Page 2 | Does £2500 sound reasonable for this decorating job?

Aprilinspringtimeshower · 2021-08-20T18:48:33+00:00

I have just finally managed to find a painter and decorator to do some decorating. I have accepted his quote but it seems a very large sum for the work based on last painting job I had done in my previous home/area that was similar work and under £1000 I’m in northwest- middle of road in terms of property price. And the job is for the landing, stairs and a sitting/diner/kitchen open plan room. Walls in white emulsion ( already white but dirty ) and white gloss woodwork including banisters and 7 doors in total. Does this sound about right - am I being over charged? Compared to prices right now. If I am being overcharged I have to do it myself and I’m fed up of painting- 4 rooms done by myself and I’ll have another 2 rooms to do even after getting someone to tackle these! I’m so fed up with painting😥 so I’m hoping it is ok, but it is just so much more than I expected and can really afford.

Sarjest · 20/08/2021 22:43

I feel for you. It does seem a lot of money, particularly when you’ve got other things to spend it on. Could you accept it will take longer and do it yourself, focusing on one room at a time? It would take a few long weekends but you’d be the richer for it. Plus you wouldn’t have the inconvenience of someone else coming in. It might not be ideal but it would be on your timescales. I think his quote isn’t hugely unreasonable, btw.

HalloHello · 20/08/2021 22:54

Wow that's very steep. I just paid £180 for my large kitchen diner in 2 colours, and the box room in white. Just walls, no woodwork. £55 for paint.

Qc16 · 20/08/2021 23:13

@OnTheBoardwalk

Including VAT then I reckon it’s a good quote. £175 per person per day

I’m in the NW and have had to pay £250 a day

Wow - I thought London was expensive!

Experienced trades in SW London where I live are £200 a day if employing direct.

OP - it does sound expensive to me.

d1157959543599b000178 · 20/08/2021 23:18

I also hear you. It is difficult. I am in a fairly similar position, sold house April, moved in June and need a fair bit done to the house.
I am also doing it on my own with a very limited budget, pretty much zero left really after the expense of moving.
I agree with PP of getting the essential works done first though like the roof, etc if you can.
I have no idea about the quote for £2500 but my word that is a lot of money. I totally understand though because if I posted a photo of my house at the moment you would be horrified. It is hard living in chaos and mess.
However I am going to do as much as possible myself, I threw myself into decorating but now have stood back and made a list of essential jobs and non essential jobs, messy jobs and not so messy jobs.
I want to do the essential jobs first. Then the messy.
I am currently chasing walls to put the wiring and back boxes into the walls for sockets and switches, my word I am so slow, its messy and I am on a steep learning curve.
I do understand the need to have a nice, tidy home though but I really think you should give yourself a break. You have done a lot, a divorce, house selling, moving, they are up there with life,s great stresses.
If you do have the money then go for it, otherwise maybe give yourself time to sort the house.
I thought I would all be sorted in 6 weeks, now I have said a year, that is much more realistic. I don't think I will have everything done that I want by then but think I will be moving towards a home.
You will get there, it will take a bit of time but you will do it.

MuthaHubbard · 20/08/2021 23:23

My other half is a painter and decorator, usually charges around £150 per day - without materials. I would say it would take him around a week/ten days to complete that sort of job depending on amount of prep work needed - we are in the Lakes.

MuthaHubbard · 20/08/2021 23:25

Forgot to add, he's booked into the new year now - all these trades in a lot of demand right now. We waited nearly 5 months for our landscaper - he now has bookings into March next year...

goingtotown · 20/08/2021 23:48

Decent decorators are booked up months in advance.
I’d be suspicious of his quality of work because he can do the work so soon.
Does the quote include all the preparation before the final finish...rubbing down, filling in, undercoat, removing door furniture before painting etc.
Don’t pay anything until you are 100% satisfied with the job.

Scbchl · 20/08/2021 23:58

You can't compare to the last job you had done because material prices have sky rocketed now since Brexit for all tradesmen. My husbands a painter and is having to go back to customers he quoted for months ago who he has jobs lined up for and revise prices as they have shot up so much. He charges 750 a week for labour costs then materials. Having said that it does sound pretty expensive for a straight freshen up. Is the woodwork already glossed? What style of house is it? Just to try think what hall size might be. A hall/stairs in a big sandstone house with high ceiling and two or three floors is a very different price to an ex la house.

LemonSwan · 21/08/2021 00:00

£175 per day is bare minimum for most workmen.

Thats based on £150 a day (pre PAYE costs, personal, national insurance and corp tax) + £25 to cover the travel, admin, expenses.

For the workmen themselves its usually under £100 a day take home.

jozipozi31 · 21/08/2021 00:57

It's a good price.

Loads of woodwork. 7 doors! Stairs and landing always a lot - high walls etc.

I think it's fine. And they can get on with it.

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 21/08/2021 01:01

I've just had living room,small hall banisters and landing and stairs painted and 12 doors (both sides) for £1,400 .

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 21/08/2021 01:01

It took 4.5 days and one man.

bonfireheart · 21/08/2021 01:25

I'm in Birmingham and had quotes before lockdown, average was £75pd. Which I think sounds quiet cheap compared to everyone else on this thread. But no issues with workman I hired.

Original poster

Aprilinspringtimeshower · 21/08/2021 07:02

@TiddleTaddleTat

It really depends on whether you can afford to pay it / have the time to do the job yourself. You mentioned upthread that you shouldn't really be spending it as needed to prioritise other jobs eg roof ? I would certainly not be paying a decorator rather than anything to do with the roof... it's purely cosmetic surely? Personally I find the worst bit about decorating is moving the furniture out of the way and all the prep...

It won’t stop me getting roof done, it’s more that I will exceed my budget and eat into more of retirement savings. I m uncomfortable with that, but just so fed up with being in limbo and still camping out in my new home I felt it might’ve worth spending more. But this is a lot more Thanks for the advice everyone, seems a little mixed that most folks saying it is too much, and a few that it is typical right now. I will have to have a hard think today.

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Original poster

Aprilinspringtimeshower · 21/08/2021 07:15

@Scbchl

You can't compare to the last job you had done because material prices have sky rocketed now since Brexit for all tradesmen. My husbands a painter and is having to go back to customers he quoted for months ago who he has jobs lined up for and revise prices as they have shot up so much. He charges 750 a week for labour costs then materials. Having said that it does sound pretty expensive for a straight freshen up. Is the woodwork already glossed? What style of house is it? Just to try think what hall size might be. A hall/stairs in a big sandstone house with high ceiling and two or three floors is a very different price to an ex la house.

The woodwork has all been painted in white emulsion 🙄, looked ok when I was viewing but if you try to clean the paints just washing off. I certainly had no plans to paint the woodwork but it has to be done. So, hes agreed that it needs sand down, undercoat then gloss- that’s what I’ve had to do with rooms I’ve done so far. . Similarly the walls are white but quality of painting is awful- it’s horribly patchy with just a single coat over I think the magnolia textured wallpaper- frankly I’d prefer that they’d painted a new coat of magnolia…all it looks like is white in places and then dirty white patches. On a few walls he needs to white out the dark feature colour, so that’ll take Multiple coats, and there’s a small wall that’s just been plastered so it needs the full works of the watered down coat to seal it first. So it is more than a freshen up- it needs a proper paint.

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Somanysocks · 21/08/2021 07:28

I am a decorator and would never quote without seeing a job so I can't see how anyone here can tell you if it's a reasonable price or not. There are many things that can raise the price and there is a lot to do there.

For what it's worth though, if he does a decent job and with all the woodwork done properly, and don't forget materials can be expensive it's probably a fair price.

pigglepot · 21/08/2021 07:29

Seems really reasonable to me. We've just paid £1800 for kitchen, sitting room and bedroom to be decorated. They all have very high ceilings to be fair but he didn't paint the ceilings in the sitting room.

Lilboots · 21/08/2021 07:32

Hi OP, congrats on your new home! I'm in a similar position to you: I completed on a flat in June and this is my first time making these sorts of decisions so I'm finding it a bit overwhelming!

Like you, I really struggled to even get anyone to come out and quote on my job. I suspect that things are so busy that decorators can turn down relatively small jobs like ours. I eventually had someone actually turn up (hoorah!) who quoted me £1,250 to do stairs, landing, master bed and living room plus 6 doors. I'm in zone 4 London.

I've ended up deciding to just give myself a break, enjoy my flat and decorate sometime next year when hopefully things are a bit calmer and I have a better idea of what I want to do with the space. In the meantime, it's taken the pressure off as I learn to hang shelves, blinds etc because I know someone with more skills than me will be along to redecorate over my disasters next year! Good luck x

Volterra · 21/08/2021 07:46

I think as someone mentioned above regardless of price I would be worried he can do it so quickly.

We have just some work done jointly with next door and he fell for the we’ve had a cancellation so can do it soon and can knock a bit off routine. I wouldn’t have hired them and had already said no to them but they went back to next door. As next door we’re doing us a favour I didn’t say anything.

They were really not great. Damaged next door’s house in the first hour, didn’t do as they said they would and didn’t do something they shoukd have done before starting.

Candleabra · 21/08/2021 07:54

I think you need more quotes. I'd also be suspicious of someone who could start straight away.

Livelovebehappy · 21/08/2021 08:04

Live in Yorkshire and DH is painter and decorator, and says yes, that is over priced.

Original poster

Aprilinspringtimeshower · 21/08/2021 08:13

@Somanysocks

I am a decorator and would never quote without seeing a job so I can't see how anyone here can tell you if it's a reasonable price or not. There are many things that can raise the price and there is a lot to do there.

For what it's worth though, if he does a decent job and with all the woodwork done properly, and don't forget materials can be expensive it's probably a fair price.

Thanks for that info

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Original poster

Aprilinspringtimeshower · 21/08/2021 08:14

@Lilboots

Hi OP, congrats on your new home! I'm in a similar position to you: I completed on a flat in June and this is my first time making these sorts of decisions so I'm finding it a bit overwhelming!

Like you, I really struggled to even get anyone to come out and quote on my job. I suspect that things are so busy that decorators can turn down relatively small jobs like ours. I eventually had someone actually turn up (hoorah!) who quoted me £1,250 to do stairs, landing, master bed and living room plus 6 doors. I'm in zone 4 London.

I've ended up deciding to just give myself a break, enjoy my flat and decorate sometime next year when hopefully things are a bit calmer and I have a better idea of what I want to do with the space. In the meantime, it's taken the pressure off as I learn to hang shelves, blinds etc because I know someone with more skills than me will be along to redecorate over my disasters next year! Good luck x

Thank you, and good luck too…hope you settle in and are happy in your new home

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Original poster

Aprilinspringtimeshower · 21/08/2021 08:18

@Candleabra

I think you need more quotes. I'd also be suspicious of someone who could start straight away.

I did ask this. He said it was becuase he’s had a contract postponed on some other outside work due to the crappy weather . He was look8ng for a filler job in its place, He does have very good reviews on rated people - I did check. Also I am retired so home all the time and won’t be leaving them on their own- I know enough about how to paint to monitor as they go and will pick up if they’re taking short cuts etc. Ok, not hard guarentee but I did think about why he was free🤔

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altiara · 21/08/2021 08:30

I think it sounds ok if he’s having to put a lot of work into the prep before painting.