Advice re paying joiner

[Emma765]

Looking for some advice for a novice tradesman payer please!

Joiner is boarding out our loft. He said it would take 3 maybe 4 days and quoted £1200. He did a half day Monday and yesterday, and a full day Tuesday and today, both with someone else. He's having to come back tomorrow again with his help. He's said he was a bit ambitious and it's a bigger job than he realised.

He's not asked for more money. But do I offer? I'd feel awful if he was out of pocket or not earning much from the job he's worked dead hard.

Thanks!

So four full days for two joiners (or is one the apprentice)? Did that include any materials? If so I’d say you should at least ask if he wants extra. If it’s just labour, 4 days work for £600 each isn’t too bad. I’d expect he wishes he’s priced it up a bit.

He said 3-4 days and with tomorrow he'll have done four days' work in total. I'd say he doesn't want to overrun so he's drafted in help. If he quoted for the job then you shouldn't have to pay more and he just won't make as much on the job.

Thanks. He did the two half days on his own, and it won't be a full day tomorrow from what he's said so probably another half day. Don't think other guy is a joiner, he's helping with heavy lifting etc. The £1200 included all the boarding which he's bought so it includes:

3.5 days for joiner
2.5 days for helper
Loft boards, hard to say how many he got delivered, didn't pay that much attention on Monday!

Wow op how big is your loft ?

Is he boarding out a football stadium? When you say boards I assume you mean sheets of hard board. Even allowing for the fact they have to fit through the hatch, he's only nailing them to the joists I thought.

Are you sure he's not having you on?

It's the tongue and groove loft boards he's got.

It was a bit of a mess- electrical wires everywhere that he's had to cut grooves in to move before boarding down, and loads of tight corners to get round. He also had to sort all the insulation but that was already there so he hasn't paid for that. He's doing the roof too not just the floor, and it is a largish house.

Don't believe he's having us on, my husband is a tradesman too and knows him through jobs he's done and he's highly thought of.

Glad you responded though - I take things at face value far too often!

Oh gosh no I wouldn’t pay more. Trust me they don’t charge less if they’re quicker than expected! They’re used to this too; they make more money on some jobs and less on others. He’ll just quote a bit higher for his next job.

You should have the price in writing - and your rights to cancel in writing too. Just incase he decides to up it!
If he does, and you don't have any written paperwork. Tell him you would like to cancel. As is your right.

So many trades don't follow correct procedure. Put in place to protect consumers.

We've had a lot of work done to the house -no one has overran at all which is why I've been unsure what to do (you're right that no one gave a discount for taking less time!) Its all been really informal with my husband being on friendly terms with them all. Mates rates a lot of the time too, we've been lucky.

My husband is very much in the he quoted so tough camp. I might buy him some beers to ease my conscience - husband loves it when he gets a pressie at the end of a job!

If you are in England, conditions in your loft will be unbearably hot. I wouldn't want to work in a loft.

Perhaps it takes longer because they keep passing out, or coming down to recover.

But more likely, as a novice, he is bad at estimating.

Labour cost of £150 per person per day outside London or a big city is not unusual, but if a novice is a slow worker, that's his hard luck.

Thanks @PigletJohn. We're in the north west and it's been much cooler here this week - high teens and raining. My lawn has made an almost full recovery!