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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

£675 to fit 9 curtain rails

92 replies

sprunggreens · 22/03/2023 20:28

I'm really lost with how much handy man type jobs should cost at the moment. I've had several quotes for bigger jobs that have ranged from £6k-24k, a sofa re-cover that's been quoted £2k-3.5k (more than a new one costs). Paint jobs in the thousands and I can't judge if I'm being ripped off. My house is unusual and impressive and I think the trades people might be adding on £££. I can do a bit myself but I want these curtain rails straight and strong and it's hard for me to do it myself (with the kids under my feet). I don't know anyone who can do this for me. Is £675 too much for 9 curtain rails? It's £75 per rail.

OP posts:
Original poster
sprunggreens · 23/03/2023 11:13

Chowtime · 23/03/2023 09:49

Not gonna read the full thread but thats way too much money for a curtain rail. I paid £25 per blind/rail for the whole of my house using a young lad who works for a blind company.

Just keep looking and eventually you'll find a reasonably priced handyman that you trust to do a good job. It might take a couple of years though as it did me.

Regarding having a big impressive house - when you get someone in to do a quote - shut all the doors for the parts of the house he doesn't need to see. So if you need a quote for the dishwasher repair man, just go in kitchen and keep all other doors closed so he can't see what you've got.

I have got several quotes, every time they seem way out from usual. I can't hide my house, it's a historical building and very obvious. I've come on here to bench mark because I can't see your average person paying this. Some people can't or don't want to do this kind of job. I could pay but I just can't justify it. I want to know if I'm being tight or savvy.

OP posts:
Chowtime · 23/03/2023 11:20

OnaBegonia · 23/03/2023 10:05

@Chowtime
A curtain rail doesn't take physical strength, women need to stop this oh I'm too small/weak attitude, unless disabled most general DIY jobs are achievable.

It's not an attitude! I genuinely am small and weak!

Kazzyhoward · 23/03/2023 11:39

Chowtime · 23/03/2023 11:20

It's not an attitude! I genuinely am small and weak!

Show quote history

A small set of ladders and an electric drill/screwdriver means you don't need height nor strength.

user1462403287 · 23/03/2023 11:48

Hi, I am a handywoman in Leamington Spa, and would be happy to help you with this at a much more reasonable rate. I'll message you 😊

Original poster
sprunggreens · 23/03/2023 11:49

user1462403287 · 23/03/2023 11:48

Hi, I am a handywoman in Leamington Spa, and would be happy to help you with this at a much more reasonable rate. I'll message you 😊

Huzzah!

OP posts:
Xarrie · 23/03/2023 12:02

user1462403287 · 23/03/2023 11:48

Hi, I am a handywoman in Leamington Spa, and would be happy to help you with this at a much more reasonable rate. I'll message you 😊

Yay!!!!

mewkins · 23/03/2023 15:05

Brefugee · 23/03/2023 11:10

i charge 25 euros an hour if i want to do it, and 50-60 euros an hour if i don't.

But i also charge a minimum of 4 hours, and i expect everything to be delivered to me in advance of the project, not to have to faff about waiting for them to get the thread, the lining, the buttons.

If i have to break into my stash for interfacing or something because they bought the wrong one, or whatever (if it's their mistake) I charge them the retail cost plus half an hour to go and buy it.

It works well because i hate sewing for anyone else, and only my really good friends will ever even think about asking me to sew something. Win win for me.

Bearing in mind that it's not my actual business and just a hobby. Anyone who moans? are told exactly how much it costs to get a fitted suit made or something.

If OP's handy person was charging what you do then she wouldn't have had to start this thread. Arguably you are many times more skilled that someone putting up a curtain rail. The majority of people could put up a curtain rail in 20 mins, whereas the majority of the population would make a real mess of altering clothes.

tatteddear · 23/03/2023 15:10

I just paid a plasterer 250 quid for 6 hours work. And he was cheap compared to some of the others. £75 per curtain rail is insane

mybeautifuloak · 23/03/2023 15:11

bellac11 · 22/03/2023 20:33

75 per rail sounds about right.. Its alot because there's 9 of them

How long do you envisage it takes to put up one curtain rail. It's fairly basic in terms of skill for a handy person. It doesn't require any exceptional talent. £75 is ludicrous.

mybeautifuloak · 23/03/2023 15:15

Gribbit987 · 22/03/2023 21:55

£75 per rail sounds fine.

But ideally you would be wanting someone to do it for day rate. My carpenter’s day rate is £300 + vat and he doesn’t like pricing by the day so will only slot me in when a job falls through.

If these are fitted on ladders, around any awkward angles then you will pay a premium.

With regards to the sofa - what did you want to cover it in and is the fabric included in the price? Is the sofa being properly rebuilt from the frame up or just recovered?

My sofa reupholstered was about 4k and that was because it’s big and I chose a fabric that cost £90 a metre. What is the split labour/fabric?

££££ for sofa reupholster is entirely plausible as it depends on the quality of the fabric. £75 per tail however is ludicrous. The OP has said they are standard. Straight. No corners or trickiness. Qualified trades people charge £50-£100 per hour. More in London. A handy person is hardly going to get more than a plumber or electrician. It's less skilled. A standard curtain rail would take a decent handy person 20 minutes to put up

loislovesstewie · 23/03/2023 15:43

I spent 4 hours today trying to get an actual quote for a job, not saying what as they might be on here! 😁 Eventually I just said to forget about it, and an hour later I got a quote. Just an amount. No detail, no list of what would be done, materials used, so I still declined. I'm so fed up with it, why do they do this?

Original poster
sprunggreens · 23/03/2023 18:14

Same! I've also waited weeks (and months) for a job to be done and then been ghosted. Three times.

However mumsnet handy woman is coming to see me next week! Smile

OP posts:
Brefugee · 23/03/2023 20:44

Arguably you are many times more skilled that someone putting up a curtain rail.

meh. I can put up curtain rails (I'm handy with power tools as it happens) but there are other things that i need to/want to buy in. What we are seeing now, though, is tradespeople pricing themselves accurately - if they weren't getting work, they'd be cheaper.
What it also means is there is room in the market.
And I am super happy to see a handywoman on this thread. There's a franchise of female plumbers too. I think this is a gap that women can fill, given that some women don't want to be letting strange men in their houses.

as for sewing: i'll do a skirt for 25 quid an hour minimum 4 hours (depending on the skirt, that's enough). I'll do trousers for at least double that, and it would take a couple of days including fitting (I don't charge for the hanging time or whatever). It's all relative.

But i do wish I'd trained as a plumber.

curlywurlylover666 · 23/03/2023 22:31

That's very expensive for the nature of the job involved.

I have similar issues around quotes, people see my house and think I've got a decent amount of money. I don't live in anything fancy, a 4 bed detached house but nothing that would suggest I'm rolling in it.

I got quoted £450 the other day to jetwash my driveway. And whilst the driveway is big it's not massive. I was shocked.

Crispynoodle · 23/03/2023 23:18

I'm paying £600 to have 6 roller blinds made and fitted at the moment

NeverApologiseNeverExplain · 23/03/2023 23:21

You’d be better off paying a babysittter to come to your house to occupy the kids while you do it yourself!

Original poster
sprunggreens · 25/03/2023 07:49

NeverApologiseNeverExplain · 23/03/2023 23:21

You’d be better off paying a babysittter to come to your house to occupy the kids while you do it yourself!

Agree, I'd just rather spend my time with my children!

OP posts:
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