Poor Plasterers

All this 'if materials go up I'll just put my prices up' baffles me.
If Mrs Smith will be happy to just pay an extra £20, then why the hell aren't you already charging £20 more?
Because there not sparkies, plumbers or joiners and don't think there worth it?
 
Because there not sparkies, plumbers or joiners and don't think there worth it?

I think that's why a few on here and spreads generally often find it better/more profitable working for builders. I know some builders are dodgy shysters, but those that aren't give a price for the work. There's no need to break it down into trades, and the customer doesn't want anything other than a total price. Not in my experience anyway. So you give your price or day rate to the builder and away you go.
 
We work for a few builders, a couple of them build/renovate mansions, always 1-2mil, they won't shop around for other renderers as long as we don't let them down theyll just use us.
Well give a figure to the builder they'll include it in there price maybe stick a £1000 on top for them selves , they don't make the money really on the render it's the overall scheme. At the top end customers like that aren't fussed a grand here a grand there, they just want a top notch job done to an agreed timescale.
 
A recent job for a developer
We had to render a haha wall, a haha wall is a type of retaining wall.
I looked at it, it ran all the way around a perimeter of a big house, it was about 140m2 I gave a figure of £8,800 plus vat, I said to the customer and site agent do they want a sample of the chosen render of the colour they wanted ....he looked at me pondered, dead pan...no render it all, and if we dont like it theyll pay us to knock off and do again....some people are in another world.
 
Not true. Chefs manage with no plaster and so do bricklayers. And politicians. And policemen. And vets.



A chef with no food is useless, a bricklayer with no bricks is useless, a policeman with no criminals is pointless, and a vet with no animals well you guessed it is useless.
 
A chef with no food is useless, a bricklayer with no bricks is useless, a policeman with no criminals is pointless, and a vet with no animals well you guessed it is useless.
A chef without food has many happy customers as they've ate already .
A bricklayer without bricks has laid them already .
A policeman without criminals Is utopia
A vet without sick animals is very content .
 
A chef without food has many happy customers as they've ate already .
A bricklayer without bricks has laid them already .
A policeman without criminals Is utopia
A vet without sick animals is very content .


No the chef had no food at all
The bricklayer had no bricks to lay in the first place
 
Vincey material cost is irrelevant, we don’t pay for it.
I'm really grateful for your education and just wish it had come many years earlier.
All that time I've wasted haggling for the best prices on materials could have been spent fishing.
Oh my god I've just realised all the time spent getting cheaper insurance quotes or better prices on tools, or even driving slightly out of my way to get cheaper diesel. All wasted, I could have just passed the extra costs on to the clients as well.
Now I've realised that I haven't bought a new van in years.........it just goes on and on.:cry:
 
I'm really grateful for your education and just wish it had come many years earlier.
All that time I've wasted haggling for the best prices on materials could have been spent fishing.
Oh my god I've just realised all the time spent getting cheaper insurance quotes or better prices on tools, or even driving slightly out of my way to get cheaper diesel. All wasted, I could have just passed the extra costs on to the clients as well.
Now I've realised that I haven't bought a new van in years.........it just goes on and on.:cry:


You can haggle with builders merchants, you can’t haggle with b&q and Wickes and this is where I base my prices which are cheaper than merchants anyway. Beads etc bought online. The bottom line is material cost is what it is, it doesn’t concern me if a bag of multi goes up 20p a year
 
Vincey material cost is irrelevant, we don’t pay for it.
Everything is relevant to the economy, everything comes out of someone's pocket ,the way people spend affects how we all spend, how we all earn,it's a pyramid ,it has limitations, you have to be prudent ,you can't just think ,I'll pass it on,that's just silly ,
 
Everything is relevant to the economy, everything comes out of someone's pocket ,the way people spend affects how we all spend, how we all earn,it's a pyramid ,it has limitations, you have to be prudent ,you can't just think ,I'll pass it on,that's just silly ,




Yes you are right mrs Jones will probably not want a lounge skimmed because of the extra £1 on the cost of plaster lol. Let’s not be silly about this
 
ou can’t haggle with b&q and Wickes and this is where I base my prices which are cheaper than merchants anyway.

o_O They aren't cheaper, quite the opposite, and that's before you take into account 30 - 60 days interest free with an account, having the stuff loaded into your van if you collect, or the option to have it delivered.
 
o_O They aren't cheaper, quite the opposite, and that's before you take into account 30 - 60 days interest free with an account, having the stuff loaded into your van if you collect, or the option to have it delivered.
I think a lot of people go wrong on that. Fair few years now I given up on credit accounts. You may think it's cheap, then try go in with a wad of cash in your pocket or pay on the spot with any other means, cash will beat any credit account facilities and special offers. Merchants ain't stupid to float you for 30-60 days for free. The amount of times they try you on with different rates it's unbelievable. Yes it's convenient and easy, but uneconomical, you'll pay interest on that built into your pricing structure.
 
Wickes with there trade discount beat merchants hands down on plaster & boards.

Plus can collect gear after work until 8pm and open all day Saturday and till tea on Sunday.

Merchants are wank for plasterers.. .
 
I think a lot of people go wrong on that. Fair few years now I given up on credit accounts. You may think it's cheap, then try go in with a wad of cash in your pocket or pay on the spot with any other means, cash will beat any credit account facilities and special offers. Merchants ain't stupid to float you for 30-60 days for free. The amount of times they try you on with different rates it's unbelievable. Yes it's convenient and easy, but uneconomical, you'll pay interest on that built into your pricing structure.

Accounts attract trade discount. Or they did. I only do odd jobs nowadays, or jobs for other people, so I haven't had an account for a long time.

It's also there to attract people with employees so they don't have to piss about with cheques etc.

I found it best to get known at the builders merchants (not hard, they are usually good lads - not so much here, though. Grumpy bstards with little time for you, but that's another story)

Once I knew them, I started pulling my face about the price. Turned out they had some latitude to also give trade discount to regular customers too.
 
I think a lot of people go wrong on that. Fair few years now I given up on credit accounts. You may think it's cheap, then try go in with a wad of cash in your pocket or pay on the spot with any other means, cash will beat any credit account facilities and special offers. Merchants ain't stupid to float you for 30-60 days for free. The amount of times they try you on with different rates it's unbelievable. Yes it's convenient and easy, but uneconomical, you'll pay interest on that built into your pricing structure.
It will depend on the quantity of gear you're buying. If you're buying decent amounts then merchants will give you excellent prices on an account compared to buying from the likes of B&Q or walking into the merchants with cash.
 
Wickes with there trade discount beat merchants hands down on plaster & boards.

Plus can collect gear after work until 8pm and open all day Saturday and till tea on Sunday.

Merchants are wank for plasterers.. .
Ive been paying £2 for 8ft beads for years. Thinking it’s better than £3 for retail. A builder I work for is paying £0.89p because he’s a tight get. If you haggle you can save a good amount. Trust them with your prices and they’ll have your pants down.
Not teaching you to suck eggs I’m just talking from my experience. Merchants are wankers but if you keep on top of them they’re fair.
 
Ive been paying £2 for 8ft beads for years. Thinking it’s better than £3 for retail. A builder I work for is paying £0.89p because he’s a tight get. If you haggle you can save a good amount. Trust them with your prices and they’ll have your pants down.
Not teaching you to suck eggs I’m just talking from my experience. Merchants are wankers but if you keep on top of them they’re fair.

There all F*****g snakes!!!
 
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