P&D quote

[tim.....]

So:

1 en suite, the smallest space possible it could fit into, one third of which is the shower so no work there and the rest is half tiled - walls the same colour as now (the previous occupant did it badly!) ceiling and one small window (standard white gloss).

1 bathroom = normal size, full height tiles around the bath, one wall feature-wall papered which is staying, other wall half tiled. walls the same colour as now, ceiling and one small window.

1 small bedroom, again about the smallest possible for a single bed and wardrobe. 4 walls, ceiling and 1 window. Currently white - replace with light shade.

1 18 ft hallway - 2 walls and ceiling, currently white - replace with light shade.

2 larger windows in lounge, one of which is full height (no other work on that room).

me to move all the furniture!

Note no work on doors, frames or skirting - previous occupant didn't mess with them.

so what would you expect?

I'm in SE outside the M25 - chappy lives 10 doors away so no premium for difficult travel or parking - would expect a discount for the easy location, but I bet I'm not getting it!

The quote's higher than I expected but not "How Much!", TBH when he told me how many days it would take and the daily rate is about what I expected but I thought it would be fewer days, and I really want to sanity check the duration - as each extra day he is here is an extra day I have to sit with him.

Either he's going to do a perfect job (which TBH, I would prefer) or he's a slow worker

comments appreciated

TIA

tim

[michael adams]

Unless you're already an expert, its very bad practice to consider a single quote for any job. You need to get as many quotes as you can - both for the cost and time taken, which should give you a better idea and then play them off against one another. Not directly but to the extent of allowing you to say with confidence "thats a bit higher/longer than I've been quoted elsewhere." If any of them get the hump at this then you're probably better off without them, as you're the one paying and so you need to have the whip hand throughout. Four other points. P&D is the sort of thing a lot of people think they can do so probably attracts a lot of incompetents and cowboys especially those with the gift of the gab. If you're new to the area then personal recommendations may be short on the ground, but posting an enquiry on a local neighbours website might help. Although you can also get widely differing opinions maybe based on personal chemistry. Ideally you'd want to see evidence past work done for satisfied customers

The fact that this guy is local doesn't necessarily speak well and suggests you may have chosen him for the wrong, and totally arbitrary reason

michael adams

...

[spuorgelgoog]

You hope. He might have just got the chappy from 10 doors away to do it.

Or the chappy from 10 doors away knows that your walls are really made of masticated toilet paper which won't sand down nicely.

Owain

[michael adams]

Oh and another one. Don't necessarily go for the lowest quote. ISTR a rule of thumb of going for the next to the lowest quote, and the reasoning behind it which sounded vaguely convincing but I'm damned if I can remember it.

michael adams

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[tabbypurr]

It won't? Damn!

NT

[spuorgelgoog]

It won't.

DAMHIKT.

Owain

[tabbypurr]

saving money can be so complex

Although moulded paper products don't sand well they can be given a nice smooth finish during moulding.

NT

[David Lang]

What's his daily rate?

[tim.....]

It's the (lack of) cutting in and finish around the plugs (which were painted up to the edge - not, rather than loosened to paint behind) that's the problem

tim

[tim.....]

I took a guess at 150 for labour and say, 30 quid for materials per day, before the quote came in, and that's spot on for the number of days he said it will take.

but is that right number - how long would you need to do it (hypothetically)?

tim

[tim.....]

According to his web site he's been doing P&D since he left school 30 years ago.

and all I want is some walls emulsioned and a small amount of woodwork. If he stuffs up after the first room I'm perfectly capable to telling him to make it good or go.

It's only P&D, there isn't much/any scope for it to be more expensive to put right after he has done some work that before (unless he drops paint all over the carpet of course).

Perhaps I am too optimistic but I think the chance that he may bump into me on a daily basis after he has done the job gives me some security.

FWIW, we have just had the outside woodwork painted. The MAs took the middle quote which was only slightly above the lowest and quite a way from the highest. I got the lowdown when talking to the young man representing the contractor. They are a five man company but the didn't have enough guys to do the work so their hired in jobbing P&Ds to help. As it's a three storey building they spent an awful lot of money hiring in those rising platform thingies, which they left unused for half the time because they didn't give our job top priority - Apparently the Surveyor who the MAs hired to oversee the work said that they took 2-3 months (50%) longer than he expected it to take.

And the job that they did was poor. This only got them into the passable condition because the job done by the original developers was ****ing awful.

So you are right, there's an awful lot of crap people around, but the standard he has to reach isn't very high and I'm perfectly capable of assessing whether he is meeting it.

tim

[Andy Burns]

P&D was only a minor head-scratch, but MA?

[David Lang]

If I get a caller saying "I've had a few quotes and I'm looking for the best price" I usually hang up.

No such thing as a free quote - if you're a tradesman.

[stvlcnc43]

Is that standard white gloss that you had in stock, or have you prepared for the almost immediate yellowing of the latest EU approved standard white gloss.

[Chris French]

Managing Agents? Flats I presume.

[Chris French]

In message , tim..... writes

Umm, 3 days? Depending on the amount of prep and what you want done to the windows exactly

[tabbypurr]

If you're lumping the furniture about, why not diy?

[tim.....]

As much as necessary :-)

but I'm only expecting the very few blemishes to be fixed before painting. I'm not expecting the whole wall to be sanded for a mirror finish

so that's 2 of you for 3 days

I have some thinking to do

Thanks everybody

tim

[tim.....]

If it was only the walls, I would

but I really hate preparing already painted woodwork

and if I'm getting a man in for that, for the sake of a few hundred, he might as well do the walls as well

tim

[newshound]

I *do* have some sympathy with that, particularly for your type of business. But for something like central heating I would typically look for three quotes and would certainly recommend that to anyone more vulnerable or less experienced. I'd try to be very straight with the tradesmen, also I would try to give them some sort of written spec or other details to make estimating easier. And if it is a job where there might be more under the surface I would be clear that I wanted an estimate, not a fixed price quote.