This £35 an hour charge is really to cover the lost time between jobs, fuel etc so surely there is no need to expect such a high income from a solid days work? There can't be many on here who earn £300+ solid day in day out. Who rates a days work at £350? Builders, plasteres painters? Not round here they don't.
Very good point.
My bro and I just hired a s/e builder (on the basis of quality not price) this week to damp proof the back pf my mum's little terrace, hack off some old plaster inside and replace and waterproof the pebbledash around the job.
It took him two days and it cost just shy of £600 including vat. Assuming £50 for materials and derv and the vat I reckon he made about £225/230 a day. And he knocked £50 off the quoted price cuz he knew my bro and he finished early on day two. (About 3.30pm)
Another mate into roofing for a weeks (5 days) job charges himself at £1000 and makes a bit on materials and any labour. Say, wage £1000 plus a couple of hundred profit. So even at that level he gets to £250 a day.
If he goes to replace a bit of guttering or a couple of tiles he'll charge £100 plus materials and the job might only take two hours. But then he might not have another job 'til the afternoon.
As Ian Giles says:- don't forget the days where you don't work, or you pick up the kids, or have an extra half hour in bed. They all knock the average.Economy of scale see? If you want my cheeks for month, I'll do it for 3 grand (if I had the time), for a week, I'll do it for a grand (if I had the time) for a 7/8 hr day, £225/250. half a day? £150 and I'll start an hour early. Less than that and it's per job and depending on the mood I can go like Billy Whizz or Brian the snail!
