

Idiot.

 

[Ray Stafford]

 

[hammers4spanner]

3 months a plumbing school? Your a mug mate.

Find some other place to vent your frustrations rather than here, if you don't want to pay someone to work in your house, do 3 months at plumbing school and do it yourself.

Idiot.

off topic slightly ,,,how you getting on with house hunting VT?

 

[dancinplumba]

£300 a day that's £1,500 a week or £75,000 a year (after taking a couple of weeks off) the insurance on that van must be expensive! And why would you charge less - hmmm, how about honesty, integrity, fairness? Was that laughing I can hear? Of course why would you charge less after all that work studying hard for 3 months at plumbing school you are worth it and in any case customers are simply something lower down the food chain to be exploited - that's what they're there for isnt it?

tosspot

 

[villa_tom]

off topic slightly ,,,how you getting on with house hunting VT?

Not too bad mate thanks. The new build I was looking at has been sold now, so I'm looking at older houses that need work. Had a few more chats with the mortgage advisor and its going to work out better this way.

Im looking at the 165/170k mark for a home with a 20k deposit, this will leave me with money left over to extend/decorate the house.

Im not going to look properly until April now though, because it will be easier to get my mortgage when the years tax return is in.

 

[dancinplumba]

button your cardigan up, its cold out there

 

[dancinplumba]

Not too bad mate thanks. The new build I was looking at has been sold now, so I'm looking at older houses that need work. Had a few more chats with the mortgage advisor and its going to work out better this way.

Im looking at the 165/170k mark for a home with a 20k deposit, this will leave me with money left over to extend/decorate the house.

Im not going to look properly until April now though, because it will be easier to get my mortgage when the years tax return is in.

if you need a plumber to do your house tom, give us a call Charge 300 a day but am honest and i have experience and integrity

 

[Keefy]

if you need a plumber to do your house tom, give us a call Charge 300 a day but am honest and i have experience and integrity

And 3 months at plumbing school ^

 

[villa_tom]

if you need a plumber to do your house tom, give us a call Charge 300 a day but am honest and i have experience and integrity

300 quid a day?? How do you sleep at night? Do you think we customers are here to be exploited? You are earning far too much money, you are on 75k a year, all you had to do was 3 months at plumbing school :-(

 

[Keefy]

300 quid a day?? How do you sleep at night? Do you think we customers are here to be exploited? You are earning far too much money, you are on 75k a year, all you had to do was 3 months at plumbing school :-(

Well this sounds like easy money, think I'll do that and just sign other people's work off.

Yup, the lunatic asylum let them all out this week.

 

[cardigan]

I am not a trol and I am not trolling I am a customer trying to get a decent job done for fair price.

You and I are getting ripped off every day by dentists, lawyers and other parasites who have convinced themselves that they, being of some higher order of man, are worth it and it is the natural order of the world that they who have it are supposed to screw those that want it. That's OK, that's they way it is but if you do it, do it knowing that you screwing your neighbour just because you can not because you deserve it.

 

[villa_tom]

I am not a trol and I am not trolling I am a customer trying to get a decent job done for fair price.

You and I are getting ripped off every day by dentists, lawyers and other parasites who have convinced themselves that they, being of some higher order of man, are worth it and it is the natural order of the world that they who have it are supposed to screw those that want it. That's OK, that's they way it is but if you do it, do it knowing that you screwing your neighbour just because you can not because you deserve it.

i deserve everything I've got thank you very much. No one gave it me, I earnt it, as did the dentists and lawyers you speak of.