Builder quotes.... all made up

[Mudball]

Getting some builders to quote for some building works... The numbers seem all made up. Just dont get the logic behind it.

1) Exhibit 1: small extension to the front.. it will create a space of about 9sq m.. two of the walls are existing ones. first quote 21k, second quote 43k!! I will expect a gold leaf front door for that kind of money
2) Replace garage door (2 single to 1 double door and remove central pillar).... garage door company 4.5k, second builder 8.5k

Living in Surrey I thought the general rule of thumb was 1k-1.2k per sq m... but that measure my 9sq m would have been 9-15k tops.. Speaking to one of the builders... he was complaining that he cant find tradesmen. all the polish seem to have gone home after the vote. material prices have jumped up this year. while I am sympathetic about all this, I dont think i can afford any such work.

Any views from builders on the forum or those who have done building work recently

 

[Orikoru]

I'm no expert by any means, but it does seem like they all just charge you the figure they want and then make the itemised list fit the amount rather than the other way around. It even cost us 4 grand to get our tiny bathroom refitted - it's like 210 x 170 cm - and that mate's rates supposedly. Labour only. Don't even start me on the quotes we had for doing the back garden. That one is well on the back burner.

 

[spongebob59]

The builder we use says price of timber has gone up by 30%, we was going to get him to build a pergola but he says it cheaper to by a kit and just get him to fit it.

 

[Tashyboy]

Builders have done very well out of the Covid, well the better ones. I had some work done last year on the back garden. It was booked months ahead. Anyway by the time they got round to doing my job they were fully booked up til November. The builder mentioned he has been putting in silly prices for jobs and been getting the jobs. It seems that people have been spending there brass on home improvements. His uncle was doing a bigger job a few houses down and popped round a few times when the bacon butties were on. We were talking one day and they mentioned they had never been so busy and if you could get a builder at short notice you should ask the question why. The general consensus them not being very good. I would be shopping around for a few more quotes.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

If your expensive builder is sourcing anything from China then his import costs have rocketed.

More seriously - we had a little 3m**2 extension built at the side of our house - it cost a lot lot more than £4k because of the nature of the build - it was an extension - that it was a titchy one didn't help that much - I am thinking it could have been quite a lot bigger and wouldn't have cost that much more. Also - things like scaffolding, skip hire, material etc can add a lot to a basic price if not explicitly itemised as included. Oh yes - and VAT ad plumbing and electrics contingency on one but not they other

 

[road2ruin]

We're presently having our bathrooms (x2) and the downstairs toilet redone. Had 3 quotes and for labour only we had £8k, £9.5k and £14k. We followed up with the final builder to ask him for a breakdown of his quote and never heard back from him, he came recommended however assume he has enough work so just creates a figure and if he gets the job then brilliant, if not he doesn't care.

 

[Whereditgo]

The builder we use says price of timber has gone up by 30%, we was going to get him to build a pergola but he says it cheaper to by a kit and just get him to fit it.

We built our own during the first lockdown, I'm no woodworker by any stretch of the imagination, I just CAD'ed it up, sourced the timber and built it.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

The builder we use says price of timber has gone up by 30%, we was going to get him to build a pergola but he says it cheaper to by a kit and just get him to fit it.

We had a joiner put up a pergola for us in November just gone. He bought everything, fitted it, £750. Don't know how that fits with your figures but it sounded okay to me.

 

[IanM]

Mate of mine said he'd price up jobs based on if he wanted to do it or not. Sometimes he'd way over price but still got the gig.

Trouble us, most folk have no idea what the costs involved are.

 

[Billysboots]

We’ve just had two quotes for a 2-storey extension - garage, utility, extending our third bedroom and adding a fourth. Both came in at £50k, give or take a few quid.

I have no idea whether that’s reasonable or not, but am encouraged by how similar they were. And my brother-in-law, who is in the building trade, has encouraged me to bite their hands off.

Could have quoted me anywhere between £30k and £75k and I’d have been none the wiser.

 

[williamalex1]

20 years ago for a basic extension they worked it out per square yard , £1000 springs to mind

 

[spongebob59]

We had a joiner put up a pergola for us in November just gone. He bought everything, fitted it, £750. Don't know how that fits with your figures but it sounded okay to me.

The kit was just over £500 for a 3 metre square, but he's good bought a logcabin off the last year and that's sound.

 

[Whereditgo]

The kit was just over £500 for a 3 metre square, but he's good bought a logcabin off the last year and that's sound.

We paid £ 350 for the timber, there was fixings (screws, brackets etc) on top of that, it's 5.6m x 3.5 with 150 x 150mm posts, though a 'lean-to' build so less posts than if free standing.

Probably took a couple of days to cut and treat all the sections, a day to lift the patio and set the posts and a day to build the pergola.

 

[Doon frae Troon]

Re doing our bathroom, three quotes all around the £4k mark.
More or less what we thought.

 

[GuyInLyon]

Where is O'Reily when you need him?

 

[BiMGuy]

With trade quotes there are a number of factors.

The base cost. This is what the actual cost is to do the work and for the builder to make a decent profit.

Then there is what the builder thinks a potential client can afford and will actually pay. Live in a nice area with a couple of nice cars? The Porsche tax is added to the quote.

During any meeting with the potential client. If a builder thinks the client will be difficult to deal with. The w@nker tax is added to the quote.

Then there is how busy the builder is. If they are busy they will think of a number and double it. If the client accepts it. The builder will drop another job to do it.

If you happen to qualify for all of the above and the builder actually bothers to quote. You will be presented with an eye watering number.

 

[fundy]

With trade quotes there are a number of factors.

The base cost. This is what the actual cost is to do the work and for the builder to make a decent profit.

Then there is what the builder thinks a potential client can afford and will actually pay. Live in a nice area with a couple of nice cars? The Porsche tax is added to the quote.

During any meeting with the potential client. If a builder thinks the client will be difficult to deal with. The w@nker tax is added to the quote.

Then there is how busy the builder is. If they are busy they will think of a number and double it. If the client accepts it. The builder will drop another job to do it.

If you happen to qualify for all of the above and the builder actually bothers to quote. You will be presented with an eye watering number.

you missed the builder ego tax, the one that makes him far better for the job than anyone else could possibly be hence he can charge that little bit (loads) extra. I say ego, theres better words for it.......

 

[HowlingGale]

6 years ago our architect told us an extension would be £1750 per sq m. That's everything, VAT, kitchen, bathroom, fixtures and fittings, painted etc.
One builder came round and actually said that 'quotes of £1000 per sq m was 10 years ago'. He then went on to quote figures close to the architect.
Anyone I speak to I tell them to budget £2k per sq m, because things crop up. Our extension was death by 1000 cuts. We were shelling out cash for things we hadn't thought of.
And we're in Scotland where things are apparently cheaper than down south.

 

[greenone]

We ended up at ~1050 pm2 when we built our house 3 years ago. That was with me doing as much as I could do myself in 2.5 day weekends for 18 months.

 

[Tashyboy]

When we had an extension years ago, a builder down the road did it for me in his spare time. It took months longer than having someone here full time ( and I use that term loosely). He advised me to get a quote from a builders merchants for everything to build the extension. Again it saved me a fortune as there was no mark up.
One of the problems we had with the builder who did an extension on the back, he kept disappearing after a few weeks to go to the bookies, other jobs etc. We were weeks behind. Normally not a problem but when it is Xmas day and he is four weeks late so the tiler is, kitchen fitter is, granite work top fitter is. Eventually my brother who fitted the kitchen came round and stuck his finger in his face and told him point blank to “stop taking the urine” and get the job done.