Is this a full day for a plasterer?

Of course I am but this guy was just prepping and knocking off just after midday is not a full day.
That was OPs question

Well, I'm an architect too (for over 30 years) and you should know that a) plastering is a physically exhausting job and b) you can't do more than one coat in a day and there's a time limit to a batch of mixed plaster.
Every building site I've been on plasterers start around 8 am and never work past 3.30/ 4pm with a lunch break.

As someone said earlier, his job does depend on drying times.

You don’t know if he taking the piss until you get this bill. I’d expect him to add the shorter days into one. I wouldn’t say anything now, keep a tab of times and when he invoices you have a conversation about knocking off half a days fees (for example) if he has charged full days every day.

As the old saying goes , plasterers are ruled by the thistle , not the whistle .
Could be slighly slow work , one set on and too late for a second set

It’s the hours worked by the decorator we mainly use. Presumably as he is self employed, he chooses the hours worked. Whether or not it’s an issue depends on whether you are paying by the job being done, the day, or the hour. IME tradespeople charge by the job and give you an estimation of how long it will take.

Agree a day rate but no to disappearing and taking his time

You need a day rate plus time frame that fits with the tradesmen and you the client
You're paying for the work, they are not doing you any favours.

No reason to be leaving early if it’s just prep work or not a wet trade

I assume they are installing a vapour membrane to stop mould

That’s why you don’t pay a day rate, you pay per job. So if he wants to finish at 1.50 and take five days, you’re not charged extra.

Of course you pay for travel, it’s not a free service.

If you don't think he's done enough work in the time then let him know.

He probably needed to wait for things to dry before doing the next stage. He still can’t book another job in so regardless of whether he prices for the job or the day it will work out the same.

I posted this then saw they haven’t even started it yet!! I’d definitely question why they couldn’t do the first 2 days as 1.

OP said they hadn’t started plastering

The thing with plastering is once you’ve put a fresh mix on you’re committed to another 3 hours work so I’d guess that’s why - my ex is a plasterer and he won’t put a mix on after 2pm or he’s there too late

How many days did they say it would take? I'd always pay for the job, not per day as they could just drag it out or leave early.

Day one sounds reasonable if no break. Day two I guess he could be stayed another hour. But really you shouldn't have to police their hours on site and just pay for the job.

I don’t think it’s that easy to find good plasterers so if he did a good job and a sizeable amount of work that seems like an ok rate. They did an average of 6 hours each day (12 on the first day if there was two of them). I would definitely count 6 hours as a full day. 18 hours work for 660 = c £37 per hour. It’s a skilled job and not easy to do yourself so that seems reasonable to me. The caveat is that you haven’t said what job he is doing or what he’s been doing so far if he hasn’t started plastering yet and how long he estimated the job would take or whether he is working at a snail’s pace or whether you are happy with the work so far, so it is pretty difficult to answer. How long is a piece of string? I think you are focusing on the wrong variable though.

Well spotted. Twists and turns!

I work in construction. Based in the office. I don’t get paid travel time to my office, it’s my primary work base. The lads that work for me do get paid for travel time. If they’re travelling from South Yorkshire to Portsmouth and not getting paid for it, they wont be going! Portsmouth isn’t their primary work base. They do not get paid for travelling to the office.

I’ve been a member of SPAB for 30 years and volunteer.

I’ve also taken some of their courses

Re mortaring and pointing is not that difficult. Scrub out the old, remove all lose mortar and refill. Then finish off either flat or at an angle. Get used to using a trowel first which tbh you could learn to use by watching YouTube videos.

The plasterer took the puss who then got taken by the pointer?

This is getting more elaborate by the minute 🤣

But did he have time to do anything else between 1.50 and the end of the day?

Because he hasn’t got the equipment to collect and deliver several tons of materials?

His prices include quoting, driving to and from the job as well as to and from TP and other builders merchants, the time he spends on admin and writing invoices, the time it takes to clean his tools etc.

Obviously they’re not given a fully itemised bill but it’s all part of what he charges for a job - all self-employed people price like that (or should do, anyway).

My self-employment rates cover all my travel, my admin, wear and tear on my car, equipment, holidays, pension and sick days, plus a whole host of other stuff I can’t think of right now.

My customers don’t receive a breakdown of what goes where, but it’s all included in my hourly rates. Just as my accountant charges me a flat fee but doesn’t give me a bill itemising absolutely everything she does.

Why would they be delivering if the customer is being charged an hour for him to pop 5 mins down the rd to collect stuff