What would you charge

[Drifterjoe]

Hi Guys.

I'm just starting my road towards making tiling a career and as such I'm doing jobs for friends and family.

Below are some photos of a job I completed yesterday and wondered what you as pro tilers would have charged and how long you would expect it to take.

I'm finding that pricing a job and estimating the time a bit tricky. But hopefully it will come with experience.

The job was to prime walls, fit 200 x 100 metro tile in brick bond, grout, silocone and refit bathroom suite.

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[One Day]

Hi. I don't think we're supposed to discuss prices outside of the arms (in the open public forum) but as guidance, I'd charge according to my idea of day rate. If the job took you 3 days, charge for 3 days etc...
Admittedly when i started tiling, a job which now would take me 3 days would then take maybe 5 because i was slower and more careful as i learnt on the job. In that case, i charged a much lesser day rate.
Another word of advice - when working for family and friends you might find they expect something for nothing. You soon find out who your real friends and family are. But that's a topic for a whole other thread!

 

[WetSaw]

I'm lucky with the friends thing as they all, without exception, pay me more than I ask and tell me not to charge less just because they're friends. I'm also lucky that none of my family live here!!

 

[Drifterjoe]

Ok thanks.
In that case regardless of price how many days would you as an experienced tiler expect it to take you. I'm guessing you would detail this on a a quote?

Also would you always work to a day rate or price by m2?

 

[Qwerty]

Yes, I'm afraid we don't allow the discussion of prices in the open forums.

I tend to work out a price based on how many days it will take me and quote that. I have a healthy day rate. Some jobs just cannot justify a m2 price as there is so much prep work or sealing etc.

All the best with your new career and welcome to the forum

 

[Dumbo]

Best thing to do early stages keep a record of the metreage of the job and how long it took you and what sort of tiles and keep referring back then you should start to know how much you need to charge to make the living you want .

 

[Flintstone]

As above really, keep tabs on how long a job hasn't taken with certain tiles and how many m2 there was and you should have sole reference. I used to struggle with estimating time scales when I was in my early days of tiling, and sometimes a job can look like a lot of work until you get started and after a few hours it starts going better than you were thinking in your head! Well, for me at least.
I would set aside 3 days for that job and tile it in 2 days and go back to grout and finish off on the third.

 

[One Day]

3 days to prep and tile, another day to refit the suite, unless it's from better bathrooms then another 3 days!

 

[Time's Ran Out]

Why the cut to the bath, cill and ceiling?

 

[Drifterjoe]

Full tile up was originally the plan but after lots of careful laying out it would have left me with slithers under windowsill. Any larger from the bath up would have left slithers at the floor.

It just looked more balanced in my opinion to make the cuts to bath ceiling and window equal.

 

[White Room]

Do a time and motion when your working, even use a stop watch to give you an accurate time for each item.

 

[AndY mac]

You're setting out looks pretty good to me.

 

[Drifterjoe]

Thanks I was pleased with the balance centred on the window. It was tricky but I took my time.

 

[Drifterjoe]

And I did point out that bevelled tile on a shelf would be a pain in the arse but the customer insisted on it.