Getting Quotes
- Thread starter GeedoubleU
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This is very difficult to comments on really..some say too high some say too low..the truth is non of us really know.
Too many variables..door handles could cost anything from a fiver to 100 quid...
'Bit' of plastering..is that a metric or imperial 'bit'...
'Fixing Skirts'...how much of it?..is it two inch rounded or ten inch victoria with mouldings?..
'Etc' ?
All I can say is ask them for a breakdown..average prices in london are about 150 a day for tradespeople, skilled 'swiss rolls' might be less than half that though and remember you might not have any guarentee's or insurance...
£1,150 seems high...£500 seems very very low...but its impossible to say.
Ive seen plenty of people get ripped off because someone has sweet talked them...Ive seen people go for ridiculously cheap quotes and end up with the work ruined.
Looks for other things..insurance, references..appearances, written quotes, who would you feel happy about in your house..
Too many variables..door handles could cost anything from a fiver to 100 quid...
'Bit' of plastering..is that a metric or imperial 'bit'...
'Fixing Skirts'...how much of it?..is it two inch rounded or ten inch victoria with mouldings?..
'Etc' ?
All I can say is ask them for a breakdown..average prices in london are about 150 a day for tradespeople, skilled 'swiss rolls' might be less than half that though and remember you might not have any guarentee's or insurance...
£1,150 seems high...£500 seems very very low...but its impossible to say.
Ive seen plenty of people get ripped off because someone has sweet talked them...Ive seen people go for ridiculously cheap quotes and end up with the work ruined.
Looks for other things..insurance, references..appearances, written quotes, who would you feel happy about in your house..
I've got another quote now from a guy who lives a few doors down from me, he's quoted £350 including materials. I found him from ratedpeople web-site. I don't know him or his story, but I wouldn't have thought he would want to rip us off living just down the road.
My missus is now saying that as we are moving, we only really need a freshen up and if we can get it done for £350 we could probably do the whole flat for £1150.
Her view is that fresh lick of paint should be enough to fool most first time buyers, rather than doing a quality job that we won't see the benifit of when we move.
Now I'm thinking she might be right.
If it was my house that I'm staying at then I'd want a professional job.
I'm still unsure.
My missus is now saying that as we are moving, we only really need a freshen up and if we can get it done for £350 we could probably do the whole flat for £1150.
Her view is that fresh lick of paint should be enough to fool most first time buyers, rather than doing a quality job that we won't see the benifit of when we move.
Now I'm thinking she might be right.
If it was my house that I'm staying at then I'd want a professional job.
I'm still unsure.
Well I'd thought I'd update on my experiences.
The £350 quote man, never turned up and blanked all our calls. We spoke to him just days earlier, as he had called us to confirm the job. why?
We then got 6 other quotes.
4 of them were professional and reassuring, their quotes ranged from £950 to £1750.
A foreign chap and his polish assistant quoted £300, and was just saying yes to everything, but then when I asked to skim the ceiling he said he couldn't do that and needed someone else to do it . I just wrote off, as he had agreed to skim the walls and I don't think he would have done that.
The last quote was for £400. He was a young lad just starting out on his own. He reckoned 1 day to skim walls and ceiling, then 1 day to prep walls, woodwork and paint.
Well this is how it went. After 1 days plastering, he run out of time and needed to come back for half a day. We agreed to pay him another £50. He came back and finished the job. Looked good so pleased so far.
He then came back the next week and tried to do it all in a day, just never stood a chance and left the job unfinished with lots of snags.
He confessed he'd made a big mistake and hadn't realised how much work it would take and underestimated the materials he would need.
We have agreed to take him back for 1 day to finish the job for an extra £125, but if we aren't happy with the finish we don't pay. He is happy to do that so we will see him next week. Total job price will be £575, which is still not a bad price way under the others.
So the moral of the story, is you get what you pay for!!!!
If you want a good stressfree job pay for the higher quotes. If money is more important and you can put up with the stress go with the cheaper quotes.
Man, I wished I paid £900.
The £350 quote man, never turned up and blanked all our calls. We spoke to him just days earlier, as he had called us to confirm the job. why?
We then got 6 other quotes.
4 of them were professional and reassuring, their quotes ranged from £950 to £1750.
A foreign chap and his polish assistant quoted £300, and was just saying yes to everything, but then when I asked to skim the ceiling he said he couldn't do that and needed someone else to do it . I just wrote off, as he had agreed to skim the walls and I don't think he would have done that.
The last quote was for £400. He was a young lad just starting out on his own. He reckoned 1 day to skim walls and ceiling, then 1 day to prep walls, woodwork and paint.
Well this is how it went. After 1 days plastering, he run out of time and needed to come back for half a day. We agreed to pay him another £50. He came back and finished the job. Looked good so pleased so far.
He then came back the next week and tried to do it all in a day, just never stood a chance and left the job unfinished with lots of snags.
He confessed he'd made a big mistake and hadn't realised how much work it would take and underestimated the materials he would need.
We have agreed to take him back for 1 day to finish the job for an extra £125, but if we aren't happy with the finish we don't pay. He is happy to do that so we will see him next week. Total job price will be £575, which is still not a bad price way under the others.
So the moral of the story, is you get what you pay for!!!!
If you want a good stressfree job pay for the higher quotes. If money is more important and you can put up with the stress go with the cheaper quotes.
Man, I wished I paid £900.
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Well job done now.
I'm pretty handy myself and It's a better finish than I could do, not perfect, but good enough.
When you look around it looks good, only when you look really closely can you see a couple of small snags.
Plastering done to a good standard.
All in all, for my £150,000 budget 2-bedroom flat the finish is appropriate and for £575 plus some additional extras like door handles it was well worth it.
As I'm intending to move after christmas I'm able to get the whole house redecorated for the price of one from a professional company.
I think once I move and I'm in a house I intend to stay at I will pay the extra and expect a high quality finish, but for freshening up my flat I'd use him again.
I'm pretty handy myself and It's a better finish than I could do, not perfect, but good enough.
When you look around it looks good, only when you look really closely can you see a couple of small snags.
Plastering done to a good standard.
All in all, for my £150,000 budget 2-bedroom flat the finish is appropriate and for £575 plus some additional extras like door handles it was well worth it.
As I'm intending to move after christmas I'm able to get the whole house redecorated for the price of one from a professional company.
I think once I move and I'm in a house I intend to stay at I will pay the extra and expect a high quality finish, but for freshening up my flat I'd use him again.
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