Yep, I charge £50+vat / hour, 400+vat / day. Remember that that's what's being charged, not what's being earned. As a sole trader my business overheads are circa £18k a year. That's 9 weeks worked just to earn enough to keep the business running, nothing in my pocket, and that assumes I get 9 weeks worth of full days, which in reality doesn't actually happen. Add 5 weeks of holiday into that and that's easily 3 months a year of no pay.
Plumber day rate
- Thread starter speccy
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I charge £128/hour (no vat) for training kids in my workshop but as above, that’s what’s being charged not earned and that’s only for 36 weeks of the year. Lucky if I earn anything training wise for the remaining 14 weeks. That’s not much more that a main dealer would charge for a trainee to change your oil, pump up your tyres and top up your washers and call it a service!
People who are employed get:
20 days public hol a year
8 bank holidays
Maybe paid sick leave - say 7 days
So that's 35 days less per annum.
Self employed tradesmen have to take time each week on stuff that's not billable hours:
-ordering and collecting materials, returns
-site visits and quotations
-call backs for problems
- taking phone calls during day and evening
-job cancellations due to builder not ready, materials not ready, customer re schedule etc
The hourly rate has to recover all that lost time.
20 days public hol a year
8 bank holidays
Maybe paid sick leave - say 7 days
So that's 35 days less per annum.
Self employed tradesmen have to take time each week on stuff that's not billable hours:
-ordering and collecting materials, returns
-site visits and quotations
-call backs for problems
- taking phone calls during day and evening
-job cancellations due to builder not ready, materials not ready, customer re schedule etc
The hourly rate has to recover all that lost time.
Do it yourself then seems to be the obvious answer...
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I just did, took me 2 hours and not the min 4 quoted and the tank (good quality from local plumber merchants) i got it for 20% less quoted(cash not account!!) and the £50 for materials quoted i paid £15 without cutting corners may i add. I could have dragged that out to 3.5hours with a few 'issues' or oh i have to pop back to the merchants the ball valve is broken etc..
So that's a nice profit on the labour, parts and materials on top of that rate. Hmm. No you're right why don't i do it myself. No i just want to pay someone a fair price without being stiffed in return, just be honest ffs.
I wasn't commenting on the quote. Just the fact that is it isn't to your taste you have options.
Well done, you have saved money and have our permission to feel all manly
I wasn't commenting on the quote. Just the fact that is it isn't to your taste you have options.
Well done, you have saved money and have our permission to feel all manly
I didn't feel manly, not proud doing someone out of income, just disappointed proving myself right.
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Agree theres alot of factors involved here in no sick pay holiday etc.
I would like to see you walk into tescos and argue about their prices at the checkout.... perhaps you could make your own bread and then complain that they are making nearly a billion pounds in profit....
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Goods are not the same as services though
So do factory hands on minimum wage
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