Odd question...

[Karen]

Errm, I hesitate to ask this here, seeing as it's a diy group, but I've come up against a job I can't tackle myself so I've got to Get A Little Man In. The thing is, I'm putting the job out to tender (it's electrical stuff - domestic, but beyond my capabilities) and I've asked the various electricians to quote an hourly rate rather than a flat rate for the job (long story, don't ask). What I'm not at all sure of is how much is reasonable as an hourly rate for domestic wiring jobs. I don't suppose any of you have any idea on the subject, do you?

[Lurch]

On Sun, 19 Dec 2004 00:52:44 -0000, Karen strung together this:

Depending where you are, and who you ask, anywhere from £10ph to £30ph. Most decent electricians will be around the £20ph on average, unless you live in London....

[Mungo "two sheds" Toadfoot]

I'd say this is just asking for the sparks to work slowly...

Si

[Karen]

I see your point; however I've got someone in mind and I know he's constrained for time. We're desperately trying to get a very big job done before the end of the year... 'nuff said? :-)

[Karen]

Thanks, that's very helpful and gives me a good idea what to expect.

[Mungo "two sheds" Toadfoot]

Fairy nuff :)

Electrical work can take a long time though - you might want to get a few quotes for the whole job, if you haven't already, then compare it to how long matey says it will take.

Si

[Karen]

BTDT - it's a massive job and the problem has been persuading anyone to quote for it at all :-( A friend of mine, who's not prepared to actually do the job, has given me a rough idea of what it should cost, so what with that and the rates quoted by Lurch above I'll be able to bargain with a certain amount of confidence. Thanks for your concern though - I don't suppose you fancy completely rewiring a large late Victorian house with thick external stone-clad walls and the original covings at the top of 10-12 foot high rooms, all in the space of a fortnight do you? ;-)

[Lurch]

On Sun, 19 Dec 2004 16:42:29 -0000, Karen strung together this:

Not if you're going to start haggling. My approach is you get what you pay for, and it costs what it costs. A,though I'm quite happy to give you advice here, I certainly wouldn't want you as a customer.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

That's hardly a massive job on the scale of 1 to 10, since there are many large Victorian houses that will need re-wiring from time to time. Doing an entire block of flats might be, though. ;-)

Also, imposing a timescale on this type of work is never a good idea - unless the trader has agreed it's possible, and charged accordingly. Anything can be done within a timescale if you through enough resources at it, but this may not be the most economical way.

[Karen]

Neither would I, to be honest . Time to come clean: The person I have in mind now to do the job is someone I have known for a long time and is a Usenet regular posting to several groups on a daily basis. He wasn't sure how much he should charge (can't do it for nowt 'cos he needs the money but OTOH I'm not exactly rolling in it either) and neither was I. So, I decided to ask here to see if anyone knew of sensible figures - it occurred to me that he might be reading the NG as well - without disclosing to him whence I'd got my information. Sorry if you felt misled; it wasn't deliberate, honestly. Incidentally, I'm not normally too much of a haggler; I have, however, learnt over the years that most people will accept a lower rate than that which they quote initially...

[Karen]

Just try getting people to quote for it though. So far I have contacted over a dozen people within a 20 mile radius (roughly) and of those only one said he could do the job. He, however, isn't returning phone calls, and so hasn't come in with a quote or a start date. Meanwhile the delay is costing me money because I've had to empty my house and put things into storage.

It wasn't I who imposed the time limit. The person who will do the job is highly competent but unregistered as an electrician. The new regulations on electrical work come into force on Jan 1st, so the job must be finished by then because otherwise I won't be able to afford to have the work done. Granted the new ruling is going to be next to impossible to police I'd rather have it all done in time 'just in case'. (Just in case of what - I don't know)

[Lurch]

On Sun, 19 Dec 2004 19:48:38 -0000, Karen strung together this:

You've obviously not had me working for you in the past then. ;-)

[Stefek Zaba]

Ah, if *that's* your source of deadline, you can ease off. Part P kicks in on 01jan05 for *new* work, but work *started* before then can complete as late as 31mar05. I don't know how precisely "started" is defined - I don't think getting an initial estimate would count, but just buying the materials might; and certainly lifting boards and starting to route one or two of the 12 or 15 eventual circuits (you said it was a rambling Victorian pile, right?) should put you very clearly on the "having started" side of the line.

That said, for a job as meaty as this one being done by a knowledgeable non-professional, I'd pony up the miserable 50-60 quid for a subsequent installation inspection by a reputable local sparks (ask around, not on the Net but among friends and colleagues)...

Stefek

[Frank Erskine]

If the house isn't at present occupied, is it a "dwelling"? Part P only covers dwellings...

[The Natural Philosopher]

About 30 quid an hour, or 150 a day.

[Dave Jones]

Surely if they accept a lower rate than quoted, then

a) They are desperate for work (Not many decent traders are!) b) They are reducing the quality of the job either with cheaper materials and or workmanship or c) They overpriced the job in the first place and tried to con you out of your cash.

So why would you want to use somebody that drops their price so easily?

Dave Jones

[Lurch]

On Sun, 19 Dec 2004 21:43:08 -0000, "Dave Jones" strung together this:

This is exactly why I don't do any of the above, you get a dodgy reputation for being a con merchant\rougharse\pushover. I'm not.

[Karen]

B) I usually find that a compromise can be reached whereby the price can be reduced by the worker and the specifications of the job can be reduced by me. C) It wouldn't be the first time...

[Karen]

Thanks, I didn't realise that. Mind, we do have to get as much done as possible, since the man concerned is only available at weekends after the new year.

Well, it's not it's not /that/ rambling, but we've lived here for a while and we've accumulated more stuff than you'd think possible. Just to give you an idea, there'll be over 30 bin bags going out for the dustmen this week...

I know an excellent sparky; he's already fitted a secondary consumer unit for me so the main work can start, but the rest of the job is too big for his as he has other commitments including his own house that he's renovating. I'll have a word with him to see if he can pop in occasionally while the work's underway, and then at the end to give it a certificate. Thanks.

[Karen]

Hello Frank :-)

It's definitely occupied; *very* occupied. Whether it classes as a dwelling is open to question however since a casual observer might consider it more akin to a garden shed than a house, albeit a very large one.