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?

in her posts ! she said he was knocking of early and not at the plastering stage

Aren't day rates when you are charging the public purse. Every other job is priced for the job with a proviso that if something is discovered that you couldn't reasonable forsee when pricing then you can revisit the cost. That's how we've always done it and we've employed loads of trades to renovate houses and maintain existing.

Agree
This is how it should be done and it’s unfortunate for OP this is how she’s paying
and in cash aswel

Yes, which I took to mean that he was due to start plastering but went home instead.

Not that there was still more work to do before he could start plastering.

👍

There was a second bedroom to do so he could have started removing the plasterboard in that room which would have made up a day's work for his day rate. He didn't do that and chose to go home instead.
I think that the answer is a price per job so at least we know where we stand.

Surely you could do some plastering between the hours of 2-5 pm? Which would b the endqt of a normal work day? Trying to remember what the plasterer I had a few years ago did. I do remember it was 2 full days.

Also if you have to keep taking extra days off work to let in tradesman you could e losing wages yourself. Not everyone gets paid if not working ( a scenario tradies should know only too well)

No if he starts at 8am his working day finishes at 4pm and if he doesn't take any breaks it finishes at 3pm. So at 2pm he only has an hour to do anything elses.

But he started at 8am and didn’t have a break, so his working day should finish at 3pm - and an hour is definitely not enough time to plaster. It’s barely enough time to get a mix together.

Plastering is a really tough job physically - I’d like to see all the posters on here saying “surely he could do more” do a full 8 hour day of it 🫣

You don’t need to take a day off either, everyone around here just leaves a key or uses a key safe.

Thing is he hasn't done ANY plastering over 2 days yet so it's not that physical until he does. Bet he did take tea breaks also. Never known a tradie hard at it for more than an hour without a tea break

People round your way are trusting to give randoms a key. Besides if you are not their they are more likely to be skiving

@RubySquid you try lugging plasterboard around, attaching it to walls and ceilings for six hours straight and see much energy you have to plaster a wall 🙄

If you can’t trust trades then go off, learn and do it yourself. Nobody is stopping you.

As it is, maybe listen to those of us in the business and stop making sneery comments.

Wtf!! You got a tradesman to actually turn up?
Best bet on the hours is to ask him nicely "I notice you've knocked off at 2 ish, just checking if this counts as a full day or not?"
Plasterers are normally nice guys, skilled but not overly academic so he'll just say yes or no.

I did actually plasterboard and skim walls in my own front room. Admittedly not the ceiling

The ceiling is the hardest part because of the angles you have to stand and hold your shoulders. DH is only just turned forty and already has permanent physical damage from plastering - and he has another 20 odd years to go.

It’s a really tough physical job when you do it day in, day out. He now has to schedule breaks between jobs as it’s just too much for him otherwise.

The guy in the OP should communicate better and should only charge by the job rather than the day, but the expectation that a plasterer can just turn up and work a nine hour day is madness.

Yesterday morning, after he'd done the first coat of plastering on the ceiling, he was talking about doing the second coat and then going home and coming back today to do "the other bits". obviously, at another day's rate. When I asked him if he had to leave at a certain time, he talked about taking one of his kid's swimming.
Since I didn't say Yes, that's fine, he decided to stay and finish the job which he did. He seemed to come each day with the intention of getting away early which is not good when you are paying per day.
I think we will look for another plasterer and agree a price per job.
Thank you for your responses to my post even those who told me to do it myself and I hope that the cat is back home safe and sound!!
Have a good weekend all!

Yes, it is nice work for them! That’s why they’re in demand!