Yet another Soffit/Guttering quote question...

Iand1

Hi All,

Have had quotes for the above from three different firms now,

£2,300 (Seemed like a jack the lad type of person, said it was him + two others, would take 3 days)
£2,600 (large local firm, estimator turned up in a Jag!, said it would take a week)
£1,900 (Local one man firm, him and his "boy", said would take 3-4 days)

This is a 3 bed detached with side extension (pitched roof)

I have told them that I want it all removed (no overclad) then white ogee facia board with square line guttering and pipework. All had said they will take the rubbish.

I know you shouldn't take the cheapest, but this guy seems the most genuine, and I know where he lives....

Thoughts or suggestions( or feel free to shoot me down.)

keystone

Iand1 wrote: »

... estimator turned up in a Jag!...

Not very bright are they?

This is a 3 bed detached with side extension (pitched roof)

As you don't give any dimensions then its difficult to guage the material element.


Cheers

iamcornholio

Why shouldn't you take the cheapest quote?

If all other factors are equal, then price is the only deciding factor.

You've had three different quotes, but each seems typical of the three different types of firm. If everything else stacks up, I can't see anything wrong with the one-man band

As you are not overcladding, make sure that the quotes are for the thicker 25mm fascia, and not the standard stuff

Iand1

keystone wrote: »

Not very bright are they? - does put you off a bit doesn't it!

As you don't give any dimensions then its difficult to guage the material element. HOUSE - two longest with gutters are 10 metres, with the two angles at about 3.5 metres each. EXTENSION - 2.5m with gutters, one angle at 3 metres each

Which of the three would that be? You're sort of hinting its the last but don't actually say. Yeah the last quote is the cheapest and I am more happy with him as a person!!

Cheers

Answers in red (can't do multi quote, not that good at forums yet!)

Iand1

iamcornholio wrote: »

Why shouldn't you take the cheapest quote?

If all other factors are equal, then price is the only deciding factor.

You've had three different quotes, but each seems typical of the three different types of firm. If everything else stacks up, I can't see anything wrong with the one-man band

As you are not overcladding, make sure that the quotes are for the thicker 25mm fascia, and not the standard stuff

Thanks for that, I did say I wanted thicker board and all agreed, although the jack the lad bloke did say something about it's only the front part that is upvc, so he would use thinner boards and would put pressure treated wood underneath to strengthen it!

He gave me a line about how the upvc on its own could get blown off in very high winds, which is why he backs it with wood.

iamcornholio

Iand1 wrote: »

Thanks for that, I did say I wanted thicker board and all agreed, although the jack the lad bloke did say something about it's only the front part that is upvc, so he would use thinner boards and would put pressure treated wood underneath to strengthen it!

He gave me a line about how the upvc on its own could get blown off in very high winds, which is why he backs it with wood.

He's partly correct

All the board is uPVC, but only the front surface is tough, with the rest being softer and foam-like. Thats a non-scientific explanation BTW!

Thicker 25mm boards are supposed to cope with wider distances between the rafters/fixing points - standard boards will wobble, deflect and come loose.

So thinner boards do need a backing timber. This is normally the existing fascia, and personally, I can't see the point in taking existing timber off, only to replace it with new timber. OK, maybe if there is some rot, but bits of rot can generally be cut out completely and left or sections replaced. Old timber can generally be left in place with no detriment

The problem with just solely using thick uPVC, is that fixings to the endgrain of the rafters are limited, and not very good even with the specialist nails used with this type of fascia.

With a backing timber, nails can be placed almost anywhere to get a fixing. But without, there are restricted options and even where the rafters are, its usually just at the lower 1/2 of the fascia board.

I have seen these boards work loose on several properties due to lack of poor fixing - not quality mind, just inherently poor fixing availability to the rafters. The answer is to insert extra noggings at the rafter ends, but that defeats the whole purpose of using thicker boards and so is usually not done

So your jack-the-lad does seem to have a point

knowloads

keystone wrote: »

Not very bright are they?

Hmmn! Not very bright ????? Why??? Is it because they are reasonably succesful at their business? This is a very English attitude. Should a succesful businessman run around ina 1970's transit van just to show he is not very good at what he does or just too cheap. I once had a worker that would not wash his van, and would wear messy clothes and get dirty much faster than the others. His thought pattern was that he is obviously very hard working 'cos he is full of 'it'. In Australia and the States the attitude is to celebrate success and show that 'you are the man'. Success does not mean over charging, it simply means you are good at what you do. Face it a Jag is not the bees knees. Turn up in a Masseratti and then maybe just maybe.:rotfl:

keystone

knowloads wrote: »

keystone wrote: »

Not very bright are they?

Hmmn! Not very bright ????? Why??? Is it because they are reasonably succesful at their business?

Because of the way the OP reacted as in post #1. Turn up in a Jag to estimate a £250k job and you'll get exactly what you are are talking about which ain't a bad thing. Turn up in one for a job 1% of that value and it raises alarm bells particularly when they come in with the most expensive quote. People do business not companies and the most important thing is to establish a rapport with your client from the moment you meet for the first time and carry that through to the end when they are satisfied witha job well done for them. Its called use of the old grey matter - or you fall at the first fence, just like this guy did.

Cheers