Is this a full day for a plasterer?

[Sam9769]

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?

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.

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

OP said they hadn’t started plastering

Yes, That's right.
The job is in a small dormer bedroom in a chalet bungalow.
The second bedroom also needs to be done.
Day 1 was two men putting up celotex insulation - 8.30am to 14.45.
Day 2 one man plaster boarding 8am to 13.50 (taking the piss methinks).
Day 3 to plaster the wall and ceiling but he's already saying that he will do the ceiling but will need to come back tomorrow to do the walls. This was at about 10.30am and he already had plastered the ceiling once. When I asked him if he had to leave by a certain time, he said he needed to pick his kids up but he might "stay late" to finish it.

Piss take or no piss take that is the question?

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.

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

Has the cat been found????
Taking the piss is one thing but taking the puss is something else!!

He was leaving at 13:50 after he had put plasterboard up before he had done any plastering so he didn't need tp wait for anything to dry.

But at 2pm he’d not have time to get any plastering done - that’s the point people are trying to get across to you.

It’s not like he can just stop halfway through and finish tomorrow - if he starts a mix he has to stay until it’s done, which can take hours.

Exactly! It’s really annoying when these ‘is my tradesman….’ posts pop up as though the OPs know best. You’re paying for him to do his job, so let him, the expert with the experience, do his job. Alternatively, do it yourself or find someone who does ‘by the job’ quoting as opposed to a day rate.

He could have done some work on the second bedroom by removing some of the plasterboard instead of leaving a 2pm. When he left at 2pm "the expert with experience" still charged a day's rate. Nice work if you can get it for these "experts!"

Do it yourself then 🤷‍♀️

Stop paying in cash unless he does a full day and if you think he’s faffing about to spread the job out put in cameras
If hes taking the piss you have every right

Why don’t posters at least read OPs posts

he wasn't plastering
he was at prep stage
no wet trades yet

Although tbh I wouldn’t have someone like that working on my site

As he hasn’t started plastering yet now is a good time to find someone else
Get job spec in writing
Cost for the whole job in writing
Include clearing and cleaning up afterwards as part of the job ( splashed on skirting etc )
Get an agreed time frame. ie a start and end day.
Agree a start time each day aswel

Do not give out sets of keys

Why don’t you read her posts?

She said he had finished plasterboarding one room - the next stage would be plastering which he couldn’t start at almost 2pm.

I didn’t see that he hadn’t boarded the other room until after that.