Newbie pricing help please.

[Fitzy]

I've been asked to add a couple of new sockets to ring final and was unsure on how to price the job. Per hour plus materials or a set price based on the individual jobs. Per hour I thought about £25 plus materials or £40-£50 plus materials per individual job.

I'm not after what any of you guys charge as that's your private business, I just don't want to under price myself, but get a gauge of at least being in the ballpark. The last thing I want to do is to severely undercut other electricians in my area and cause problems, but at least being the same ballpark allows the customer to make the final decision.

I’m based in Redhill, Surrey, so I’ll be working mainly in Surrey & Sussex.

 

[Madocks]

Have a look at local sparks websites, some state their hourly rates etc

 

[Spoon]

Have a search on here mate. There are quite a few threads on this. See which way suits you for this job.

 

[JAWS]

Good luck and I hope it all works out for you mate, you have got a lot of balls after a 4 week course to start pricing a job up whether that's a small job or not. I have got to do 3 yrs at college

best of luck though

 

[Octopus]

If you are SE then £25 per hour is not enough IMHO - it may work for "full days" but not for small jobs ....................... been there, have the T shirt!

Adding 2 sockets is NEVER as simple as the client thinks!

You don't want to be a very busy, poor fool!

 

[sparksfly]

I agree with Murdoch £25/hour is low even for being there all day. If the job takes 2 hours on site you have to look at time taken to destination and then setting up/packing away etc If it was local to me I would charge £65 then 35-40 for subsequent hour + materials. However , I still price jobs and end up not allowing for small problems which quickly eat into you time. It will take time & experience but after 8 years a sole trader I still encounter jobs that, financially, were not worth it but the experience was....Good luck..from the very busy poor fool!

 

[Nobbin]

I did a very similar job for a friend of my wife. Extended the ring final from an existing socket to add two double sockets across the room. I had to take floor boards up, cut into skirting and drill through joists. It looked easy enough but it does tend to take longer when the customer says that they are keeping the boards for that rustic look. That means extra care must be taken not to cause unnecessary damage. Thankfully she didn't mind surface mount trunking for the few inches up to the sockets, hence cutting the skirting, but many customers won't want that if it will be visible.
As she was my wife's friend I did the job for a hundred beer tokens but you may need to carefully consider how long the job will take you while not forgetting to factor in the as yet unrealised obstacles.
As mentioned above, look at other Sparkies websites and gauge it that way. Keep on the side of the local professionals as you may need them one day. Good luck.

 

[Fitzy]

I based the £25 per hour on what one of my tutors said, but I now think that was for site work only. A quick google search in my area brings up an average of £65-£75 per hour and bigger jobs like rewires and Cu changes on a price per job, all plus materials. Are 2 new sockets realistic in 1 hour or is it 1 per hour?

 

[mattg4321]

How long does it take you to do them normally? What does your mentor think?

 

[Octopus]

Are 2 new sockets realistic in 1 hour or is it 1 per hour?

Hum ............. could be a whole day.

 

[Rpa07]

Experience of working with someone for a couple of years is the only way to tackle all of the problems and pick up the hints and tips needed to make your way though even the average job of adding sockets correctly to a ring circuit.
I often get it wrong and take longer than I quoted for, in this case and all cases I make sure that I do the best job I can and cover all their needs in order to be recommended on.
Any work from word of mouth is the money I missed.
The work with the spark I mentored with for 18 months, covered a whole gamete of domestic and light commercial jobs and I soaked up that experience.
I’d recommend Work as an improver for 2 years with a spark or small company.

 

[Fitzy]

Thanks guys, I’m gonna quote them 2-3 hours, but only charge what it actually takes me, plus materials. They’re both going in to the same bedroom, so I believe that’s enough time.

 

[Jay89]

Thanks guys, I’m gonna quote them 2-3 hours, but only charge what it actually takes me, plus materials. They’re both going in to the same bedroom, so I believe that’s enough time.

Personally I would do one or the other. If it overruns you’re not able to add another hour to the price so why offer a discount the other way.

 

[Nobbin]

If you're installing sockets in a bedroom here's a nice trick to earn you some brownie points, install double sockets with USB chargers in them, they'll love you for it. Lots of people charge their phones etc overnight next to the bed.
These LAP ones are quite tidy LAP 13A 2G SP Switched Socket + 3.1A 2G USB Charger White | Switches & Sockets | Screwfix.com - https://www.screwfix.com/p/lap-13a-2g-sp-switched-socket-3-1a-2g-usb-charger-white/4087p
But there are even cheaper ones if that's the route you want to take.

 

[Fitzy]

Good idea Nobbin, but as I found out on my training courses the USB socket plates haven’t yet been awarded a BS or CE Kite mark, so technically don’t comply with the BS7671 wiring regs.

I’ve decided to charge £65 per hour and if it’s a notifiable job I can use for my assessment I’ll do a deal with them.

How far in to an hour do You charge the full rate.....