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Original poster

Is this decorator quote taking the mick?

58 replies

IfInDoubtPout · 20/05/2015 13:32

Just got it sent through the post after he visited last week. We live in a normal three bed semi and it's for the downstairs hall and landing upstairs. Not a big area (the hall is thin and narrow) and includes lining paper, all paint etc etc and painting 8 doors. The hall downstairs have wood chip under wallpaper, so this all needs taking off. He said he doesn't use a steamer and does it by hand. He's very well recommended on check a trade and fully booked for months. It doesn't include wallpaper for upstairs landing. He said it would take him about a week and a half. We live in the South East in a village in the commuter belt.

Dh was expecting about 1.3k I was expecting nearer 2k. The quote has come in at 2.4 k. Is this right/ the norm? I'm Shock

OP posts:
SummerHouse · 20/05/2015 13:34
SummerHouse · 20/05/2015 13:44

Ok smelling salts have done the trick. Labour is the bulk of the costs but for a week and a half that seems too much. We did hall, stairs and landing ourselves and it was woodchip all the way. Some of it comes off in great sheets, some of it is like scrapping off super glue with your fingernails. Its a horrible job. I would not blame him if he does not want the job and is over quoting. Def worth getting another quote.

nilbyname · 20/05/2015 13:47

Ask him for a cost break down as his quote has come in quite a bit higher than you'd anticipated?

Stuffofawesome · 20/05/2015 13:48

No idea about quote but this could be your friend www.simplestrip.co.uk/?gclid=CKHF1uu7gsUCFWvMtAodskMAvg

HoggleHoggle · 20/05/2015 13:57

I'm in South and am getting an entire, decent sized 3 bed decorated for 3.5k, which is in a pretty bad state currently. Based on that I think your quote is too much.

In our current house we had 2 stairways, two landings and downstairs hallway stripped of textured wallpaper, re-lined and repainted, plus another entire room repainted, and it cost 1.5k I think. It did take best part of two weeks though, walls were a horror behind the wallpaper and required a lot of filling.

Original poster
IfInDoubtPout · 20/05/2015 14:24

Followed nilbys advice and just sent him an email for cost breakdown, wonder what I'll get in response. We've had so many rotten tradesmen that I would pay a little over the odds to get someone to do a really good job and who is nice to me, but I don't want to be taken advantage of and I'm glad you all think this is a lot too. Maybe he has lots of work and doesn't need the joba and doesn't really want it so is overpricing in the hope he doesn't get the job, and if he does then he'll be willing to do it as the rate for him will be high (dh admits to doing this for some jobs).

Stuff will check out the site you link to

OP posts:
Original poster
IfInDoubtPout · 20/05/2015 14:25

Stuff does that stuff actually work? On painted on woodchip that's been up for 30+ years?

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Bakeoffcake · 20/05/2015 14:50

Tbh I think a week and a half doesn't seem very long to strip down walls, reline the walls, undercoat, top coat and then the same with 8 doors, plus skirtings.

Maybe he's got the time incorrect on the estimate?

Original poster
IfInDoubtPout · 20/05/2015 14:55

8 days wasn't on the quote, that was what he verbally said to me when he came and I asked. If it would take him longer time that that would make the quote seem a bit more reasonable I think.

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Bakeoffcake · 20/05/2015 15:03

Hopefully he will clarify the amount of time in his email.

pinkje · 20/05/2015 15:05

The cost for the paint will be a lot especially given the amount of woodwork you have. Our recent job for one large reception room, was £200 in materials alone.

morethanpotatoprints · 20/05/2015 15:11

I think a week and a half is a long time to do this.
It took my dh under a week to do ours.
That's a large 4 bed Edwardian semi with huge ceilings and 6 doors all stripped, painted, anaglypta removed and repainted/ papered.
it also didn't cost that much if he broke it down to hourly paid.
This was on top of his usual days work so maybe 4 hours a night tops.

morethanpotatoprints · 20/05/2015 15:13

sorry, should have said 9 doors, and skirting boards, coving and picture rails I can't count. Grin
It seems a high quote and a long time tbh.

grumbleina · 20/05/2015 15:18

So it's wallpaper over woodchip? Is he allowing for the plaster under the woodchip to be a mess and need re-skimming?

8 doors is a lot. What's the woodwork like - is it four thousand layers of old paint and a million nicks, or is it in a pretty good state?

£2.4k seems a lot but if the woodwork is a disaster and he's got fears about what's under the woodchip he might have quoted high to prevent unpleasant surprises later.

Original poster
IfInDoubtPout · 20/05/2015 15:29

We spoke about plastering if needed and he didn't seem to think it would be necessary, but that if necessary we would have to get a plasterer to do the walls and then he'd come back and finish the job.

Woodwork isn't in good condition. I don't know what you'd class as terrible condition. It had a lot of chips downstairs where the buggy came in and out when dd was a baby.

Woodchip with wallpaper on top is only in downstairs hall on two walls (the narrow hall bit with three doors and front door coming off of it) the uostairs landing is just regular wallpaper and plastered ceiling.

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kissedbyamoonbeammyarse · 20/05/2015 15:39

If he does 10 days, 8 hrs a day and £400 is materials, it is £25 an hour.

Word of mouth is best recommendation. I got a plumber of something like check a trade. Never again.

grumbleina · 20/05/2015 15:41

For me terrible is when you've got layers of old paint more than a few mm deep, and lots of drips and/or chips/chunks out of it, because sanding those out will leave a lovely undulating surface, which is no good and means all the paint has to come off - and that is a big job, especially in hallways with all the skirtings/doorframes.

Just little chips and the usual wear and tear, even if it's quite grotty, if the paint isn't super thick it's much easier to deal with.

Perhaps get another quote or two and see if they're similar? It does sound a lot of money. I was doing a hallway last week with foot high skirtings in horrifyingly bad shape and it took forever, so my thoughts are probably still slightly coloured by that!

wonkylegs · 20/05/2015 15:51

I've just looked up what we paid for ours - £1,815.87 but it was part of a larger job as he did a couple of rooms so I think it would have cost slightly more on its own.
Good decorator a bit on the expensive side but we are in the NE.
I think our house sounds a bit bigger though.
Ours did large downstairs hall, stairs, hall on half landing floor and upstairs hal. stripped wallpaper (several layers) filled imperfections (of which there were many,), glossed 3 windows, 15 doors, dado, 45 spindles & skirting, lined above dado (highest section 6m drop) textured paper below - painted above and below (2 colours) & ceiling and ornate arch and coving.

MinimumPayment · 20/05/2015 15:52

If he's good and fully booked, he can pick and choose the jobs he wants. My guess is he doesn't really want yours, but would do it if the money's good enough i.e. if you accept his quote.

newstart15 · 20/05/2015 15:59

I think he's working on 10 days at around 200 per day plus materials. Is VAT extra?

We have recently had decorators in and I've been way out on the timings..I'd assume a few days for a job yet it would take the decorator much longer and he was working all of that time. Prep takes forever and in an awkward area like stairs even longer. Added to that he has to allow for drying time there is only so much that can be done in a day.

I have done some of the work myself and yes I am quicker but I do cut corners and I think a professional job looks better!

What paint is he planning to use? hopefully something durable like Diamond which is recommended for stairs but is more expensive.

Original poster
IfInDoubtPout · 20/05/2015 16:22

Paint is dulux he said on quote. Is that good paint?

Minimum that was my thought too.

We only have spindles at the top of the stairs, none going up the stairs and the hall is too small to have a table or anything like that, it's just a corridor really. Much smaller than wonkys house.

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Original poster
IfInDoubtPout · 20/05/2015 16:23

Oh, no mention of vat on quote, so shouod I assume it's included or not included?

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wonkylegs · 20/05/2015 18:26

Ask about the VAT
Ours was done in Dulux, I'm always happy with it - I use it at home and on projects.
I'd get a few other quotes, we found our decorator through the dulux decorators scheme.

MinimumPayment · 20/05/2015 18:45

We have a decorator coming in next week to do the kitchen. It's a large room but nothing complicated, just painting walls, ceiling and a couple of door frames. I didn't fancy it because of all the edges around the cupboards though!

He's charging £225 and said he's stopped using Dulux because it hasn't moved with the times. Apparently other brands (johnstone's) have moved on and are now better quality and less prone to yellowing. But I realise that could be a load of old flannel!

Zampa · 20/05/2015 18:54

I had the following done for £2.8K in February;

2 reception rooms painted inc. woodwork, fitted cabinets and doors
Hallway inc. front door
Landings x 2
1 Bedroom painted
1 Bedroom wallpapered
External window sills and ironwork

I live in South Manchester. It would be cheaper to put my guys up in a B&B for a week than pay your contractor!

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