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AIBU?

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Original poster

Is this a full day for a plasterer?

141 replies

Sam9769 · 09/10/2025 14:48

Plasterer came to do some work with his mate yesterday, each charging £220 cash for a day's work.
They arrived about 8.30am and left at 2.45pm, no lunch break.
Plasterer came on his own today at around 8am and left at 1.45pm, no lunch break.
AIBU to think that this is not a day's work?

OP posts:
thisishowloween · 10/10/2025 09:44

RubySquid · 10/10/2025 09:42

Order in advance. Good tradies are booked up way in advance so they know what they need for the following few days.

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You can’t always do that. Customers change their mind, jobs take longer than you think, you don’t always have somewhere to store materials.

DH is booked up well into the end of next year but we don’t have unlimited storage to keep everything he might possibly need.

Also, last time he ordered in advance from TP they forgot to deliver and he had to push the whole job back a week.

thisishowloween · 10/10/2025 09:42

RubySquid · 10/10/2025 09:16

But its not the majority of people As you said its quite niche. I was vasectomy from home at one point ( self employed) but didn't charge from getting from my house to first customer

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But that was your choice. I’m self-employed and visit clients in their homes - while I don’t specifically charge for travel it’s all included in my rates, and tracked via an app so I can claim all my costs back on my tax return.

RubySquid · 10/10/2025 09:42

thisishowloween · 10/10/2025 09:40

You do know TP don’t have everything in stock all the time, right? DH often has no choice but to go in the morning as he has to wait on their delivery.

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Order in advance. Good tradies are booked up way in advance so they know what they need for the following few days.

thisishowloween · 10/10/2025 09:40

RubySquid · 10/10/2025 09:24

Id be bloody irritated if it took a trade and hour picking up stuff from TP and getting to my house. As for picking up a mate, we'll that shouldn't be customers responsibility to pay for .

Oh and TP open until 5 so they could pop there after tge 2 or 3pm finish and get stuff for following day. Much more efficient

Edited

You do know TP don’t have everything in stock all the time, right? DH often has no choice but to go in the morning as he has to wait on their delivery.

Onelifeonly · 10/10/2025 09:32

You paid for the job and it was done. Are you saying you'd be happier if he did it more slowly? Either you felt the job was worth the money or you didn't.

Namechangedone · 10/10/2025 09:29

That’s a really fair day rate for a plasterer, my DH hires a lot of plasterers for his business, pays £325 per plaster per day, and a full day on site is 8hrs with an hour for lunch so I think this seems ok

PastaAllaNorma · 10/10/2025 09:26

Haven't you had builders in before? They always start before 9 and are gone by about 3.

My neighbours are having major building work done. Every day for 10 weeks the blokes arrive around 8 or 8:30 and are gone at 3.

RubySquid · 10/10/2025 09:24

Id be bloody irritated if it took a trade and hour picking up stuff from TP and getting to my house. As for picking up a mate, we'll that shouldn't be customers responsibility to pay for .

Oh and TP open until 5 so they could pop there after tge 2 or 3pm finish and get stuff for following day. Much more efficient

NautilusLionfish · 10/10/2025 09:23

signiffig · 09/10/2025 14:58

I’d always pay for a job not a day rate - I had to ask a painter to leave after he was clearly taking the puss

He was taking the puss? Oh your poor puss. Taken by a pointer

😂 this sorry gave me a cracking laughing start to my day

Original poster
Sam9769 · 10/10/2025 09:22

We supplied the materials because we could purchase them in B&Q for less then half the price he was offering to supply them.

OP posts:
OverlyFragrant · 10/10/2025 09:21

RubySquid · 10/10/2025 09:16

But its not the majority of people As you said its quite niche. I was vasectomy from home at one point ( self employed) but didn't charge from getting from my house to first customer

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Not as niche as you think.

Tradies have to consider travel to/from picking up labourers/builders merchants/parking restrictions.

They might start at 8 at your house but at 7am was at Travis Perkins and 6.30 was collecting their mate for the day.

That's an hour and half before they even start. They have to get the supplies in the morning as most building merchants close early, when their customer like OP still expects them to be working.

Original poster
Sam9769 · 10/10/2025 09:21

Wingingitbestican · 09/10/2025 17:49

£220 per man per day is an absolute bargain. As long as you are happy with there work,

I agree, if he actually does a day's work!

OP posts:
RubySquid · 10/10/2025 09:16

OverlyFragrant · 10/10/2025 09:09

I do actually. My job is quite niche in that my base is from "home" so for any work outside of home, the travel to and from is considered part of the work day.

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But its not the majority of people As you said its quite niche. I was vasectomy from home at one point ( self employed) but didn't charge from getting from my house to first customer

OverlyFragrant · 10/10/2025 09:09

RubySquid · 10/10/2025 03:33

Do you get paid to travel to work yourself? Majority of people don't.

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I do actually. My job is quite niche in that my base is from "home" so for any work outside of home, the travel to and from is considered part of the work day.

IMakeDealsWithTheDevil · 10/10/2025 07:59

BrownTroutBluesAgain · 10/10/2025 02:27

although I learnt to plaster and recently lime plaster and lime render so I could do my own.

Its a very satisfying thing to master
I’m currently lime rendering the entire house outside. At 58 it is tiring though especially getting up and down the ladders.

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How did you learn this @BrownTroutBluesAgain I have so many things I need to do - remortaring/pointing is one of them. I need the confidence to do it.

RubySquid · 10/10/2025 03:33

OverlyFragrant · 09/10/2025 15:18

Plus travel time, it more than likely is.

Do you get paid to travel to work yourself? Majority of people don't.

BrownTroutBluesAgain · 10/10/2025 03:19

BrownTroutBluesAgain · 10/10/2025 03:16

Is he hiring a cherry picker ?

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Actually they only cost £1/200 a day.

So if they are I’d hire one yourself and do a diy. You could give the whole roof a going over at the same time

BrownTroutBluesAgain · 10/10/2025 03:16

MungoforPresident · 10/10/2025 03:14

I have just been quoted £2995 plus VAT for one man to come and fasten a bird net across a rooflight. Two hours' work.

Postscript, I was not aware of quoting that post above ... goodness knows how that happened. Must be the shock of the quotation!

Edited
Show quote history

Is he hiring a cherry picker ?

MungoforPresident · 10/10/2025 03:14

GreenMeeple · 09/10/2025 18:18

Day rates are not 7 hours of work to the minute. It's whatever you can get done within your working hours. So it sounds like the guys work 8 to 4.

First day started at 8:30 no break so should finish around 3:30. At 2:45 there was probably nothing left they could do in those last 45 min. They can't start a new batch of plaster and stop halfway.

The next day the guy worked from 8 until 1:45 without break. So technically he worked until 2:45. If he finishes at 4 than your really complaining about 1 hour and 15 . The guy is not going to find an extra 1 hour and 15 minutes of work somewhere else and he is not going to sit in your house waiting for the clock to run out.

This is why you are paying per day and not per hour. Also your not taking into consideration the unseen labour. Going to buy supplies, quoting, invoicing and other admin.

I have just been quoted £2995 plus VAT for one man to come and fasten a bird net across a rooflight. Two hours' work.

Postscript, I was not aware of quoting that post above ... goodness knows how that happened. Must be the shock of the quotation!

BrownTroutBluesAgain · 10/10/2025 02:27

Crochetandtea · 10/10/2025 02:00

It’s an incredibly physical job so I wouldn’t expect them to work 8 hours tbh. Also they can work as long as they want and charge whatever they want. Plasterers are highly skilled and in demand.

although I learnt to plaster and recently lime plaster and lime render so I could do my own.

Its a very satisfying thing to master
I’m currently lime rendering the entire house outside. At 58 it is tiring though especially getting up and down the ladders.

Crochetandtea · 10/10/2025 02:00

It’s an incredibly physical job so I wouldn’t expect them to work 8 hours tbh. Also they can work as long as they want and charge whatever they want. Plasterers are highly skilled and in demand.

dailyconniptions · 10/10/2025 01:54

IMakeDealsWithTheDevil · 09/10/2025 15:41

Or a cyst? 😕

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That's pus

Fedupmumofadultsons · 10/10/2025 00:48

Sam9769 · 09/10/2025 15:01

That's not much help to me since I'm paying him for a days' work.
I suppose he can sit at home with his feet up for the rest of the day while I pay him for a full day!

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Workmen always do that anything over t hrs is a full day it's standard .a set price and job and finish

EmeraldShamrock000 · 10/10/2025 00:43

For a physical job like plastering, I doubt many do 8 hours in a row.

DoAWheelie · 10/10/2025 00:39

Plastering is incredibly physically tiring work. Thats a solid 6 hours work.

My dad worked as a builder his whole life and usually worked around 8am-2pm as he was just too sore and stiff to carry on beyond that and the work would get shoddy as he lost strength.

Even on prep days he'd stick to the same hours so he could be sure to have enough recovery time so he wouldn't start the next day sore.

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