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Posted: Thu Oct 30, 2008 9:59 pm
by slickboy
Hi been asked to do a labour-only quote on a 170 square metre block pave driveway. Never had to work out a labour only rate for block paving, what rates do any of you lot charge? I'm in the North West. Normally price basic block paved driveways at £70-75 including all materials.
Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2008 7:52 pm
by Tony McC
If you don't know the labour-only rate, how do you price the 'all-inclusive' jobs?
Take your normal supply and fix price, subtract the cost of materials and plant, and that should leave you with the labour cost. If you're charging 75 quid per metre (and I assume that includes VAT) then your labour element must be somewhere around 40 quid. I don't think you'd win much work at that price!
Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2008 9:00 pm
by lutonlagerlout
similar money down here too , big grabs are £250 now
LLL
Posted: Sat Nov 01, 2008 8:58 am
by Rich H
£300 here for 16t grab
Posted: Sat Nov 01, 2008 11:46 am
by Pablo
£70-£75 per m2 if I could change that kind of money I would be very very rich. The going rate here is £45-£47 m2 and most use ro-ro skips which are about the same as a grab. Even with our prices and doing the job properly I still come away with good profit. I know that materials etc can vary but where does all that extra charge come from. Wages can't be that different and the installation time should be the same. Should only take a squad 2 days to install and finish 170m2 minus kerbs and extras. If we do labour only for private work then I charge £10-£15m2 plus an hourly rate for any extras like adjusting the sub base etc. On larger areas I would expect a lay rate around 50m2 per man a day so we would charge less.
Posted: Sat Nov 01, 2008 2:58 pm
by msh paving
rates about the same hear in norfolk i was pricing a £50m up till a few weeks a go im back to £47 now but quotes are few to come along some people are at 41-43 but they dont use type1 crushed concrete labour only is hard to get much more than £10-13 :;):
Posted: Sat Nov 01, 2008 3:18 pm
by lutonlagerlout
well i am looking at a job ATM which is 70M 2
will have a digger there for 2 days (2 cu.M soakaway) and 250mm strip, new water main. about 15 m of acos and 40m of kerbs/edgings,thats 3 days for 2 blokes straight away
with the new regulations in force i cant see how anyone can do paving for £50 a M
by the time we buy the crates terram etc the soakaway will cost £500
If you add the labour and materials and profit together you come to the cost,working off a metre rate is a dangerous precedent,one that is sure to fail you eventually
LLL
Posted: Sat Nov 01, 2008 3:36 pm
by msh paving
no one in this area apears to be taking any notice off the new regs, ive asked a few people but they are carrying on regardless,in my town we are on a combined drainage system so all the roof and yard water goes into sewer......so no one is doing anything, out in the villages its good drainage for soakaways :;):
Posted: Sat Nov 01, 2008 3:52 pm
by williams
£70 ish per m is about right for omega type blocks round here
the only people charging less are those who dont use type 1
6" type 1
membrane under the base
all edges on concrete
some actual care and consideration of the job
all costs money
of course though it all depends on area size
£10 a meter lay only is no where near enough to do a decent job.
How anyone can lay and finish 170 sq m in 2 days is beyond me.
How do you do the edges in that time.
do them 1st day and spread the sand
leaves 1 day to lay, cut in compact and tidy up
i dont see that myself.
Edited By williams on 1225554902
Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2008 12:43 am
by slimdotjim
How some of you guys can charge less than £50m2 is mind boggling, would be very interested to know your material costs.
I charge £70m2 for standard blocks and £80m2 for tumbled sets usually Plaspave if I can persuade the customer, because with there scheme I get £5 back on every top of the range pack I buy, plus I like the product
£10-£20 blocks
£20m2 Mot-sand-membrane-kiln
£10m2 dig out
tool hire
£25-£30m2 labour.
plus I throw in a free design service
If material prices keep rising ill have to charge more
Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2008 2:17 am
by lutonlagerlout
i think we will have to agree there are big regional variations on muck away and aggregate costs.
the bottom line is block paving costs £50-90 per metre depending on locale etc
LLL 
Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2008 8:47 am
by msh paving
in this area we have sand pits within 10miles off most jobs which all will take concrete broken up for free,top soil for free,subsoil tip fees £7ton,rubble for free, sand £15t type 1 varies from £13-19 ton could be type1 rail ballast,limestone ,concrete,i run a 7.5t lorry so i cart most myself unless i warrants a delivery,mini crusher is used on all crusable stuff,concrete plant is on my way out in mornings so i pick up readymix for edging from .2m upwards,iv tried puting price up to 65 for stand paving but waste off time people wont pay it as to many people will do it lot cheeper round hear screeding with a lump off wood and a sprit level :;):
Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2008 11:01 am
by Dave_L
You're well served there msh, we have all our own transport and put-down/recycling facilities in-house, with a great concrete works within 10 miles, supplying 0.2m3 upwards. It does make a difference having all these facilities to hand.
The paving industry will get even more competative as skilled trades come off the sites into our industry.
Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2008 2:01 pm
by Tony McC
A large part of the reason why I've stopped updating the price guides on the main website is this enormous price differential between various parts of the country. There is a 100% difference in prices for 'standard' block paving between Glasgow/Belfast and the prices charged in central London. I got fed up of penny-pinching merchant bankers in St John's Wood wanting a new parking space for the Porsche at 45 quid per metre, while canny Scots in Bellshill were choking on their Tunnock's Tea Cakes at the thought of paying 90 quid and more for "monoblock".
Aggregates and landfill obviously affect prices, but local transport also has a part to play. I project-managed an upmarket driveway in North London about 5 years ago and despite the BM being only 4 miles away, it would often take half-a-day for one of the lads to drive there, pick up an emergency bag of cement and get back. After a couple of these 'away days', I decided to ride in the van with the lad because I found it hard to believe he wasn't parking up somewhere for a snooze, and sure enough: it took just over an hour and half to travel 4 miles, which is technically slower than walking pace. It would have been quicker to send a wheelbarrow!
Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2008 5:04 pm
by lutonlagerlout
plus you get the congestion charge and enormous parking fees on top
we used to work in central london and in the morning we wouldget driven to the strand by 6AM then have to unload all the gear up 4 flights of stairs ,the van driver would then have to go off and find some parking for the day,plus nowhere for a skip ,so we had to bung the binmen a good drink to take the rubbish (£150 15 years ago thieving barstewards)
all this adds up,we used to have a landfill at toddington but that has been shut a long time,dont know anywhere local where we could tip if we wanted to
LLL