sqm charges oak floor.

chirpychippy said:

Good evening,

I've been SE for 5 months now and have come to the conclusion that regardless how hard I try I will always struggle with pricing work. Which leads me to this question, i am pricing to lay a 30m2 oak floor, secret nailed onto ply.

I am not supplying floor or trims etc, but will be supplying the ply and laying it prior to laying oak floor, so i am thinking day rate x however long i think it will take plus materials and hire of porta nailer, nails etc, but i know there is also a meterage rate "£20-£30" per sqm, but i don't know if this rate is for laying only or an accumulative rate including the cost of materials fixings adhesives etc?

May I have some direction please.

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chirpychippy said:

Thank you for your quick reply lymmranger, I feel there is some confusion, I am the fitter or perspective fitter if you like.

I am not uncomfortable with fitting this type of floor as I have done quite a few previously. The floor they are buying can either be nailed or glued down but not floated. The sub floor is timber suspended with 6" x 3/4" floorboards which are in surprisingly good condition, however still not suitable "I feel for secret nailing" which is why I am intending to use 1/2" hardwood ply as a top up base. Normally I would use 3/4 inch but there is a height issue due to fixed cabinets which form the bases for large expanses of shelving which houses thousands of books "well maybe hundreds" that neither I nor the homeowner wish to remove.

It may be a question of "going rate" I am not so sure, but I have known the customer loosely in business terms for two to three years, maybe it is just a case of whom he can trust. Equally I could price the work at a favourable rate in an attempt to build bridges "his wife is a property developer" this particular work is in their own home.

So if I were to charge a rate from your guide prices top end I would be looking at an estimate of £1425 inc ply, "Cards on the table" I was looking at £850 as an estimate inc ply on day rate x 5 days that's nearly half the going rate, maybe I am to cheap?

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chirpychippy said:

Thank you for your informative replies once again, I have been chippying for 8 years now but have only been SE for five months. Up until five months ago I was working for a builder and was earning £60 a day take home, my petrol wasn't paid, neither was any contribution made for the upkeep of any of my tools, I put up with this because I didn't have the self confidence to think I could go out on my own, I didn't think I was good enough, "That's another story".

So with the pricing element, you may think I am to cheap, but that is because I have been earning £300 a week since I can care to remember and survived, so... when I am price jobs I feel quite uncomfortable charging £140 a day let alone £200 a day for my services. I think there is another element to consider here, A floor fitter can charge £200 a day but probably get it down faster and just as accurately then I would charging £140 a day so I think the price from this point of view is relative.

BTW the floor is 20m2 not 30m2 as I was originally informed by the customer having measured it myself. The flooring is solid Oiled Oak 180 x 20mm t&g in random lengths with a minimum of 800mm retailing at £35.99 + vat per m2. It can only be glue down or secret nailed and according to the manufacturer I can use 9mm ply as appose to 12mm ply on top of the existing floorboards as I will be going with the direction of the existing flooring.

So to supply and fit ply and lay new flooring and do a bit of rebating around a fire place hearth I have quoted £1000. To Cheap? To Expansive? About right? Please answer, Thank you once again.

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