Quoting for jobs

[slysy2001]

Hi There,

Hoping to get some advice from all you tilers out there regarding pricing for tiling job. I was due to start a tiling course at Brighton City College before Christmas but unfortunately it was cancelled due to lack of students.

Now looking to get someone in to do some tiling work for myself and getting a bit concerned about prices quoted. We have an 2.12m2 of wall tiling needed for our kitchen, between the worktop and untis. We have the adhesive, sealant, spacers and tiles etc, so just labor needed. There are 5 sockets on the wall, which involves some awkward cutting.

I had someone from my local pub round to quote who is a carpenter but also jack of all trades. Very good suggestions and spent time measuring up and telling us how work would be completed. However we were quoted on "mates rates" and on a daily basis. Told me they would estimate 2 days to do this at *&^% per day. They suggested if we want to save money that we could "PVA the walls ourselves" and do all the grouting ourselves as that is relatively easy and even gave us some guidance as to how.

I estimated about *&^%, based on *&^% per m2 and extra time for awkward cuts. The idea of paying *&^% seems slightly excessive and tempted to use the money to pay for a different course and do it myself.

In summary just wanted to know your thoughts on:
1) The price quoted
2) Whether a short course would be sufficient for me to learn the skills to complete a competent job

Thanks in advance,

Simon

 

[bugs183]

Get a good local tiler in S.
It seems a bit like hard work to go on a course only if you want a splashbck tiling.
There are many theories about whether a course would teach you enough so i wont comment on that, it all depends on who teaches you, but you'll also need to pay for the equipment you'll need to do the job properly.
I'd go to reputable local tile suppliers, not B&Q and get three quotes off guys that they recommend.
Experienced tilers already have the kit and the skills, they'll be tiling the job properly before you've even opened the tiles and tried to remember what you learnt on the course.
I bet the prices will be similar once you receive the quotes as well and are competitive with your mates price.

 

[slysy2001]

Thanks for the reply bugs.

Good advice, think we'll drop back into Topps and ask for a few numbers. I like my kitchen quite a lot and think an amateur job would most likely irritate me every time I saw it!

I was hoping for a fixed price based on price per square meter. Just felt two days seemed a lot of time. I was working off average prices per square meter I have found on various forums so was shocked when estimate came in at just over 3 times what I expected, when we are supplying everything!