cost of plastering

Hi all,
currently working on my first house and it turns out it needs new plaster throughout including ceilings (some are artex). All of the old plaster has been removed from the walls and I'm dot and dabbing the walls throughout at the moment. some ceilings have been removed and replaced with plasterboard as well.

A mate's dad who I know is a very good and experienced plaster has quoted £4000 to do two coat plaster through the whole house, some additional patch up work and repairs to cornicing in the front rooms. I just want to know if this is a reasonable price or not? I know it would be convenient for him to do the job but I don't want to end up paying over the odds for the work. Its a good sized bay fronted Victorian three bed terraced in Cardiff.

Any help or guidance would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

sounds a lot for a terrace house in cardiff

if its just a skim coat expect around 200-300 a room depending on size

i paid £800 for eight ceilings biggest room was 24ft x 14ft

A few days ago I had a quote to skim over artex ceilings. It worked out about £160 for a room 17ft x 12ft.

Way to much money 4 grand for a couple of weeks work ?

Its a lot it seems but i dont see it just like that.

Plastering, along with roofing, must be one of the most grinding trades - the wear and tear on the body, esp. elbows and wrists, is massive. One has to build up a good retirement/sickness savings during the young productive years - they typically dont last beyond early middle age in my experience of just seeing guys on sites. Maybe one in a plastering gang is the old guy the rest not.

I'd love to be proved wrong but thats my experience.

So, £4000 for two weeks work might actually work out as £2000 for two weeks now and £2000 for two weeks when i'm 50yrs.

Any self-employed who works for less than £200/day should go get a job on the buses.

ree said:

Its a lot it seems but i dont see it just like that.

Plastering, along with roofing, must be one of the most grinding trades - the wear and tear on the body, esp. elbows and wrists, is massive. One has to build up a good retirement/sickness savings during the young productive years - they typically dont last beyond early middle age in my experience of just seeing guys on sites. Maybe one in a plastering gang is the old guy the rest not.

I'd love to be proved wrong but thats my experience.

So, £4000 for two weeks work might actually work out as £2000 for two weeks now and £2000 for two weeks when i'm 50yrs.

Any self-employed who works for less than £200/day should go get a job on the buses.

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I can just imagine what the quote will look like £2000 for labour and oh yeah I want you to pay £2000 into my pension pot i would happily do 2 weeks work for the £2000 the only thing I agree here is the wear and tear on body having a false knee and having had 2 tennis elbows I can't agree more but to quote £2000 more because of it is not viable

The above actual figures are irrelevant, its the principle that you, as a self employed building trade worker (like the plasterer in the OP's post), must get every penny you can now because, on average, your high pay working life is short. And even a long working life will almost certainly leave you with a wracked body.

As for submitting quotes with personal details about your future life intentions - well, most customers would think you were unbalanced, and refuse you the job, even done for free.