Decorating a two bedroomed flat in sheltered accommodation

montymouse

My Mum is moving into sheltered accommodation, and the Estate Manager introduced me to one of the maintenance staff who would be willing to decorate the flat that Mum is going to take on. The existing decor is not too bad, but it does need a refresh. I have been given the following quote, and the flat comprises: lounge with attached kitchen, hallway with 2 cupboards, two bedrooms with 1 cupboard in one, large bathroom :

Ceilings 1 coat

All walls 2 coats

Doors and woodwork in satin white

All cupboards painted out

All paint supplied, Dulux

Appropriate paint used for bathroom and kitchen.

£850 "for cash"

It's possibly a bit more than I was expecting, but we want to get the job done quickly so we can get Mum moved in before further lockdowns, etc. We have been looking for a decorator for a job at a different property (not sheltered) and it has been difficult - we found someone, but he is really busy, so we are having to wait. Whereas the guy who works for the sheltered accom seems like he could start work soon.

Does the quote seem reasonable given the current situation? Am I best off just paying up to get the job done?

Silvertabby

Actually, based on what we recently paid, that sounds very cheap.

I'm guessing by the "for cash" condition that this chap would be working in his own time, rather than as an official maintenance operator, so you will need to be sure that he is up to the job.  

montymouse

Silvertabby said:

Actually, based on what we recently paid, that sounds very cheap.

I'm guessing by the "for cash" condition that this chap would be working in his own time, rather than as an official maintenance operator, so you will need to be sure that he is up to the job.  

Thankyou, Silvertabby! That gives me a bit of context.

He has already decorated a number of the flats and was recommended by the Estate Manager, so I am assuming that he has already proven himself to be a good decorator. I hope so!

Owain_Moneysaver

montymouse said:

 I am assuming that he has already proven himself to be a good decorator. I hope so!

It'll probably be good work if he's doing it for cash for himself rather than being rushed by a boss, and he won't want to risk his nice little earner by doing a duff job.
And if he does a duff job, you know where to find him. 

montymouse

Owain_Moneysaver said:

montymouse said:

 I am assuming that he has already proven himself to be a good decorator. I hope so!

It'll probably be good work if he's doing it for cash for himself rather than being rushed by a boss, and he won't want to risk his nice little earner by doing a duff job.
And if he does a duff job, you know where to find him. 

Good points, Owain! Thanks! Agree he would not want to lose the nice little earner by doing a bad job of it. Also, as he is on site, I assume he will still be able to do it even if there are some restrictions due to the pandemic. It might be more complicated to have an outside decorator coming in.

cattie

Wow, a bargain,!  I was quoted over £3k to have my 2 bed flat painted! Didn't go with that quote at the time, but found somebody to do my lounge/diner for £650 with me supplying the paint.

daveyjp

£150-200 a day labour.  £100-200 in paint and materials.  £850 looks a bargain.

montymouse

cattie said:

Wow, a bargain,!  I was quoted over £3k to have my 2 bed flat painted! Didn't go with that quote at the time, but found somebody to do my lounge/diner for £650 with me supplying the paint.

Thanks for the comparison, cattie. It's amazing how expensive decorating can be. I asked one friend for advice and she said she didn't know, as she has never hired a decorator - does all her own (trained artist, deals a lot with paints). We find that if we do it ourselves, it tends to take a lot longer than we planned for, and then we don't get other things done due to the time it takes.