Painters and Decorators
PoP
decorators apply.
I keep running into situations where a customer has got different
quotes for doing some decorating, and I seem to win these hands down
because I charge about 25% of what these guys do! And I think I'm
doing well out of it!
On the grand scale of things I would have put painting and decorating
firmly in the "unskilled" category. It ain't that difficult to do in
my view.
Something like plumbing I can understand takes a certain amount of
know-how. But why on earth are painters and decorators charging the
same sorts of rates as plumbers?
PoP
---
If you need to contact me please submit your comments
via the web form at http://www.anyoldtripe.co.uk. I'll
probably still ignore you but at least I'll get the
message..... :)
Brian G
> Just airing the breeze a bit here about the charges painters and
> decorators apply.
>
> I keep running into situations where a customer has got different
> quotes for doing some decorating, and I seem to win these hands down
> because I charge about 25% of what these guys do! And I think I'm
> doing well out of it!
>
> On the grand scale of things I would have put painting and decorating
> firmly in the "unskilled" category. It ain't that difficult to do in
> my view.
>
> Something like plumbing I can understand takes a certain amount of
> know-how. But why on earth are painters and decorators charging the
> same sorts of rates as plumbers?
>
> PoP
1. Are you a qualified decorator?
2. Do you run a "bonna fide" firm?
3. If no to 2 above, are you "on the lump"?
4. Are you employed by a decorating firm as a "tradesman"?
If you honestly answer "no" to questions 1, 2 and 4 and "yes" to 3 - then
there is your answer - you are doing a professional out of work and avoiding
paying taxes. If that is the case then I am sure that the old tax man and
the VAT bods can trace you back through NTL world on 81.103.111.78 to claim
their bit of your booty plus a lot of interest if they so wish.
Brian G
Richard Faulkner
<br...@brian.com> writes
Big conclusion to jump to - without the answers at least.
Why do people always assume the worst??
--
Richard Faulkner
Faulkner & Faulkner
Tel: 0161 881 6087 Fax: 0161 861 7636 web: www.estate.demon.co.uk
Dave Plowman
PoP <p...@anyoldtripe.co.uk> wrote:
> On the grand scale of things I would have put painting and decorating
> firmly in the "unskilled" category. It ain't that difficult to do in
> my view.
I don't agree. To paint (and prepare) *properly* requires skill like
anything else. To slop some on doesn't.
> Something like plumbing I can understand takes a certain amount of
> know-how. But why on earth are painters and decorators charging the
> same sorts of rates as plumbers?
I hate painting, so had the entire outside done last year. Everything
including garden gates and railings etc - nothing left out, as so often
happens. Nice job. Cost 1600 quid for a London 4 bed Victorian semi, and
it took him 10 working days, although he didn't flog himself to death.
About 8 to 4 with a short break for lunch. Of course, I'll only really
know how good the job was in a couple of years time.
--
*I have my own little world - but it's OK...they know me here*
Dave Plowman dave....@argonet.co.uk London SW 12
RIP Acorn
Andy Hall
wrote:
I think that that is a misguided conclusion and somewhat uncalled for
- especially as if you read through some of PoP's posts you would know
what he does for a living.
He goes out of his way to play by the book and is one of the last
people who would fiddle his taxes.
There is no such thing as "doing a professional out of work". Apart
from specifically regulated work such as gas fitting it is is a free
market.
If a tradesperson has specific training, skills and experience then he
should market it and the market will decide whether it wants to pay
extra.
Sorry to burst your bubble, but the days of protectionism are long
gone.
.andy
To email, substitute .nospam with .gl
John Rumm
>>Something like plumbing I can understand takes a certain amount of
>>know-how. But why on earth are painters and decorators charging the
>>same sorts of rates as plumbers?
More than likely it is a case that they are increasing their prices to
the limit of what the market will stand. Especially as people will be
experiencing difficulty finding tradesmen when looking for plumbers and
sparks - it would seems easy enough for a decorator to play on that and
lump their services into the same perceived shortage, then inflate their
prices to match.
>>
>>PoP
>
>
> 1. Are you a qualified decorator?
Is there such a thing? For that matter so long as the result looks OK
and it gets done fast enough who cares? Decoration really is all about
presentation!
(can't see a BCO telling a decorator that they need to re-hang that bit
of wallpaper, since it is not well enough fixed and could fall on
someone causing a serious paper cut)
> 2. Do you run a "bonna fide" firm?
No need to be a "firm" as such - operating as a sole trader should be
fine and reduce costs a little.
> 3. If no to 2 above, are you "on the lump"?
Unrelated to 2 I would have thought - if you are the type of person to
fiddle, then you can do it anywhere regardless of how you trade (cash in
hand jobs etc).
> 4. Are you employed by a decorating firm as a "tradesman"?
Huh?
> If you honestly answer "no" to questions 1, 2 and 4 and "yes" to 3 - then
> there is your answer - you are doing a professional out of work and avoiding
Not really - if we are talking about a difference in charging of 75% or
more, none of the above activities alone would allow for the difference.
The logical conclusion is that the price being charged by some
decorators is not actually related to their costs at all.
> paying taxes. If that is the case then I am sure that the old tax man and
> the VAT bods can trace you back through NTL world on 81.103.111.78 to claim
If you are turning over 58K or less a year then there is no need to be
VAT registered, that will represent a real saving to your customers of
17.5% on your labour costs (since one presumes they are not themselves
VAT registered and able to claim it back)
> their bit of your booty plus a lot of interest if they so wish.
Do I detect a bit of paranoia here ;-) They say people project their
innermost fears onto others!
I would suggest that trading as a sole trader without VAT registration
would allow you to undercut the bigger firms costs by 20 - 25% before
you even factor in the fact that you may be prepared to work for a lower
man/hour rate.
--
Cheers,
John.
/=================================================================\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\=================================================================/
Dave Plowman
You'd have to define qualified. Time served? Plenty of good decorators
aren't.
> 2. Do you run a "bonna fide" firm?
I'm self employed - freelance - but don't 'run a firm'. There's no need to
- you can just be a sole trader. Oh - it's 'bona fide', by the way. ;-)
> 3. If no to 2 above, are you "on the lump"?
> 4. Are you employed by a decorating firm as a "tradesman"?
You'd know that answer if you read this group.
> If you honestly answer "no" to questions 1, 2 and 4 and "yes" to 3 -
> then there is your answer - you are doing a professional out of work and
> avoiding paying taxes.
Err, DIY 'does a pro out of work' Are you against that too? And the lump,
used to refer to people working on building sites etc - not working for a
private individual.
> If that is the case then I am sure that the old
> tax man and the VAT bods can trace you back through NTL world on
> 81.103.111.78 to claim their bit of your booty plus a lot of interest if
> they so wish.
I think you've got a nerve assuming someone isn't paying their due taxes.
--
*Filthy stinking rich -- well, two out of three ain't bad
PoP
<see.my.s...@nowhere.null> wrote:
>More than likely it is a case that they are increasing their prices to
>the limit of what the market will stand. Especially as people will be
>experiencing difficulty finding tradesmen when looking for plumbers and
>sparks - it would seems easy enough for a decorator to play on that and
>lump their services into the same perceived shortage, then inflate their
>prices to match.
That's probably the bit I'm gradually coming to terms with, albeit
reluctantly because I try too hard to give everyone a good deal and
end up shagging myself by not charging enough ;)
I guess I just haven't got the hard-nosed bargaining concept off pat
yet. I always hated dealing with finance things anyway, so maybe I'll
always be this way inclined.
I don't think I could make it as a prostitute, I'd be all give and no
take ;)
PoP
wrote:
>there is your answer - you are doing a professional out of work and avoiding
>paying taxes. If that is the case then I am sure that the old tax man and
>the VAT bods can trace you back through NTL world on 81.103.111.78 to claim
>their bit of your booty plus a lot of interest if they so wish.
Don't be daft. I don't do *anything* without it being logged in the
company accounts and I'll be happy to see the tax inspector anytime
they choose.
I was basing my comment on the fact that I've just been to see an old
lady who needed her bathroom wallpapering with vinyl paper. Another
tradesman had quoted her 4 days and £400 labour. We are talking about
a bathroom that has much in common with a telephone booth with no
redeeming features. I'd expect a "professional" p&d to do the whole
flat in 4 days, not just the cubby hole of a bathroom.
On another recent case a painter had quoted £600 to emulsion the upper
wall of a hall, stairs and landing. In a regular house. Not the entire
h, s & l, just the upper wall above the staircase that the occupant
didn't feel they had the equipment to get to - probably about 3 square
metres in all. The occupant was going to do the rest of the job
himself. Seemed like half a days work to me - I wasn't aware that
average p&d's were earning £1200 a day.
In both cases I felt the p&d was taking the mickey, and it has caused
me to question whether I'm in sync with what p&d's charge.
Or maybe I just got lucky and came into contact with a couple of p&d's
who aren't legit themselves. I know the bathroom guy was looking for
cash in hand.....
Brian G
> In article <c4a4k7$60p$1...@sparta.btinternet.com>,
> Brian G <br...@brian.com> wrote:
>> 1. Are you a qualified decorator?
>
> You'd have to define qualified. Time served? Plenty of good decorators
> aren't.
Agreed, but there are many bad one out there too - and I've seen quite a few
of 'em and been involved with putting their work right a extra cost to the
clients.
>> 2. Do you run a "bonna fide" firm?
>
> I'm self employed - freelance - but don't 'run a firm'. There's no
> need to - you can just be a sole trader. Oh - it's 'bona fide', by
> the way. ;-)
Good for you, and whether you are a sole trader or not - it is still a firm
whereby you are liable under various laws for taxation etc - you just set
the books up slightly differently plus a couple of other shortcuts over
partnerships and PLC's oh! And the profits (and liabilites) just go to one
person.
>> 3. If no to 2 above, are you "on the lump"?
>
>> 4. Are you employed by a decorating firm as a "tradesman"?
>
> You'd know that answer if you read this group.
>
>> If you honestly answer "no" to questions 1, 2 and 4 and "yes" to 3 -
>> then there is your answer - you are doing a professional out of work
>> and avoiding paying taxes.
>
> Err, DIY 'does a pro out of work' Are you against that too? And the
> lump, used to refer to people working on building sites etc - not
> working for a private individual.
Re-read it, I am sticking up for the "pro" and not the amateur who does him
out of hard cash whilst on the fiddle.
with regards to DIY - if the amateur does just that, for himself, to save
costs within his household, then great. What I object to is the unqualified
amatuer posing as a professional and undercutting the pro.
The "lump" refers to anyone who is working "cash-in-hand" to avoid paying
taxes, national insurance fiddling the dole etc (at least where I come from)
whether on a building site or not - and I am of an age to have seen a fair
bit of this in the past.
>> If that is the case then I am sure that the old
>> tax man and the VAT bods can trace you back through NTL world on
>> 81.103.111.78 to claim their bit of your booty plus a lot of
>> interest if they so wish.
>
> I think you've got a nerve assuming someone isn't paying their due
> taxes.
Where have I "assumed" that he is not paying taxes,I just asked a question
for which a true answer will give the facts either way.
Brian G
Andy Hall
>On Tue, 30 Mar 2004 00:06:55 +0100, John Rumm
><see.my.s...@nowhere.null> wrote:
>
>>More than likely it is a case that they are increasing their prices to
>>the limit of what the market will stand. Especially as people will be
>>experiencing difficulty finding tradesmen when looking for plumbers and
>>sparks - it would seems easy enough for a decorator to play on that and
>>lump their services into the same perceived shortage, then inflate their
>>prices to match.
>
>That's probably the bit I'm gradually coming to terms with, albeit
>reluctantly because I try too hard to give everyone a good deal and
>end up shagging myself by not charging enough ;)
>
>I guess I just haven't got the hard-nosed bargaining concept off pat
>yet. I always hated dealing with finance things anyway, so maybe I'll
>always be this way inclined.
>
>I don't think I could make it as a prostitute, I'd be all give and no
>take ;)
>
I don't know about that. If your first sentence is anything to go by,
you may have hidden talents :-)
dmc
>decorators apply.
>
>I keep running into situations where a customer has got different
>quotes for doing some decorating, and I seem to win these hands down
>because I charge about 25% of what these guys do! And I think I'm
>doing well out of it!
Father-in-law finds the same. He runs (well, he *is*) a small odd-job
business and finds that most of his work ends up being decorating jobs
(often from letting agencies) as he is much cheaper than a decorator.
Darren
Soup
<snip>
> Something like plumbing I can understand takes a certain amount of
> know-how. But why on earth are painters and decorators charging the
> same sorts of rates as plumbers?
>
> PoP
Because people will pay that much.
--
Yours S. addy not usable (not that you would try it) ( )
Utinam logica falsa tuam philosophiam totam suffodiant! / \
www.killies.co.uk/forums/index.php
PoP
wrote:
>Agreed, but there are many bad one out there too - and I've seen quite a few
>of 'em and been involved with putting their work right a extra cost to the
>clients.
I get my work put right at my own cost, should it ever be necessary.
Either that, or the client does not have to pay for the work carried
out. I *do not* expect a client to have to pay twice for the same work
being carried out.
I have in the past told a client that whilst I believed I could do the
job she asked of me, it wasn't something I had ever done before and
thus it was a possible risk for her to ask me to carry on. She
insisted, so my terms of that particular engagement were that in the
event that I screwed up her laminate flooring (which she had provided)
then not only would I not invoice her for my time spent - but I would
buy the damaged laminate flooring from her to prevent her suffering
any loss whatsoever.
I got the job. And I didn't have to buy the laminate flooring.
>Re-read it, I am sticking up for the "pro" and not the amateur who does him
>out of hard cash whilst on the fiddle.
I object to being referred to as "on the fiddle", or the inference
thereof. You did mean to make a libellous statement I assume?
>The "lump" refers to anyone who is working "cash-in-hand" to avoid paying
>taxes, national insurance fiddling the dole etc (at least where I come from)
>whether on a building site or not - and I am of an age to have seen a fair
>bit of this in the past.
Every cent taken from a client is passed thru the company books,
regardless of whether it is cash or cheque. I have from time to time
accepted cash payment (though the vast majority have been cheques made
out to the company, which I prefer). If I get a cash payment that cash
is paid into the company bank account to show complete transparency.
And furthermore the client gets a printed receipt for payment - with
zero exceptions. For all I know any one of my many clients could be a
taxperson in disguise - and I do not take any chances with that.
About the only "untaxed income" you could point a finger at is the
client who offers a cup of tea or coffee. I consider that to be a
privilege, not a right, and in these situations it would usually be
considered very rude to refuse the offer.
>Where have I "assumed" that he is not paying taxes,I just asked a question
>for which a true answer will give the facts either way.
You have made an inference, and that's good enough for me.
If you've got proof that I'm "on the fiddle", out with it so that we
can all inspect the evidence. Otherwise a public apology would be
greatly appreciated.
Grunff
> What I object to is the unqualified
> amatuer posing as a professional and undercutting the pro.
What the hell are you talking about? How many "professional"
painter/decorators are qualified in any way? How many extremely good
painters/decorators are qualified?
AFAICS, this is a case where a "pro" is simply someone who does this as
their main occupation. This is exactly what PoP does. As far as
undercutting goes, it's a free market, and he can charge whatever he
wants to charge - if he wants to do the work for free, then that's his
choice.
> The "lump" refers to anyone who is working "cash-in-hand" to avoid paying
> taxes, national insurance fiddling the dole etc (at least where I come from)
> whether on a building site or not - and I am of an age to have seen a fair
> bit of this in the past.
Where has all this come from? How is it relevant to the original question?
--
Grunff
Pete C
>
>That's probably the bit I'm gradually coming to terms with, albeit
>reluctantly because I try too hard to give everyone a good deal and
>end up shagging myself by not charging enough ;)
>
>I guess I just haven't got the hard-nosed bargaining concept off pat
>yet. I always hated dealing with finance things anyway, so maybe I'll
>always be this way inclined.
Charge market rates, after all if their was a recession on and the
market rate was low, would your customers pay you more to give you a
good deal?
If you've got cash to spare consider yourself lucky and put it to one
side or invest it wisely.
cheers,
Pete.
Owain
| and no take ;)
That could be quite popular, depending on your target market ;-)
Owain
Andy Hall
wrote:
>
>Re-read it, I am sticking up for the "pro" and not the amateur who does him
>out of hard cash whilst on the fiddle.
That's completely illogical. If somebody is doing work for
remuneration, they are, by definition, professional.
Whether they are qualified or do it well or badly is another matter.
With respect to painting an decorating, of course it's a skill.
Why do you jump to the conclusion that anybody doing otherwise is on
the fiddle?
>
>with regards to DIY - if the amateur does just that, for himself, to save
>costs within his household, then great. What I object to is the unqualified
>amatuer posing as a professional and undercutting the pro.
>
>The "lump" refers to anyone who is working "cash-in-hand" to avoid paying
>taxes, national insurance fiddling the dole etc (at least where I come from)
>whether on a building site or not - and I am of an age to have seen a fair
>bit of this in the past.
>
>>> If that is the case then I am sure that the old
>>> tax man and the VAT bods can trace you back through NTL world on
>>> 81.103.111.78 to claim their bit of your booty plus a lot of
>>> interest if they so wish.
>>
>> I think you've got a nerve assuming someone isn't paying their due
>> taxes.
>
>Where have I "assumed" that he is not paying taxes,I just asked a question
>for which a true answer will give the facts either way.
>
I think that just raising the subject is offensive enough in the
circumstances.
Neil Jones
"Brian G" <br...@brian.com> wrote in message
news:c4a4k7$60p$1...@sparta.btinternet.com...
You seem to imply that the only way a one-man-band can be more efficient
and have lower overheads than a larger outfit is to evade tax. Clearly
this is utter rubbish.
Neil
Tony Bryer
> You have made an inference, and that's good enough for me.
<PEDANT> He implies, you infer </PEDANT> <g>
Your attitude is refreshing. We let out a few properties through
our family business and so we need proper proof of payment and
receipts for work done. You could understand the £10 per hour cash
in hand attitude for small jobs but we have had "professionals"
wanting to be paid (say) £800 cash no receipt and when you say that
you need to pay by cheque and want a receipt they walk away.
Another lot do not realise that if they put themselves on a proper
business footing and got a pad of receipts from NEBS they could
taking on work that they currently disqualify themselves from and
could charge more than enough to cover the tax.
--
Tony Bryer SDA UK 'Software to build on' http://www.sda.co.uk
Free SEDBUK boiler database browser
http://www.sda.co.uk/qsedbuk.htm
PoP
wrote:
>Your attitude is refreshing.
Thank you :)
>We let out a few properties through
>our family business and so we need proper proof of payment and
>receipts for work done. You could understand the £10 per hour cash
>in hand attitude for small jobs but we have had "professionals"
>wanting to be paid (say) £800 cash no receipt and when you say that
>you need to pay by cheque and want a receipt they walk away.
I'm very happy to do the £10 jobs, and it gets logged, invoiced and
receipted every time. Doing these little jobs means I get more
customers, and the more customers I have done work for the better
chances I have of getting referrals and repeat business. Some of that
will be the larger jobs :)
I can't hope to survive on £10 jobs alone of course, but to be honest
I prefer a few little 'uns here and there.
>Another lot do not realise that if they put themselves on a proper
>business footing and got a pad of receipts from NEBS they could
>taking on work that they currently disqualify themselves from and
>could charge more than enough to cover the tax.
Each to his own I suppose, but from day one I decided on my
operational parameters. And towards the top of page 1 of my operations
manual is "don't do anything that the tax man might take an interest
in".
I think I had one customer (before Christmas so I don't recall the
details exactly) who insisted on paying me £5 more than my invoice, on
the basis that she thought I'd done a good job. I didn't ask for it
and was of course very pleased with the thought. But I receipted it
all the same :)
M
bonna-fide firms:
1. A "bonna fide" sic firm is just one that helps its owners to avoid taxes
in a more legally acceptable way and avoid potentially crippling personal
liabilities.
2. If this guy can charge 25% of others, then great. I hope the high price
guys sit on their fat asses all week, I know that many of them have and do.
3. The fatcat decorators would still be more than 3 times more expensive
when the VAT is taken off! I know that "bonna fide" firms never do cash
jobs! I'm sure that its much harder for a bigger "bonna fide" firm not to
let cash slip through the books. It always surprises me how larger firms
can buy so much material in a week when they got no moneys in. They must
have just spent the week buying stock.
4. Many "bonna fide" firms do charge more to cover their higher costs. Many
have huge liability insurance, not just for their employees but largely for
taking account of the cost of Supply of Goods and Services claims that they
experience! They spend a lot on lawyers, but its usually too late in the
process.
5. From what I have seen, there's as much know-how in decorating as in
plumbing. You can interpret that how you like!
PoP
wrote:
>5. From what I have seen, there's as much know-how in decorating as in
>plumbing. You can interpret that how you like!
With the benefit of hindsight I was a bit unfair in my original
comment on this matter. I was really focussing on the application of
paint to a surface, which although needing some care is not exactly
rocket science and can be taught/learned fairly easily (bar those who
are totally ham-fisted ;)).
Obviously give a monkey a paintbrush but without the knowledge of
surface preparation etc and the results cannot be guaranteed.
Plumbing on the other hand does require the use of tools and a
practical nature, so I guess I view that as being more "skillworthy".
Some people struggle to use simple tools like screwdrivers and
spanners, but those same people can do the basics with a paintbrush
more times than not.
My wife is handy with a paintbrush. But I still haven't forgiven her
for using my sidecutters (electronic variety) as a wrench some years
ago. Took the edge off the cutting blades. Grr..... ;)
Dave Plowman
Brian G <br...@brian.com> wrote:
> > I'm self employed - freelance - but don't 'run a firm'. There's no
> > need to - you can just be a sole trader. Oh - it's 'bona fide', by
> > the way. ;-)
> Good for you, and whether you are a sole trader or not - it is still a
> firm whereby you are liable under various laws for taxation etc - you
> just set the books up slightly differently plus a couple of other
> shortcuts over partnerships and PLC's oh! And the profits (and
> liabilites) just go to one person.
I don't keep 'books'.
--
*I see you've set aside this special time to humiliate yourself in public
Grunff
> I think that just raising the subject is offensive enough in the
> circumstances.
I totally agree - there was nothing in the original post, or in any of
PoP's previous posts to indicate that this would be the case.
--
Grunff
Owain
| With the benefit of hindsight I was a bit unfair in my
| original comment on this matter. I was really focussing
| on the application of paint to a surface, which although
| needing some care is not exactly rocket science and can
| be taught/learned fairly easily (bar those who are
| totally ham-fisted ;)).
At the simple level (Daubing ye Trayde Emulshun onto ye Walle), painting has
more to do with getting the work done fairly quickly and not splashing/
spattering too much. Once they've learned basic manual coordination the
trainees can then move on to mixing plaster :-)
| Obviously give a monkey a paintbrush but without the
| knowledge of surface preparation etc and the results
| cannot be guaranteed.
That class of tradesman doesn't guarantee his results or hang around long
enough for them to dry!
Owain
PoP
>I totally agree - there was nothing in the original post, or in any of
>PoP's previous posts to indicate that this would be the case.
Trying to find the right words here.....
I have to admit to feeling humbled by some of the responses I've had
in support on this thread. Most of the people who have offered me
support I don't know on a personal level so it's not as if I've got a
group of beer stalkers hoping for a free pint at the next
gathering..... :)
Thank you all.
geoff
<br...@brian.com> writes
>PoP wrote:
>> Just airing the breeze a bit here about the charges painters and
>> decorators apply.
>>
>> I keep running into situations where a customer has got different
>> quotes for doing some decorating, and I seem to win these hands down
>> because I charge about 25% of what these guys do! And I think I'm
>> doing well out of it!
>>
>> On the grand scale of things I would have put painting and decorating
>> firmly in the "unskilled" category. It ain't that difficult to do in
>> my view.
>>
>> Something like plumbing I can understand takes a certain amount of
>> know-how. But why on earth are painters and decorators charging the
>> same sorts of rates as plumbers?
>>
>> PoP
>
>1. Are you a qualified decorator?
>
>2. Do you run a "bonna fide" firm?
>
>3. If no to 2 above, are you "on the lump"?
>
>4. Are you employed by a decorating firm as a "tradesman"?
>
>If you honestly answer "no" to questions 1, 2 and 4 and "yes" to 3 - then
>there is your answer - you are doing a professional out of work and avoiding
>paying taxes. If that is the case then I am sure that the old tax man and
>the VAT bods can trace you back through NTL world on 81.103.111.78 to claim
>their bit of your booty plus a lot of interest if they so wish.
>
time, he doesn't strike me as being the sort of person to which point 3
applies.
Points 1, 2 and 4 strike me as being a load of bollocks
btw, it's "bona fide"
--
geoff
geoff
<p...@anyoldtripe.co.uk> writes
>Just airing the breeze a bit here about the charges painters and
>decorators apply.
>
>I keep running into situations where a customer has got different
>quotes for doing some decorating, and I seem to win these hands down
>because I charge about 25% of what these guys do! And I think I'm
>doing well out of it!
>
>On the grand scale of things I would have put painting and decorating
>firmly in the "unskilled" category. It ain't that difficult to do in
>my view.
>
>Something like plumbing I can understand takes a certain amount of
>know-how. But why on earth are painters and decorators charging the
>same sorts of rates as plumbers?
>
Me, I'd much rather do something like plumbing than painting and
decorating - it bores me and I find it fiddly and messy to get a good
result.
My wife's just the opposite.
--
geoff
dmc
PoP <p...@anyoldtripe.co.uk> wrote:
>
> ....it's not as if I've got a
>group of beer stalkers hoping for a free pint at the next
>gathering..... :)
oooooo
Was that an offer? ;-)
Darren
Grouch
|| Just airing the breeze a bit here about the charges painters and
|| decorators apply.
||
|| I keep running into situations where a customer has got different
|| quotes for doing some decorating, and I seem to win these hands down
|| because I charge about 25% of what these guys do! And I think I'm
|| doing well out of it!
||
|| On the grand scale of things I would have put painting and decorating
|| firmly in the "unskilled" category. It ain't that difficult to do in
|| my view.
||
|| Something like plumbing I can understand takes a certain amount of
|| know-how. But why on earth are painters and decorators charging the
|| same sorts of rates as plumbers?
||
||
|| ---
|| If you need to contact me please submit your comments
|| via the web form at http://www.anyoldtripe.co.uk. I'll
|| probably still ignore you but at least I'll get the
|| message..... :)
Because they have a trade.
My belief / you charge what you think your worth. if the punter don't like
it tough.
--
Grouch
PoP
>Was that an offer? ;-)
As I missed the last one..... ;)