Hey guys and girls,
Hope you all had a great Christmas and New Year. I had a fairly mellow one. Worked right up until the Eve and was intending to take most of January off for admin and to evaluate last year and put a plan of action together for 2013.
But, got a lead today for approx 32sqm of floor tiling. Thought i'd check it out non the less so contact potential customer and made arrangements to swing by and see him today.
Turns out his tiler was supposed to start this morning but never showed. He's taken a a week off to be at home whilst his floor was being done. Anyway, i get there and stacked high in the living room was a load of granite. NICE!!!! i think to myself. He tells me the living room and diner is where he wants them laid. But.....goes on to say how he's getting a two storey extension put on the side and wants a kitchen fitted in there and the tiles to run through. I take it as the usual "if i say there's more work on offer later perhaps you'll quote cheap" patter.
He's desperate to get it done asap, so as i was keeping off the tools for a few weeks anyway i thought i'd quote it. I tell him i'll call him a bit later with a price. I did, and told him £1300 materials and labour. Working out around £34-£35psm. He tells me his other tiler (the one that failled to show, but DID do his bathroom for him) quoted £800. A little shocked at the price i re-itterated i would be supplying addy, grout, sealants etc etc. "yeah, so was he" he says. "to be honest Allister, we got our bathroom plumbed in, walls skimmed and tiled with the same granite for less than you're quoting!"
So i said to him "Oh, sorry i can't do any better than that. Gave you my best price staright away as i know you were keen to get it done"
An hour and a half later we get a call at home, misses answers and hands me the phone with a smile. "it's that granite guy" she wispers to me. £1300 appears resonable now it seems and i'm starting Wednesday.
I can't put into this post my thought process throughout the day. But i can say for a moment i was tempted to lower my price. But the main point i wanted to make today was not to be suckered in if you're quiet at the start of this New Year. The sales are on, B and Q, Homebase etc. People are out to save money this time of year, year on year. Make them save it in the sales and not on YOUR labour. Let the cowboys run themselves ragged for pennies. Stick to your price. Maybe if we can all make an effort to then we (as professional tilers (and tradesmen)) can start demanding skilled trade pay rather than the "average cost" or current "going rate". The laters being set by what the men on horseback push it to.
Turned into a bit of a rant. But hopefully the point i was trying to make is clear.
Just weighed one of the granit tiles i brought home with me from the customers. Same tile apparently his tiler fixed in the bathroom. Really looking forward to having a look at that when i'm there this week. The 300x300x10 tile i have here weighs in at 2.74Kg. He explained to me his bathroom walls were skimmed before fixing. I'm working this granite out to be around 30Kg psm :whistling:
Hope you all had a great Christmas and New Year. I had a fairly mellow one. Worked right up until the Eve and was intending to take most of January off for admin and to evaluate last year and put a plan of action together for 2013.
But, got a lead today for approx 32sqm of floor tiling. Thought i'd check it out non the less so contact potential customer and made arrangements to swing by and see him today.
Turns out his tiler was supposed to start this morning but never showed. He's taken a a week off to be at home whilst his floor was being done. Anyway, i get there and stacked high in the living room was a load of granite. NICE!!!! i think to myself. He tells me the living room and diner is where he wants them laid. But.....goes on to say how he's getting a two storey extension put on the side and wants a kitchen fitted in there and the tiles to run through. I take it as the usual "if i say there's more work on offer later perhaps you'll quote cheap" patter.
He's desperate to get it done asap, so as i was keeping off the tools for a few weeks anyway i thought i'd quote it. I tell him i'll call him a bit later with a price. I did, and told him £1300 materials and labour. Working out around £34-£35psm. He tells me his other tiler (the one that failled to show, but DID do his bathroom for him) quoted £800. A little shocked at the price i re-itterated i would be supplying addy, grout, sealants etc etc. "yeah, so was he" he says. "to be honest Allister, we got our bathroom plumbed in, walls skimmed and tiled with the same granite for less than you're quoting!"
So i said to him "Oh, sorry i can't do any better than that. Gave you my best price staright away as i know you were keen to get it done"
An hour and a half later we get a call at home, misses answers and hands me the phone with a smile. "it's that granite guy" she wispers to me. £1300 appears resonable now it seems and i'm starting Wednesday.
I can't put into this post my thought process throughout the day. But i can say for a moment i was tempted to lower my price. But the main point i wanted to make today was not to be suckered in if you're quiet at the start of this New Year. The sales are on, B and Q, Homebase etc. People are out to save money this time of year, year on year. Make them save it in the sales and not on YOUR labour. Let the cowboys run themselves ragged for pennies. Stick to your price. Maybe if we can all make an effort to then we (as professional tilers (and tradesmen)) can start demanding skilled trade pay rather than the "average cost" or current "going rate". The laters being set by what the men on horseback push it to.
Turned into a bit of a rant. But hopefully the point i was trying to make is clear.
Just weighed one of the granit tiles i brought home with me from the customers. Same tile apparently his tiler fixed in the bathroom. Really looking forward to having a look at that when i'm there this week. The 300x300x10 tile i have here weighs in at 2.74Kg. He explained to me his bathroom walls were skimmed before fixing. I'm working this granite out to be around 30Kg psm :whistling:
