Builders - to haggle or not to haggle?

[PenguindreamsofDraco]

We are having a lot of building works done and have just started getting quotes through. Never done this before on such a big scale! Is haggling on the quote expected ie will they have started above what they expect us to agree? I don't want to annoy reputable builders or come across looking like the naive idiot I am

We're in south east London, if it makes a difference. Lots of work around if they get pissed off with us!

We didn't haggle with our builder but a colleague who used him a few years back did, and got some money off. I think this was during the recession though. My feeling is that good builders seem to be very busy at the moment and are booked up months/a year in advance, so less likely to want to haggle.

I ask if that's their 'best price' and 'can they do anything with the VAT' I've yet to meet one that doesn't knock something off and we've had lots of work done.

Thanks. I wouldn't use a builder who was prepared to take cash to avoid VAT, but I think maybe asking if that's their best price is sensible. Honour then satisfied on both sides

Ha! I've never met a builder yet who won't

I wouldn't ask if that's their best price then as that's sort of code for 'can you knock half the vat off for cash?'

We don't haggle over the price - we reckon that the builder will try and claw back the money some other way.

But what we do try to do is get a little more out of them - small jobs around the house that need doing and will be difficult for us, but take half an hour for a builder who knows what he's doing, can often be added on to the job spec. without adding anything on to the price. The builders just slip in these odd jobs when they've got a spare moment.

My builder wasn't VAT registered because he deliberately liked to earn less than the VAT threshold. It isn't a tax dodge, we had invoices for his work and paid him directly into his bank account (plus he liked holidays so scheduled them in between jobs )

The reason he fell under the VAT threshold is because we paid for everything ourselves, so he would order the stuff in for the builder's merchant but we would pay for it. We paid the double glazing company directly for the door and window and the plasterer directly etc etc. Therefore the builder is merely paid for his labour. And we are oop Norf so cheaper than London prices.