Labour costs for renovating

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rammy100
Posts: 553
Joined: Thu Apr 25, 2013 8:20 am
Location: Berlin

Labour costs for renovating

Post by rammy100 »

I am about to stop letting out my UK house, renovate it and either move back into it or sell it - I'm not clear about that part.

I'm planning on painting/decorating it, installing new floors, possibly a kitchen and other smaller jobs.

I have a friend who is handy, short of cash, with plenty of time on his hands (as do I) and between us we can do the majority of the work. There is no restriction on the time it takes.

However, I cannot work out how much to pay him. I don't want to pay him a daily rate as his idea of a working day is short and, while he's good enough, he's not an expert.

I could get someone in to give me an estimate but it seems unfair to offer the promise of work that won't materialise.

If I ask him for a price he is likely to underestimate the cost and I don't want to take advantage of him.

Does anyone have any ideas how to come up with a way of costing a job?

Thanks,

Dave
Here we go again........
declanja
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Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2008 8:59 pm
Location: Nice France
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Post by declanja »

I think you should ask him for a price. Maybe try and keep a record of his hours spent helping you and if when the work is complete and if you are satisfied you can give him a bonus. In Ireland if I hire anyone on a daily or hourly rate, I am liable for insurance in case of an accident. If I hire someone on a contract basis, they are liable for their own insurance.
Getting friends to do work for you without any price agreement can lead to the end of friendships if things go wrong.
Drax
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Joined: Thu Jul 21, 2016 4:36 pm
Location: Yorkshire Dales

Post by Drax »

Unless you are tradesman it can be difficult to cost a job.
I would pay him by the hour at local 'handy-man' rates, which in my part of the U.K. is £10 - £12 per hour.
You would have to keep a record of his hours that he agrees with and preferably pay him weekly.
On a cynical note, if he is short of money he may want to prolong the work which would lead to resentment on your part and an awkward confrontation with him. Also you may not be satisfied with the standard of work he is doing.
If it was me I would not involve a friend to help me with paid work, the potential for falling out and losing a friendship is too great.
Instead I would endeavour to do as much of the work as possible and employ tradesmen to do work that I could not do.
I should add that I have recently completed a major renovation project on our cottage and though a novice I did do the majority of the work myself but employing tradesmen when necessary.
Keep your powder dry.
COYS
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Joined: Sat Jun 06, 2015 1:24 pm
Location: Greek Islands

Post by COYS »

Having been in the building industry since leaving school, it never fails to tickle me when proper property renovation or refurbishment is considered a simple task that anybody can do on the cheap. Too many crap TV makeover shows have added fuel to this fire but I have lost count of the times when I or colleagues of mine have been called to assess or rectify some abomination or other.
“Time on his hands & a shortage of cash” is not exactly a ringing endorsement of your friends’ qualification or abilities to tackle the job in hand, no matter how much you are planning on paying him. I can only assume that you have an expectation of finish in mind, but how do you expect to achieve reasonable quality if you are planning on employing “by no means an expert”?
Tread very carefully if any of your planned works carry Building Regs requirements.
There’s a well worn phrase in the industry - ‘pay peanuts & you get monkeys’ & I can offer no further advice on price other than that it always costs more to do things twice.
This time next year Rodney, we'll be millionaires.
rammy100
Posts: 553
Joined: Thu Apr 25, 2013 8:20 am
Location: Berlin

Post by rammy100 »

Thank you for your replies. It is important to me to get everything (the work and rate of pay) agreed upfront - hence this post - so I avoid falling out. We have worked together before without a problem.

I would prefer to pay him per job to avoid any jobs stretching but an hourly rate may be the way forward.

Drax - I am actually planning to do the work with him and call in tradespeople for the jobs we cannot manage together.

Coys - I don't recall saying anywhere that I consider this to be a "simple task that I am trying to do on the cheap" Neither am I attempting to pay peanuts for a monkey. It is quite a complicated situation that doesn't need to be explained in full.

Whilst I did say that he has time on his hands and is short of cash, I also said that he is handy - and he is.

Whilst you may be tickled by these thoughts, it aggravated me no end when this week a plumber forced me to pay £100 for a 20 minute job to fit a tiny valve to stop a small leak which I could easily fix myself if I didn't happen to be in another country. My choice of course but I am trying to avoid this when decorating my house, fitting replacement wooden flooring etc. which I am certain doesn't require consideration of building regs.

Thanks again for all your suggestions.
Here we go again........
COYS
Posts: 795
Joined: Sat Jun 06, 2015 1:24 pm
Location: Greek Islands

Post by COYS »

rammy100 wrote: Whilst you may be tickled by these thoughts, it aggravated me no end when this week a plumber forced me to pay £100 for a 20 minute job to fit a tiny valve to stop a small leak which I could easily fix myself if I didn't happen to be in another country. My choice of course but I am trying to avoid this when decorating my house, fitting replacement wooden flooring etc. which I am certain doesn't require consideration of building regs.
Maybe not unless you are planning on insulating those floors properly, or carrying out say even relatively minor electrical work in the kitchen. Tread carefully is all I advised.
Apologies if you saw it as a dig, I suppose it reads back that way, but yes it amuses me that so many people assume that proper building renovation/refurbishment is something anyone can have a bash at. Being an absolute stickler for quality control, durability & finish I can assure you that this is more often than not, way off the mark. Being handy & available is one thing, a lifetime of learning & knowledge is something else entirely & that is what you are paying your plumber for - not just his time.
This time next year Rodney, we'll be millionaires.
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