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doug boardley
there's a base limit tho' charlie where it will cost you more to go to work, and it'd be better to do something else, on a personal note I'd do any job to provide for my two little lads
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Discuss Price Base Rate! in the British & UK Tiling Forum area at TilersForums.com.
As with cornish every job should be priced on it's merits, A 1000m2 would'nt be priced £30m2 for ceramic, where as on domestic you may get that kind of money.
Depending on your tile
Lads - I think the market has changed since this thread was posted in July last year.
There are pricing guides that indicate to quantity surveyors the going rate for building works and in the domestic market the customer often gets 2/3 estimates and make their choice on factors that don't always include the price.
Timeless John.
Couldn't agree more, Stan. I used to work in the exhibition industry - for quite a few years, back in the Joint-Working days. It was very noticeable that after the end of JW, all sorts of other trades became interested in our industry and started giving really stupid quotes for jobs. Whereas we might have quoted a job at £20k, it was common for firms of kitchen fitters (coffin-makers as we used to call them) to come in with quotes of £8 or 9k for the same sort of job - at least, that is what they would tell the punters! We stuck to our guns over prices as I knew that we would be losing money if we didn't! Although, there were certainly some that dropped their prices to "buy work" - they are the ones that went out of business, sadly. The kitchen fitters seemed happy just keeping their men in work by taking the food out of the mouths of those of us "in the trade" and vanished again when the fitted kitchen trade picked up again, leaving out punters feeling that the exhibition contractors were ripping them off - a sad tale of ignorance (the customer) and greed (kitchen fitters), in my view. Sorry - rant over now. As you were...I think half the customers work on price (ref those reverse auction bid for business sites where gardeners suddenly become tilers and win the job), but the other half of the customers actually look to employ a tiler for tiling, a plumber for plumbing and a chippy for their wood etc.
i once got called a thief for taking 2 spare tiles away!!...most people are going to wickes and b&q for their tiles now ,so i cant make anything on supplying them, make a little on sticky...getting less per metre now than i was 5years ago..cant refuse any work because theres far too many tilers out there now!! and i KNOW that i am not alone !...lucky to get 3days graft a week .£500 is a good week now,it used to be £1300.every time i go to price a job now they say ..well i have already had one bloke round and theres a couple to come after you!! unless its off one of the plumbers i get work from!! wish i had stuck in at school!! my son is a civil engineer ,loves going to work..and makes a fortune!!!!I'm about to compile a list of ways I'd be making money as a tiler - and I'd be trying to not get the trowels out as often as most do.
Some of the ways that are obvious include:
- Perhaps offering installation of electric underfloor heating - you make on the materials and the job.
- Try to make a % on the adhesives, grout and tiles AT THE LEAST. Personally my customers didn't get a discount - they paid the list price - I made ALL the profit between that and trade - and then some (As I sold the shop the underfloor heating in most cases too)
- Never leave the spare tiles with the customer - take them with you - label them - stick them in the garage - leave the customer with 10 cards randomly placed around the room (behind radiators and things) and tell them they're there - though give them some too - when they have problems they'll call you! Even if it's a tile replacement due to a chip - you may find going there will get you more work elsewhere in the home - or from their friends - or as the van has now been in the street on two occasions the neighbours may start to like you too
- My list goes on - I would have a very unique (or I'd think it was) setup and I think that's key - DON'T follow the 'trend' and do your own thing.
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