Vash the Stampede

I've got a mate who's just received two separate quotes of £300 for a tiling job involving two rooms. She has already purchased the tiles, so this quote is for labour and grout.

The rooms to be tiled are not large; one is an 11' x 8' (3.3 metres x 2.4 metres) study, while the other is a small bathroom which will only require 30 floor tiles (already purchased by my mate.)

I don't know enough about the UK tiling scene to know if £300 is a reasonable quote for labour on two jobs of this size, but it does sound quite high to me.

Apparently the guys are charging by the hour, rather than the square metre. Considering the size of the areas they'd be tiling, I have to ask myself what kind of hourly rate results in a bill of £300 for such a small area.

I also have to ask myself if that hourly rate is justified - but since I don't know the going rate over here, I can't be sure.

Can anyone help me out here? I'd be very much obliged if you could.

Thanks in advance.

Grayling

I would do it myself but if they can't then maybe a couple more quotes would give a more accurate figure for what such a job costs.

Is it for floors or walls?

G

Vash the Stampede

My mate and her husband lack the necessary practical skills, and the husband is physically infirm; he walks with the aid of two sticks.

The quote is for floors only, since that's all they need.

I have suggested that they ask around for a third and fourth opinion, prefaced with something along the lines of "I've been quoted £300... can you beat that?"

I understand that price isn't everything, and you often get what you pay for... Even so, £300 for labour seems a bit steep to me.

While I have no experience of the UK tiling scene, but I do have some first-hand knowledge of tiling from my time back home in Australia (where I also have a few mates who are tilers.) On the basis of that experience, I have to say that these quotes sound suspiciously high.

Grayling

More quotes seem in order then.

I would think £150 per day not excessive but then I have no idea how long it should take a professional.

G

andicee

Well Vash, I see it like this. As a sparks I, personally do what's called price work privately. That is, someone tells me what they want doing and I give them a price. I encourage them to get other quotes, if they so wish, but at the end of the day they either accept it or don't. Usually I get the job 'cos I don't rip people off and I've usually been recommended by someone they trust.

That should go some way to explaining how trades 'usually' go about pricing jobs but doesn't reallt tell you whether or not you've been quoted fairly.

Rule of thumb is...if you feel it's too high and suspect you're being ripped off, get another quote. Seems about right to me I've gotta say, however, a couple of points to bear in mind:

have you seen any of their other work?

do they 'seem' trustworthy?

and MOST IMPORTANTLY OF ALL

DO NOT PART WITH ANY DOSH UP FRONT

Good luck and hope this helps

Andy

andicee

Something else to bear in mind

You get what you pay for. Pay peanuts and you usually get monkeys

Vash the Stampede

Thanks G. I feel the same way.

Vash the Stampede

Indeed. I certainly don't think this is a full day's work.

I can't comment on these, since I'm not the person who requires the work; it's my mate in Devon, who's told me about her situation. I can ask her to keep these in mind, though - so thanks for that.

Amen to that!

Cheers.

Yes, I agree with this in general. But it doesn't always apply; you do have to be discerning. There are plenty of dodgy geezers out there who will charge an arm and a leg, make you pay through the nose, and still do a shoddy job.

Thanks again.

andicee

No problemo

Pollyana

pm Cresta57, tiler by trade (when he's not moderating!)

Vash the Stampede

Cool, thanks!

MartinLuther

I reckon you've got the "piss off I don't want the job" quote.

nickyjohnt

Hello Vash, I do tiling and back in the Uk used to charge approx £20 or £25 Sq/mtr depending if straight tiling or decorative, and supply the adhesive which costs up to £20 a bag so this quote doesn't seem too high. Most unusual to charge by the hr though. Hope this helps

John

fraser

I agree it sounds more than reasonable, in London you'd be hard pressed to find someone for less than £40 a metre, you have to take into consideration materials where and tear on tools etc.

MartinLuther

Does that mean that you've got to pay for him to look for his tools