Quote help for some electrical work

[Risteard]

Certainly not £700

Think of what you believe an electrician would reasonably deserve to get into his/her pocket (before deducting Tax/NI) for a couple of hours' work (plus time travelling), then at least double it (many people don't seem to understand about 'overheads!), and then add 20% if the person is VAT-registered.

Assuming you do that 'reasonably', it could be said that anyone asking for a lot more than the figure you come up with would, at least in your eyes, not be 'reasonable'.

Kind Regards, John

It's more than a couple of hours' work.

 

[securespark]

I would guess around £250+

 

[JohnW2]

It's more than a couple of hours' work.

Who knows? As flameport and myself have both said, it could be just that, perhaps even less.

Kind Regards, John

 

[JohnW2]

I would guess around £250+

Is that for "a couple of hours' work" (!!), or for some different amount of time that you are guessing it would take?

Kind Regards, John

 

[securespark]

First, I agree with Risty. It's probably more than two hours.
Then you have to add your WAT costs, a proportion of all the other costs, vehicle, insurances etc..., travel time and any other overheads.

Instead of ridiculing my estimate (!!), why not tell us how much YOU would charge for 2 hours work and give us a breakdown?

 

[Risteard]

Who knows? As flameport and myself have both said, it could be just that, perhaps even less.

Kind Regards, John

I know that two hours simply isn't feasible for it.

 

[blup]

As a consumer, in the Midlands, I would instinctively think £100 - £150.

Your real problem might be getting a fully qualified NICEIC electrician to come out to quote for what is a relatively small job. If you did, that could double or treble the price to make it worth their while.

Not knocking that but based on my experience.

Blup.

 

[halesowenmum]

Yes I totally get what you're saying Blup. And I think that's partly fair of me to be considering that a quote might be given a bit higher because of the need to 'make it worthwhile', you know? Which I can understand - it's a business and you can't things it at a loss - there's a rate you need to make each day.

There is more electrical work to be done but I fear that could take it to above what I want to spend at this first go. This is all the downstairs stuff. The upstairs jobs will take longer and therefore cost more than this hopefully very simple job (well that's what I think at the moment anyway). The two combined sets of jobs would I think be a bit too much in the one go financially but I could be pleasantly surprised.

Upstairs I have 2 x chandeliers which I'm toying with having these put in in my bedroom. This would replace, I think, the ceiling spots which are the bane of my life. Whatever bright spark (see what I did there?!) installed these has done something v wrong. They're fitted fine in the bathrooms they are in, but not in my room. When you go to do the simple job of unscrewing the ring and replacing the bulb, you cannot put the ring back on because the force of the bulb is pushing down so hard that it won't stay in place plus it doesn't seem to 'screw back on' in the same way as in the other rooms. God knows what they did but it has resulted in every ceiling spot ring is held up with No More Nails - and that's how it's had to be. I was toying with having these all replaced with LEDs (I'm gradually trying to go full LED throughout the house) but that and possibly having to refit the actual fittings as well to fix whatever's wrong with them, not sure if that's a good use of my dosh and just switching to the chandeliers might be better (although then the ceiling spots would need removing, filling etc). So I was thinking of replacing with these two chandeliers and having a remote control dimmer. So I might ask the electrician when quoting for the downstairs work to come and have a look at that as well so I know a bit more where I am and what the cost is.

I also suspect (and it is only suspect) that the spots in the bathrooms aren't wet area rated. I could be wrong, but I'm just suspicious because generally when they built this house you can tell they did the things they could get away with on a shoestring with eyes totally focused on profit as opposed to good workmanship. If that's the case they too will need replacing with wet area safe ones. I'm not sure how to tell by looking what a wet area rated one would look like, so I don't know for sure.

 

[EFLImpudence]

a fully qualified NICEIC electrician

That's like saying "a fully qualified T&G(Workers Union) lorry driver".

NICEIC membership is not related to qualifications just as a fully qualified lorry driver may not be a member of the T&G.

 

[HERTS P&D]

Assuming it is as straightforward as described, then a couple of hours maximum.


Not for such trivial work - it just wastes the time and money of at least 2 other people.

What if the wiring is from the arc? A couple of hours?

Or a full rewire.

Get more quotes. Don't worry about wasting peoples time, if they don't want to come out and quote then call someone else.

The amount of extra work I have got from the small jobs is unbelievable.

Andy

 

[halesowenmum]

Yes, I hear what you're saying Andy for sure. There's every chance that there's two phases of work on offer here, and then you can't discount the real life recommendations you might give that lead to other jobs and what work that might lead to for sure. I've got a bit of plumbing work to do as well but the focus will be downstairs first, anything upstairs after. I did have a lovely electrician come and put in a replacement ceiling light and hook up my new electric hob but bloomin' lost his contact details but I have got good recommendations now to go on and a rough idea of the likely costs.

 

[JohnW2]

I know that two hours simply isn't feasible for it.

You're still guessing without know the facts/situation.

I recently replaced 4 wall lights in my daughter's house in well under an hour. It was literally 'two screws out/in and three conductors out/in" in each case. How many hours would that take you?

Kind Regards, John

 

[JohnW2]

First, I agree with Risty. It's probably more than two hours.
Then you have to add your WAT costs, a proportion of all the other costs, vehicle, insurances etc..., travel time and any other overheads. Instead of ridiculing my estimate (!!), why not tell us how much YOU would charge for 2 hours work and give us a breakdown?

I wasn't 'ridiculing' it - I was asking whether it was for 2 hours or for your estimate of the amount of time needed.

If it is 2 hours (or any other number of estimated hours), as I said, decide what you feel would be a reasonable gross income for two2 hours (or however many hours you think appropriate) work for an electrician, at least double that figure (for all the overheads etc.) and then add on VAT if applicable.

why not tell us how much YOU would charge for 2 hours work and give us a breakdown?

I am anything but an electrician. If I told you what I would charge for 2 hours my work (in my 'day job', and including all the overheads), the OP might have cause for concern As I've suggested, my 'overheads' usually represent around a half of what I charge clients.

I have no idea what an electrician would regard as a reasonable income. £25 gross per hour would, if one could find 40 hours paid work per week, equate to something approaching £50,000 gross per year - so, if that were the sort of amount they would looking for, they would have to charge at least £50 per hour (plus VAT if applicable).

Kind Regards, John

 

[securespark]

Sometimes if you cannot get another customer in the same day you have to charge a whole day.

 

[halesowenmum]

Yes, I can understand that securespark.