Ensuite bathroom installation

2

Comments

  • keith969
    keith969 Posts: 1,571 Forumite
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    20 working days seems high to me for what is basically a small room. My plumber completely refitted a bathroom in 10 days. That was for:
    - removing existing tiles and sanitaryware
    - taking up floorboards, fitting new soil pipe and other pipework (loo was moved)
    - making stud for one side of shower
    - laying floor
    - making good walls and tiling
    - tiling floor
    - fitting loo/shower/basin/extractor/heated mirror/towel rail
    For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple and wrong.
  • Jainar
    Jainar Posts: 27 Forumite
    Thanks for the comments!

    I reckon the 20 working days is because it is one man doing everything himself at 260 per day. I reckon that's a bit high even for London so I am going to try to bargain him down to closer to £200 per day.

    Maybe the answer lies in between the 10 and 20 working days! I am still awaiting one more quote so let's see what that one says
  • phill99
    phill99 Posts: 9,093 Forumite
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    Jainar wrote: »
    Thanks for the comments!

    I reckon the 20 working days is because it is one man doing everything himself at 260 per day. I reckon that's a bit high even for London so I am going to try to bargain him down to closer to £200 per day.

    Maybe the answer lies in between the 10 and 20 working days! I am still awaiting one more quote so let's see what that one says

    Do you actually mean working days or labour days?


    Two men working for one day is two labour days.


    £260 a day for London is an average price. Slightly low, TBH. Don't be surprised if he tells you to take a walk.
    Eat vegetables and fear no creditors, rather than eat duck and hide.
  • Doozergirl
    Doozergirl Posts: 33,803 Forumite
    Name Dropper Photogenic First Anniversary First Post
    edited 13 November 2019 at 8:34AM
    keith969 wrote: »
    20 working days seems high to me for what is basically a small room. My plumber completely refitted a bathroom in 10 days. That was for:
    - removing existing tiles and sanitaryware
    - taking up floorboards, fitting new soil pipe and other pipework (loo was moved)
    - making stud for one side of shower
    - laying floor
    - making good walls and tiling
    - tiling floor
    - fitting loo/shower/basin/extractor/heated mirror/towel rail

    The OP's room for the ensuite doesn't exist and there is no waste connection. So imagine building a room, adding a waste connection, brand new electrics as well to your list. 20 days seems more sensible, doesn't it?

    Small rooms don't take much less time than bigger ones. There is an economy of scale. A 3m x 1m room has 19.4 square metres of surface area of walls. A 3x2m has 24. If you're plastering, or tiling floor to ceiling, for example, the difference is negligible and you still have the same number of fittings and connections to make.
    Everything that is supposed to be in heaven is already here on earth.
  • keith969
    keith969 Posts: 1,571 Forumite
    First Anniversary
    Doozergirl wrote: »
    20 days seems more sensible, doesn't it?

    4-6 days for tiling? Unless there's something odd about the walls/floors this seems excessive - The building manager's estimate seems more likely although his labour charges seem way too cheap.
    For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple and wrong.
  • Doozergirl
    Doozergirl Posts: 33,803 Forumite
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    edited 13 November 2019 at 10:17AM
    keith969 wrote: »
    4-6 days for tiling? Unless there's something odd about the walls/floors this seems excessive - The building manager's estimate seems more likely although his labour charges seem way too cheap.

    I do this for a living.

    I can't tell you how many bathrooms we've done. Properly. Many, many of them created from scratch like this one.

    I'm not sure where I'm supposed to have said 4-6 days of tiling, but 4 days is perfectly usual for what our clients take up.

    I've PM'd a bathroom that took a month to tile.
    Everything that is supposed to be in heaven is already here on earth.
  • keith969
    keith969 Posts: 1,571 Forumite
    First Anniversary
    Doozergirl wrote: »
    I'm not sure where I'm supposed to have said 4-6 days of tiling, but 4 days is perfectly usual for what our clients take up.

    It's what the OP said.

    This (2.7m x 1.5m, part tiled) took less than 2 days:

    https://peardrop.co.uk/IMG_1046.JPG
    For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple and wrong.
  • Jainar
    Jainar Posts: 27 Forumite
    It is one person who is doing everything as a one man band. So the 20 working days will also be 20 labour days as it will be the one chap.

    What is a typical payment schedule for a job like this? I would like to bill by activity. for example:

    1 day Preparation/Planning
    4 days Removing floorboards, Drilling hole for soil pipe, preparing plumbing
    25% Payment

    2 days Building Walls, Door, Ceiling
    2 days Plumbing water/waste/soil
    20% payment

    4-6 days Tiling (depending on the amount of tiling)
    25 % payment

    2-3 days Fitting Toilet, Cistern, Basin, Shower
    3 days Finishing off, Sealing, Painting, Tidying up
    30% payment

    When should I pay for building materials? I presume tradesmen can buy on account and they can have credit for a month or so?
  • Jainar
    Jainar Posts: 27 Forumite
    (pardon the bump)

    The quote I am looking to agree effectively breaks down into £4,500 of labour and will be roughly£4,500 of material. So £9,000 for a en-suite built from scratch. Is this a reasonable all in number given all the considerations?
  • Doozergirl
    Doozergirl Posts: 33,803 Forumite
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    edited 14 November 2019 at 12:55AM
    I think £9k is reasonable for a job from scratch.

    4 payments is once a week roughly, for one guy. I think fortnightly keeps a show of everyone being invested and reassures you that the guy isn't living hand to mouth.
    Everything that is supposed to be in heaven is already here on earth.
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