K
kung
Blimey your slacker ! how many cups of tea did you have ?
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Fuse box installed for £150 what!!!
Discuss Fuse box installed for £150 what!!! in the Business Related area at ElectriciansForums.net
Blimey your slacker ! how many cups of tea did you have ?
K
kung
Well my customers are happy with my work,prices & time taken so im happy ! the fact some people can or will work for less is their business if their happy ! i wont rush any job (what is the point ?) i like to double check my work ! if it was just about how quick i could do it rushing id be using my gixxer thou and getting from reading to oxford in under 20mins at 180mph but im not going to ! I have seen over pricing but thats upto them as is under pricing but as i said i charge my rate and i work to my times. And even if i wanted to i couldnt rush that fast ! with my knees it takes me 10mins just to get up !
- Reaction score
- 67,285
estimated time scale for CU change:
global IR test, check for borrowed neutrals, check earthing and bonding. measure Ze and PFC---- 1 hour
ID circuits and mark cables. strip out old board....... 1 hour
fix new CU . strip back and/or extend cables as necessary....... 1 hour
wire up CU........ 45mins - 90 mins ( depending on size of installation )
test installation and note readings......... 1 hour - 2 hours
complete EIC......... 1 hour
explain RCD operation etc. to customer, get paid etc. ..... 1 hour.
total time taken ...... around 8 hours.
CU cost ...... £60-£100
day's labour..... £200
total........... £260 - £300
and that's without any rectification work whatsoever.
global IR test, check for borrowed neutrals, check earthing and bonding. measure Ze and PFC---- 1 hour
ID circuits and mark cables. strip out old board....... 1 hour
fix new CU . strip back and/or extend cables as necessary....... 1 hour
wire up CU........ 45mins - 90 mins ( depending on size of installation )
test installation and note readings......... 1 hour - 2 hours
complete EIC......... 1 hour
explain RCD operation etc. to customer, get paid etc. ..... 1 hour.
total time taken ...... around 8 hours.
CU cost ...... £60-£100
day's labour..... £200
total........... £260 - £300
and that's without any rectification work whatsoever.
- Reaction score
- 1,169
Tel,
That is a much more realistic timeframe and price, we could all be really busy working for nowt!
That is, as you say with no rectification or upgrading the main bonding.
This timeframe is about the same as mine, as other posters have said, I like to double check everything, as to me safety is paramount, and I would rather take more time and care than to rush and possibly miss something.
To me this is not over priced, but a board change for £150 is far too low, unless it was a very small board.
As to £12 an hour, I would be better off with an agency, as at least then I would have set hours!, and no expenses like yearly fees etc.
That is a much more realistic timeframe and price, we could all be really busy working for nowt!
That is, as you say with no rectification or upgrading the main bonding.
This timeframe is about the same as mine, as other posters have said, I like to double check everything, as to me safety is paramount, and I would rather take more time and care than to rush and possibly miss something.
To me this is not over priced, but a board change for £150 is far too low, unless it was a very small board.
As to £12 an hour, I would be better off with an agency, as at least then I would have set hours!, and no expenses like yearly fees etc.
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V
vernam616
8hours to change a db and test/inspect!!!!
Some of them timeframes are just unrealistic completley, global IR and ze/pfc would take 20mins not 1 hour
Some of them timeframes are just unrealistic completley, global IR and ze/pfc would take 20mins not 1 hour
- Reaction score
- 6
I agree with that, sounds exactly how i do a cu change,and the price
- Reaction score
- 1,169
Hi Vernam,
What other people charge or do is no real concern of mine, each to their own.
To do a proper inspection and test can be time taking, depending on the particular situation (if the diyers have been playing), but even if the job took five or six hours, this leaves little time to do anything else that day.
I take it you visit the job beforehand to give the estimate ?, this has to be paid for, the time taken to fill in the EIC and register the job and any other paper work, again has to be paid for, the time taken to buy the bits, again has to be paid for, unless of course you don't take this into account ?
My average timeframe (I allow) is 4 hours for the DB change, including a quickpre-test (at the estimate stage), picking up bits and identifying circuits etc... etc. and then 4 hours for the final tests, filling in certs, registering the job etc. etc.
I record all of the test results and other required info 'roughly' on site, and then fill them in properly (neatly) afterwards.
This does not include rectifying major problems, but does include rectifying simpler problems as required.
If I come across say a loose connection on a S/O for example I would then check all of the others, this of course has to be paid for, after all Iam not a charity.
As others have said, I allow plenty of time in case of something unforseen. This is not overcharging or padding the job out in my view, because I do a very thorough test and inspection afterwards, for my own peace of mind as much as the mandatory regs, and I do not want call backs which may not be charged for.
As to £12 an hour, what if you have to go back at a later date to replace a faulty item ?, not your fault, but this has to be taken into account, at that rate (in reality about £8 an hour) there goes any small profit you have made, and this also does not take into account your quiet patches, additional training, re-newing of technical books and a myriad of other hidden costs.
Far be it for me to criticise you here, as long as you are happy with that, that is fine as well.
Just to put this into perspective, I know a gas fitter (Gas safe) registered, and he won't start the van for less than £50, and he is one of the better/cheaper ones.
Edit: I meant to say my pricing is broadly similar to Tel's above, and is fully inclusive, ie. all certs and registration included in the price.
I have known some Electrical contractors advertise a low price for the work and then bang on an extra £100 for the paperwork.
What other people charge or do is no real concern of mine, each to their own.
To do a proper inspection and test can be time taking, depending on the particular situation (if the diyers have been playing), but even if the job took five or six hours, this leaves little time to do anything else that day.
I take it you visit the job beforehand to give the estimate ?, this has to be paid for, the time taken to fill in the EIC and register the job and any other paper work, again has to be paid for, the time taken to buy the bits, again has to be paid for, unless of course you don't take this into account ?
My average timeframe (I allow) is 4 hours for the DB change, including a quickpre-test (at the estimate stage), picking up bits and identifying circuits etc... etc. and then 4 hours for the final tests, filling in certs, registering the job etc. etc.
I record all of the test results and other required info 'roughly' on site, and then fill them in properly (neatly) afterwards.
This does not include rectifying major problems, but does include rectifying simpler problems as required.
If I come across say a loose connection on a S/O for example I would then check all of the others, this of course has to be paid for, after all Iam not a charity.
As others have said, I allow plenty of time in case of something unforseen. This is not overcharging or padding the job out in my view, because I do a very thorough test and inspection afterwards, for my own peace of mind as much as the mandatory regs, and I do not want call backs which may not be charged for.
As to £12 an hour, what if you have to go back at a later date to replace a faulty item ?, not your fault, but this has to be taken into account, at that rate (in reality about £8 an hour) there goes any small profit you have made, and this also does not take into account your quiet patches, additional training, re-newing of technical books and a myriad of other hidden costs.
Far be it for me to criticise you here, as long as you are happy with that, that is fine as well.
Just to put this into perspective, I know a gas fitter (Gas safe) registered, and he won't start the van for less than £50, and he is one of the better/cheaper ones.
Edit: I meant to say my pricing is broadly similar to Tel's above, and is fully inclusive, ie. all certs and registration included in the price.
I have known some Electrical contractors advertise a low price for the work and then bang on an extra £100 for the paperwork.
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V
vernam616
Id already stated further back in the thread i charge at £12 per hour after for rectifications and faults
So borrowed neutrals would be extra cost, i also have very low overheads again as previously stated
We would all like to make mega money however people just dont want to pay the high price, i try keep it reasonable and i get lots of referrals, hence more cash .... Simple business sense to me
I didnt mean to cause offense to anybody, im just putting into prospective that this certain job can be done in a lot less time
Dan
So borrowed neutrals would be extra cost, i also have very low overheads again as previously stated
We would all like to make mega money however people just dont want to pay the high price, i try keep it reasonable and i get lots of referrals, hence more cash .... Simple business sense to me
I didnt mean to cause offense to anybody, im just putting into prospective that this certain job can be done in a lot less time
Dan
M
msec
varnam 616,
Im only offering my opinion here but if you are doing DB changes for £150 you are not using crabtree boards, you are not testing anything and you are working for cash. The very fact that you offered up the picture as 'proof' of workmanship shows how misinformed you are. A NEW, 16th EDITION board? Big difference from CHANGING a DB. Nice new cables already in position, already marked up, long enough, no cpc's twisted together etc etc. Also, 'your' picture could have come from a website, google images or anywhere. Do you honestly think the measure of a good spark is speed????:mad2: Let me guess, domestically trained?
Incidently, if your 'mate' could do new boards in 21 minutes, why was he only doing 3 a day??
Absoloute horse manure.
Spot on, in my opinion.
Im only offering my opinion here but if you are doing DB changes for £150 you are not using crabtree boards, you are not testing anything and you are working for cash. The very fact that you offered up the picture as 'proof' of workmanship shows how misinformed you are. A NEW, 16th EDITION board? Big difference from CHANGING a DB. Nice new cables already in position, already marked up, long enough, no cpc's twisted together etc etc. Also, 'your' picture could have come from a website, google images or anywhere. Do you honestly think the measure of a good spark is speed????:mad2: Let me guess, domestically trained?
Incidently, if your 'mate' could do new boards in 21 minutes, why was he only doing 3 a day??
Absoloute horse manure.
Spot on, in my opinion.
- Reaction score
- 1,169
Hi mate,
None taken,
I agree it is possible to do the job quicker, if everything goes smoothly, but I learnt the hard way that it is better to estimate longer than too short a time.
If the job goes perfectly (as is sometimes the case) then of course I would reduce the final bill, as I said if you come in underprice it is smiles all round, but if you come in overprice it causes all sorts of problems, and usually ends up me being the loser, good customer relations and all that.
I don't like painting myself into a corner, but I do a good and thorough job and expect to be paid properly, I do not rip customers off, and never tell them they need something if they don't need it. All of my work is word of mouth, and as such you are only as good as your last or present job, so customer relations is very important to me too.
As I said in a previous post, whatever works for you is fine with me, and I am not criticising anyones business methods, you do whatever works for you.
When I first started I looked at various pricing in my area, and aimed for the middle of the range, as I did not want to undercut anyone or start a price war, but neither rip anyone off, then I worked out my overheads and everything else before I started on my own, to see if I could make it work at this pricing, obviously I then had to fine tune this with the experience gained.
Ps. I still cannot find DB's at that price. BTW I usually fit Wylex because I can get additional MCB's and other bits and pieces just about anywhere, and not from just one or two sources
None taken,
I agree it is possible to do the job quicker, if everything goes smoothly, but I learnt the hard way that it is better to estimate longer than too short a time.
If the job goes perfectly (as is sometimes the case) then of course I would reduce the final bill, as I said if you come in underprice it is smiles all round, but if you come in overprice it causes all sorts of problems, and usually ends up me being the loser, good customer relations and all that.
I don't like painting myself into a corner, but I do a good and thorough job and expect to be paid properly, I do not rip customers off, and never tell them they need something if they don't need it. All of my work is word of mouth, and as such you are only as good as your last or present job, so customer relations is very important to me too.
As I said in a previous post, whatever works for you is fine with me, and I am not criticising anyones business methods, you do whatever works for you.
When I first started I looked at various pricing in my area, and aimed for the middle of the range, as I did not want to undercut anyone or start a price war, but neither rip anyone off, then I worked out my overheads and everything else before I started on my own, to see if I could make it work at this pricing, obviously I then had to fine tune this with the experience gained.
Ps. I still cannot find DB's at that price. BTW I usually fit Wylex because I can get additional MCB's and other bits and pieces just about anywhere, and not from just one or two sources
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G
Guest112
im pretty quick as a spark i was taught do it right then the speed comes after, i know we all work at different speed but 20min for new db install like the picture could the proposed speedy electrician explain their timeframe because im sorry you can argue untill your blue in the face unless you can pause time its impossible and unless you prove otherwise give it up.
20 min to uncoil all the cables and identify each one (rewire/new build)
prepare the board
mount the board
strip, sleeve, ferrel/mark cables,
connect cables
and perform EIC
tidy up
wrap tools up
chat and pay with customer?
did you mean 20 min from db mounted and cables stripped just connected?
and a db change takes much longer
20 min to uncoil all the cables and identify each one (rewire/new build)
prepare the board
mount the board
strip, sleeve, ferrel/mark cables,
connect cables
and perform EIC
tidy up
wrap tools up
chat and pay with customer?
did you mean 20 min from db mounted and cables stripped just connected?
and a db change takes much longer
V
vernam616
On a rewire, 8-10 way db
Mount board, strip and connect and neater than the picture and label
Im not really bothered about proving it pal, ive actually saw it done with my own eyes
Watching someone do it is fascinating, everyone has their own little methods, i do stress though he did 3 per day for months and months, all exactly the same layout etc
Mount board, strip and connect and neater than the picture and label
Im not really bothered about proving it pal, ive actually saw it done with my own eyes
Watching someone do it is fascinating, everyone has their own little methods, i do stress though he did 3 per day for months and months, all exactly the same layout etc
V
vernam616
Which is exactly what happened
V
vernam616
You clearly havnt bothered to read the full thread have you
Wind your neck in and read it properly before issuing such a kentish post
The picture as i have stated a few pages back was just a OLD picture i was using as a example to show that it can be done in 45 minutes and neat
The picture was from a new build installation when 16th EDITION was in force hence the single split board and YES it is my picture, i have nothing to prove to your or anyone else and do have more pictures, i take pictures because i use them in my portfolio, if you want to steal my picture for your own portfolio your quite welcome
Domestically trained? = No, i have worked in all sectors and like to think i have a equal experience of all
Not once did i say that the definition of a good electrician is speed, it just so happens i feel confident enough in my work that i can be a little faster, sorry if you have to take 2-3 days to do the job, just the way it gos matey
He was doing 3 a day on a price, once they are done guess what happens? YOU GO HOME and enjoy the rest of the day whilst still earning £100 per D/B (YES FOR YOU EAGLE EYES THATS A DIFFERENT PRICE TO MINE AS WE DONT WORK TOGETHER ANYMORE)
D
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