£16,500 to redecorate - am I being ripped off? How much were you charged?

[themummyway]

Being quoted the following:

£2.5k for stripping old wallpaper + carpets and clear.
£7k for "complete decorating" (assuming this is painting 3 bedroom, living room, hallway + a installing flooring in said bedrooms)
£7k to plaster all rooms

Based in London. Average 3bed 1930s house. Is this reasonable? Anyone done similar? How much were you charged?

[quote Smallgoon]**@themummyway* feel free to dm me if you want - I got royally fleeced on my bathroom renovations (by a few grand) as a result of some schoolgirl errors I made. The advice below from @SofiaAmes* is good, and I'm happy to share the shit experience I had, and what you deffo need to be on your guard on. So annoying that you went ahead and tried to rent somewhere to stay for 6 months. Not sure what the thoughts of others are but I can't see how that work would take 6 months to complete. Unless of course it's him and an apprentice, and they're going at a snail's pace.

Please make sure that ALL the quotes you get include ALL the details. How many coats of paint? What brand of paint? What type of kitchen/bathroom fixtures (and that means the exact ones). What type of worktop? What type of tile? What type of wood floor? All that needs to be in writing in the quote otherwise who knows what you will get.[/quote]
Not "went ahead and tried" - actually did!
As in, signed the sublet lease 2 days ago and paid my deposit and first month's rent.

Looking back, he probably only wanted me out for 6 months to justify the shit show/taking his sweet time while working on the project.

Feeling incredibly disappointed and hurt right now.

I could also drop the geezer who I got the place from a message to see if he'll be willing to tear up the contract.

Will DM you now. Any advice would be most helpful.

OP, how can he not charge VAT?
VAT is based on business turnover and if he is charging one customer that amount his business turnover must be above the threshold.
Doesn't sound genuine.

This is true, I'm sure the threshold is £70k. However, the 70k he is charging isn't labour alone - I'm sure costs are not included in the threshold (but I'm not an expert). I wonder if he's the sort of person who takes on a couple of large projects for 6-9 months of the year, and then rests for 3 months. When OP mentioned he had stated work would take 6 months, my initial thought was that he just wants to be kept busy for 6 months, knowing it's guaranteed income for him, and he can drag out the work. No doubt the work will end up taking him longer, and this will then come at a cost. He estimates 70k but will prob charge closer to 80.

Would be good to hear the thoughts of others on how long they think the work would actually take. As I've said, I'm in a small flat. But I would have thought a full scale extension would take closer to 6 months, rather than the work you've listed.

Please tell me you haven't agreed anything with the builder yet?

Far too much for your boiler. Supply and install including flue pipe etc is usually £2.5k for basic brands and around £3.5-£4k for better brands. So £4k max for a combi boiler.

Stripping walls and taking up carpets is general maintenance work. Really doesn't take long. Half a day for each room so 2 days max. No material costs really for that but sepa fee's will be applicable. I would say the most you should be paying for that is about £750.

Redecorating, costs far too high. Your stripping of the rooms are quoted for already as well as plastering so the painter and decorator only has to paint/paper the walls, ceilings and woodwork with no prep work at all really, not even the doors as you're getting new one's. 1.5 days per room so a week total work plus materials, probably about £2-£2.5k for that.

Everything else is really inflated as well. I was about £20k total for a new kitchen, complete renovation of my living room and 2 bedrooms including new flooring, skirtings etc. Bathroom and hallway weren't part of it though and I have one less bedroom than you do.

I work for a home improvement company and find this quote ridiculous

@Smallgoon

Would be good to hear the thoughts of others on how long they think the work would actually take. As I've said, I'm in a small flat. But I would have thought a full scale extension would take closer to 6 months, rather than the work you've listed.

Please tell me you haven't agreed anything with the builder yet?

No and based on this thread, I definitely will NOT be going ahead.

I'm going to message the lad I've subletted off and tell him I'm not going ahead with my renovation, so will be cancelling.

I was due to meet the builder on Wednesday to discuss but I honestly don't want to speak to him again tbh.

Like you said, what he's doing is criminal!

£20k to remove and fit a kitchen and it doesn't include the cost of the kitchen, just the worktops? Oh my god, can't believe what I'm seeing!!!

I was £8k for my kitchen. It didn't include new flooring or appliances but it included all labour so ripping out old and fitting new and the cost of the actual kitchen including worktops and sink, new sockets, wiring etc and decoration. They fitted my appliances included in that price, I just bought them myself as I knew what I wanted. Floor was new so didn't need a new floor. Total cost was £10k all in for a totally new kitchen and appliances, decoration, rewiring etc

@WhatIsLife20

£20k to remove and fit a kitchen and it doesn't include the cost of the kitchen, just the worktops? Oh my god, can't believe what I'm seeing!!!

I was £8k for my kitchen. It didn't include new flooring or appliances but it included all labour so ripping out old and fitting new and the cost of the actual kitchen including worktops and sink, new sockets, wiring etc and decoration. They fitted my appliances included in that price, I just bought them myself as I knew what I wanted. Floor was new so didn't need a new floor. Total cost was £10k all in for a totally new kitchen and appliances, decoration, rewiring etc

Any idea how much an RSJ would cost?

i.e. could that explain the extra £10k added onto my bill???

I'm trying to rationalise the scam here, but clearly it's ridiculous.

I honestly can't believe what I'm reading!!

Did you get quotes from other builders? It sounds like you didn’t but perhaps I missed it. I would definitely go and get other quotes before going any further. This sounds hugely expensive but there may be specific reasons why it’s a more expensive job than other homes. Getting more quotes will help get a sense of what price is reasonable.

@AugieMarch

Did you get quotes from other builders? It sounds like you didn’t but perhaps I missed it. I would definitely go and get other quotes before going any further. This sounds hugely expensive but there may be specific reasons why it’s a more expensive job than other homes. Getting more quotes will help get a sense of what price is reasonable.

No because he was a "trusted" family friend/ex-neighbour who'd done work for people I know...

Biggest mistake of my life there, trying to mix business with pleasure.

It's at least £20k over budget from what I'm gathering...

Unless your kitchen spans a river, the materials cost of the RSJ will be a few hundred quid.

I had a 3.5 metre supporting wall removed and replaced with an RSJ strong enough to support a future attic conversion for £1500 or thereabouts. In the northwest, but still.

That's way too much, it's because it's too big a job for a one man band so he's adding a markup on what other trades are charging him. Go for a bigger firm or bring in the separate trades yourself.

I'd say max 2months, including all materials 60k that includes a proper fancy pants £20k kitchen Inc appliances. 2men x 8wks approx £12k that leaves £48k for all the materials

@Wiaa

I'd say max 2months, including all materials 60k that includes a proper fancy pants £20k kitchen Inc appliances. 2men x 8wks approx £12k that leaves £48k for all the materials

will use this as a basis to go on, move forward... thanks my love! x

glad you said "fancy pants" kitchen... I was going for that aha

One tip I would make would be learn from our mistake

We got all of the paint, (much larger tins than needed) dulux and F&B etc then the decorator did the painting but then we realised we couldn't find the paint anywhere

It turns out he had taken the paint home with him without asking!!!!!

Moral of the story ---- if he/she buys the paint they take it away with them if you buy it it stays at your house

This is beyond ridiculous. I could get my guy to stay in a hotel and do all this work and it still only cost you 25% of this !!! Total rip off. My kitchen including taking a wall out, putting in an rsj, blocking up a double door and putting a window in, new oven hob and extractor, granite work tops came in at £15k and it's huge !!
Bathroom - new loo, sink, posh bath, separate shower, cupboards, KarnDean flooring £4.5k. And it's not a small bathroom
Find a B&B and I've got a painter who's desperate for work who could paint your house in a week (he can't wallpaper though) for £175 per day.
New boiler from British Gas is £2.5k so from a private plumber should be less.
If you made a list of all the work you needed doing and the order they needed doing and got individual trades to quote one of them would rise to the top as someone who could project manage it for you. It would save you a fortune.

Surrey, paid about £1000 for whole house, 3 bedrooms, to be freshened up with a coat of white and all skirtings and doors to be re-glossed.

I've stripped 2 whole houses of wallpaper, sanded down all walls, had plaster'ers do £2k of work and then painted a whole house myself magnolia.

Really hard work. Don't fancy doing it again right now. BUT, The prices you are being quoted are shocking.

We had an extension last year and a total new kitchen. Dh and I ripped out the kitchen and took numerous trips to the recycling/dump. Took 2 days. It's so easy.
As another pp said, a bit of hard work. No skill involved. £6k? Fuck off.

You need to get comparative detailed quotes. You can’t spend that much without proper comparison

As to your question. How big is this RSJ? You live in a 3 bed semi, not Buckingham palace. No that could not account for the money. Everything is astronomically high. This is the price of an extension, not basic work.

How much were you charged?
Would you recommend the person you used?*

I can recommend you individual trades that I've used although I wouldn't know how far around London they would work.

We are in SE London/ Kent border and currently renovating. Plastering has been expensive. We are in a 3 bed 1930s house too and have spent about 5k on plastering (incl vat). This included boarding the ceilings and skimming over the top to cover up swirly artex. We did all of the other work such a stripping out wallpaper/ carpets and painting ourselves.

Oh and for further context, knocking a wall down/ inserting an rsj, moving the kitchen door/ boarding up and plastering over the old one, opening up chimney and adding a lintel cost us 4.5k.