Am I being ripped off ?

[MamaJules34]

We had a joiner round to give us a quote.

£900 for the following:

To fit two shelves in three cupboards (2 airing cupboards and one cupboard downstairs).

2 poles (clothes poles) in two cupboards.

£900?! Aibu?! That seems extortionate?

*quote

Also, I'd worry that he's been ripping off your parents as well. It doesn't matter if he's a family friend or not. I'd definitely check what your parents have been paying.

I would say he doesn’t want to work but as he knows you he couldn’t say that, or maybe he doesn’t like you. By giving you a quote for the work, even though it so high, he’s done his part and doesn’t loose face.

We used to live in a big, detached house and when workmen turned up to quote I could see the £ signs in their eyes.
Thing is we are not wealthy we just prioritised having a nice home.
The best way to deal with workmen is to show some knowledge of the time, cost and materials involved in the job.
If you are clueless then of course they'll exaggerate the cost.
Always do your homework before asking for a quote and tell them you want an invoice and pay by check or bank transfer.
Cash in hand is illegal and bad for all the single mum's on here who's ex's hide their earnings.

Wow. That’s a massive quote. I’ve had built in shelves fitted in the alcoves of several rooms and an open archway made into a door with all fittings for less than half that cost.

To be honest, I don’t think I’d even bother going back to him for discussion on this. It’s not a bit more than usual, it’s an crazy amount, and I wouldn’t trust him after that.

Just put a post on a local fb page, asking if any joiners are interested in quoting for a small job in an unoccupied property (therefore ok from a social distancing point of view), and get them to PM you for details.

cheque

I bought a new cordless drill, but I'm absolutely useless at DIY! I would butcher it!

I'll watch a couple of vids and see

^'£350 for wood plus £70 for clothes poles and sundries.
plus labour at £480, so a total of £900.'??^

You've done totally the right thing asking for a breakdown of materials and recapping what you want. £900 sounds mad for a couple of airing cupboard shelves!

How big are your cupboards that you'd need £350-worth of wood for 6 shelves? And MDF at that!

I'd also be querying what his day rate was, and how long he expected it to take. £20p/hr is reasonable bordering on cheap, but it's surely not more than 1.5 day's work absolute MAX, if he was going slow. So 12 hours @ £20 = £240, half of what he's saying.

Oh, missed your update. Well, I bet you CAN find someone else who can do it cheaper, so meh.

Crap way to do business!

Yeah, I'm concerned he has ripped my parents off.

I got our whole kitchen fitted for £1000!
He is taking the piss, just say no thanks, and get another quote or do it yourself?
For that type of job though you really don't need a joiner, a local handyman could do it and will be much cheaper.

This sounds like the sort of DIY job that can easily be done yourself. £900 is crazy.

The cupboards are not big at all. One is small, I could just fit in it. The other could fit a person and a half in!

Down stairs, same again - I could just about fit in!

Imagine if you paid that much for every shelf in your house.... Having a kitchen fitted would cost more than the actual house 😂

I might attempt it. I'll post a picture 🤣

You can get poles and brackets from B&Q and fo it yourself for less than 30 quid! Slatted shelves a bit more involved but even still!

We were warned that some tradesmen will price themselves out of a job they don't want. We had a couple of builders that did that. I'd rather they just said no.

Can you ask your parents what they paid?

Also in he on - Mybuilder/Chackatrade.

It might be worth looking at reviews.

B&Q have a tub full of free offcuts near me, I would practice drilling into that.

Also if its an airing cupboard, beware of pipes. I would wait & find a handyman. No offence, but a bloody leak is all you need!

Why didn't you just phone him and politely say it was more than you expected and why was it so much? Rather coming online to slate him for ripping you off.

Prices do vary hugely, I used to live in Liverpool and there were workmen everywhere doing things for bargain basement prices. My parents are in a more rural location (still within easy striking distance though) and can't get anyone to do anything, and if they do it always ends up costing in the thousands. They have a local workman who is extortionate but very popular in the area. That's just the way it is!

I've not come online to slag him off. I'm checking whether it's a reasonable quote?

If there is a builders merchants open near you they will cut timber and MDF to size
As long as you measure everything correctly, you can get it all cut for you.
Making a Batton and screwing it to the wall to support the cupboard shelves is extremely basic and easy.
If you don’t own a drill, buy one.
You could probably buy all the tools and materials for £200.

You can also buy tools to check for pipes and wires in the wall.

Going by his reply it’s clear he was trying to rip you off. Why getting offended over a request to break down the quote. Par of the course surely.

I’d ask your parents what they paid him for the needed work