Shocked at the cost of tradesman

There needs to be a drive to get more young people into trades and less snobbery.
I am just as proud that 2 DCs are in trade instead of further education. They will probably end up earning more money anyway!
The years of learning these skills, and the hard physical graft they entail is why the prices are so high.
DCs college said that at the moment there is a shortage of young people wanting to go into plumbing, so in a few years time, people will be shocked at how expensive this work is, because there are so few people in this trade.

So your issue with Brexit is that you lost access to cheap imported skills undercutting the local market (which contributed to local market not training up juniors, who could otherwise now be plastering your house)?

I’ve had tradies from all over, I’ve never found British tradies “worse” or “better” than their compatriots from overseas. All have good, bad and indifferent and the solution is usually get recommendations, try them out and if they are good - hang on to them. However there is no getting away from the fact that an influx of cheap labour undercutting the local market contributed to the current shortage.

I've had it from proper firms as well. We needed a new path laid and several firms didn't bother getting back to us. I now tell people to avoid them if they want decent customer service. I'm currently waiting for a quote for some bathroom work, again nothing. How long does it take to say sorry, we can't do it?

DH was a handyman and was a one man band, he always went back to people whether he wanted/could do the job or not.

Sorry, that turned into a rant but I can't bear poor customer service!

I've always found the "proper" firms don't mess you around and always send a quote as they have admin and other staff. But you have to pay for that, so their costs are higher.

It's the "one ban bands" who are generally disorganised, but people choose them because they tend to be cheaper! They're cheaper because they don't have admin staff to pay!

Horses for courses.

As well as the cost it would be nice if they actually bothered sending a quote when they say they will. If they don't want the job just say rather than leaving it. I'd recommend someone who is honest enough to say no thanks but not someone who can't be bothered to respond when they've looked at a job.

@SofiewooHe’s not some desperate retiree, he just genuinely enjoys the work. Unlike the little princes charging £250–400 a day for absolute shite craftsmanship.
@C8H10N4O2 Yes, Brexit had a part to play, trades left, creating massive demand and shortage of supply

The plastering quote is about right. We paid similar over 3 years ago (5k) which included materials and since then it’s gone up massively with inflation.

its just really expensive to get anything done now. The materials have gone mad in price too. I wouldn’t buy a house that needs loads of work anymore coz I think it costs too much to do!

Watch you don’t fall there!

The pure fact that it took you a year to find someone so desperate for work that they took it on at well below the market rate just shows that it isn’t insane.

Afternoon piss ups in Spoons won't pay for themselves OP.

They have to pay insurance, tax, NI, pension contributions

Everybody has to pay tax, NI, pension contributions.

Op theres a shortage of tradespeople and has been for ages so they can charge what they they like and do.

YaBU I think .we need some work and I am thinking 3 to 5 k ,paining and including ceilings and doors this seems OK to me .also SE.whenever we have done it ourselves it sometimes does it back ! People say its so expensive, I could do it myself but don't. Mess ,paint everywhere ,smell .I could go on .just pay the man!

Well, yes. That’s about right - you’re paying for their skill firstly, then all the things that come with their own business! As PPs have said, you could always do it yourself? Or you could pay your tradesmen for their time and competence, it’s up to you!

Mine have always done 8 hours days, so maybe it is closer to £50 than £45. But, they have often had time to go to a depot, collect materials etc before coming to my house. That is working time in my view.

If the day rate's £400, why are people suggesting that's £45ph unless they somehow think the tradie will work for 9 hours each day?

Maybe some do, but while I've luckily got a selection of them I use regularly - and who work and charge reasonably - anyone new tends to expect to start at 10 and finish at 3, and that's after insisting they'll do "a full day"

what for the full house! I dont think that is bad at all! But dont put laminate down, you will regret it!

Cost of materials has escalated all over Europe and worldwide. That is the global crisis not Brexit.

Yes it's absolutely insane and it's thanks to bloody brexit.
I recently found a retired man who can do everything and he's £20 per hour, (£160 per day). It's taken me a year to find him, and it came through word of mouth in the end

That sounds perfect to reasonable to me 🤷‍♀️

If you think their skill is so little, do the work yourself.

Strip, skim and paint? Is that the whole house?

You would knock a fair chunk off by stripping and painting yourself. Stripping is a pain but I wouldn't pay somebody and painting freshly skimmed walls is very easy.

Unskilled labour in the Midlands is at least £200 a day. Skilled labour in South East is going to be double that. Maybe do some of the work yourself if you don't want to pay for experience and skill.

You are wanting skilled trades.

Are those prices per room?

Its pretty much impossible to comment without knowing the size of the job but nothing sounds outlandish and why would you expect skilled trades to work on the cheap?

You can always learn to do it yourself.

This. Everyone goes into often pretty useless higher education these days, rather than getting a trade.
Good skilled tradesmen are like hen's teeth and charge appropriately.
Garage owner neighbour said he used to get parents coming to him and asking if their sons could be apprentice mechanics, but it never happens anymore and he now struggles to recruit.

There does seem to be very poor impressions of the trades these days. People expect them to work for minimum wage and don't want their own children going into the trades, despite them probably out-earning the average person spending 3 years at Uni getting a bog standard degree! Skilled tradespeople used to be well respected and were usually "jobs for life".

I think a lot of the problem is that with the "brain drain" of decent kids going to Uni, it's left a vacuum in the trades which is being filled by unskilled/unqualified glorified "odd job men" doing work for which they're not trained nor experienced, just because of the high demand, low supply, then of course you have the criminal elements too who over-charge for work not done or just plain and simple fraudsters. So people have a poor impression of the "trades" which is why they don't want their precious off spring going to college to learn a trade.