[Help] Does this quote for plastering job sound reasonable?

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METALMICKY

Well-known member
Jan 30, 2004
6,823
Hi folks. Looking to have 3 bedrooms walls and ceilings plastered. The walls are in reasonable condition whilst the ceilings are artexed. Job is to also make good any cracks in walls which really shouldn't be many.

Room dimensions with all heights 2.2m

Bedroom 1
4.24m x 2.87m
1 door

Bedroom 2
3.89m x 2.92m
1 door

Bedroom 3
3.23m x 2.82m
1 door

For cash I've been quoted £1700 for 2 days work and it includes all materials (sealant, bags of plaster and corner edges)

Being a DIY numpty I've no idea whether this sounds reasonable and I'm keen to get the job soon. Thoughts please.

Alternatively, any plasterers in the Eastbourne area able to pop round and give me a quote sharpish?

And before anyone asks. ' it's not a 5 minute job ' and I've tried ' turning it on and off again '

:LOL: :thumbsup:
 






Westdene Seagull

aka Cap'n Carl Firecrotch
NSC Patron
Oct 27, 2003
21,526
The arse end of Hangleton
Seems a little steep. I'd expect to pay about £300 a day labour.
 


Live by the sea

Well-known member
Oct 21, 2016
4,718
Sounds about right . Most plasterers seem to charge around £500 a day labour if they are good . Yes it’s skilful in terms of you probably need a few months practice before you get good . However it’s still a lot of money for someone with no degree and it hasn’t taken him a 4-5 year study course to become a plasterer .
 


BN9 BHA

DOCKERS
NSC Patron
Jul 14, 2013
22,668
Newhaven
No mention of how many people are doing the job, maybe 2 plasterers will be there for 2 days, or one plasterer and one labourer.
 




Pickles

Well-known member
May 5, 2014
1,320
As WS says, £300 a day probably.
I can't see him banging out 3 x rooms in 2 days to a quality standard.
Maybe he's got another plasterer and a labourer with him?
 


Perkino

Well-known member
Dec 11, 2009
6,051
That sounds steep to me...but having seen someone plaster it is a very physical and tricky task to do without any practice and I'd be getting in a guy to complete it. £400 a room is the last estimate I had but that was pre covid
 


cjd

Well-known member
Jun 22, 2006
6,306
La Rochelle
Sounds about right . Most plasterers seem to charge around £500 a day labour if they are good . Yes it’s skilful in terms of you probably need a few months practice before you get good . However it’s still a lot of money for someone with no degree and it hasn’t taken him a 4-5 year study course to become a plasterer .
Oh...OK. So because someones brain works better, they are worth significantly more......so they can sit at a desk all day and then have enough energy to go for a 5 mile run in the evening....and be fitter....live longer ( costing more via state pension )...and spend time in working hours looking at healthy eating etc etc...to live even longer.......



while the poor fucker who labours through the day, doesn't have the energy to do his 5 mile run, 20 mile cycle ride, two hours at the local expensive gym in the evening...has a broken body at 66....lives a shorter life in pain...costs less via the state pension. Hmmmmm...OK then.


Incidentally....I''m now retired, but I worked in offices....then in the care industry....then finally in the building industry.. ( you know physical labour etc )....and I know which one deserves a better salary/wage..
 




Live by the sea

Well-known member
Oct 21, 2016
4,718
Oh...OK. So because someones brain works better, they are worth significantly more......so they can sit at a desk all day and then have enough energy to go for a 5 mile run in the evening....and be fitter....live longer ( costing more via state pension )...and spend time in working hours looking at healthy eating etc etc...to live even longer.......



while the poor fucker who labours through the day, doesn't have the energy to do his 5 mile run, 20 mile cycle ride, two hours at the local expensive gym in the evening...has a broken body at 66....lives a shorter life in pain...costs less via the state pension. Hmmmmm...OK then.


Incidentally....I''m now retired, but I worked in offices....then in the care industry....then finally in the building industry.. ( you know physical labour etc )....and I know which one deserves a better salary/wage..
I’m simply comparing salaries to the amount of time and training required to get to the standard needed. I’m not picking on plasterers specifically just anyone that hasn’t done 4-5 years course / training shouldn’t expect to earn £500 a day in their chosen field .

Newly qualified doctors for instance don’t
 


Elbow750

Well-known member
Jun 21, 2020
508
Hi folks. Looking to have 3 bedrooms walls and ceilings plastered. The walls are in reasonable condition whilst the ceilings are artexed. Job is to also make good any cracks in walls which really shouldn't be many.

Room dimensions with all heights 2.2m

Bedroom 1
4.24m x 2.87m
1 door

Bedroom 2
3.89m x 2.92m
1 door

Bedroom 3
3.23m x 2.82m
1 door

For cash I've been quoted £1700 for 2 days work and it includes all materials (sealant, bags of plaster and corner edges)

Being a DIY numpty I've no idea whether this sounds reasonable and I'm keen to get the job soon. Thoughts please.

Alternatively, any plasterers in the Eastbourne area able to pop round and give me a quote sharpish?

And before anyone asks. ' it's not a 5 minute job ' and I've tried ' turning it on and off again '

:LOL: :thumbsup:
This doesn't sound cheap but if he does a good job then I'd be happy with that. Have you seen his work or been recommended?

My daughter had a bedroom (walls and ceiling) re-plastered recently after a bit of ceiling repair/ specialist insulation. She had to strip some horrid wood chip off the walls, and guess who got called in to help! The ceiling was artex which unfortunately turned out to have been applied over lining paper. Plasterer wouldn't do the ceiling until we'd stripped it all off, which was a right pain in the ass.

I don't know how much it cost, but he did a good job and we'll be wary of the ceilings in the rest of her house.
 


dazzer6666

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Mar 27, 2013
55,530
Burgess Hill
Hi folks. Looking to have 3 bedrooms walls and ceilings plastered. The walls are in reasonable condition whilst the ceilings are artexed. Job is to also make good any cracks in walls which really shouldn't be many.

Room dimensions with all heights 2.2m

Bedroom 1
4.24m x 2.87m
1 door

Bedroom 2
3.89m x 2.92m
1 door

Bedroom 3
3.23m x 2.82m
1 door

For cash I've been quoted £1700 for 2 days work and it includes all materials (sealant, bags of plaster and corner edges)

Being a DIY numpty I've no idea whether this sounds reasonable and I'm keen to get the job soon. Thoughts please.

Alternatively, any plasterers in the Eastbourne area able to pop round and give me a quote sharpish?

And before anyone asks. ' it's not a 5 minute job ' and I've tried ' turning it on and off again '

:LOL: :thumbsup:
Pretty much what we paid for similar-sized bedrooms…..we had two done separately a few months apart, one was I think £700 and one £500.
 






Bakero

Languidly clinical
Oct 9, 2010
14,883
Almería
Oh...OK. So because someones brain works better, they are worth significantly more......so they can sit at a desk all day and then have enough energy to go for a 5 mile run in the evening....and be fitter....live longer ( costing more via state pension )...and spend time in working hours looking at healthy eating etc etc...to live even longer.......



while the poor fucker who labours through the day, doesn't have the energy to do his 5 mile run, 20 mile cycle ride, two hours at the local expensive gym in the evening...has a broken body at 66....lives a shorter life in pain...costs less via the state pension. Hmmmmm...OK then.


Incidentally....I''m now retired, but I worked in offices....then in the care industry....then finally in the building industry.. ( you know physical labour etc )....and I know which one deserves a better salary/wage..

You should post this in the meritocracy debate over on the Woke List thread :)
 
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BN9 BHA

DOCKERS
NSC Patron
Jul 14, 2013
22,668
Newhaven
I’m simply comparing salaries to the amount of time and training required to get to the standard needed. I’m not picking on plasterers specifically just anyone that hasn’t done 4-5 years course / training shouldn’t expect to earn £500 a day in their chosen field .

Newly qualified doctors for instance don’t
Newly qualified doctors don’t own a business.

You seem to have issues with trades people, the trades earning good money have their own business which means many overheads.
Trades that work for companies don’t earn anywhere near £500 per day, some not even £200

I actually did 4 years training to get the plumbing qualifications I’ve got, 1 long day a week at college and 4 days working.
 




cjd

Well-known member
Jun 22, 2006
6,306
La Rochelle
I’m simply comparing salaries to the amount of time and training required to get to the standard needed. I’m not picking on plasterers specifically just anyone that hasn’t done 4-5 years course / training shouldn’t expect to earn £500 a day in their chosen field .

Newly qualified doctors for instance don’t
they don't earn £500 a day. They will have a labourers assistant to pay for as well. They will have material costs, van costs, tools costs, business bank costs, accountant costs, insurance costs.... the list is endless when self employed. They will go out in the evenings spending hours preparing quotes ( for which they don't get paid). They will do their accounts in the evening...( for which they don't get paid) they will occasionally do work for late payers incurring more bank charges. The chap with a degree frequently ( not all ) will sit in an air conditioned office and spending time on NSC...( you wont find many physical workers in the building trade on NSC during the day).

5 years studying..???? The first year is spent at parties and on the piss. The second year slowing down, but shagging anything going, but realisingin ...you have to do SOME work.....and the final year...getting your lazy arse into gear.

i applaud anyone who gets a degree...very well done.....but never have I seen in all my life anything that is quite so over- rated.

When I was younger, people thought running 26 miles was just for elite athletes. As time went by, it just took a bit of determination. The same applies to degrees...it just needs a bit of determination...and in most cases...a decent helping of good genes and parenting.
 


dejavuatbtn

Well-known member
Aug 4, 2010
7,573
Henfield
You need to know how good he is - is he recommended? There’s a big variety of them out there. Some are excellent and would be well worth the quote - shiny sharp flat walls and ceiling. Edges straight using decent edgings etc. Others who slap it on can cause more problems than you have already.
 
Last edited:


Icy Gull

Back on the rollercoaster
Jul 5, 2003
72,015
Oh...OK. So because someones brain works better, they are worth significantly more......so they can sit at a desk all day and then have enough energy to go for a 5 mile run in the evening....and be fitter....live longer ( costing more via state pension )...and spend time in working hours looking at healthy eating etc etc...to live even longer.......



while the poor fucker who labours through the day, doesn't have the energy to do his 5 mile run, 20 mile cycle ride, two hours at the local expensive gym in the evening...has a broken body at 66....lives a shorter life in pain...costs less via the state pension. Hmmmmm...OK then.


Incidentally....I''m now retired, but I worked in offices....then in the care industry....then finally in the building industry.. ( you know physical labour etc )....and I know which one deserves a better salary/wage..
An accountant can charge you £150 plus an hour to give you a Spanish Inquisition :smile: :angry:

A good labourer is far better value and a lot easier to have around too

That price does not sound outrageous to me for a decent plasterer.
 


Creaky

Well-known member
Mar 26, 2013
3,862
Hookwood - Nr Horley
Have been getting quotes over the last few weeks for plastering a complete new build.

We have been offered two options by different companies and individuals. A “day rate” and a “job rate”.

Those offering a job rate have tended to be the more experienced, (and older), individuals. When I asked one why he wouldn’t offer a day rate they replied that he had thirty plus years experience and could do the job better and faster than someone with only limited experience so why should he end up earning less just because he can do the job faster.

All those offering a job rate have estimated a quicker completion time.

Granted there have been some wildly differing quotes, (both high and low), but most have been fairly similar with those offering a day rate averaging out between £250 and £300 per day. We will be supplying all the materials.

Subject to seeing examples of their work we will be going for someone offering a job rate.

Whatever you do, do NOT pay all the money up front!
 




cjd

Well-known member
Jun 22, 2006
6,306
La Rochelle
An accountant can charge you £150 plus an hour to give you a Spanish Inquisition :smile: :angry:

A good labourer is far better value and a lot easier to have around too

That price does not sound outrageous to me for a decent plasterer.
Yes, and in my "office working " days that what I was ( cost accountant ). I thought I worked hard, but life was to take me in other directions and point out to me the error of my ways. At that stage..."oh, such pressure I am under to produce the figures, I can't cope" ..oh, woe is me. Miraculously, I always achieved completion before the deadline......it just meant I had to work all the time instead of discussing last nights Coronation Street...lol
 


chickens

Have you considered masterly inactivity?
NSC Patron
Oct 12, 2022
2,689
I’m simply comparing salaries to the amount of time and training required to get to the standard needed. I’m not picking on plasterers specifically just anyone that hasn’t done 4-5 years course / training shouldn’t expect to earn £500 a day in their chosen field .

Newly qualified doctors for instance don’t

Supply and demand innit. If there’s thousands of plasterers looking for work, you’ll find good plasterers keen to work for £300 a day. If there’s a shortage of skilled and available plasterers, then they’re entitled to say that there’s plenty who will pay them £500 a day coz they want their plastering done.

To the OP, definitely get a couple more quotes, ideally job rate based on the work to be done. And check that the quote they give you includes everything you want doing (e.g. all rubbish cleared after the work)

Day rate works for decent builders, but you sometimes can’t tell you’ve got a bad ‘un until they’ve been on site for a day, spent most of it off-site allegedly getting materials, but coming back smelling of beer, and then tell you at 4pm they’re knocking off now but they think the job will take longer than originally thought, and can they have some more cash up front please.
 


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