Grans home needs fixing - help me avoid getting ripped off

sho_me_da_money

Hi guys,

My gran passed away last year and left the property to our family.

Just a brief on us - there's 5 of us and we live in a council home (not bought) and have been there for the last 20+ years.

My mum and dad haven't worked for about 15 years due to health issues. My brothers dont work. I am the only person bringing money in the house and making things work for us. My parents do get income support though.

Now theres a lot of stuff need doing at grans house - some slates are broken on roof, water has leaked through and caused problems with outside walls which need pointing again, plastering in dining room needs doing, kitchen needs ripping out. Theres basically alot to do.

Now what rate should i be expected to pay to a builder who i assume could take care of pointing and roofing - do i negotiate a per day rate, a per job rate or a per hour rate?

Whatever the way, can someone give me an indication as what i should be paying - cheapest price in Manchester area.

Ive heard some really shocking prices - some people paying almost £10K for just the kitchen!! - I dont have a lot of money and have no clue about the trade so i have no idea what's fair or not.

If someone is kind enough to give me a clue, id be extremely grateful.

Thanks you

baldelectrician

Phone your local trading standards for advice- they may have a list of registered firms.

Get the house wind and watertight and secure. Then see what you have left

If you need heating or electrics done get this and other messy work before you plaster

bookduck

If money is really tight, then selling Grans house may be your only and easiest option. If you don't sell, don't give up your council house!

If you don't sell it, you have more choices to take into account when doing your repair work: fixing it up to sell, rent it, or live in it? If you want to rent it or sell it you had better visit a few estate agents and find out how much they sell and rent in Grans area, and up to what standard they are in when they sell or rent before you even touch the property.

I once lived very close to Manchester (Rochdale) and remembering that it rained a lot. In a few weeks time it will be the middle of summer too and time flies.

Think your chimney, roof, gutter are your first priorities. You should be able to do your own pointing. Once it is water tight and has dried out then do your plastering and the last is the kitchen.

My average kitchen cost £900 from Ikea and eletrical items cost £300 more. It was not Ikea's cheapest kitchen either, nor was it the most expensive. I'm sure with sculpted granite work tops and expensive appliances I could have topped £10000 mark

Tradesmen here in London are about £120 to about £180 a day - generally speaking plasterer cost £130, plumber £140 and carpenter cost £150. The cost of a kitchen fitter to fit a kitchen is about £1200 to £2300 depending on size and complexity. If you hire a company instead of the tradesmen, then expect to pay more.

It is generally better if you pay per job as sometimes people work slower, or extra careful if they are paid per hour or per day. Also ask how long it will take and put it in the contract. You may want to ask another question on the forum about building contracts - like where can you find the paperwork. Don't pay any cash up front for work. DON'T PAY ANY CASH UP FRONT FOR ANY WORK. Don't pay a deposit. Don't pay a retention fee etc. It's a house and you can't run off with it! Don't get the person to deviate from the contracted work by getting them to do extras or it may cost you dearly both in time and £. Get a few references and photos and check them

sho_me_da_money

To both,

Thank you so much for your reply.

Just to fill in the blanks - the house has been around for 50+ years and holds way too many memories. It is sentimental value and wont be sold.

The house will inevitably be passed through to us (me and brothers) and we will continue to live in it for as long as we live.

Those rates are helpful knowing that they are London rates. As the capital is generally more expensive, i think i can drop those rates to get a feel for how much Manchester should be charging.

I will definitely take your advice and pay per job.

So you think i can do the point on all 3 walls of the house? Is it that easy? Im told a proper job means scraping out at least 1/4 inch and then filling from there.

Canucklehead

bookduck wrote: »

Tradesmen here in London are about £120 to about £180 a day - generally speaking plasterer cost £130, plumber £140 and carpenter cost £150.

Good morning: My OH has worked in London and the leafier parts of Surrey for over 30 years...at least
double your figure for qualified plumbers/heating engineers (has completed a 5 year apprenticeship, member of the IPHE, CORGI reg.);) :that rate varies depending on site factors eg. within congestion zone, cost/availability of parking etc. Get quotes (not estimates) for the individual jobs and never pay a daily rate. Use trades recommended to you by a source you trust.

HTH

Canucklehead

sho_me_da_money

Thanks Canucklehead!

The price scares me - £280 for a plumber! damn

plumb1_2

sho_me_da_money wrote: »

Thanks Canucklehead!

The price scares me - £280 for a plumber! damn

Average price for all trades in the Manchester area approx £150 per day, get quotes for all the jobs.
As posted above get the house water tight first, then do internal work.

Canucklehead

sho_me_da_money wrote: »

Thanks Canucklehead!

The price scares me - £280 for a plumber! damn

Good morning: It gets even higher! My OH's mate is an NIECIC electrical contractor and he bills £300+ per day(25+ years in the trade with an extensive client list). The £150 average for trades suggested by plumb1 (hope he is able to bill more than his 'average';) ) is staggering to someone living down here as many of the overheads and cost of consumables for eg. CORGIs are the same regardless of your location in the UK.

Good luck with your project.


Canucklehead

bookduck

sho_me_da_money wrote: »

So you think i can do the point on all 3 walls of the house? Is it that easy? Im told a proper job means scraping out at least 1/4 inch and then filling from there.

Pointing is easy, but does involve work. Scrape - maybe, but electric grinder is another option (or a drill at a push) I think anybody could repoint 3 walls of a house, but not perhaps in one day. Often only sections needs re pointing and not a complete wall. I'm not sure of the 'regs', but there is a good chance you should have scaffolding up above a certain height, however ladders have been used for 1000's of years. Majority of stuff in life is common sense, however some items do involve skill.

I recently had a Corgi (think they are the only qualified people that can do gas?) guy who's team did my Kitchen, but that was in a previous windging post. Not every one who is registered to a body is good, or out to rip you off either.

If you personally do not know people and know the quality of their workmanship, you could look at building sites, large companies that have maintenance departments as some of the people do private work. Same for building and plumbing companies. I was quoted by one person at work to plumb in a bathroom (it is a days work) at £850 a weekend, while another contractor working for a large company wanted £150 a day, so you do have to shop around. Only pay for specific skills when you need that skill, Also people work with like trades, so a electrician will probably know plumbers, carpenters etc. A mate in a pub is not the best way to go and know of too many people that have come unstuck using this method.

Personally i would not let Canucklehead near a dripping tap to change a washer, he is too expensive and probably would also be insulted by the request (but money soon takes the edge of things) I would however let this costly chap loose an expensive heating system.

I have had dealing with Eastern European builders and they have all been very good and reasonable. I do not argue/debate with any people regarding rates, we all have to eat, but I don't want to be sitting having Mc D's mechanically remove meat burger special meal-deal, while across the road i'm paying for another sod to eat caviar.

http://www.diydoctor.org.uk/projects/Pointingbrickwork.htm
http://diydata.com/techniques/brickwork/pointing/pointing.php
http://www.pavingexpert.com/pointing.htm

jason_s_2

Plasterer is more like £150-£175 and day.

Canucklehead

bookduck wrote: »

Personally i would not let Canucklehead near a dripping tap to change a washer, he is too expensive and probably would also be insulted by the request (but money soon takes the edge of things) I would however let this costly chap loose an expensive heating system.

Good afternoon: You'd be hard pressed to get me to fix your drip and work on your central heating system as I explained in response to a previous post by you My OH on the other hand, routinely does the dripping taps etc though these days people are more likely to have a go at DIY after getting advice from other MSErs and conducting internet research on the issue at hand...oops, gotta go...the lorry has just pulled up with our weekly shipment of Nova Scotia lobster and the Bentley is in the way:eek:

Canucklehead