£5,500 is much for painting 3 bedrooms+living room+hallways+dining:kitchen style room excluding bathrooms?

[Jutib14]

We just got a quote for painting&decorating (and other things like bathrooms renovation). The cost included 3 bedrooms, living room, dining. It is roughly £5,500 (no vat.)

The run down of the cost : something like
•Remove covings & make walls look good
•Remove any flaky paint
•Fill in cracks and holes
•Sand down ceilings, walls and woodwork
•Paint ceilings and walls with 2 coats of emulsion
Paint woodwork with undercoat and finish with satinwood paint.

There is one bedroom that has a very dark colour. We are suggested to have it paint 4 times to the lighter colour we want. We really impress with how he paid attention to the property and talked about how things would be done.

So I would love if you could share some experience with me on the following:

1. Does anyone know if we can negotiate the price a bit?
   
2. We would like to get more quote but has anyone have the experience with the online website (householdquotes) ? I just did it but would like to know what to expect.
   
3. Do you know if there is any hidden or unexpected cost around this type of work?
   

We like the guy, but since it is £5,500, I would love to hear what you, moms, think?
I have a small kid and we don't live at the place now. We live in Hackney.

[Mosaic123]

Who pays for the paint? Paint is super expensive.

[JaniceBattersby]

In London in the current climate for painters and decorators I’d expect a day rate of £300 per person, plus paint, plus consumables (filler etc).

While I’d never in a million years fork out that much for decorating, the quote doesn’t surprise me (if it includes paint. If not, ridiculous)

[sausagerollsrock]

Good grief. No way would I pay that sort of money for decorating.

[madeyemoodysmum]

In my area day rate £150-180 I'd provide paint but I'd expect the decorator to provide fillers etc.

[Deadlylampshade]

What??? No way Jose.
I paid £800 for my hall, stairs, spare room and living room to be painted.

[verystressedmum]

£5,500 for painting?? I realise I live in a cheap area and paid £800 for my whole house but bloody hell!!

[badass80]

2 years ago after an extension we got the whole of downstairs which is like a huge kitchen and 3 living areas, utility and loo.

4 double bedrooms and bathroom ceilings. All the woodwork. This was some old walls that needed stripping and some new plastered walls - Including 2 external doors.

All paints so we got the colours made up and the decorator used Armsted which is Dulux trade.

Also it was post build so quite a lot of filling and smoothing to do. Quite a few different colours too. Anyway all in all it was 2.5k in the West Midlands

[wobytide]

Painting 6 rooms......£5.5k..........if you expect them to co-habit with you for a couple of months sounds fair. If you want them to leave you some painted rooms in a fortnight, maybe you need to think if it sounds reasonable for a couple of weeks work.

[BackforGood]

If you read the opening post though, the OP is asking for a LOT more than painting........ sanding ceilings ???
It seems like a lot of money all in one go like that, but start unpicking the amount of work in each room, then add on "and other things like bathrooms renovation" and I think you would be getting to these kind of figures.

That said, always worth getting 3 quotes for any work, but be really clear you are comparing like with like.

[MadameJosephine]

How much???? Dear god, that’s extortionate. I recently had my living room, hallway and kitchen painted for £300 (I provided the paint)

[Jutib14]

@Mosaic123 - The builder pays for the paint.

[BeautifulLiar]

Oh my bloody god! We decided to paint ourselves after being quoted £340 for a bedroom.

[HeadDreamer]

I don’t think it’s ridiculous. I paid just under £400 for painting a single kitchen after refit. This is including paint. If you add up all the rooms, and extras like sanding ceilings, then I can see that kind of money. Ours just paint over the ceiling and woodwork and radiators. No undercoat and sanding.

I’m in the south outside the Home Counties, and you are in London too.

[Jutib14]

Hi everyone,

Thanks for the input. I am going to get more quotes as it sounds like a second opinion don't hurt. Yes, price includes cost of white DULUX TRADE emulsion and woodwork paint. (£5,500).

Other work I got, for example, bathroom for the labour cost is about £3,800 (excluding VAT and everything that goes in it like tub, sink, etc.)

I will try to get more quotes for each list we want to do some work on the property.

[Roystonv]

Yep, confused by bathroom renovation in with painting or have you split out the painting from the overall quote? However, that sounds a huge amount imo but we are up North so out of touch with other areas. I think I would ask for timescale, how many workmen, cost of paint etc and then see if it sort of makes sense.

[Jutib14]

@roystonv
Sorry for the confusion! I got a quote for many parts of our renovation project from a builder. The cost £5,500 is just for painting (with other details above) not including the bathroom.
I went to website last night and requested more quote via a website(mentioned above). I got 3 people contacting me already! So I went ahead and schedule them for a 2nd opinion.
I will update u once how things r progressing.

[Jutib14]

Update:
we got a similar quote from someone start from £4,475(with VAT + paint)
I am collecting information and will wait for another 2 visits from the painters.

[sallyarmy1]

Blimey!

My dd is having her whole whose decorated at the moment - 3 bedrooms, including ceilings, all woodwork and the master bedroom wallpapered on one wall.

Hall, stairs and landing, including ceilings and all woodwork.

Large lounge diner, including ceilings, all woodwork and the main walls wallpapered.

The only thing she has had to buy is the wallpaper.

It is costing her £1,600 for the lot.

The same decorator did my hall, stairs and landing, including ceiling and all white woodwork, plus wallpapering all the walls up stairs. And my dining room the same, with the chimney breast and alcoves wallpapered, plus he wallpapered my porch and painted the front door inside and outside.

The lot for £1000.

Just had a quote from him for 2 large bedrooms to be completely decorated - paint, gloss and wallpaper - £600.

He is so busy that we have to book him 5 months in advance :)

[Jutib14]

@sallyarmy1: That sounds like a sweet deal!! Do you live in London area?

I got more quotes as per today we had 4 more people coming.
1.) £3,500 for all the woodwork + painting + material
2.) £3,000 for all the woodwork + painting (NOT material)
3.) £4100 for all the woodwork + painting + material + 2 bathrooms
4.) £3500 for all the woodwork + painting + material + spotlights for 10 spots (another £1000)

So we got a similar quotes but these are better than £5,500 + VAT . But to be honest with you, the quotes no.3 is from rated people website and he got 5 stars. His work has been recommended in the website and when he comes to our place. He looked carefully twice. Walked up/down and gave suggestion on the work. I really like that. However, he doesn't do the other things like spotlights or electrician work. We got quotes that mostly £3,500 because this is the price if we also do other work.

I personally want the specialist do that paint work and then have other guy comes for electrician work but I don't know if it is possible.

I need to sleep over it a little bit and think carefully.

I will update more on it. They all have nice profiles on the website and everything looks very good.

[Bowerbird5]

Why don't you ring the Trade shop in the area and ask them what would be reasonable. You see I was thinking it was bad especially if down south and if the paint is included. Paint is expensive. Can he offer you any customer reviews? It is quite a lot of work. Is he a time served painter and decorator because they are more expensive but due a better job quite often.

[Jutib14]

@Bowerbird5 : Thanks for the input. Yes, I go with the specialist Painters and Decorators team. They just do as that (Including Material).

I am hunting for electrical work, bathroom next. I hope this project goes well.

[Bowerbird5]

I hope it goes well for you too. It sounds like a big job. We had to do a whole house a long time ago. It took us about eight months. We had about four specialist and did the rest ourselves. DH was away a lot of the time so I was doing it and had three kids including an 18 mth old. The electricians wife took pity on DS and took him to play with her DD. They are still friends today.
We need to do the kitchen now and the wall papering is getting a bit beyond me now so might get someone in to do that. Good luck with it all.

[bouncydog]

All I would say is make sure that whoever you get to do the work is 1) able to provide photos of previous work that you can clarify independently and 2) has public liability insurance before they do anything. We had what we thought was an expensive quote but the numpty that undertook the work did a bad job and splashed varnish all over a large Amtico floor.

The inconvenience and stress suffered getting it all put right via his insurance (floor taken up and replaced and full redecoration) made me wish several times we paid the higher price in the first place!

Price by the way sounds reasonable to me - I’ve just paid c£2k to redecorate the living room, rubbing down, lining all walls and 2 coats everywhere and very happy.

[bouncydog]

Sorry should have clarified that the numpty charged a lower price than the high quote which is why we contracted him.

[Jutib14]

@Bowerbird5 Thanks. I like the end of your story. We want this house to be our first home (real home). I cannot wait to move in once things r in a better order.

@bouncydog: public liability insurance is something new to me. However, this is a second time I heard today. I will take that into consideration. I think the before and after is a very good idea. I will do that.

For updating:

1. We got a guy coming for 3-4 weeks doing the painting work (including details of wood work) on Monday and we paid 50% upfront
   
2. We got 2 electricians coming on Wednesday for doing the 1) 13-15 spotlights roughly 2.) moves 39 sockets 3.) install sensor in both bathrooms + including fan 4.) replace new material for 39 sockets (£4 each included 5.) spotlights 3 yrs warrantees 6.) included fan in the bathrooms and all material for £1950
   

1. We are waiting for the 2 more quotes on the bathrooms. So let's see what happens next. :)
   

Could not thanks you all enough!