Contractors quote

[ifitsnotanarse]

I have asked 4 contractor to quote for renovation works. So far only one has got back to me with a quote of £6000 including VAT. He gave me a break-down of what the cost included but not itemised by price (IYKWIM). Does anyone know if this quote is this expensive or just about usual?

Quote includes: removal of existing cupboards and tiles; demolition of partion wall; inserting a beam over kitchen/dining room; new stteps at front and patio doors; new patio doors (white pvc); boarding attic floor and attaching a loft ladder; new lighting & electrics in kitchen; plumbing works in kitchen (moving pipe), bathroom (new shower tap) and on-suite (new shower unit and moving radiator; and putting down a new laminate floor. We have to supply our own tiles, laminate floor, shower unit and radiator (on-suite).

I was also quoted seperately for new patio doors, new upstairs window, three new window handles, and new handle for front door. It came to just under £1000 including VAT. Again, normal or OTT?

Any insight greatly appreciated.

It's impossible to judge from a brief written description. Also depends where you are in the country.

We're just saying at work how surprised we are that there seem to be many contractors not wanting to quote on jobs, when times are supposed to be tough.

Maybe distribute the detailed spec to another half a dozen people, and hope some of those quotes come in.

For the alterations the price sounds about right, for the door / window and handles sounds quite cheap.

Based on jobs in west Cornwall. For the south east / London I would probably imagine multiply by 1.5 at least.

A few asides...

1. You didn't mention decorating?

1. Work to the electrics must be done by a competent electrician who must provide you with a Building Regs compliance certificate.

1. Structural alterations would usually require building regulation consent - was this included in the price?

1. Windows and doors must be installed by a FENSA registered company who must provide you with confirmation that the installation complies with building regulations and the local authority has been informed - via FENSA. If not - and this is never a good option - you must obtain B Regs approval from the local authority.

This is a useful guide B Regs booklet

Thank you both for replying.

I live in NI which is usually more expensive for just about everything compared to mainland UK for some reason or another . I will have to badger the other contractors for a quote - as you said ajandjjmum you wouldn't think we were in a recession they way contractors are playing hard to get.

Pendeen, thank you for the B reg booklet. We will have to sort out building reg consent ourselves - we already have recommendations from a structural survey.

I mean structural engineer - not survey.

Hi
I know NI well and although it is common th suppose building prices are higher there, they are not, especially when compared to the SE.
I know that some small builders are also part-time farmers and wonder whether this may account for the lack of quotes.

YW ifitsnotanarse

I'm not familiar with the regulations for NI so the requirements as regards electrical work and doors / windows may be different there.

You can itemise every item - theres profit to be added, quotes are made from assumptions on how much work can be done per day.

Dont forget waste mangement which has to be costed in now.

Price sound ok to me. These kinds of jobs are not good profit makers therefore not always worth the hassle - sorry, but unless the job pays the wages and makes a good profit then some builders are better waiting for bigger jobs - its how the business runs. Most people wouldnt get out of bed if they werent getting paid - running a business is costly and running a construction business myself its not easy to make money. You have to make a good profit per day to cover overheads.

Have you tried my-builder.com. very good for small jobs. Also trustmark.org.uk.

That sounds a fabulous price to me.
I'm just about to pay £6,000 for a new bathroom. It does include knocking out a partition wall to extend the bathroom slightly but then it's out with the old and in with the new so your price sounds very good for the amount of work you're having done.

I was having alot of trouble with plumbers, think bigger jobs aren't as easy money as the £90+ call out charge jobs. Out of 6 plumbers we got 2 quotes and had to chase one of those.
Sorry I diagress.

I think that is an ok price personally.