[Closed] Day rates for builders.

The best way of transferring time scale risk to the builder is by going for a fixed price for each job.
Unless the jobs are the same or very similar, then there will be a cost in estimating what the fixed cost of each job should be.
Of course, fixed cost prices are generally higher than time and materials at the estimating / pricing stage - you have to decide if the risk is worth the extra charge.
Good luck.

i'd say that website was way off....

max 164 quid for a chippy in kent, surrey or essex? i'd have been looking to earn 150 min, 180 was an "Ok" day...

don't know if rates have fallen that much in the last four years....

+1 fixed price. job will get prob be finished sooner than you think.

Always go for priced jobs. Not day rate.

You'll find out if someone's taking the piss quickly enough - and the jobs will always get done more quickly. Day rate tempts people to "hang it out for an extra day" if they can get away with it.

Cheers chaps.

Whilst out for a walk locally we watched some guy replacing the original roof tiles on a period property, it was a nice sunny summers day, no one else on the site, rural location.... he placed around 1 tile every 15 mins and spent an age scratching his arse and staring at the tiles from different angles. I reckon he was on a day rate!!!

I reckon he was on a day rate!!!

I reckon you could be right! 🙂

Always get a price for the complete job with any extra cost to be approved before undertaken and completion dates are a must, with the possibility of penalties (you can argue that extra time costs you extra money)

Whilst out for a walk locally we watched some guy........he placed around 1 tile every 15 mins

You must walk [i]really[/i] slowly. I can generally walk past someone's house in less than 15 mins.

or it was a really biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiggggggggggggg house.

or they were a looong way away...

or he was taking great care to do the job properly....

For an alternative point of view you can't always tell 100% what need doing until you take it apart.

You will have to be very clear on the scope of the work, changing your mind half way through or adding extra work will mean the builder has a illegitimate reason not to meet the dead line.

Always hire a busy builder. If he can start tomorrow ask why? Look for quality over cost (within reason). Ask around get lots of references see finished jobs. To many of these programs on tv show cowboy builders but never show the customers who never had any intension of paying for the jobs. Don't always be fooled by flash vans with lots of logos. Hope all goes well.

Cheers all, I think I'm approaching this from a mechanics pov where there is a fixed hourly rate and a recommended time limit for each particular job which means it's possible to control both the cost and time taken, within reason. My main concern is that by paying per job encourages the less honourable to try and get as many jobs in per day at the expense of quality. All too complicated for me...
All good info here and I'll see how the chap reacts tomorrow.

My main concern is that by paying per job encourages the less honourable to try and get as many jobs in per day at the expense of quality.

You may also have the problems of something going less than perfect during the build and then the builder trying to claw back time by cutting corners in other area to avoid a late fee.

Well defined scope and staged payments is probably your best bet.

Well defined scope and staged payments is probably your best bet.

I am having my cellar tanked at the moment and that was a fixed quote but in the small print they also state the cost of additional work which is anywhere between 150 and 200 a day depending on the expertise of the worker. The guy who does most of the work at my place charges me 180 a day on a kind of mates rate. I'm in Surrey if that makes a difference!!

The guy who does most of the work at my place charges me 180 a day on a kind of mates rate. I'm in Surrey if that makes a difference!!