painting and decorating price

Facetious_2

I was so disappointed when I read the first post but fortunately the replies have restored my faith in folk. I have just registered with HMRC as a self-employed painter and decorator after years of balancing the odd job here and there and staying home looking after the kids. My other half is currently out of work so we're doing a swap and I'm going for it full time. When I read the first post my stomach plummeted. If people aren't happy with £80 a day how on earth am I expected to make any kind of living? Even my neighbour and friend, who's one of my first customers, balked at the price I quoted (£100 for a small kitchen - stripping, papering, painting and woodwork) and she's doing the stripping herself so she can pay me less. In the meantime I've got people asking what my prices are cos they've been quoted £120 a day or similar and think it's extortionate. Nobody wants to shell out for a decent job and I refuse to bow down to the people who expect me to take the cash in hand and do it cheap. Either one of us could have signed on this week. We would have had our council tax paid and free school meals for the kids. I could have sat on my bum for half the week and done a cash in hand job to keep us in beer and fags (actually I don't drink or smoke but you get my drift) Do you know why we didn't? Because it's wrong. What goes around comes around. Knock the wages down by all means, but all you've done is paid the extra out of your NI and tax cos the benefits don't come from out the ether, you know.

Anyway, like I said, the replies made a great difference. I'm looking forward to getting stuck in and if people don't like my prices they can get somebody else in. Oh, and I've always accepted cheques - even my casual work was kosher.

katiepops_2

I paid £130 a day x three days to have my lounge decorated, and that was just painting and papering it.

The one thing that really peed me off though, was that although they were here for most of the first day, the second and third days they were only here for a couple of hours each. I would far sooner that he had said he would charge me £xxx to do it rather than tell me it was £130 per day. No doubt after he finished here in the mornings he went off somewhere else and charged someone else £130 a day!

I'm not really complaining, my lounge looks great, but to me 'a day' means at least five or six hours in one go, not three!

Actually, if my decorator had been charging £80 a day I'd have signed him up to do the whole house.

misgrace

Well said Faceetious, you have high morals which will keep you in work, I cant make out if your male or female, but what its worth I am a female P&D, and I do drop a little bit sometimes for my regulars, specially when they have recommended me to neighbours, friends etc, but keep to your guns, charge a fair price, if you start letting them knock you down, word gets round, and then the majority of people will expect it or even try and take advantage.
Good luck in your P&D and hope you do well.

misgrace

katiepops wrote: »

I paid £130 a day x three days to have my lounge decorated, and that was just painting and papering it.

The one thing that really peed me off though, was that although they were here for most of the first day, the second and third days they were only here for a couple of hours each. I would far sooner that he had said he would charge me £xxx to do it rather than tell me it was £130 per day. No doubt after he finished here in the mornings he went off somewhere else and charged someone else £130 a day!

I'm not really complaining, my lounge looks great, but to me 'a day' means at least five or six hours in one go, not three!

Actually, if my decorator had been charging £80 a day I'd have signed him up to do the whole house.

Hi there Katiepops, I think they were bang out of order doing that to you, when I start a job, I stay there and finish it, I get there early, never go off to get lunch/materials or anything, I stay there for the duration.
What these P&D should have done was given you a price for the job, not a day rate, I never charge a day rate, therefore if I quoted you for example £500 for a job, its not your problem if it takes me 5 days or 7 days, I wouldnt dream of charging extra either if the job took longer than I anticipated, as again, its not thier problem, and at least you know where you are then.

I know in some circumstances tradesmen have to charge per day, but me personally just thinks 'a price' is much better for the client.:D

katiepops_2

misgrace wrote: »

Hi there Katiepops, I think they were bang out of order doing that to you, when I start a job, I stay there and finish it, I get there early, never go off to get lunch/materials or anything, I stay there for the duration.
What these P&D should have done was given you a price for the job, not a day rate, I never charge a day rate, therefore if I quoted you for example £500 for a job, its not your problem if it takes me 5 days or 7 days, I wouldnt dream of charging extra either if the job took longer than I anticipated, as again, its not thier problem, and at least you know where you are then.

I know in some circumstances tradesmen have to charge per day, but me personally just thinks 'a price' is much better for the client.:D

Let's just say I won't be asking him back to do any more ...

He came highly recommended though, and I was happy to pay for it to be done properly (although I can see from where I am sitting that he missed a little bit on the ceiling, but I'm not going to let it worry me).

phill99

I runa a Maintrenance Company and only give fixed prices. If the job takes longer, then the customer doesn't have to pay more. If it takes less, then I'm up on the deal. Guys that only offer day rates, will in varialbly drag the job out. Someone like Facetious will always have work because he sells himself on quality not price. Any one can do a cheap job, but not everyone can do a quality job. Remember - pay peanuts and you get monkeys!

Facetious_2

Thanks misgrace, and phill99. It's really scary starting out on my own but I want to do things right from the very start. I figured i would have a daily rate in my mind and figure out how many days a job would take in order to give a set price. Like you said, misgrace, it means it's up to me how quick I work once it's quoted, and the customer won't be penalised for me taking my time. So far I've got a couple of jobs booked in but there's a huge empty space in my diary once May is out and I'm trying not to think about it (aaarrrgggghhh!). I shall let you know when I'm on to my first million!

misgrace

H again Facetious, am pleased you have some work lined up, you will soon know as time goes by, if you are charging too little, in a way its better to start a little under, until you build up a client base and a good rep.
Dont be too despondant if work slows down, or you have spaces in your diary, I could count on both hands 20 times over the cancellations I have had, and been left with a week or fortnight with no work, but then the phone will ring and I can give them that week, its swings and roundabouts.:D

What are doing about advertising?

phill99

misgarce is right. However, don't get into then habit of selling on price. Any fool can do that. Sell yourself on quality, service commitment, technical knowledge and professionalism. With that you will never go wrong. While you are trying to build things up, maybe contact a couple of bif P & D companies as they often need people at short notice. The money may not be brilliant, but some money is better than none.