Guide/fair price

[Lawnmowerboy]

Hi all, spent the afternoon making up a fire grate thing for someone, its not really mates rates but he gives me occasional work and is a decent chap

the thing i made is 550mm long by 230mm wide the long bits are 16mm round X6
and the crosspieces are 50x12mm flat

materials were all on the offcuts rack and it took me about an hour and a half in total

can anyone give me an idea as to what they'd charge for this, its well made-proper strong and square and i will give it a squirt of VHT black before he gets it

many thanks
will
PS. i gave the boss a tenner for use of the shop at lunchtime

 

[cumbriasteve]

A very rough guestimate of what I would charge would be:
Materials and consumables £25
Labour £40

 

[Lawnmowerboy]

really?! i was only gunna charge £30

 

[cumbriasteve]

Don't forget... my price was not for a cheapie for a nice guy who gives you work

 

[Lawnmowerboy]

hmm true i'll tell him £50 and see if he screams!!!

 

[Paul.]

really?! i was only gunna charge £30

Well its already cost you a tenner, if its offcuts weigh it and cost the material at £2.50 or so a kg. then add your time say an hour, £30, half an aerosol another £4, got to be worth £55 at least.
Dont forget a tenner for the taxman

 

[cumbriasteve]

I think its a situation thing, I am early retired and have been through the phase of doing cheap jobs for people, you can have loads of 'mates' if they know they can get work done.

I also found if I asked for the benefit of their skills it was amazing how fast favours were forgotten, now if someone wants a part of my life to make them something I expect them to make it worthwhile.

I still do work for free or next to nothing for very good genuine friends but everyone else pays.

If the steel cost you nothing then I think £30 plus the tenner you gave the boss is probably about right for a cheapie

 

[cumbriasteve]

and he sprays it himself

 

[Lawnmowerboy]

NOOOO he might get his hands dirty well the tenner was including the steel gas and wire and a drill bit i broke!!

 

[cumbriasteve]

NOOOO he might get his hands dirty well the tenner was including the steel gas and wire and a drill bit i broke!!

Well I am back up with Pauls price of between £50 and £60... still probably about half the price he would pay from a supplier of the item.

 

[mike 109444]

Don't forget to say to your mate as you hand it over it's "£nnn cos it's you" that way if he sends His mate along with a broken xxx??xx and he says how much! you can explane close mates rates verses mates of mates rates....

 

[Lawnmowerboy]

Massive cheers and a E-pint for you all if there's sucha thing...
it looks half decent ive just blacked it, ill getta pic up in a min

 

[chunkolini]

I would have said about fifty quid plus a fiver.
I am always wary of giving prices in nice round numbers.
You can always show how nice you are by knocking off the fiver and then make him buy you a pint .
Looks as though it is a fifty quid job.
Interesting how similar the offers were.

 

[cumbriasteve]

Massive cheers and a E-pint for you all if there's sucha thing...
it looks half decent ive just blacked it, ill getta pic up in a min

Spraying it on a saturday evening?..double time..add another 20 quid then another fiver for the shower gel to get the stink of paint off you, plus about £2 if its an electric shower, £1 to wash the towel and just to be sure, a couple of quid for environmental discharge from the shower which will pollute the nearest beach to you

 

[astro_al]

I couldnt agree more with what's been said so far. £50 minimum, in fact I'm introducing an it's-not-worth-getting-out-of-bed-for fee of something like 50 quid. These little jobs are invariably a complete waste of time and take a disproportionate amount of time compared to the bigger, 'high dollar' stuff which brings in the kind of money you can actually live on. So that's my new policy, if they don't like it, well that just makes my life easier.

Regarding Cumbriasteve's comment in post #10 - I'll never cease to be amazed at the number of people who think that me custom making them something in the UK should somehow work out cheaper than the commercially available version of the same thing that they just can't bring themselves to fork out for which has been carved out of solid cheese in a Chinese factory by undervalued employees.

No. I can't.

Al

 

[Lawnmowerboy]

Bearing in mind i'm 16 and £50 is a bloody good night out as all me work money is gong on my motorbike im soon to have on the road!

 

[Epicyclic]

Bearing in mind i'm 16 and £50 is a bloody good night out as all me work money is gong on my motorbike im soon to have on the road!

Child labour?

Go for it - I totally echo Astro-Al's comments.

 

[cumbriasteve]

Bearing in mind i'm 16 and £50 is a bloody good night out as all me work money is gong on my motorbike im soon to have on the road!

I agree somewhat because I have been there and got the T shirt and we all have to start somewhere, when you are younger an earner is an earner and you will always be tempted to get a few bob.

My advice from too many year's of experience is carry on doing the earners as and when you can get them, but never look at a cheap job and make it look cheap, always do the very best you can.

Build a name for yourself for producing quality work, slowly raising your prices as more work follows.

For example....Its always more rewarding and enjoyable to make a top quality gate for £150 than 3 cheapo's for £50 each... more profit, less work and the finished product admired instead of being 'run of the mill'.

 

[Lawnmowerboy]

thanks steve that makes sense!!

 

[Shox Dr]

I couldnt agree more with what's been said so far. £50 minimum, in fact I'm introducing an it's-not-worth-getting-out-of-bed-for fee of something like 50 quid. These little jobs are invariably a complete waste of time and take a disproportionate amount of time compared to the bigger, 'high dollar' stuff which brings in the kind of money you can actually live on. So that's my new policy, if they don't like it, well that just makes my life easier.

Regarding Cumbriasteve's comment in post #10 - I'll never cease to be amazed at the number of people who think that me custom making them something in the UK should somehow work out cheaper than the commercially available version of the same thing that they just can't bring themselves to fork out for which has been carved out of solid cheese in a Chinese factory by undervalued employees.

No. I can't.

Al

So, so true.