Am I Under Charging (Pricing up Jobs)

[tysfoot]

Hiya Guys,

If you dont know me by now, im gaz im on here a lot now cos there is so much good advice


Just wanted to know what you all charge per sqaure metre


As im new, done about 8 tiling jobs now i currently charge £18 psm which i know is cheap but i charge this because i work part time as well, and it takes a little longer to do the job. I intend to go full time in 3 months when it startes picking up after xmas

I heard good tilers charge anything between £20 - £25 psm, i know london tilers charge more, Im from manchester

Also do you increase quote prices for windows, cutting around toilets and sinks and other difficulties


If you dont want eveyone else know what you charge PRIVATE MESSAGE ME so i can at least get a good idea what you charge and what i should charge

 

[Fekin]

I would aim for £20 psqm, but that alone isn't enough for pricing up a job anyway.
For full bathrooms then yes, but kitchen splashbacks then no.

Then it can depend on what you have to work around, sort of cuts and tile types, that can always change how much you want to charge, then also depends on how much work you have on etc.

Basically I have a minimum I'll do a job for, sqm wise, then whatever is on top of that is happy days.

 

[tysfoot]

What would you charge for a kitchen backsplash. So do you charge extra for windows, and difficult cuts in your price

 

[scottish tiler]

i done a small 4 n 1/2 m2 kitchen last wkend, had 7 sockets and a pipe chase and just 1 return at the window and i charged 150 for it, the walls were wild aswell so about 30% of it was hand fixing

 

[charlie1]

day rate about 150 notes

 

[Fekin]

£230 inc adhesive n grout.

 

[charlie1]

see, this is what i have said for many months now. There are so many tilers now, we are all going to start cutting each others throat. wages are comming down all over the country, with the exception of the few really excellent tilers who have grew a good business built on quality with reputation in mind.

however for the vast majority of us we are going to see wages fall.

this is one of the reasons why i would not quit my current job.

then at the bottom of the pile there are people who have only got in to it specifically for the wonga. These guys will not last. they will be recycled in to plasterers or mabe they have allready tried that.

just last week i was outbidded for 26m2 ceramic by £300. I charged 25m2 the other guy was charging half that. And no he wasn't Polish.

 

[marky]

Hi ya tysfoot
I now what you mean about under cutting it has happend to me to many times.And i an a tiler of 20yrs it is getting harder to get work, advertising the cost,.And all the running around i am thinking of packing in its all becoming a nightmare:mad2:

 

[scottish tiler]

if ppl are that desparate for work charlie m8 and they know that another tiler priced for 650 then they would have no problem cuttin there price to get the job and sum quick cash

 

[Jim Carlin]

We seem to have the same problem over here also. What I have found over the years is not to work by the sq ft. or sq. mtere. Instead I base everything on what I need to make per day to cover overhead plus profit and then converted it into per HR or per day price. I have also kept track of how long (time) it takes to accomplish a certain task and converted it to units per HR. I know it sounds complicated, but it really isn't. I sell the job or installation based not on unit price but on quality or what the client will get for a finished product. I have lost my share of potential jobs to the low bidder or what we call "hacks". I have always been of the belief that when the install goes wrong, they will call me to replace it. This didn't happen overnight, but is working excellent for me. Most of the installers that have been around for along time are starting to follow this idea. What has happened is everyone is rewarded, the installer, because he or she is paid a fair wage, and the client because they receive a quality installation that will last a lifetime. The "hacks" will come and go just like they have from the start of time, but by building a reputation for honest quality workmanship you build a client list that grows.

 

[White Room]

I do plastering and tiling and have been around a long time, can't even remember how many time I've been under cut,forget it move on, thats life, it's like water off a ducks back where I'm concerned

 

[DHTiling]

Very well put Jim..i totally agree....luving your input...:grouphug:

 

[devonmark]

The "hacks" will come and go just like they have from the start of time, but by building a reputation for honest quality workmanship you build a client list that grows.

Never a truer word spoken...Mark.

 

[tiler tom]

Nice post jim and a good way of going about how to quote for a job because every job is different ie. a 3m sq kitchen with a window and 7 sockets will take longer than a 5m splashback with only 2 sockets.
You cannot rely on having to sort out a hacks job though as in most cases if the customer is not happy they will get the tiler to start over unless they walk away without payment.

 

[Jim Carlin]

"most cases if the customer is not happy they will get the tiler to start over unless they walk away without payment."

You are correct about walking away. Unfortunately, most of the time the hack is paid and then the trouble starts. In a shower, sometimes it starts within a weekof the installation, but most of the time it will take longer for the water to leak through and soak into the insulation, wood etc. Most of the time these materials will soak up the small leaks like a sponge and when it gets full then it spreads . Maybe in the case of a tile installation that was improperly done on a kitchen floor and hasn't manefested its ugly head for say 7 months or even longer. The hack is long gone leaving the client holding the proverbial bag. Hacks don't stay in business long, they seem to live paycheck to paycheck and when things start to become slow, they have to move on to greener pastures in search for their next paycheck. The economy is slowing down here in Maine, there is a glut of new homes on the market, along with the banks tightening the requirements for morgages. This eliminates a large percentage of the population. The remodeling industry typically takes a strong 2 months to gear up for the increase in work. This is from people that have decided to stay where they live and remodel the kitchen, bath, etc. Remember those hacks, well they can't hang around 2 to 4 months to make the transition. Then when the remodeling industry gets a full head of steam, they emerge from the woodwork and start to install tile in a hope of cashing in on the money.