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How pricing works
The question everyone wants to ask first. Here's how I charge, what's included, and how to get a figure before anyone turns up.
Repairs are charged by the hour. The first hour covers the visit, so there is no separate call-out fee, and weekends are charged at the same rate as weekdays. Parts go on the invoice at what they cost me. Bathrooms, wet rooms and installations get a free written quote after a look at the room. You get the figure before I set off for a repair and before any bigger job starts.
Repairs
| How it's charged | By the hour |
|---|---|
| The visit | Covered by the first hour |
| Call-out fee | None |
| Weekends and bank holidays, 7am to 6pm | Same rate as weekdays |
| Travel within the 25 areas I cover | No charge |
| Parts | At cost, itemised on the invoice |
| When you get the figure | On the phone, before I set off |
Most single-fault repairs, a dripping tap, a running toilet, a weeping radiator valve, a failed heating pump, are finished within the first hour or two. If I see something on arrival that changes the price, I tell you before I start, not on the invoice.
Fixed-price jobs
Some jobs are predictable enough that I quote a fixed price on the phone rather than by the hour: an outside tap, a new stopcock, a radiator off and back on for decorating, a new radiator or towel rail supplied and fitted, a close-coupled toilet supplied and fitted, a kitchen tap you've bought, or an annual plumbing check. Tell me what it is and I'll give you the figure. Awkward access or old pipework that needs changing on the way can add to it, and I'll say so up front.
Bathrooms, wet rooms and installations
| Like-for-like suite swap, no tiling changes | Two to three days |
|---|---|
| Full bathroom refit including tiling and electrics | Five to nine days |
| Bath to wet room conversion, fully tanked | Seven to nine days |
| Downstairs toilet under the stairs | Three to four days |
| Unvented cylinder replacing a gravity system | One to two days |
These are quoted in writing after a free visit to measure up. The quote is itemised: my labour, the tiler, plasterer and electrician where the job needs them, and the fittings and tiles as a separate line at whatever you choose to spend. You can take things out, swap fittings, or phase the work, and the quote changes to match. Nothing is added without a yes from you.
How I keep the price honest
- A figure on the phone before I set off for a repair, and a written quote before any bigger job starts.
- I repair before I replace. Most heating faults are a single part, not a new system.
- Parts go on the invoice at what they cost me.
- If I find something else while I'm there, I photograph it, price it, and you decide.
- Bathroom invoices are staged: a deposit to order fittings, a payment at first fix, the balance on completion.
Pricing questions
Why no call-out fee?
Because the first hour already covers the visit. Charging a fee on top of that is charging twice for the same thing.
Do you charge more for emergencies?
Not between 7am and 6pm, any day of the week. An emergency is my normal first-hour rate. Outside those hours, leave a voicemail and I'll ring back first thing.
Do you take card?
Yes, card or bank transfer, and cash if you'd rather.
Can I get a quote without a visit?
For repairs and the fixed-price jobs above, yes, on the phone, and a photo of the fault helps me get it right first time. For bathrooms and anything where I need to see the room and the pipework, I come and look. It's free and it takes about half an hour.
Do landlords get a different rate?
Same rates, same hours. For agents with several properties I'm happy to agree a standing arrangement. See the landlords page.