New Bathroom/kitchen

[Hymie]

Mrs Hymie would like a new bathroom & kitchen. I have obtained a number of quotes – the price for a bathroom suite and required kitchen units etc seem very reasonable (we plan to keep the current major appliances cooker/wash machine etc). The house is an end of terrace with a very small kitchen around 6 square metres and similarly small bathroom/toilet.

But typically the quotes to install (for each) are around £2k and this does not include any work on electrics or major plumbing. Although I am not a kitchen/bathroom fitter, I would not expect the two jobs to take someone more than two weeks (10 days) in total, if that, and so the install quotes seem a bit steep to me.

Can anyone advise whether I should expect to find cheaper quotes, or is £4k the going rate? The property location is north London (if that makes a significant difference).

[woofgang]

so the work will cost around £200 a day? Will that come with any kind of comeback if things go wrong? Have you seen the quality of the work you will get for that? I live outside London (south Hampshire) and my "man what does" charges £140 for about a 7.5 hour working day. He isn't certificated to do gas or electrics, and while he's very good, he's not excellent.

[Hymie]

By my calculation, 10 days at £4k - works out at £400 per day.

[woofgang]

oh sorry I thought you meant 10 days for the kitchen at 2k and 10 days for the bathroom at 2k Have you asked for a cost breakdown and how long the bloke thinks it will take; also what materials will be provided for that? Will they rip out as well as install?

[The Builder]

First of all, Hymie, thanks for your kind comment about me on that boiler thread the other day.

As soon as "London" is mentioned, all bets are off. I would certainly expect to see £200 per day charged.

I would guess he's going to make more than that on the bathroom. I can't see a small bathroom taking a week... even one guy on his own........ unless it's not just a straight substitution. But ... if a fair bit of tiling is included, then there's a day and a half's work in itself.

In short, if it's a simple refit... just connections to existing hot, cold, and waste, I think you could shave 2 or 3 hundred off that.

The kitchen rather depends on how much fiddling about it entails. Assembling and fitting carcases takes no time. Worktops would take only a few hours. The time goes in all the cornices/plinths/ pelmets /trim etc etc.
Having said all that, I'm fitting one for a friend next week. Slightly bigger than your kitchen, for around £1600 , including simple tiling, sink plumbing, and moving a couple of sockets.

Your big problem around London is that there's always someone around who'll do it cheaper, often with disastrous results. I do think those prices are on the high side, but, I would be wary of going too cheap unless you have the ultimate faith in the guy doing it.

What I'd really like to know is... why you're not doing it yourself. From what I've spoken to you about on this site in the past, I'd say you were more than capable :o)

[Hymie]

By north London – the location is outside the M25, and so I wouldn’t expect to pay over £4K for 10 days of fitter’s time, which equates to a salary circa £90k.

The bathroom suite is a straight substitution (plus tiling), with the kitchen being not much more than replacing all the units/surfaces and re-tiling. All of which should be doable in 10 days easy.

If you’ve had a small kitchen/bathroom suite installed, how much did you pay?

In relation to me doing the installation – it’s a case of the old adage: Those that can, do – those that can’t teach (or tell others how to do it).

[The Builder]

Ooops....... I'll start again. What a prat. We're talking £400 a day here. !!!

Totally unnecessary for such a simple job. I managed to confuse myself since I usually work with someone else...... thus it would be £200 per day each.

Right ... small bathroom with tiling...
Quite a lot of work for one week if he finishes all the little "picking-up" jobs properly. If he's that good, then maybe £1000-1200 for that week's work is plenty.

Again, if he can do the kitchen in the same time, then same applies.

With kitchens and bathrooms, the top fitters are very good, and very quick. They deserve good pay............ but not that good.

I hope that all makes sense now. Meanwhile, I think I'll move to N. London ;o)

[Hymie]

Thanks for your input, I’ll see if I can find a kitchen/bathroom fitter willing to work for 10 days for £2k, around these parts (I’m in no rush).

I’ll let you know how I get on, either I have been unlucky with the quotes to date, or fitters around here are as rare as rocking-horse sh!t.