What would you charge for this?

[OrangeFive]

Without over complicating it decide how much you want per day or per week and go from there. Obviously you have to be realistic but also make money out of if.

 

[AJB Temple]

The board we were given was pretty ragged and we managed to get rid of most of the chips, the store owner didn't want any more cleaning up to be done so we left them.

Sadly that gives you a clue about the attitude of the customer to price.

I don't know how difficult the frame was to make (looks like rather thin softwood legs) but working on my own I would expect to do that job in two hours maximum.

Your lessons are:
agree price before you start and agree when you will be paid before you do anything
never work with shoddy materials as afterwards you will get the blame
invoice immediately and get paid without delay

I would bill £200 given what you have said.

 

[rafezetter]

We need a sticky for this question it comes up so often.

That vid on pricing is also very good and helped me view my pricing better.

 

[deema]

Starting out is a learning curve, everyone makes mistakes and learns from them. So, if you intend to so this full time / make a living from it find out what the going rate is in your area. Ask around friends to find out what they have been charged and see what it is they have had done / time it took. Since this is your first paid job, I’d consider it like the first day in school, as long as you dont lose money everything else is a bonus. I’ve always found the honest approach pays dividends. In your shoes, I would talk openly with the customer, say, look I’m not sure what to charge, it’s taken me 4 hours with my side kick, let’s agree a price we can all walk away happy with. You might not get what you think you deserve, but you will have a reference, and also someone who might point new customers your way especially if it’s a busy shop. You certainly dont want them giving disparaging comments about you!

 

[RGIvy]

I’ve always found the honest approach pays dividends. In your shoes, I would talk openly with the customer, say, look I’m not sure what to charge, it’s taken me 4 hours with my side kick, let’s agree a price we can all walk away happy with.

That's exactly what I did. A family member works there anyway, and she says they're very happy with the work.
I'm going to suggest £100 of which I'll give £25 to my assistant. Not much money left at the end of the day but it's just a hobby.

 

[doctor Bob]

Not much money left at the end of the day but it's just a hobby.

Not really is it it's a paying job.
The issue with "it's just a hobby" is, what if you had hit a cable, water pipe, etc. who claims for the potential liability.
I've had my guys fit many 100's of kitchens, in that time I have had 2 claims, not many, these are skilled guys but accidents happen, and probability says it could happen on first fit or 100th fit.

 

[Doug71]

I would be careful, as said if you are getting paid it's not just a hobby and if you are paying people to help you are an employer.

I would be very careful doing any paid work especially in places used by the public if you don't have all the necessary insurances in place.

I think you have done well out of it as for example a professional who might charge £30 p/h probably would not be left with as much profit as you have made once he takes out what it costs to run a business.

 

[Mike Jordan]

I second Doug21s remarks about public liability insurance. I have known people who have worked for years without it but it's not a sensible move. You could lose literally everything.

 

[johnnyb]

I've known skilled trades not be able to say to a customer how much up front due to embarrassment! they spend there life working for £120 a day (long days as well)
experience makes you ruthless tbh.(not dishonest) I charge as much as I can. who doesn't? I always try and charge an amount per job.i always agree the cost of extras.as that can sink a job into unprofitability. it means some jobs pay much better than others. I always make a margin on materials.minimum 20%.
I work in an area where 1/4 of the trades arent legit. they are that large hidden sector that work and claim. they rent units and do biggish jobs. how can anyone compete?
I disagree with using a robotic method of charging as it implies a simple market.

 

[sometimewoodworker]

£15 per hour is my rate

If self employed it should be at least 3 X that.

 

[Dibs-h]

I work in an area where 1/4 of the trades arent legit. they are that large hidden sector that work and claim

It's probably a little bigger where I live and folk's (customers) attitudes always make me laugh.

Not woodworking related - more renovation\refurb related - but 2 chaps I know had a fair bit of work done recently:

- a neighbor had a new bathroom done. A few months down the line, the adjoining bedroom (other side of the tap\shower end of the bath) had damp\wet patches on the wall. He mentioned it to me: I so had to resist the urge to say "you (usually) get what you pay for", in the interests of good neighborly relations. LOL

- another chap had a business premises refurbed. The large'ish reception area had been tiled. Uneven grout lines and a number of (600x600) tiles had cracked. Door frames done poorly and half the (new) doors wouldn't close at all. TV brackets fixed to the wall\ceiling where there is a large amount of movement.

I just resisted the urge to laugh and didn't say much.

They're probably both annoying (cheapskate) customers - for tradesmen - and I think Karma bit them in the backside.

 

[owen]

If self employed it should be at least 3 X that.

Explain? Based on the hours I work that's over 100k a year

 

[Mike Jordan]

A number of years back I visited a terrible kitchen extension. When asked the owner said he was at a loss to explain it, the chap who built it had worked for years at B and Q !!

 

[Hornbeam]

he board we were given was pretty ragged and we managed to get rid of most of the chips, the store owner didn't want any more cleaning up to be done so we left them.

The problem is that your work is the best advert for you. A potential future client seeing that doesnt know whether that is your standard. I think you have to be happy with the work yourself. It would only have taken 10 minutes to trim it down to size and finish properly.
Ian

 

[sometimewoodworker]

Explain? Based on the hours I work that's over 100k a year

At that income you will only be making a bit over minimum wage you should be earning over £40,000~60,000 before income tax and after all business expires depreciation etc have been taken into account, and that is not on a 60 hours week

If you aren’t earning that you are just starting your working life or not charging a fair price so will be going out of business or having a breakdown soon.

Gross turnover is a long way from the net income you can take from a business.

It is vastly different from a take home wage.

 

[artie]

The problem is that your work is the best advert for you.

A mate asked me to do a small job for him a few years ago and brought me some sheathing ply to use.

I only agreed to do it when he promised to say he did it himself.

 

[pcb1962]

Explain? Based on the hours I work that's over 100k a year

All explained here:

 

[TheTiddles]

Explain? Based on the hours I work that's over 100k a year

You work on average over 120-hours a week and never take holidays? I’d make your money quickly, you’ll be dead soon!

Aidan

 

[artie]

42 hours per week at £45 per hour and no holidays is purty durn close to 100 grand gross

 

[LBCarpentry]

I’d charge £2500 + Vat

£5k a day.

so 4 hours is half

“Huh? Well no one asked....”