Plastering - feeling a bit ripped off!

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Got a quote from a plasterer.

Room 14ft x 12ft
skim ceiling flat over old artex
board over chimney breast and refit coving around the breast. Skim 3 walls and around large window.

Quoted 4 days to do the job, said it would be tricky due to artex.

Cost £1300

They came and did 5 hours work yesterday and 6 hours today. Have finished and yes, it’s a nice job and they admit it went a bit easier than they expected.

Even though it’s taken 2 whole days less they won’t budge on the price. And they want cash. Well I can’t get cash out so bank transfer it is.

Why do trades lie and make out the job is bigger than it is. I feel pretty mugged off!

I think that’s a decent price given it included materials, and they said ‘4 days’ so 2 people for 2 days is 4 working days. And you didn’t bother to get other quotes
and they’ve done a good job that you’re happy with and they’re out of your house quicker, which is surely better.
plastering is expensive and I think you’ve done alright, could’ve gone much worse

Fair price

You're paying them for their skill and expertise not for their time. It's not an easy job and that price sounds about right for the work that you've listed.

Nobody's stopping you!

You weren't ripped off. You were reasonable in not paying in cash if that hadn't been agreed.

Your partner charges £140 a day - he's charging way too little - Would expect to be paying 250-300 per day for a qualified tradie.

Considering materials and 2 people for 2 days I'd say that was pretty cheap or at least good value for money

These kinds of posts make me mad. If you had hired a solicitor or some other white collar service you wouldn't be saying you felt ripped off (even if you didn't like the cost). Plastering is a very hard graft.

This is 2 men x 2 days = 4 days.

(what is the issue? You were happy with the price when it was quoted)

If it took 5 days would you of happily paid a extra £325?

1300 divided by 22 hours is £59 per hour. I think that sounds OK ish but they should be VAT registered at that level so the asking for cash is the unreasonable part.

As in they are asking you to collude with tax dodging.

Oh come on now. Plastering is a skilled trade but it's no "harder graft" than most jobs.

I think its steep, materials £100 if they didn’t have some of them already ?

so £1200 is £300 a day each for short days (5-6 hours) I’m not sure where in the country you are. But thats top money where i live.

Recently paid £240 a day( labour only ) but he did 8-9 hours. He was a steady worker but did a whole 5mx4m room, boarded all walls and skimmed walls/ ceiling On his own in 3 days .

It is normal.
First of all, 2 guys for 2ys is the same as 1 guy for 4 days.
It worked out at less than 60 per hour. Out of that they had materials to buy which are not cheap. They also have to have equipment, transport, travel time, insurance and their tax and national insurance to pay

That’s a really good deal. You got 4 man days plus materials for only £1300?

It is a skilled trade, so you’re paying for their skill.

VAT threshold is £90k now. Most small trades don’t come close. That could be their only job for a fortnight.

Good luck even getting a plasterer in many places, they are like gold dust!

Its is not a “really good deal “ 5 or 6 hours work is not man day , its a part day.

where i live i have never known any trade charge £300 plus a day or part day.

The problem is they should have just given a price and not said how many days they think it would take. I know most people like an idea of how long it will take but this is what has caused the issue here.

It is a man-day after you account for the time spent purchasing the materials and then after job cleaning of tools and equipment. A man day of 8hrs is not 100% spent on the job site.

We don’t know how much they are charging for labour as the total price includes materials which have been hit as hard as everything else with price increases even with a trade discount.

The problem is that the OP is of a suspicious mindset. It is well known that “four day job” means 1 man for four days, so it’s very easy to figure out that two men will take 2 days.

That sounds really cheap. I had my laminate floor changed in a 6m by 3m room which took 6 hours and was easier than plastering, and paid £700 (not including materials). Had a new boiler fitted which took 7-8 hours and was charged £1500 for the work.

Yeah I was thinking that!

A 2400x1200 wall board is £10 and a bag of finish is the same, a bag of adhesive is £15 . Going on what the op has said they did then the materials would not have been £100. I also have a trade account.

it takes a plasterer about 10 minutes to clean his tools.

and ill repeat they didnt do 4 man days They did part days.

Shocker in ‘skilled trade isn’t minimum wage’
You were happy with the quote for the job, they did the job. Can’t see the issue

This website thinks your figures are far too low for 2024
https://www.homehow.co.uk/costs/drywalling-and-plasterboard

Yeah, not very likely is it? Most small trades don't come close because they don't declare it all.

And if you're only getting 2 days work per fortnight for two people you're not really a trades person at all are you?