i have been plastering for 2 years now and have plastered my whole house. although im not a full time plasterer. i have got to the stage now where people are starting to ask me to quote to plaster there homes. i plastered my friends lounge which was a good challenge for me because of the sheer size, he was so impressed that he got his neighbour to come and have a look. now his neighbour wants me to plaster his kitchen ceiling and 4 walls. how much do i quote, i dont want to do it for nothing because it will take me a couple of days with my mate as my labourer, but at the same time i dont want to rip him off, i am still a novice after all.
dilemma
- Thread starter sheldon1982
- Start date
Sponsored Links
Fair play to you - first off how much do you expect to make in a day, and how many days work is it - then look at it and see if you would pay that for your room.
i really dont know, i can get a very good finish and work very hard but this is new to me, up until now i have only plastered my family and friends homes for nothing. i think a weekend away from the missus and kids + grafting for 2 days, i would hope for about £250 , or is that to much.
i think £250.00 is a very fair price to charge for a weekends work!...
Sponsored Links
Same as that, you'll do a nice job, and get another one or two from it.
I realise you'll be away from the wife and kids all weekend, but it will have it's drawbacks too
I realise you'll be away from the wife and kids all weekend, but it will have it's drawbacks too
thanks guys i will quote £250 and see what happens. thanks again...
Respect.
I've had a couple of offers for some little bits, but still finishing my house so not time.
Tho I confess, personally, I would be apprehensive in someone else's house due to the mess I still make!
Good on you for helping out and the price sounds fair to me.
Two years is not long in the grand scheme of things. No way of knowing quality without seeing your work but you may be a natural, which is a huge advantage & it’s imperative you enjoy doing it IMO! There is, however, a big difference between skimming & plastering, especially when you step beyond DIY & start doing it as a paid employ &, just when you think you’ve got it sussed, something will come up & bite you on the arse; there is no substitute for experience & you get that by making mistakes & learning from them. Have a go but build up slowly & expect the odd disaster which you will have to put right at your own expense. I started out the same way 6 years ago &, without bragging, I’m pretty good what I do which is whole property renovation works; I’m not just a skimmer either but there is no way I would compete or put myself in the same league as some of the guys we have on the forum.
As to what you should charge; times are a little harder at the moment & there aren’t many commanding the £200+/day of just a couple of years ago. Realistically, you should be able to complete an average 12 sq/m room (floor area) of 4 walls + ceiling in a longish day; 1½ days max for up to 20 sq/m but that’s on your own! If your still learning & practising on friends & neighbours, I would say around £100-£130/day is about right but that’s based on the above work rate & working alone! Not many jobs in this category justify a “mixing mate” & 2 days for two guys on one room is really way over IMO. The fact you’re working the weekend is not relevant to the customer either; no offence but why should they pay for 2 when it only needs one!
As to what you should charge; times are a little harder at the moment & there aren’t many commanding the £200+/day of just a couple of years ago. Realistically, you should be able to complete an average 12 sq/m room (floor area) of 4 walls + ceiling in a longish day; 1½ days max for up to 20 sq/m but that’s on your own! If your still learning & practising on friends & neighbours, I would say around £100-£130/day is about right but that’s based on the above work rate & working alone! Not many jobs in this category justify a “mixing mate” & 2 days for two guys on one room is really way over IMO. The fact you’re working the weekend is not relevant to the customer either; no offence but why should they pay for 2 when it only needs one!
thanks for the replies, richard c , very interesting reply cheers, my mate who will be mixing and cleaning up will be doing it for next to nothing because its his neighbour and they do each other favours. i plastered my friends lounge and it took me 2 days starting at 8am and finishing about 5pm with very little stopping. that room was 4 large walls and ceiling.
i appreciate any advise that you can give a novice that wants to improve and do it full time in the future. i still need to learn how to use bonding/hardwall put need more practise. i can multi-finish skim to a very good standard but i am still learning.
i appreciate any advise that you can give a novice that wants to improve and do it full time in the future. i still need to learn how to use bonding/hardwall put need more practise. i can multi-finish skim to a very good standard but i am still learning.
Please don't take my comments the wrong way, I tend to say things as I see them & am definately my own worst critic but if your any good & enjoy then go for it. If your serious about what you do, you will suceed & the support you will get from the guys on this forum is second to none.
I didn't take your reply the wrong way richard honestly, I appreciate what you said and take everything on board. Cheers for your replies guys
DIYnot Local
Staff member
If you need to find a tradesperson to get your job done, please try our local search below, or if you are doing it yourself you can find suppliers local to you.
Select the supplier or trade you require, enter your location to begin your search.
Are you a trade or supplier? You can create your listing free at DIYnot Local
Sponsored Links
