Replacing (RCD) fuse box

Michael999 · Jul 30, 2012

How long would it take to replace a fuse box with a new(RCD) box?

Small 3 bed semi-detached house, with Aqualisa power showers,recently re-wired.

Why do I ask? I (upnorth) spoke to our trusted electrician who has done work for me and my familyfor the past 20 years and asked him for a price and he told me £100 for partsand 3 hours labour £100 total £200. Myson (down south) who is buying the house that needs (according to the surveyor)a new RCD unit has been quoted £350.

The price of materials is the same in the north as it is inthe south does the cost of labour vary across the country?

TIA

Mike

telectrix · Aug 2, 2012

Michael999 said:
Is there some 'body' which sets guidelines and standards on how long a job should take? I know, for example, that if I take my car in for a part to be removed and fitted some 'body' has agreed that will take x hours. It's all very well for you here to say I'll spend all day doing that, if it can be done in 3 hours or 4 hours why should I pay for someone (who may be less efficient) to spend 8 hours doing it?

that analogy is a bit different. agreed, there is a set time specified with car repairs. e.g. 3 hours to remove and refit a gearbox. but then, during that job, it may be found that the clutch is knackered and would entail a further hour.

StuSpiers · Aug 2, 2012

Michael999 said:
Is there some 'body' which sets guidelines and standards on how long a job should take? I know, for example, that if I take my car in for a part to be removed and fitted some 'body' has agreed that will take x hours. It's all very well for you here to say I'll spend all day doing that, if it can be done in 3 hours or 4 hours why should I pay for someone (who may be less efficient) to spend 8 hours doing it?

The problem with your thinking here:

You should be employing the Local tradesman that is Dilligent, thorough, guaranteeing his work and doing his up-most best to do a fantastic job for you.

However it seems from your post that you would prefer to employ a tradesmen that will be cutting corners, buying bad quality equipment, and doesn't much care for you safety - would you know the difference between a properly filled out Electrical safety certificate and one that has been made up?

I hope that your Electrician is just short on work and is cutting his prices and NOT his standard of work.

However, I personally would never cut my prices, I am a professional tradesmen you pay for what you get.

Amp David · Aug 2, 2012

Michael999 said:
Is there some 'body' which sets guidelines and standards on how long a job should take? I know, for example, that if I take my car in for a part to be removed and fitted some 'body' has agreed that will take x hours. It's all very well for you here to say I'll spend all day doing that, if it can be done in 3 hours or 4 hours why should I pay for someone (who may be less efficient) to spend 8 hours doing it?

Well that's probably the labour guides that a garage would use are usually set by the manufacturer. The manufacturer know exactly how the car is put together so can have a very accurate estimate on how long each job should take.

If i had rewired you house then you come back a while later and ask for a CU upgrade, then chances are I would probably quote less than somewhere i'd never set foot in. That's because i'd have a pretty good idea of whats what and that everything that should be was in place, bonding etc.

As a spark you can't win win most customers. Lets go back to your garage example. Go in and ask them what their hourly rate is, then ask the spark the same question. I can almost 100% bet that 99.99% of the public wouldn't even raise an eyebrow when the garage say 40 quid plus the VAT, but if the electrician says the same, they're seen as being a rip off merchant and too expensive.

Would love to know what the OP does for a living. Or do you volunteer you time for free:dita:

telectrix · Aug 2, 2012

round here the back street garages charge £50/hour + VAT. the main dealers you're talking £90. talk about being in the wrong trade!!!

oldtimer · Aug 2, 2012

The thing is I will not do a fuseboard and all it entails for £200 more like £400+ earthing if this guy is ok then bite his hand off for £200 although I am just not getting this because you say you know him something is not adding up for me.

Also I have had customers try to screw me right down on cost but the funny thing is most of them will spend £20-£25k on a car £3-£4k on a good holiday but for some reason just will not spend £400-£500 on a decent fuseboard with all that it entails so my friend you need to ask yourself is you and your families safety more important than your car or holdiay

drew35 · Aug 2, 2012

There is no comparison to a garage, manufacturers time themselves to do every repair on their own vehicles so that when garages do warranty repairs the times they charge are set by themselves, the manufacturer. And most main dealers will tell you these times aren't realistic, and most main dealers do not use repair times to charge for retail work.
As every house, and job, is different there is no way to set a known time. We all work differently, and use different parts. If you want an out of square consumer unit, loosely fixed to a wall, with some of the circuits half tested, and no certificate, then three hours will do. If you want neat, tidy, fully tested, fully certified, fully warranted, then its a day.

Amp David · Aug 2, 2012

Heres the start of a 200 quid CU change

Oh balls, the old tails aren't long enough. I know, lets not use new tails, but move the main switch over to suit. LOL

[ElectriciansForums.net] Replacing (RCD) fuse box

Do they do Electrical Trainee course in vehicle mechanics yet?

Guitarist · Aug 2, 2012

A better analogy would be to ask how long it takes to fit a gearbox to a "vehicle". The garage will charge you according to whether it is a nissan micra or a double-decker bus. Same with a Consumer Unit... 3 circuits or 10? 20 sockets on each ring which need testing or just 6? There is no actual fixed price, unless you are talking about a series of houses all with exactly the same spec.
Hope that answers your question.

Nik_lamb · Aug 2, 2012

Michael999 said:
Is there some 'body' which sets guidelines and standards on how long a job should take? I know, for example, that if I take my car in for a part to be removed and fitted some 'body' has agreed that will take x hours. It's all very well for you here to say I'll spend all day doing that, if it can be done in 3 hours or 4 hours why should I pay for someone (who may be less efficient) to spend 8 hours doing it?

Yeah there is............... the "body" of the person doing the work for you. You get what you pay for in electrics same as everything else in the world.

£200 for a CU change with parts, testing and certs is way way too low.

Amp David · Aug 2, 2012

Michael999, never to be seen from again

rrr:

telectrix · Aug 2, 2012

has he hanged himself on a pendant?

oldtimer · Aug 2, 2012

No yet again they get caught out and we all end up talking to ourselves either that he has just come back from his holiday in Bermuda and his new jag has been delivered so he is full of remorse and will pay his electrician a fair wage for a fair job I DONT THINK

Now he is just a lurker until he find the unsubscribe line on the email

Michael999 · Aug 2, 2012

As a customer (and you all will be customers for other trades at some point or another) all we want is a good job for a fair price. Of course we would all like to think that we are worth £bigbucks an hour because we are so well qualified doing highly skilled work that can only be done by the super intelligent. This job can be done in 3 hours. You can then dance around testing whatever for another hour and fill in some paper worl for another hour. At best you've got 5 hours work that means that you believe that your skills and qualifications make you worth £50+ per hour that puts you on an annual salary of in excess of £100,000. You of course are happy with that but would you be happy to pay the plumber, carpenter, builder etc., that kind of salary and what about the teachers, nurses etc, surely they should be on an equivalent salary. That's how Greece ended up where it is!

RISElectrical · Aug 2, 2012

Yes they do make a guide as such, however I can also guarantee that by the time you have added the 0.01 or whatever it is hours for a screw and a plug and the 0.003 hours per clip etc you will probably end up at a day also!

Why not get 3 or 4 estimates and then look at it that way.

Or take the word of 3-4 electricians.... oh wait, you've already had those and because they didn't fit in line with what you wanted you disregarded them. Instead looking for a holy grail of electrical estimating, which I also guarantee wont say - Consumer unit 4 hours... doesn't work like that!

Snapester · Aug 2, 2012

I think the problem here is no one wants to pay £350-£400 which is what i charge! And everyone always has that mate who does it for £200 and it doesn't get notified and no paperwork but it works so what the hell!
This is what gets my back up about our trade being a professional just dont make the difference to people!!

Replacing (RCD) fuse box

Michael999

telectrix

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StuSpiers

Amp David

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telectrix

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oldtimer

drew35

Amp David

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Guitarist

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Nik_lamb

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Amp David

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telectrix

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oldtimer

Michael999

RISElectrical

Snapester

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