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Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2010 6:15 pm
by williams
Quoted a job last week
560m2 in Marshalls tegula 60mm laid in 45 degree herringbone, excavate 12" 8" Mot type one (not that recycle rubbish). The job is effectivly a road so i said i would put in an extra 2" type one and compact in more layers as he told me he would have 2 -3 3.5 tonne vans over it daily.
came out at 33k + vat
Guys had another quote he is going to go with for 11910+ vat.......
Erm where do these people get these figures, the blocks alone are in that region, the excavation and sub base is in the region of 10k , how on earth can someone really expect to get an even reasonable job for 12k :O
His quote is 4 sentences long
dig out tarmac
lay crushed stone
compact sharp sand
lay brett alpha blocks
haunch edges
I mean come on how can anyone with half a brain believe this is half reasonable- especially after i broke down the costs of my materials and labour- my costs are very very good on this job too as i know someone i can order direct off giving me a saving off 5k on the blocks (marshalls are expensive here).
Really annoyed tbh, not got a lot of work now, another decent job got pulled last week so this would have been great but not so hey 
Edited By williams on 1265739420
Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2010 6:20 pm
by ambient
that price sounds like labour only ???
Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2010 6:54 pm
by williams
ambient wrote:that price sounds like labour only ???
Thats what i said- that or its only to lay an edge course.
But no its supply and fit 560 sq m i,m told
My labour charge is less than that! And i have some VERY good prices for materials but i,m still 3 times the cost :p
Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2010 6:59 pm
by Dave_L
Very frustrating indeed.
Best of luck to the client taking that rock-bottom quotation! You can imagine what the job will look like in 18mths time......
Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2010 7:06 pm
by Pablo
If he's going with that price and you've warned him then it serves him right when he gets into a world of sh#te. Have you tried reasoning with him maybe let him pay direct for materials etc. Reckon I would be around £22000+vat for that and I live in possibly the cheapest part of the country with regards labour waste disposal and materials.
Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2010 7:16 pm
by williams
wow 22k is very cheap :O I am in Essex so it can be quite expensive especially for Marshalls. My labour element is under 10k which i think is very reasonable for a job that size.
If i laid down just 6" mot and used 50mm then that would knock a fair whack off but i planned to use a bit more base for this one.
I have tried reasoning, he said if he doesnt do a good job on the first 50m then the jobs mine, i reckon the guy will do a half decent looking but poorly bassed first bit, bag the main area and then have him over.
The guy told me he reckons the other contractor has a surpluss of blocks lol - i said to him look mate no where even the biggest builders merchants round here keep anywhere near to 600m2 of alpha blocks let alone 600m2 in the same colour so some random bloke certainly won't :p
Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2010 8:00 pm
by rab1
he`ll take the first payment and then bugger off, seen this all before. we all know he cant do the job for that price, might try for every extra in the book but it wont cover his costs. ???
Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2010 8:09 pm
by williams
been told no payment until job done.
I said, 'if this bloke does a good job then i will sub out everything to him, slash my prices, sit at home and earn more than i do now'
Maybe he won the lottery and is giving back to the community lol 
Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2010 8:15 pm
by lutonlagerlout
i reckon your price is on the tight side m8,
it has to be a pikey
you cant do that job for £21 a metre,not now,not 10 years ago,not even 20 years ago
it cant be done
end off
LLL
Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2010 8:38 pm
by bobbi o
sounds like an old gypo trick. i wouldnt get involved.wait to get the call to do the job properly after he's been shafted.
Posted: Wed Feb 10, 2010 12:32 am
by irishpaving
Agree with LLL that is tight..... your bout 10k short for my liking....
i would hike the price up if you have a call and have to relay anything thats laid..
Posted: Wed Feb 10, 2010 1:12 am
by williams
Well i have done it for quite a reasonable rate i admit, but i also have an unreal price i cant write publicly for the marshalls blocks, a lot of the drive is going to be concrete muck away so cheap again but yes i do admit there isnt crazy money in it at all.
Which is why my jaw nearly hit the floor at the price he told me.
There was a smaller area there too, i said 5k inc vat this guy said 2k. i replied with 'even if i knocked off 2k and gave you a few hundred quid he would still be cheaper than what the materials cost'
He has said to me he doesnt mind me coming along to have a look once this guy starts the smaller bit, he said if its rubbish then i have the main job so i suppose it may still turn out ok for me.
Personally i reckon he will do the smaller bit ok and then the disaster will strike.
Posted: Wed Feb 10, 2010 8:33 am
by GB_Groundworks
as a groundworker based on 240 tons mot, 380 tons muck away, week to excavate and muck away stone up consolidate and level etc, based on access for 8 ton machine and wagons i'd want
£8200
good look to the guy doesn;t leave much for blocks, sand, edgers and labour haha, i once got undercut on a sand school for horses, they're quote was cheaper than my materials, saw them starting filling the drainage bed with hardcore and soil.....epic fail instore.
Posted: Sat Feb 13, 2010 2:09 pm
by ilovesettsonmondays
11,999 +vat i charged him did he tell you 11,910 ???
Posted: Sat Feb 13, 2010 3:40 pm
by dig dug dan
I've had all this nonsense before.
i quoted for a simpe concrete apron outside a garage block.
rip out the old one, skip it, lay a new one. Couple of days.
Saw the bloke at my fencing suppliers in his 4x4 with personalised plate.
"I had it done £400 cheaper than you" he says
"yeah right, course you did".
Turned out it wasn't the same job. half the concrete, and the old stuff they took away (no waste licence) on a lorry. no doubt tipped down a lane somewhere
I would keep a close eye on the job.
When it happens to me, i drive past in the car at night, so as not to be seen, and i get friends to do so in the day, and report back any bodges.
99.9% of the time, its a totally different job they are having done to the one you have quoted for. 
