Fascia and soffit replacement - two questions!

muskoka · 23 January 2012 at 7:07PM

I;ve now got my quote down to just under 3K - 31 linear metres - spec as my above post (quote from same co that did my windows/doors and to be fair they have been excellent when I've had any aftersales issues/questions). Thsis is using a local Company. However, Cape Verde - appreicate your comment. on dry verge. Will look into that, but I'm now thinkign under the soffits I would like something err, fancy...not sure what its called, but it prettys it up a bit & adds a bit of character - any idea what I'm talking about please??

tradesman82 · 14 March 2012 at 4:54PM

hello posters, i own a fascia and soffit company in the midlands and have read all of your points.... a few things to remember, it is impossible to quote for a job without inspection as old soffits and fascias hide an absolute multitude of sins. once inspected you can then determine the overall cost for labor and materials and this should be broken down for the customer beforehand so they can see where the money is going. Also scaffolding can be very expensive where sometimes safety conscious alternatives can save a fortune i.e. we have our own van mounted lift and can obtain narrow track reach equipment for even the hard to reach areas. much more cost effective. I would also like to point out that the prices quoted by large companies are often subbed out to inexperienced contractors in this field that get a straight out 50% of your hard earned cash from the total bill which is just crazy. feel free to ask me any advice you require... send pics.... drawings anything you have and i will base a cost for worst case scenario which i will stand by whilst you gather quotes to get them down to a suitable price as yours all sound very expensive
Typical costs
mid terrace - 895.00 all in
end terrace - 1295.00all in
detached - 1695.00 all in
and that gives you a 30 year guarantee on your fascias and soffits in white and 10 years on all colors.. insurance backed guarantees are something we looked into and are not worth the paper there written on, there are only one company in the uk offering it for fascias and if a company are mainly window and door installers they are not covered by there insurance. all fitters should be registered installers and guarantees will be posted to you within 2 weeks of completion. make sure your fitter is!!!!!! any advice you require please feel free to just ask and i will help you in anyway i can

trudidog · 5 July 2012 at 8:31PM

Hope this helps, i am a small local tradesman in my area so reputation means everything to me, i use a company that give me a 30 year garentee on my materials, as a rule of thumb £80 per metre run, this depends on the colour used, first 2 tiles are pushed back and any rotten wood replaced eaves gaurd is used, if you have a welsh slate roof it my be better to cover, as the end slates are nailed to the fascia, if not , then fine, i always use an 18mm fascia and remove all old timber, i carry out on my own tower, and remove all the rubbish which is usually a skip or hippo bag, so as a rule of thumb £80 per merte run

no1catman · 9 July 2012 at 10:53AM

I live a late 30s semi - had the original (?) metal gutters replaced with black plastic 'metal' lookalike ones, plus the fascias etc, and plastic pipes to replace old metal ones. I believe the measurements were 7m frt & bk, + 9 side, with another 7 for the lower rear.
Capitol did want £900 - we'll come about 10.00, it'll be finished by 4.00! In the event, had a local specialist firm for £1260, more attention to detail around the front bay, and lots more brackets - so took two days - 8.30 - 3.30 + 9.00 - 2.30.
Looks good, had rain since - no drips in the wrong places!!

caitybabes · 4 January 2013 at 9:58PM

We're in a 3 bed semi and just had Zenith in for a quote for soffits, fascias and guttering.
1st price (guaranteed for 2 years): £5675 (10% off if you use their 'lifestyle' plan to pay monthly (1.93% interest)
2nd price (which includes subsidies for having a Zenith advertising board outside our house for 4 weeks): £3883
3rd price (after a call to the manager, who then called his manager! which includes subsidies for having advertising board outside our house for 8 weeks and us writing a letter of recommendation): £2320.

Although the 3rd and final price was tempting, it was only available if we signed up to it there and then. We asked if we were allowed the weekend to get some quotes to compare but were told no. We then spent a few mins googling and decided we could do better and didn't want to be pressured into it, so we said no. Now that the man is gone I am very pleased we said no!

Just adding this in case it is helpful to someone else getting quotes, we're going to look for some companies who won't give us the hard sell and will give us an honest quote in the first place.

Russe11 · 4 January 2013 at 10:44PM

caitybabes wrote: »

We're in a 3 bed semi and just had Zenith in for a quote for soffits, fascias and guttering.
1st price (guaranteed for 2 years): £5675 (10% off if you use their 'lifestyle' plan to pay monthly (1.93% interest)
2nd price (which includes subsidies for having a Zenith advertising board outside our house for 4 weeks): £3883
3rd price (after a call to the manager, who then called his manager! which includes subsidies for having advertising board outside our house for 8 weeks and us writing a letter of recommendation): £2320.

Although the 3rd and final price was tempting, it was only available if we signed up to it there and then. We asked if we were allowed the weekend to get some quotes to compare but were told no. We then spent a few mins googling and decided we could do better and didn't want to be pressured into it, so we said no. Now that the man is gone I am very pleased we said no!

Just adding this in case it is helpful to someone else getting quotes, we're going to look for some companies who won't give us the hard sell and will give us an honest quote in the first place.

works well does the 2 year gtd price ruse, thats how they got you to have a quote right?

"we will come round and quote, the price is fixed for 2 years so you can come back to us if you like the price"

Will always be a few customers that go, well actually we want it done now. They pay well over the top, everyone makes nice commisions.

Will be a few customers whole after doing the phone calls will be lured in by the reduced price. These pay full money.

Will be quite a few customers that where not interested at the start, but then once the price has come down 70% they then think they are saving a fortune. These pay the nuts price - the lowest the company will do it for, the salesman earns min commision.

Then theres the one they don't get like you.

caitybabes · 6 January 2013 at 4:37PM

And I'm pleased to say we went to a local firm yesterday and they quoted us an honest price straight off which was £1350 - that's £1k cheaper than Zenith's lowest quote!

Also, Zenith had the cheek to call us yesterday under the guise of a 'customer service review' and, near the end of the call, said that they had been given permission to make new discounts available and would we be interested in another, lower, quote? I told them we would most certainly not.

We've booked the local firm

docmatt · 6 January 2013 at 9:43PM

caitybabes wrote: »

We've booked the local firm

As long as they removing all the wood and not just 'cutting out the rotten bits'

Cuttingedge · 16 January 2013 at 4:21PM

caitybabes wrote: »

We're in a 3 bed semi and just had Zenith in for a quote for soffits, fascias and guttering.
1st price (guaranteed for 2 years): £5675 (10% off if you use their 'lifestyle' plan to pay monthly (1.93% interest)
2nd price (which includes subsidies for having a Zenith advertising board outside our house for 4 weeks): £3883
3rd price (after a call to the manager, who then called his manager! which includes subsidies for having advertising board outside our house for 8 weeks and us writing a letter of recommendation): £2320.

Although the 3rd and final price was tempting, it was only available if we signed up to it there and then. We asked if we were allowed the weekend to get some quotes to compare but were told no. We then spent a few mins googling and decided we could do better and didn't want to be pressured into it, so we said no. Now that the man is gone I am very pleased we said no!

Just adding this in case it is helpful to someone else getting quotes, we're going to look for some companies who won't give us the hard sell and will give us an honest quote in the first place.

I would just like to echo this post as I believe it helps both members of the public and tradesmen:)

As a small local company we find the fact we don't hard sell and only give one quote, an honest and fair one I might add!! that we regularly take business away from the big nationals such as the one mentioned above.

I genuinely believe that if the larger companies stopped making fools of themselves by quoting an astronomical price in the first place, and then halving it as if they are doing you a favour:rotfl: as long as you sign up there and then, they would get even more business!

It is not rocket science that a fair quote in the first place and allowing time for people to get other quotes/ think it over stops people getting their backs up by feeling pressured. Admittedly a follow up sales call after a few days does no harm, but then the decision is left with the customer.

If the price is fair in the first place a customer will come back to you without the need to pressure them into signing up on the spot

Rover345 · 30 March 2013 at 12:10PM

I've just had a salesman round from Zenith to quote for soffits, facias and a flat roof.

When he found that my wife was not present he said he needed to return later when she was as it was 'company policy'. That's a bit suspicious. I told him to give me a quote anyway.

He asked me if I would be interested in a company promotion which would mean signing today in return for a discount. I said I wanted to get more that one quote.

He then left without quoting.

So unless you want high pressure sales and sign on the day, don't invite them into your house.

Time wasters.

Fascia and soffit replacement - two questions!

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