Builders taken less time than in the original quote

springbokfamily

Hi
I have just had some building work done, which when it was quoted, I was told it would take 2 days. It has taken them 1 day.
I have never had any building work done before, and was wondering whether I should ask for a revised figure as the work took less time? The quote states that the work will be carried out over a 2 day period, it details the work to be carried out, and that it includes all labour and materials.


Any advice would be gratefully received.

Thanks

ThePubLandlord

If you agreed a fixed price then pay them. It may well be that they never intended to do a full day's work on day one. If you're happy with their work you may need them again.

El_Torro

If it had taken 3 days would you have offered to pay them more?

I don't know what you agreed but when I've had work done at my place I've always agreed a price on getting the job done, not based on how long it will take them to do the work.

Cisco001

What is your quotation based on?
Is it fix price lump sum ?
Or material cost + daily labour cost?

redmalc

I had a similar issue with a tradesman,we agreed a price and he estimated the job would take three days,it took two and he gave us £200 back when i paid him which was the best days work he did because we have given him work for the last ten years on a regular basis

Ant555

Maybe they put extra manpower on the job to get it finished in a shorter time frame.

1 man takes 2 days, 2 men take a day - both cost the builder the same in wages and you get a job done quicker. He might get to start the next job a day earlier but has not gained financially in that scenario.

I had some builders turn up on a Sunday once to finish a job quicker as they were keen to get the work done due to a bad weather forecast for the rest of the week.

stator

It depends if you had an estimate or a quote?

thechippy

I quote many jobs at work.
The labour content is always an educated guess based on past experience. Sometimes a job goes really well and sometimes they don't.

As previously mentioned, if the job took longer due to snags, would you be prepared to pay more?

I've had this with clients.
Quoted some jobs based on lets say two days, but took us three. We stick to the quoted amount and take the extra day on the chin.
Likewise, some jobs we may have allowed three days, but it took two and the client wanted a refund of a days labour. Clients can't have it all ways. If that job took four days and we asked them to pay an extra day's labour, they would just have said "tough, it was fixed price"........;)
Kind of works both ways really.

warehouse

El_Torro wrote: »

If it had taken 3 days would you have offered to pay them more?

The builder would have charged more.

McKneff

warehouse wrote: »

The builder would have charged more.

The builder wouldn't, if he had given a quote. A quote is a fixed price. He cannot legally charge more.


Different matter is he had given an estimate. It is exactly what it says, an estimate.

piggeh

If you offer a day rate they'll work slower as they know they're getting paid for each day they're there. If there is a fixed sum then they'll work quicker to move onto the next job as soon as possible. If the work is up to standard and the costs were lower than the other two quotes you received, I don't know why you would pay them less for doing the work in a more timely fashion then they originally stated.