Current "day rate" for a plumber,carpenter,Electrician?

DirtyDiesels

kerryaviva wrote: »

around 175 a day especially with the price of diesel and other hidden costs;)

175 a day - your crazy... obviously your a tradesman!!!!

DirtyDiesels

jblack wrote: »

Maybe he's posting from his blackberry at the top of a power station...

At 230 / day of course he'd have a blackberry:D:D

engineermike

New build in sight wrote: »

Hi all, we currently ahve a plumber employed for a new build and he charges €150 per day inc VAT. He is registered etc.

My concern as always is paying per day rather than per job.

However we are keeping a close watch on things and he was on site until well after 6pm last night so we cannot complain. And he is a terribly nice guy which helps.

One hundred and fifty per day seems fair, if the job is going according to plan and he / she hooks up and commissions the system - there is nothing wrong with keeping 10 or 15% back until any work is deemed operable or functioning satisfactorily.
mike f

johnr1

The day rate for a tradesperson varies, along with the quality of their work, and by this I don't necessarily just mean finish, safety, structural stability etc.

A really good tradesperson who knows their job will be also able to give input to decisions and be proactive about problem solving. They will be able to share their knowledge of different materials, finishes, systems etc, rather than just slapping in whatever is easiest /the bog standard.

During the 90s and 00s, I employed overall about 200 different carpenters and other tradesmen directly. Of the whole lot, there are about 10 that I'd be interested in having work for me again. That's not likely to happen anytime soon, but it illustrates the half-baked professionals we produced in that time.

A really good tradesman is worth 5 or more of these guys, but sadly, many of the best are now abroad or under employed due to lack of contacts, business acumen, or sheer brass neck, which often seems to be common in the less skilled.

.

kieran24883

I think every tadesman who is self employed price differs due to personel circumstances, i know im cheap cause its a new business i need to build up a customer base, i have no big loan, kids etc, i now charge 160 a day, could never see myself dropping prices, what people dont realise is the cost and time to look at the job get materials, van tax, insurance and maintenance, public liability insurance, ecssa/reci membership, tools and the cost of courses. we dont just ramble in to a job get paid and swan off. I started my business in March and have put every penny i possibly can back in to it, some people give out what we charge but if they want the job done safely I have already, like i assume many sparks around the country seen some horror jobs that cowboys have done, 40amps feeding two wall lights with earths connected as lives, live cables exposed i could ramble for hours but would you prefer to spend a few extra quid on knowing that you are safe or get in a guy who knows a bit about wiring to do it?

rum and coke

I charge 230 as I said earlier.I work at least 8-9 hours a day.Allow an hour each way for travel and maybe an hour or 2 in the office every evening.Allow for tax and 20 a day for diesel.Works out about 12 something an hour.Now factor in all other associated costs too many to mention.


Now anyone that tells me a tradesman is not worth that is having a laugh.The customer is made aware and by and large happy enough.I work all over the place so I must be doing something right.

150 is probably ok if your working on your doorstep.

johnr1

^^^^ Yes, that would be fair rate when you take into account PL insurance, (1000 min pa) and the cost of keeping a commercial vechicle roadworthy for a year which is about 2k on average, not including vehicle and gear depreciation or higher road insurance for tradesmen.
However what we are up against is the guy with 3 kids on the dole, who needs about 600 pw in the hand to match welfare, and who will work for 80 to 100 cash per day thus topping up his welfare by another 4 - 500.

Hard to blame the householder for plumping for him as opposed to us.

There is a lot of talk about "cash" in the media this week, - that's not the problem, the real crime is <SNIP>

Mod edit: be very careful with what you post here

Ok, I don't see the problem with what I posted, what I said was that dole fraud is a crime, which it is, on more than one level. I could have left out the expletitive to describe them, but I didn't think it would offend anyone apart from the people I was describing.

Problem is ????

.

jakko86

couldnt agree more!

johnr1 wrote: »

^^^^ Yes, that would be fair rate when you take into account PL insurance, (1000 min pa) and the cost of keeping a commercial vechicle roadworthy for a year which is about 2k on average, not including vehicle and gear depreciation or higher road insurance for tradesmen.
However what we are up against is the guy with 3 kids on the dole, who needs about 600 pw in the hand to match welfare, and who will work for 80 to 100 cash per day thus topping up his welfare by another 4 - 500.

Hard to blame the householder for plumping for him as opposed to us.

There is a lot of talk about "cash" in the media this week, - that's not the problem, the real crime is <SNIP>

Mod edit: be very careful with what you post here

wirehairmax

New build in sight wrote: »

Hi all, we currently ahve a plumber employed for a new build and he charges €150 per day inc VAT. He is registered etc.

My concern as always is paying per day rather than per job.

However we are keeping a close watch on things and he was on site until well after 6pm last night so we cannot complain. And he is a terribly nice guy which helps.

Just wondering why your plumber couldnt give you a fixed price for your new build? Any experienced and competent plumbing contractor should have the knowledge to price a new build from start to finish. With respect, how long is he going to be there for? I'm not calling him dishonest or anything, but it does provide an opportunity for someone who would be less than trustworthy. As amateurs to construction, how do you know whether or not you are getting maximum production for your money?

wirehairmax

johnr1 wrote: »

^^^^ Yes, that would be fair rate when you take into account PL insurance, (1000 min pa) and the cost of keeping a commercial vechicle roadworthy for a year which is about 2k on average, not including vehicle and gear depreciation or higher road insurance for tradesmen.
However what we are up against is the guy with 3 kids on the dole, who needs about 600 pw in the hand to match welfare, and who will work for 80 to 100 cash per day thus topping up his welfare by another 4 - 500.

Hard to blame the householder for plumping for him as opposed to us.

There is a lot of talk about "cash" in the media this week, - that's not the problem, the real crime is <SNIP>

Mod edit: be very careful with what you post here

And dont forget that being self-employed means being responsible for your own pension, sick-pay, tax etc etc etc. A self-employed person also has no safety net of social welfare in the event of having no work, being entitled to abseloutely nothing for the days, weeks and even months when they may have no work on.
Being self-employed also means working maybe 14-16 hours a day sometimes on paperwork, estimating, debt-collection, repairing and servicing equipment.
We upskill and attend training courses and seminars at our own cost as we dont get subsidised by any employer or public body.

wirehairmax

DirtyDiesels wrote: »

175 a day - your crazy... obviously your a tradesman!!!!

What do you work at and are you self-employed? Whats your annual salary?
I think it may be helpful to this thread if anyone posting here were to state their profession/trade when posting. It may help to explain the begrudgery and ill-will towards self-employed tradesmen and professionals.

DirtyDiesels wrote: »

At 230 / day of course he'd have a blackberry:D:D

A smartphone whether it be a Blackberry, Iphone, Android device or other is almost essential to the modern business person in their daily activities. By using a smartphone, I am able to receive drawings and instructions from architects and clients, invoices and statements from suppliers, I can email orders and lists to suppliers. I use GPS to cut down on travel time to new addresses and can never get lost, I have functions like calculators and conversion tools. Also good smartphones have excellent cameras and email functions so any site records can be sent in real time to any interested parties. There are hundreds of more functions and apps available to business people to assist them in their daily functions as principal of a small to medium business.

jakko86

would have to agree with this, Im a carpenter and i price jobs and would never offer a day rate only price the job and how long i feel it will take and when the customer is pricing others they know they are getting value for money.

wirehairmax wrote: »

Just wondering why your plumber couldnt give you a fixed price for your new build? Any experienced and competent plumbing contractor should have the knowledge to price a new build from start to finish. With respect, how long is he going to be there for? I'm not calling him dishonest or anything, but it does provide an opportunity for someone who would be less than trustworthy. As amateurs to construction, how do you know whether or not you are getting maximum production for your money?

New build in sight

wirehairmax wrote: »

Just wondering why your plumber couldnt give you a fixed price for your new build? Any experienced and competent plumbing contractor should have the knowledge to price a new build from start to finish. With respect, how long is he going to be there for? I'm not calling him dishonest or anything, but it does provide an opportunity for someone who would be less than trustworthy. As amateurs to construction, how do you know whether or not you are getting maximum production for your money?

I never said he hadn't given a price "per job". He has, but i just worked it out what it is costing us per day so we can pay him something as we go along. we would like to pay the guys that have done work for us somethin just to keep them ticking over (and on side) so this is how i know what the day rate works out at. As they have given an estimate of how many days to complete the work.
I can assure you that anyone that we have hired is completely and utterly checked. We may be amateurs but we are certainly no fools....

We would never employ someone on a day rate.

New build in sight

jakko86 wrote: »

would have to agree with this, Im a carpenter and i price jobs and would never offer a day rate only price the job and how long i feel it will take and when the customer is pricing others they know they are getting value for money.

As i have mentioned above, we only pay for a job rate, and calculate ourselves what they are getting per day. Our plumber did tell us today that his going rate was in fact €150 per plus VAT anyway. He also says he charges in stages if that suits clients too. For example he has completed our 1st fix ground floor, which he normally charges €600 for including VAT. But we only paid him €500 inc VAT as it only took him 2.5 days to complete. And we agreed to retain a certain % untill fully complete. Whcih we agreed between us at the very beginning. We were all very clear on where we stand with all of our tradespersons.

engineermike

Get both rates,
From different trades/ companies. Any type of trades person. Estimate of time and quote ( price for job ) and also rate.
Quite of astute of the other posters on the thread to ask for both and dress it in " I want to give a few bob as the job goes on". ( WITH SOME HELD BACK FOR SNAGS ! )
Its a buyers market out there at the moment and everything should be above board - and in the interest of the customer.
Point of note in the day rate - any conflict for trades / delivery of materials you have ordered, has consequence for the person footing the bill, i.e. the client
- if you go forward on a day rate - and the "plasterer hasn't finshed, or the spark isn't here by lunchtime" what ever it is
- you might ( or probably will ) foot the bill for that day or half day wasted.
There is also the " peace of mind factor" with people you can deal with - I've three of the best tradesmen i've seen in 30 years in the business starting on my house in the morning for 2 weeks work, and at 75 yoyo's per man per day!. Everything will be done to the letter and I'm ok with with a day or two beyond what we / they estimated it will take. As long as its done right <SNIP>
mike f

jakko86

75 a day for the best tradesmen around??ARE YOU HAVIN A LAUGH!you must have misheard them.:p

engineermike wrote: »

Get both rates,
From different trades/ companies. Any type of trades person. Estimate of time and quote ( price for job ) and also rate.
Quite of astute of the other posters on the thread to ask for both and dress it in " I want to give a few bob as the job goes on". ( WITH SOME HELD BACK FOR SNAGS ! )
Its a buyers market out there at the moment and everything should be above board - and in the interest of the customer.
Point of note in the day rate - any conflict for trades / delivery of materials you have ordered, has consequence for the person footing the bill, i.e. the client
- if you go forward on a day rate - and the "plasterer hasn't finshed, or the spark isn't here by lunchtime" what ever it is
- you might ( or probably will ) foot the bill for that day or half day wasted.
There is also the " peace of mind factor" with people you can deal with - I've three of the best tradesmen i've seen in 30 years in the business starting on my house in the morning for 2 weeks work, and at 75 yoyo's per man per day!. Everything will be done to the letter and I'm ok with with a day or two beyond what we / they estimated it will take. As long as its done right, <SNIP>

mike f

wirehairmax

engineermike wrote: »

Get both rates,
From different trades/ companies. Any type of trades person. Estimate of time and quote ( price for job ) and also rate.
Quite of astute of the other posters on the thread to ask for both and dress it in " I want to give a few bob as the job goes on". ( WITH SOME HELD BACK FOR SNAGS ! )
Its a buyers market out there at the moment and everything should be above board - and in the interest of the customer.
Point of note in the day rate - any conflict for trades / delivery of materials you have ordered, has consequence for the person footing the bill, i.e. the client
- if you go forward on a day rate - and the "plasterer hasn't finshed, or the spark isn't here by lunchtime" what ever it is
- you might ( or probably will ) foot the bill for that day or half day wasted.
There is also the " peace of mind factor" with people you can deal with - I've three of the best tradesmen i've seen in 30 years in the business starting on my house in the morning for 2 weeks work, and at 75 yoyo's per man per day!. Everything will be done to the letter and I'm ok with with a day or two beyond what we / they estimated it will take. As long as its done right, <SNIP>

mike f

<SNIP> And you're an Engineer? As a professional, you should know better than to encourage this illegal black market practice.

muffler

Official warning given to engineermike. We dont allow those type of comments.

mikeholmes1

johnr1 wrote: »

The day rate for a tradesperson varies, along with the quality of their work, and by this I don't necessarily just mean finish, safety, structural stability etc.

A really good tradesperson who knows their job will be also able to give input to decisions and be proactive about problem solving. They will be able to share their knowledge of different materials, finishes, systems etc, rather than just slapping in whatever is easiest /the bog standard.

During the 90s and 00s, I employed overall about 200 different carpenters and other tradesmen directly. Of the whole lot, there are about 10 that I'd be interested in having work for me again. That's not likely to happen anytime soon, but it illustrates the half-baked professionals we produced in that time.

A really good tradesman is worth 5 or more of these guys, but sadly, many of the best are now abroad or under employed due to lack of contacts, business acumen, or sheer brass neck, which often seems to be common in the less skilled.

.

How many of them were qualified? A lot of so called Carpenters are people who just helped a carpenter for a year or so and hey presto they are carpenters,this to me is a massive problem.
i quoted a job recently which would have taking 10 hours,because i new them i said i'd do it for E150,i got told it was too dear that another lad said he'd do it for 100.the person that did it washed cars for a living and clearly wasn't a carpenter,needless to say i was told busy when asked to fix his poor work.

mikeholmes1

DirtyDiesels wrote: »

175 a day - your crazy... obviously your a tradesman!!!!

what do you think a qualified and insured Tradesman with 30k worth of tools should charge per day?
I find it funny that people cry about these things yet have no problems handing a taxi man from the backside of Africa 30quid for a 15minute run any saturday night.

Lombardo86

mikeholmes1 wrote: »

what do you think a qualified and insured Tradesman with 30k worth of tools should charge per day?
I find it funny that people cry about these things yet have no problems handing a taxi man from the backside of Africa 30quid for a 15minute run any saturday night.

Fairly racist

mikeholmes1

Lombardo86 wrote: »

Fairly racist

Oh the old racist card again,i didn't mention skin tone in my post.

Lombardo86

mikeholmes1 wrote: »

Oh the old racist card again,i didn't mention skin tone in my post.

True - but you could have always left it at "Taxi Driver" is all i'm saying. And by mentioning where he was from you more than implied it.

mikeholmes1

Lombardo86 wrote: »

True - but you could have always left it at "Taxi Driver" is all i'm saying. And by mentioning where he was from you more than implied it.

As i said the racist card is pulled far too easy these days,9/10 taxis i get have people driving them who come from Africa,it was in no way racist,sad times i must say,Back to the topic tho.

Carpenters are highly skilled and know what they are at,they charge E15 an hour on average.

Taxi drivers are low skilled Jobs and on average charge E60 an hour. yet everybody thinks this is fair.

DOCARCH

Mod Note: Please keep on topic. The nationality of taxi drivers is completely irrelevant to this thread.

mikeholmes1

DOCARCH wrote: »

Mod Note: Please keep on topic. The nationality of taxi drivers is completely irrelevant to this thread.

That Depends.
The op was essentially talking about value for money,the reason i mentioned the nationality of Taxi drivers was that A local lad from the Area knows the place like the back of his hand and charges for a run from A to B,
A person from another country could not possibly know the area and charges full pelt for a run that normally ends up on a tour,essentially learning on the job at the customers expense.

When a carpenter learns his trade it takes 4 years and he gets no such luxury,the going rate in year 1 is E140 a week.when you take out the cost of lunch and fuel he is essentially working for free.

I was pointing out that some people have no problem paying through the nose for an essentially unskilled service yet cry about in my opinion underpaid skilled labour.
I find it mind boggling.

BryanF

mikeholmes1 wrote: »

That Depends.
The op was essentially talking about value for money,the reason i mentioned the nationality of Taxi drivers was that A local lad from the Area knows the place like the back of his hand and charges for a run from A to B,
A person from another country could not possibly know the area and charges full pelt for a run that normally ends up on a tour,essentially learning on the job at the customers expense.

When a carpenter learns his trade it takes 4 years and he gets no such luxury,the going rate in year 1 is E140 a week.when you take out the cost of lunch and fuel he is essentially working for free.

I was pointing out that some people have no problem paying through the nose for an essentially unskilled service yet cry about in my opinion underpaid skilled labour.
I find it mind boggling.

Have a day off for ignoring a mod instruction

ffactj

Had a plumber here for about 9 hours yesterday. He charged €130 incl VAT.
Very happy with the work.
Got my dad (retired plumber) to inspect it today too and he was happy with it too.
I had other quotes for the same work of between €220 and €450.

Nailer86

I'm a carpenter working PAYE. I earn 40000 a year. I have my own tools but my boss buys blades, still bits etc..... I'm fully qualified and can do 1st , 2nd fix and joinery. I have 12 years experience. Strongly thinking of going self employed now. I would need to earn 220 a day before tax to make it worth my while tho.