Is this quote (for extractor fans) reasonable?

Pagala

Hi all, I've no idea about this kind of stuff, so I just wanted to know if this quote is fair. 

Very small house. 80s build. Kitchen on ground floor and bathroom on 1st floor. When I bought it a couple of years ago, there was a problem with damp in the bathroom. Flaky paint because of damp plaster. I understand that all of the houses down this road, built at the same time, had or have this problem. It can get quite serious.
I remedied the issue as best I could, at the time. And used damp-resistant paint. Obviously, this is not a real solution. The problem is, both the kitchen and the bathroom lack extractor fans.

I've been trying for quite some time to get someone around to quote me for upstairs and downstairs extractor fans. What worries me is that at least one fan will have to go sideways, through a brick wall, to reach the outside. Therefore, it's got to be a good electrician that does this. That's what I'm thinking. What do you think about that? I'm actually quite worried about damaging the structure of the building.

So far, I've managed to get only 2 quotes to install fans. One quote was absolutely crazy, involved thousands of pounds worth of equipment, etc. Plus the guy giving the quote didn't seem to have any experience.

The second one is for £500. This is what I'm looking at. A qualified electrician offers to install a 6-inch extractor fan to the kitchen and a 4-inch extractor fan to the bathroom, for £500, labour and materials all included. Is this reasonable?

I suspect the tiny size of these fans is meant to reduce the risk of damaging the structure. However, is this the right sort of solution to a damp problem? Is it enough of a solution? And is the quote reasonable?

[Deleted User]

Have a look at at heat pump humidifiers as an alternative solution. The problem with extractor fans is that they extract heat and let in cold air. A heat pump humidifier actually gives out heat whilst extracting water from the air.

donemedosh

I would say that for both fans supplied & fitted £500 is not a bad price. I take it that it is a new instalation so will need new wiring Just ask for the type of fans that are going to be fitted & see if they have a humidistat.

Pagala

Never heard of a humidistat. Will ask, thanks.

donemedosh

It is a sensor built into the fan that detects how much moisture is in the air. You can set it to 50/60/70% and it will continue to run until the set humidity is reached. Most good extractors have them.

FaceHead

Don't let them just wire it off the nearest light, so that when the light goes off the fan goes straight off. Get a fan with a humidistat (expensive) or timer, which stays on for a bit after the lights go off.

This makes the wiring more difficult sometimes, but gives you a better result, and more flexibility over what fan you put on the end of the wiring in future.  

Emmia

£500 sounds a bit cheap if they're providing the fans - 2 decent (quiet) fans with humidstats and a good rate of extraction would be half of that, plus you'll need the hose and attachment kits...

We have these (or very similar) in our windowless bathroom and shower room (they're £129.99 each) and they're excellent - the cheaper vent axias they replaced were not up to the job.

https://www.screwfix.com/p/vent-axia-vash100htc-7-5w-bathroom-extractor-fan-with-humidistat-timer-white-240v/870gy

Personally I'd buy the fans + fitting kit myself for them to fit, to ensure I got good ones.

Alias_Omega

Quite easy jobs, 

1. Drill a hole through the wall.
2. Supply the hole with power (via a switch)
3. Fit the ducting & external grill
4. Fit the fan & test

4" Fan, Duct, External Grill = £40
6" Fan, Duct, External Grill = £50

The rest of the cost is for cable, labour, risk, plaster..

£500 is fair..

Pagala

OK, thanks everyone. Solved