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Original poster

Plumber taking the piss

34 replies

Justsaywhatyoumean123 · 08/03/2025 22:49

I recently had a 2m x 2m bathroom installed, but as work progressed, they uncovered rotten floor joists and a dodgy ceiling. So, they replaced the joists, re-laid the floor, and re-boarded the ceiling. They also built a 2m-wide, 2.8m-high stud wall.
Now I’ve been handed the bill, and some of the charges have me questioning everything:

  • 10 plastic buckets – £18 (why so many?!)
  • 28 HardieBacker sheets – £720 (seriously??)
  • 420 HardieBacker screws – £140
  • Tile cutter – £70 (why am I buying their tools?)
  • **Erbauer Multi-Material Holesaw – another tool I’m paying for??)
Am I being taken for a ride here, or is this normal?
OP posts:
TroysMammy · 09/03/2025 07:59

B&Q sell buckets for £1.

EasterIssland · 09/03/2025 08:23

Justsaywhatyoumean123 · 08/03/2025 23:42

They were unfortunately with me for 34 days
Here is a snippet of their breakdown, at £350 per day

Day 1 – Strip out old bathroom & stud walls
Day 2 – Plan, measure and mark out new bathroom design
Day 3 – Hack off lime render (discover damaged brick structure)
Day 4 – Re-build badly damaged brick structure around window
Day 5 – Re-build badly damaged brick structure around window

day 2. Were they there a whole working day 2 people?? 🤨

housethatbuiltme · 09/03/2025 11:54

Justsaywhatyoumean123 · 08/03/2025 22:49

I recently had a 2m x 2m bathroom installed, but as work progressed, they uncovered rotten floor joists and a dodgy ceiling. So, they replaced the joists, re-laid the floor, and re-boarded the ceiling. They also built a 2m-wide, 2.8m-high stud wall.
Now I’ve been handed the bill, and some of the charges have me questioning everything:

  • 10 plastic buckets – £18 (why so many?!)
  • 28 HardieBacker sheets – £720 (seriously??)
  • 420 HardieBacker screws – £140
  • Tile cutter – £70 (why am I buying their tools?)
  • **Erbauer Multi-Material Holesaw – another tool I’m paying for??)
Am I being taken for a ride here, or is this normal?

28 HardieBacker sheets – £720 (seriously??)
420 HardieBacker screws – £140

I'm confused by this, why on earth do you think you shouldn't pay for the floors in your new bathroom? of course you need these, who else should pay?

You didn't specify size of boards which matter but £720 is not wildly off depending on thickness.

They of course need screwing too, you think screws are free? 33p per screw is hardly wild.

housethatbuiltme · 09/03/2025 12:00

Geneticsbunny · 08/03/2025 23:07

I think they might have got a the decimal point in the wrong place for the screws. They're about £14 for 100 which still seems expensive to me.
https://www.tilemountain.co.uk/32mm-screws-for-walls
The boards are about £12 each

Edited

You cannot possibly say that with out knowing the size and thickness needed which OP didn't provide.

Everything has a 'cheap' option but that doesn't make it suitable. OP would be the first to scream 'cowboy' if they cheeped out and used unsuitable quality products.

Mindymomo · 09/03/2025 12:11

DH is a retired bathroom installer, he would buy about 5 new buckets for each job, I used to query it, but was told he could never get them clean, he had 3 tile cutters, one cost nearly £1,000 but he needed this for the really big tiles and the porcelain wet tile cutting. He would never charge extra for these.

Original poster
Justsaywhatyoumean123 · 10/03/2025 09:44

@EasterIssland yeah but going home for 2 hour lunch breaks and constantly 'popping out to buy supplies'
@housethatbuiltme I did specify the size

OP posts:
BCSurvivor · 10/03/2025 09:58

£140 for 420 screws???
Are they made of gold???

HellsBalls · 10/03/2025 10:52

@Justsaywhatyoumean123 “They’ve charged me for 30 days at £350 per day. I’ve received two other quotes, both for 15 days at £250 per day”

Those other quotes would not have included replacing the floor joists and flooring, or rebuilding the brickwork around the window, and was the ceiling also included and the stud wall?
Did you not agree anything with them before they started?

Lassa · 10/03/2025 23:44

Wow.
So, the most important question I have is...what are you going to do now?
Or have you already paid them?

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