Pricing for a job need help

[JLHELEC]

Been asked to price for a job, customer is having attic done out so needs a few new circuits up there. Some more context I'm based in South Wales and house is 1950s awkward little.run from the board to up but the new socket's will all be on studs so minimal chasing. I'm so bad at pricing work it literally puts me off taking jobs on. CU is full so I proposed having a new CU dedicated for the loft and going from there.

New CU
X4 socket's one being usb
X2 1 gang 2 way switches
X6 spotlights
X1 optical smoke alarm, to be interlinked with existing smokes, so I gotta dick around with them also.

I was gunna just price materials plus 2 days labour @ day rate but I always feel like iv shafted myself when doing work for day rate as the jobs usually turn out to be -------'s just wondering if any of you lot were in my neck of the woods and interested to see what you'd charge or anyone would charge for that in general

 

[buzzlightyear]

Ist you set the price not a customer
All jobs need to be estimated just in case a hic up. Or you are a blind man going in blind.

 

[WallaceP]

I would say 3 days maybe 4. You will need to allow time for chit chat, nipping out to van/merchants, testing, fuse fairy all these take longer than you think

When doing jobs, time yourself to get more confident in estimating.
if you are going to do that. Don’t just time the time it takes to connect a socket for example start the clock from saying im going to do that socket, so gathering tools, the socket and tidying up.

Another thing to think about is how old the exising fire alarms are and if you should just replace the lot of them at the same time.
Also consider a mains powered fire alarm with radio interlink.

 

[snowhead]

Is this customer someone random or a friend / neighbour / relative.?

If any of the last 3, it should make no difference to the price, mates rates are full rates.

Plus everything above said by others and not to forget that whatever you quote / charge, the customer may want to dispute it when it comes to paying, or even not want to pay at all.

 

[UNG]

I would say 3 days maybe 4. You will need to allow time for chit chat, nipping out to van/merchants, testing, fuse fairy all these take longer than you think

When doing jobs, time yourself to get more confident in estimating.
if you are going to do that. Don’t just time the time it takes to connect a socket for example start the clock from saying im going to do that socket, so gathering tools, the socket and tidying up.

TBH the best indicator I have found is to periodically do a job review every few months and compare the pricing to the actuals of a few jobs to verify that your pricing is in the right ball park, when you throw in travel time on a job it can certainly skew costs and it can mean you alter your working hours slightly, simple things like spending an extra hour onsite can mean you get more work done rather than waste an hour sat in all the rush hour congestion for a 15 - 20 min journey

Another thing to think about is how old the exising fire alarms are and if you should just replace the lot of them at the same time.
Also consider a mains powered fire alarm with radio interlink.

Done this plenty of times and in the last few years the technology has massively improved

 

[Dustydazzler]

Is this customer someone random or a friend / neighbour / relative.?

If any of the last 3, it should make no difference to the price, mates rates are full rates.

Plus everything above said by others and not to forget that whatever you quote / charge, the customer may want to dispute it when it comes to paying, or even not want to pay at all.

Rates are Rates

I used to dread pricing jobs for friends and family as the first thing they ask for is 'Mates rates'

 

[nicebutdim]

Rates are Rates

I used to dread pricing jobs for friends and family as the first thing they ask for is 'Mates rates'

'Mates' who ask for preferential treatment aren't mates - they're aquaintences and ask for special rates because they know they aren't on that list of people for whom you'll go the extra mile. Best to avoid working for them or, if unavoidable, give them a discount off an absolute worst case price.

 

[OnlQQker]

Use the old builders trick with pricing.

Look around, scratch your head and draw breath through your teeth causing instant alarm to the customer, whilst making out it is the worst job you have ever come across.

Then say it's going to be 3 grand but you'll do it half price for cash, making sure they give you 500 quid up front.

Then turn up to make a start and cause a mess, before clearing off and starting another job.

 

[bigspark17]

At the end of the day the customer wants 4 sockets and 6 sports and a smoke in the attic, its not a big job, and 3 days to complete? £750 labour and £400 material? Is it just me that finds this a bit of a p**s take?
Just needs a radial up there,,feed taken off upstairs lights and link up from smoke on landing. 1/2 days work for 2 guys!

 

[Diddy]

At the end of the day the customer wants 4 sockets and 6 sports and a smoke in the attic, its not a big job, and 3 days to complete? £750 labour and £400 material? Is it just me that finds this a bit of a p**s take?
Just needs a radial up there,,feed taken off upstairs lights and link up from smoke on landing. 1/2 days work for 2 guys!

New consumer unit ? testing ? are you saying 1 to 2 days for a pair or half a day for a pair ?

 

[Dustydazzler]

New consumer unit ? testing ? are you saying 1 to 2 days for a pair or half a day for a pair ?

Reading the post i reckon he means 1/2 day first fix and 1/2 day second fix for 2 decent experienced sparks

 

[Diddy]

Reading the post i reckon he means 1/2 day first fix and 1/2 day second fix for 2 decent experienced sparks

So 2 man days without the Consumer unit then. Hmm I would say 3 days myself. Man and anything above mid 2nd stage apprentice.

 

[Dustydazzler]

So 2 man days without the Consumer unit then. Hmm I would say 3 days myself. Man and anything above mid 2nd stage apprentice.

 

[Dustydazzler]

A consumer unit change I always allow 1 full day for no matter how few circuits there are on the old board.
If I am done by 1pm then happy days

 

[Brian Taylor]

Been asked to price for a job, customer is having attic done out so needs a few new circuits up there. Some more context I'm based in South Wales and house is 1950s awkward little.run from the board to up but the new socket's will all be on studs so minimal chasing. I'm so bad at pricing work it literally puts me off taking jobs on. CU is full so I proposed having a new CU dedicated for the loft and going from there.

New CU
X4 socket's one being usb
X2 1 gang 2 way switches
X6 spotlights
X1 optical smoke alarm, to be interlinked with existing smokes, so I gotta dick around with them also.

I was gunna just price materials plus 2 days labour @ day rate but I always feel like iv shafted myself when doing work for day rate as the jobs usually turn out to be -------'s just wondering if any of you lot were in my neck of the woods and interested to see what you'd charge or anyone would charge for that in general

Sounds like a £300 job to me

 

[Brian Taylor]

I was thinking materials plus 2 days at £250 a day. I don't really know what sparks charge around by me guessing it'd be around 40ph ish, company I work for really really tight lipped on pricing so I'm like a mushroom when it comes to price