Cost expectations for a general builder

System

faerielight wrote: »

I'm in Brighton and pay £150 per day for my builder to do everything from painting and decorating to renovating my bathroom. I feel lucky to have found him, as he works really hard, and is very multi skilled, but will delegate if need be. My bathroom was going to be priced per job, but we decided to stick to the daily rate.

Thanks for sharing that experience! I have to agree with you that's a really good rate I think for a builder and I would suggest that that's especially good considering the location.
I tend to think that with a day rate it's human nature that a job will take slightly longer possibly more than 20% longer but there's the possibility that the overall quality of the job might be slightly higher although this is not always true. With a day rate if something unexpected comes up that builder can relax and sort it out properly and thoroughly whereas if there's an agreed figure and say someone makes a mistake or something unforeseen comes up then there's more of an incentive to get take a short cut or make do and mend so to speak although all good builders hopefully would do the job properly you'd like to think!

System

Doozergirl wrote: »

People use the word 'builder' but just reading your posts, you're lacking a 'project manager'. You're missing experience that your separate trades are missing. The gap is definitely a project manager.

Really excellent post Doozergirl! Thank you for putting into words exactly the problem I've encountered. This is where experience comes into play.

Doozergirl wrote: »

Not all project managers are builders, not all builders are project managers. A massivr problem in this country is the expectation on both sides that builders are project managers. It's not a thing. I'm a project manager.

Yes I do see what you mean and I've directly experienced that with a good tradesman who didn't have the project management experience and combined with my lack of project management experience it made the going more difficult than otherwise could or would have been with a builder who was experienced at project management.

Doozergirl wrote: »

People are lucky if they find a builder who can work on site in a trade and project manage, and even luckier if that price is the price of one person, because you are buying the skills of two. Yet it's an expectation. And that is where everyone falls.

I suppose you're able to do the project management side of things now entirely so even if you've a builder who is good but lacking in project management skills it doesn't really matter.
Ideally I'd like to find the project managing type of one man band builder but I imagine they'd even be more expensive than the normal good builder without projmanagement exp.

nickcc

jackskypath851 wrote: »

Thanks for sharing that experience! I have to agree with you that's a really good rate I think for a builder and I would suggest that that's especially good considering the location.
I tend to think that with a day rate it's human nature that a job will take slightly longer possibly more than 20% longer but there's the possibility that the overall quality of the job might be slightly higher although this is not always true. With a day rate if something unexpected comes up that builder can relax and sort it out properly and thoroughly whereas if there's an agreed figure and say someone makes a mistake or something unforeseen comes up then there's more of an incentive to get take a short cut or make do and mend so to speak although all good builders hopefully would do the job properly you'd like to think!

The problem I found when a builder works to a price for the job is that he often wanders off onto another job elsewhere which results in your job being left unsupervised and also takes an age to complete.

System

nickcc wrote: »

The problem I found when a builder works to a price for the job is that he often wanders off onto another job elsewhere which results in your job being left unsupervised and also takes an age to complete.

Which could translate into problems if he's left work unsupervised. Ideal situation is to be onsite and to have some type of understanding or project management. I don't have much experience at that myself unfortunately.

silverwhistle

jackskypath851 wrote: »

With a day rate if something unexpected comes up that builder can relax and sort it out properly and thoroughly whereas if there's an agreed figure and say someone makes a mistake or something unforeseen comes up then there's more of an incentive to get take a short cut or make do and mend so to speak although all good builders hopefully would do the job properly you'd like to think!

My GF who installs security equipment operates both systems. She doesn't advertise at all and has some long term clients and recently told one that the job would be around a grand. Looking into it more closely it ended up around 5k, but it was a safety critical install and lots of previous mistakes and bodging were discovered, leaving areas uncovered. The fire officer was pleased to sign it off and the client could now use the premises for its designed intention, so everybody was pleased.



On the other hand she's done fixed price jobs where she's had to go back to replace faulty equipment and that takes a fair bit (or most) of the profit from the smaller jobs. But that's all part of the good reputation she has built up.

ceredigion

jackskypath851 wrote: »

I tend to think that with a day rate it's human nature that a job will take slightly longer possibly more than 20%

Two points regarding the above.
In my 35 years of working on domestic's. It makes no difference if we are on day rate or price, It just doesn't register in my head and the boys working for me wouldn't know the terms of my contract anyway.

If you opt for a builder on a price, the builder is going to add more than 20% to cover the just in case aspect.

System

ceredigion wrote: »

Two points regarding the above.
In my 35 years of working on domestic's. It makes no difference if we are on day rate or price, It just doesn't register in my head and the boys working for me wouldn't know the terms of my contract anyway. .

That's a very fair point. Hadn't thought of it in that way before I hope I can manage to find a builder like you here in Essex.

ceredigion wrote: »

If you opt for a builder on a price, the builder is going to add more than 20% to cover the just in case aspect.

Yes that makes perfect sense as silverwhistle pointed out you can't always tell what's involved in the job until you get to it.
I took a few tiles up from a Victorian kitchen floor to discover the entire floor was substandard and required redoing which was at least £1k as I put down a proper concrete sub-base which meant putting in the insulation and getting it signed of etc

ceredigion

I under stand what you mean about human nature but I really think its a common misconception, all most fella's want to do is turn up in the morning , work in a timely efficient manner, build a pleasant repour with their client and get paid for a job well done. If you are any good, there is no sense to dragging a job you. You can only earn a days money in a day. Got work in front of me for 6 months plus ,always slightly behind on time . What is the advantage? Apart from anything else , when I have had to spend time on site with not a lot happening, it is so monotonous and frustrating. As you feel wasted.