Hourly rate for a Handyman in Reading?

Steve_the_fitter

You need a plumber not a handyman. But if youre happy for a handyman to do it it wont take more than an hour 2 max.

oz0707

Behave If he takes 2hrs you've had a touch. Who expects someone to come round to their house for less than £40?!
It's alight talking in a £ per hr sense, but it's not in the right context for this job

candoitwell

its hell on earth getting in on time each day to the one steady job/address you know, but can you imagine running around all day with tools trying to pick up £10 an hour at various strangers addresses - trying to do the various jobs which they have failed to do themselves,

do it as a job and then say you know whats a fair wage

have an informed opinion

they all charge about £60 an hour now and I can see why, used to do it myself you see

A1P

oz0707 wrote: »

Behave If he takes 2hrs you've had a touch. Who expects someone to come round to their house for less than £40?!
It's alight talking in a £ per hr sense, but it's not in the right context for this job[/QUOTE
Interesting how a 'handyman 'is downgraded in the jobs hierarchy.Rates for handyman should be xx etc.I will go no further down that road!! My son is a plumber and depending on where the job is and if he is going to charge it as a 'pensioner special rate' he might charge a minimum call out.For many plumbers this is £35-£50 .The same 'business'£costs apply whether you are there for 10 mins or there working for a day on a bigger job.If it is half an hour there ,half an hour back,call at the merchants for a suitable tap+time on the job.A responsible tradesman would also point out that not every tap change is 'easy peasy'.I note threads on here, is £40 fair for boiler repair/ service.It boils down to do you want a professional service in dealing with a task you cannot do.Not getting at OP specifically who asked a reasonable Q.£20 is a bargain especially if he supplies the tap!!!! Is this nearly a rant? Oops!

keystone

soomagoo wrote: »

Hi,

Just wondered if anyone could give me an idea of what a good rate is for a handyman in Reading? Have been quoted £20/hr to change a tap and have no idea if that's reasonable or not Also, if anyone knows anyone who might do it for less I'd love to hear from you!

Thanks!
Sue.

You don't need an hourly rate. You need a price for doing the job. Hourly rate is an excuse for taking 2hrs and 3 minutes and then charging 3 x the hourly rate. If he won't give you a price for doing the job then kick him into touch and find someone who will.

Oh and BTW £ 20 an hour is probably making a loss as others have indicated.

Cheers

somethingcorporate

keystone wrote: »

You don't need an hourly rate. You need a price for doing the job. Hourly rate is an excuse for taking 2hrs and 3 minutes and then charging 3 x the hourly rate. If he won't give you a price for doing the job then kick him into touch and find someone who will.

Oh and BTW £ 20 an hour is probably making a loss as others have indicated.

Cheers

They may have got it sorted now mate given the OP you responded to is 18 months old!

keystone

somethingcorporate wrote: »

They may have got it sorted now mate given the OP you responded to is 18 months old!

Oh b****cks! Thanks for pointing out my inadequacies.

Doesn't change the validity of my point though.

Cheers

hood-winked

There are taps and there are taps! Changing a tap under a kitchen sink can be quick and easy but getting to an old tap [say the one nearest the wall on a bath] can be a nightmare for access and if it's been there for decades can be a swine to free off. So £20 an hour? Cheap if this chap has good plumbing skills and expensive if his lack of skills when dealing with a difficult job means much head-scratching and tea-drinking.

So a tough one to call and a fair point if whoever has to travel to and from your job in unpaid time. As an aside I've had people turn up at say 9 in the morning, leave at 3 and make that 7 or 8 hours work when it came to paying.... For £80 I bought a clocking in clock and cards. It's saved me a fortune!