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Posted: Fri May 13, 2011 8:48 am
by Wiganken
Hi,

As Giles says get recommendations from friends and family. There is no need to use a Marshalls registered installer. As a guide maybe the following cost info is of use to you? I am in the process of having my old patio ripped out and a new 24 sq. metre Indian Stone patio installed for a total of £1950. The Indian Stone looks far superior to the Bradstone stuff. Total materials are costing £980 and the labour for 8 days is £800. This is using a local (Crewe area) guy who is not Marshalls registered but is well recommended by various people I have spoken to. A Marshalls registered guy wanted £1750 for labour alone for 8 days work? He isn't getting the job.

Posted: Fri May 13, 2011 11:04 am
by Carberry
Wiganken wrote:Hi,

As Giles says get recommendations from friends and family. There is no need to use a Marshalls registered installer. As a guide maybe the following cost info is of use to you? I am in the process of having my old patio ripped out and a new 24 sq. metre Indian Stone patio installed for a total of £1950. The Indian Stone looks far superior to the Bradstone stuff. Total materials are costing £980 and the labour for 8 days is £800. This is using a local (Crewe area) guy who is not Marshalls registered but is well recommended by various people I have spoken to. A Marshalls registered guy wanted £1750 for labour alone for 8 days work? He isn't getting the job.

The job has probably already been done since the post is 6 weeks old. 'Bradstone stuff' is 'Indian Stone'.
8 days is too long for that size area, you could dig it out by hand and have it all done in 4 days. £1750 is a reasonable rate for labour, out of that comes wages, vehicle and public liability insurance, business rates, road tax, fuel, wear and tear on motor and tools, advertising, marshall's payments, waste carriers license and any other licenses etc
£100 a day labour is unreasonably low, I suggest you hang on to the contact information of the other guys for when your patio sinks, the pointing fails and the sandstone is stained with cement

Posted: Fri May 13, 2011 5:31 pm
by lutonlagerlout
well said carberry
it pains us legit guys when fly by night men undercut us because they have no overheads
had to pay 10 k VAT this week
that really hurt
LLL

Posted: Fri May 13, 2011 9:28 pm
by rab1
vat registered, the unpaid tax collector

Posted: Sat May 14, 2011 11:10 am
by Carberry
lutonlagerlout wrote:well said carberry
it pains us legit guys when fly by night men undercut us because they have no overheads
had to pay 10 k VAT this week
that really hurt
LLL
I'm quite lucky and make about a grand every VAT return because of all the gas and fuel that I sell so I don't have to keep a fund aside for paying HMRC.