£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?

Shit on it.

Ask @pigletjohn to have a butchers at that brwakdown.

They don't want the job OP. Every single line there is a massive ripoff.

Our new boiler and pump cost £3k, no way would some extra piping cost another £3.5k

Plastering / decorating etc round here (south east) is a day rate of £250, they quote you a fixed price based on number of days.

We did the bathroom recently, via a well known company - bath, shower, sink, toilet in built in unit, large wall unit, towel rail, underfloor heating, fully tiled - included additional electric work, plastering walls and ceiling. Excluding the tiles (they weren't cheap!), we paid £7k but that included c£2k profit to the company.

@strugglingwithdeciding I'm with Corona at first glance it seems expensive but house could have 30 layers so may be extensive stripping and ceilings may also be papered for all we know ,or worse artex rules

Good for you. OP has already confirmed that the same builder (who asked her to keep his estimate to herself - wonder why...) had mentioned to her relative that the job should cost circa £52k. Makes me laugh how traders/those married to tradespeople jump on these threads to defend them... Let's just agree that some tradespeople lack integrity.

@HawDere Not only did he see you coming, but I think he popped down to SE this week to quote for me. (£47k for a £20k job)

Do tell!!

@WotsitWiggle They don't want the job OP. Every single line there is a massive ripoff.

Oh, he clearly did want the job... The fact that he wanted her to keep quiet about the fees they'd discussed is telling if you ask me. At least OP is able to carry out some further research and maybe PM some of the work herself to reduce costs.

Update for the umpeteenth time!

Just had someone round to some heating-related work and they've advised that the price I was quoted isn't wildly inaccurate.

Heaterman also told me that I can do whatever I damn well like, provided I get the right person that can do the job. Moreover, he agreed that the way the builder went about the whole situation was plain wrong.

Personally, I'd be inclined to agree with you all that the builder didn't want the job because he told me that I "couldn't do" certain things because of how my house was. He wanted to do the job his way even though it was my house!

For example, I wanted to do the loft and move the sink in my kitchen. He advised against the loft (after going up into it) and said moving the sink couldn't be done because of where the pipe was.

From how the 'estimate' was provided (shoddily I might add - with no specificity at all) to him talking to my relative about the cost of my project to the extended time frame, it was a complete farce.

holy shit - i pay £150 a day for a decorator

took 3 days to do 2 (massive) rooms - wallpaper stripped, sanded and painted.

2 more days to paint upstairs. inc hall stairs landing.

plastering would cost approx £200 per room if needed

you are being had OP!!

"the builder didn't want the job because he told me that I "couldn't do" certain things because of how my house was. He wanted to do the job his way even though it was my house!"

We had this getting quotes for building work. We had a very clear plan/drawings for what we wanted & 2/3 who quoted wanted to do it a completely different way (think completely different structure of build and window position etc) which we didn't want - we guess because they were used to doing things that way. Still really annoying though.

@themummyway Personally, I'd be inclined to agree with you all that the builder didn't want the job because he told me that I "couldn't do" certain things because of how my house was. He wanted to do the job his way even though it was my house!

I think he definitely wanted the job as it would have been a very good pay day for him... But it does seem that he was your typical lazy builder. Trying to get the maximum for the absolute minimum. The only reason he will have told you you can't do something (which you clearly can) is out of sheer laziness.

[quote Smallgoon]**@themummyway* Personally, I'd be inclined to agree with you all that the builder didn't want the job because he told me that I "couldn't do" certain things because of how my house was. He wanted to do the job his way even though it was my house!*

I think he definitely wanted the job as it would have been a very good pay day for him... But it does seem that he was your typical lazy builder. Trying to get the maximum for the absolute minimum. The only reason he will have told you you can't do something (which you clearly can) is out of sheer laziness.[/quote]
@smallgoon Male relative said the same thing! Especially because we're relatively local.

He's stepped in now to ensure that no more nonsense ensues.

Will keep you updated!

@teabaseddiet We had a very clear plan/drawings for what we wanted & 2/3 who quoted wanted to do it a completely different way (think completely different structure of build and window position etc) which we didn't want - we guess because they were used to doing things that way. Still really annoying though.

It's one thing advising your client against doing something if there is a valid reason to, but to go against their wishes just because it suits you, is plain arrogance not to mention negligence. Do they forget who is paying them ffs? I hope you told them where to go.

Here love

I’ll come to your house and do it for £10,000!!

Don’t pay that- ripped off for sure

@themummyway *Male relative said the same thing! Especially because we're relatively local.

He's stepped in now to ensure that no more nonsense ensues.

Will keep you updated!*

Glad to hear it! Does this mean you're keeping him on, albeit with sensible costs and not the inflated rates he had give? The £6.5k for boiler replacement was iffy too. Should no way cost that much.

@Smallgoon - we did! We went with the builder who was happy to follow the plans (& had done similar builds)

@30daysoflight

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.

Totally this. Ex Sister in Law worked for VAT. Turnover includes material as well as labour. So these jobs are categorically not exempt. Your job alone is the threshold. You know he has done work for others so this is not his first year of trading.

So he is - judging by the many posters on here - substantially over quoting. And he is a tax dodger.

Report him anonymously to the tax authorities and do not use him.

[quote Smallgoon]**@themummyway* Male relative said the same thing! Especially because we're relatively local.

He's stepped in now to ensure that no more nonsense ensues.

Will keep you updated!*

Glad to hear it! Does this mean you're keeping him on, albeit with sensible costs and not the inflated rates he had give? The £6.5k for boiler replacement was iffy too. Should no way cost that much.[/quote]
Personally, I'm not keen on doing so.

Male relative advised keeping him because we all know him and know he can do the work. Especially if bossed about by male relative.

IF and big IF I keep him on, I'll be buying all materials myself and just paying him for labour.

Apparently the boiler replacement price wasn't too far off because I have a back boiler which would need to be taken out?

@30daysoflight @spongedog

This was the price of labour + materials so not sure he'd meet the threshold.

Don't doubt that he's dodging tax in some sense though

You're being ripped off completely omg

[quote themummyway]**@30daysoflight* @spongedog*

This was the price of labour + materials so not sure he'd meet the threshold.

Don't doubt that he's dodging tax in some sense though[/quote]
The VAT threshold includes both. In the details you have provided he is charging for both. But even if you buy materials that is still part of the total cost of the job. He cannot reduce his turnover in this way.

But I've just googled the threshold - now £85k. So very possibly if he only does 1 big job a year then he is below. But I dont believe it. He is a tax dodger. #nothanks

@themummyway Apparently the boiler replacement price wasn't too far off because I have a back boiler which would need to be taken out?

Trust me, it's still too much. See link below, which should help:

heatable.co.uk/boiler-advice/back-boiler-replacement

*Personally, I'm not keen on doing so.

Male relative advised keeping him because we all know him and know he can do the work. Especially if bossed about by male relative.

IF and big IF I keep him on, I'll be buying all materials myself and just paying him for labour.*

I mean, if your relative will be there to keep in check, and you feel you can trust his workmanship, perhaps it makes sense to keep him on. But won't it be a little bit awkward, if he knows that he's been caught out exaggerating the cost of the job?

"But won't it be a little bit awkward, if he knows that he's been caught out exaggerating the cost of the job?"

I felt like that too but male relative takes no prisoners.

He's used to bollocking people and docking money off of the price if they don't do work properly. He's also dealing with the builder for me - i.e.scolding him for behaving improperly re me, my 'estimate' etc.

I'd feel far less awkward knowing that male relative has set the expectation for the project with regards to not messing me about.

@Smallgoon yes def some lack intergrity which is why you always get several quotes and ideally from people recommended so you know there work is good
But from reading a basic quote on here we can't say for sure without knowing all the details and you can see from the page some Reckon they only pay £30 to have a door fitted . Don't know many that would only charge that and without knowing what door type a fire door would likely cost more than a standard internal
Also someone saying a painter had stripped , sanded and painted 2 large rooms in 3 days , would take longer for the paint to dry on woodwork than that , if job was prepped and done properly in my opinion but then depends what you consider a large room
Some painters would lightly sand and go straight over with a gloss another would sand back a bit more , undercoat then gloss and you would get a better finish but if your happy with the first then that's fine
I would never recommend especially for such a big job just getting one price unless it's a builder you always use and you know there prices and work are reasonable
Also price of work in north will likely come in cheaper than London

@Smallgoon like the boiler you have provided a link but price could depend on boiler being provided a better make would cost more
Although overall the prices look too much for certain things an easy way to see would be to get some other quotes
I'm not sure I would want to use someone who overpriced so much and then backed down when a male relative stepped in , unless there was a genuine error made as I wouldn't trust him going forward personally

@strugglingwithdeciding like the boiler you have provided a link but price could depend on boiler being provided a better make would cost more

Fair enough, but I still think £6.5k was too much for this. Then again, I thought most of what OP was charged was too much.

@themummyway He's also dealing with the builder for me - i.e.scolding him for behaving improperly re me, my 'estimate' etc.

I'd love to be a fly on the wall of that convo! Do keep us updated.