Pricing half a day's work

[Peter]

Just wondering how you all price for a job such as a small step or 4m square floor that will only take a few hours. A tiler I had in with me today says that he charges a full daily rate plus materials as his day is taken up. I'd charge a half day plus 10 percent plus materials and usually arrange two of these jobs on the same day. Curious to know what others do in this situation?

 

[Spud]

its a difficult one this Peter as most customers book you in to their timetable and sometimes you cant get 2 booked in for the same day ,I have a minimum charge as some tiling jobs go under a days money as there is no meterage on them

 

[enduro]

Day for me too.Not that often i get two small jobs that i am able to do the same day.

 

[gamma38]

Definitely a day for me, by the time you get there, do the job, pack up there is never enough time to go and do another job. There is however always enough time for a quick thirst quencher on the way home.........

 

[Peter]

Would do a full day rate myself if I was there until 2ish but would imagine my customers wouldn't be too impressed if I charged a day's time for two hours work. Definately a tough one on the grounds of business v ethics.

 

[Rizzle from the Portizzle]

every time i am told that was quick i say yes it took twenty years to get that quick and your only paying for a day :smilewinkgrin: you pay for my skill and knowlege not my time. always charge full day

 

[Time's Ran Out]

A jobs a job - if you can't make it pay it's not worth doing.
Did a pain of a repair a couple on months ago - For £100 started at 9 on Monday morning as arranged and welcomed in through side door, took off 3 large format tiles in recently tiled bathroom (chipped another so 4) prepared substrate - that's 30mins and thinking will have to reduce my cost. Went to get cutter (dry cut Rubi) and was told had to cut 2 tiles outside (not in dust sheeted bathroom/bedroom/hallway/passage/utility/garage) okay will be charging full whack. Cut tiles, refixed grouted and sealed 2 shower trays. Total time 2 hours. Customer asked how much should she make the cheque out for and I replied £100 as per estimate - She gave me £120-00 because I was so tidy and helpful!
The only issue I had was the Solicitor husband wanted a receipt for his expenses account so I had to add the extra £20 and so I'd now have to pay the tax on that.

 

[Andy Allen]

in reality some small jobs can be a pain, you could waste time doing them at a low cost where you could be eles where earning more money, personally i will do any job no mater how small but it has to be worth it, look at it this way if you tile a stright forward bathroom say 14m2 most tilers will complete that in a day and a half, so what would you charge for that? 2 days or day and a half?

i tell most of my customers the job will take a day and a half, but will have to book it in for 2 days just incase any problems arise and they seem more than happy with that........the ones that may moan about the price of half day jobs are normally the ones that can more than afford it, suppose thats how they afford there large houses and fancy cars lol.

 

[redlee]

I'd always try and round up to a full day i don't think tiling lends itself to pricing for half days/hourly rates the same way plumbing and electrickery do, if the tools are out the van - full days pay.

 

[Andy Allen]

and most of the time were waiting on things going off, adhesive, grout ect..... hard to judge sometimes, winter weather can be a right pain..

 

[Dan]

Charge a day rate and ask if there is anything else they need doing while you're there so that you do end up doing a full day perhaps?

Explain you can't book half days in because you can't always book two in for the same day - and twice the traveling that day also stings you on price and time.

If it's not worth it for them, its not worth it for you.

 

[doit4u]

Paid a spark £185 labour last week to change my consumer unit, it is a fairly modern house and it was an intermittent problem with the RCCB, so he knew from his pricing visit and testing that it should be a straight forward swop but said that he would have to charge for a day in case there were problems. When he rang to book the job in he said it would take about 3 hours, which it did. Mind you he wasn't the most expensive, one guy who works as a resident spark at the local college and would do the job on a weekend wanted £220.

I wondered how he would have reacted if I had asked him to make up his day with other work - all the light fittings could do with a claen and there are a pair of standard lamps that need canabalising to make one good one.

And what about timeless john's comment

The only issue I had was the Solicitor husband wanted a receipt for his expenses account so I had to add the extra £20 and so I'd now have to pay the tax on that. ​

Unless it was his office or a rental why did he need a recept for expenses?

Read more: http://www.tilersforums.com/tilers-forums-arms/61397-pricing-half-days-work.html#ixzz23uiDzhB4

 

[Sean Kelly]

Half a day is basically 4 hours.
So that’s 4 hours to get to customers house, quote, drive home, buy materials, travel to customers house, do the job (inc. drying time for adhesive), clean tools and drive home.

I only charge half a day when it is tagged onto a full day, and then I charge half a day rate plus £10.

However, saying that the other week I told a customer my last day would be half a day. I worked from 08:00-14:00 and I only charged half day.

 

[Diamond Pool Finishers]

full-day for me !........