AIBU to feel this is taking the piss because of my postcode?

[LostGirl123]

I live in a "posh" area of London but in a run-down cheap aparment. Trying to make it nicer to live in, and want to paint the lounge. Have chronic illness so wanted to avoid doing it myself, and called ad on Gumtree who advertise painters, handymen, etc.

Quote for lounge was £120, excluding paint. That sounds high to me?

Aibu? Does this sound about right? Fully prepared to be told I am unreasonable, but it just sounded like quite a lot for one room to me. Then again I have never hired a painter before, always done my own, so what do I know.

£120 for a days work is excellent. It's at least £150 here and I'm not in central London.

I've painted my entire 3 storey house. Every room. 14 plus 2 halls and a big landing. Must have saved a bloody fortune.

We're lucky that we have newish plastered walls and straight coving. I'm very careful, prep and mask properly and really don't think it looks any different from the job my in laws paid hundreds for at theirs.

Hard work though!

I am not for a second doubting that professional decorators do a highly skilled job and aim for an immaculate finish.

I guess I'm looking for something that just freshens up/ cheers up the room and as I said I thought there would be guys out there who could have a stab at it even though it would not be totally professional, more like if I did it/ my brother did it which we've done in the past. Still hope if I do it that it doesn't look totally shit though!

I disagree that there is a vast difference between getting a decorator in and a skilled DIY job. I'm a pretty competent painter, I would challenge anyone to say which bits of our house were done by professionals. The main difference is the speed at which they work; it would take me much, much longer than a day to paint a room. Painting is easy enough, but tedious and tiring. Now wallpapering, on the other hand, I wouldn't even attempt.

My dad is a decorator and that's his daily rate

Assuming ave room say 12x10ft it sounds cheap if anything
It depends if you want someone to slap paint on or an actual decorator
It would probably including prep take min 8 hours inc woodwork so paying £15 hours for skilled labour is about right
Min wage would be c £55 so that's the bare minimum including no materials I'd be expecting to pay, and lore like min £160 for a pro

More than reasonable.

Even if it is 'only' five hours it's not as if he can leave yours and then go work another hour that day is it.

Works out a rather modest and below average (for London) £27,600 gross a year IF he gets work five days a week 46 weeks a year.

I live up north where things are a lot cheaper than London and I'd bloody snatch their hands off at £125. That sounds very cheap to me.

My DH is a painter and decorator ... Seem a decent price to me .. He generally charges 100-120 a day excluding materials , we're in the midlands ifs that relevant .

1 room is a full days job if the ceilings and woodwork needs to be done plus 2 coats on the walls .

I won't tell him someone up thread called him a semi skilled tradesman ... It would break his heart

Yes I should have said that Kim.

Try ratedpeople.com it means you'll get quotes from people looking for work.