Help with kitchen rewire and heating costs estimate pls

[ericmark]

Oh, I remember an auto electrician, he had a workshop where he would do work like fitting alternators, and also an off-sales where he would sell reconditioned alternators. It was clearly signed up as trade only, but he would sell to anyone.

So guy bought an alternator, which failed, and he brought the vehicle into the workshop, where the alternator was changed, then he was charged labour. The proprietor claimed if the alternator had been fitted in the workshop then guarantee included labour, but if bought over the counter then labour to swap was charged for.

I can understand to some extent why, as over the counter sold at trade price, but fitted sold at retail price, so if you bought an alternator then returned and asked him to fit it, you got the job done cheaper to supply and fit. This was 1980's and things have moved on.

However, I know the problems with faulty new equipment. As tradesmen, we know makes to keep clear of.

 

[Murdochcat]

When customers insisted on supplying materials I put my rate to reflect the hassle it always created.

There’s nothing worse than some smart arse buying parts and not realising how many small things are actually needed

 

[JohnW2]

When customers insisted on supplying materials I put my rate to reflect the hassle it always created. ... There’s nothing worse than some smart arse buying parts and not realising how many small things are actually needed

I can understand that. However, as I recently wrote, it doesn't sound (at least, to me) as if the OP is planning on 'supplying materials' - but, rather, that the electrician will 'supply' them but will allow the OP to pay for them with "no markup".

That sounds pretty reasonable to me, since I'm not sure that it's necessarily reasonable for an electrician to charge more for materials than he/she paid for them (given that they are already charging for their time/labour), is it? If, as you may argue, the 'markup' is to cover the (small) 'risk' the electrician is taking, it could well be that many/most customers would prefer to take that 'risk' themselves (and then pay additionally for replacement installation of faulty parts, should that {occasionally} prove necessary)

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

That sounds like the electrician 'supplying' the materials, doesn't it?

It could be interpreted either way.

 

[flameport]

Get, say, 10 estimates.

Please do NOT do that.

Doing so will waste the time of at least 9 people and if that behaviour is repeated even moderately prices will be massively increased to cover all of that wasted time.
If any trades discover that someone already has 5+ quotes, that person will very likely be labelled as a timewaster and if they do manage to get any more quotes at all, they can expect a substantial amount to be added just because it can be.

 

[JohnW2]

If any trades discover that someone already has 5+ quotes ....

In practice, how would they 'discover' that?

For better or worse, the concept of 'many quotes' seems to be a current fashion - that is surely what all the 'comparison websites' do, on a large scale?

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

For better or worse, the concept of 'many quotes' seems to be a current fashion - that is surely what all the 'comparison websites' do, on a large scale?

Yes, but without troubling the vendor.

The other type of site, is one where the client, lists the requirements of the job, and tradesmen interested in doing the job, having read the requirements, offer their quote for the work.

 

[JohnW2]

Yes, but without troubling the vendor.

Yes, that's true of the 'comparison websites'

The other type of site, is one where the client, lists the requirements of the job, and tradesmen interested in doing the job, having read the requirements, offer their quote for the work.

A family member of mine did that recently and she ended up with well over a dozen quotes - so, from the point-of-view of 'vendor time/effort' even worse than had she personally approached 10 different tradespeople!

I suppose it's different if one starts off 'not having a clue' about prices, but if I start with a reasonable idea of what sort of ballpark we're talking about, I'll usually just get two or three quotes - but my choice between them will often (probably usually) be mostly influenced by issues other than price.