Pay Contractor A Deposit Before Work Starts?

russ331

I’m having my small (2.14 by 1.70 metres) bathroom refurbed, starting 3rd August. I couldn’t find an available contractor through friends or relatives recommendation, so I found one through Checkatrade. Agreed £7,000 inc VAT, with me to supply floor & wall tiles.

Now he says he requires an initial 40% deposit to secure the start date and to pay for the bathroom materials agreed. Followed by another 30% half way through the work approximately after one week of starting. The final 30% to be paid on completion day.

This deposit in advance rings alarm bells for me. If you agree it’s unreasonable, please advise what percentage payments I should negotiate at which stages of the work. If you think the contractor is being fair, please let me know. Thanks in advance...

TELLIT01

How much is the bathroom suite costing?  It would seem that is his only potential up-front cost as you are supplying the tiles.  40% seems high to me.  You might want to consider paying direct for suite and doing so on a credit card in case he skips off without doing the work.

russ331

The written quote doesn’t mention the cost of the suite. I’m “shielding”, so cannot go to Wickes, etc to select a suite myself. I’m choosing tiles from suppliers websites & having tile samples sent to me.

sharpe106

40% is probably quite high for deposit, I would go for 20%  deposit, 50% half way through then and 30% on final day.  

[Deleted User]

I'm not the trusting type.., I'd think that if you wear masks and take hand gel with you, maintain 2m distance, you can choose a bathroom suite and stay safe as well.  I'm high risk too, am very careful but still go out. 

There are also online sites you can look at as well as Wickes often isn't the cheapest and styles are limited. At the very least, I'd be checking the prices my contractor was quoting for goods before booking him.  I nearly employed someone before I realised he was overcharging me by 50%.., the red flag is a vague quote, not listing the items he is buying. 

russ331

I should have mentioned that I obtained quotes from three contractors, & the one I chose is the most price-competitive overall by a fair margin.

Only one quote specified product pricing, however, it was all premium-priced & with brand names I’ve never heard of. His labour charge is £6,600 - mind you he does have a new 5 series BMW to support.

My chosen contractor sent me a couple of images of combination basin & WC vanity units, one of which I recognised from the Homebase website. I may try to see some in the ‘flesh’, however, my recollection of pre-lockdown life is that B&Q, Homebase, Wickes, etc hardly ever have their full range on display.

rach_k

If it was somebody you already knew and trusted, it wouldn't worry me.  When we had our new bathroom done, we paid 50% deposit, 25% when tiling started and 25% on completion.  However, we bought the bathroom suite, tiles and LVT ourselves so the total paid to him was a lot less than yours, plus you don't know the contractor so it's more of a risk.

I would ask him how much the cost would come down if you bought the suite yourself.  It's not difficult to do and you will have more time and inclination to shop around than your contractor might.  I made a good saving by doing that - our plumber would have ordered from his usual supplier with his trade discount, but I managed to find better deals elsewhere.  It wasn't difficult to choose online either; there are lots of websites with loads of photos and you'll be able to find exactly what you want rather than what the contractor thinks will do for you.  I was worried about forgetting things, but all I needed was the main stuff (bath, sink, taps etc) and the plumber supplied the standard plumbing 'bits'.  

TELLIT01

With baths in particular the quality can vary massively.  When we had our bathroom done we went for the thickest bath we could, and it wasn't a great deal dearer than others of much poorer quality.

Mutton_Geoff

russ331 said:

Checkatrade

the most price-competitive overall by a fair margin

B&Q, Homebase, Wickes, etc

All are alarm bells. Proper trades don't need to advertise on Checkatrade, don't buy their stock from Homebase, don't ask for money up front and won't be the "cheapest by a fair margin" (is that what you meant by "most price-competitive" as "cheapest" sounds "cheap"?)

I wouldn't buy any bathroom or kitchen products from the sheds. They are very poor value for money and nasty quality.

Doozergirl

Mutton_Geoff said:

russ331 said:

Checkatrade

the most price-competitive overall by a fair margin

B&Q, Homebase, Wickes, etc

All are alarm bells. Proper trades don't need to advertise on Checkatrade, don't buy their stock from Homebase, don't ask for money up front and won't be the "cheapest by a fair margin" (is that what you meant by "most price-competitive" as "cheapest" sounds "cheap"?)

I wouldn't buy any bathroom or kitchen products from the sheds. They are very poor value for money and nasty quality.

100% agree. 

OP, you may not have heard of specific brands, but they can be researched for reviews and length of warranty - a true sign of the manufacturer's confidence in their product.    You've even found your way here and can ask here about those brands! The other person that quoted shows more integrity and transparency.  If you want different products, then there is conversation to be had.  

There's not a chance I'd let someone charge me a price for something I didn't know what it was, not a chance of me using checkatrade, especially not with paying people up front.     

Payment for sanitary ware when it arrives on the doorstep is one thing.   Paying a random internet person up front is different. 

rach_k

I agree that proper trades don't *need* to advertise on Check-a-trade but many of them still do because they know that people like to see it.  Proper trades don't need a website either because they'll be busy from word of mouth alone, and they don't need sign-written vans or company polo-shirts or nice headers on their invoices but many (where I live, at least) do all of those things because they want to look professional.  Making the effort to look professional doesn't mean you're out to scam people, just as not doing those things doesn't guarantee you're an honest, skilled person.  I wouldn't rely on Check-a-trade alone, but I think the snobbery displayed here fairly often is misplaced.