Plumbers cost for small job!

plumbers are not the only expensive ones!

i had a chippie do some work at a rental property ... install an internal door/knob and jamb, shorten two other doors, a bit of floorboard repair (he used my timber shelf!) and put in place a second hand kitchen - he had to make up kickboards to sit the cupboards on and put on a bit of ply for backing then put it in place.

he turned up willy nilly - and hour here or there - so that the job took and extra two weeks and cost me lost rent which i was not happy about. i get really cross when tradies say they can do the job and then muck me around. if you haven't got the time then don't take the job!!! :mad:

anyhow, cost nearly $1200. :eek: . i priced materials at bunning at around $220 excluding trade discount, so that was $1000 labour or around 20-25 hours - 3.5 full days. yeah right!

he even did such a rough job that my husband had to go in a finish it off.

needless to say i have sent him a please supply a breakdown letter and advised him of what i believe the material costs were. will be interesting to see what he comes back with.

Lizzie
 
Hi Lizzie sorry you feel upset at the outcome but if you had him working for 25 hours thats about $40 per hour for a tradesman without taking into account travel etc which seems like a fairly normal sort of rate particlualy when you take into account GST of 10%. So apart from the timeframe that it took and the fact that the finish wasn't what you had wanted the rate per hour doesn't seem too bad.

Silas
 
silas said:
Hi Lizzie sorry you feel upset at the outcome but if you had him working for 25 hours thats about $40 per hour for a tradesman without taking into account travel etc which seems like a fairly normal sort of rate particlualy when you take into account GST of 10%. So apart from the timeframe that it took and the fact that the finish wasn't what you had wanted the rate per hour doesn't seem too bad.

Silas
Click to expand...
Hi Silas, I think the point that Lizzie was trying to make, was that it took him 3.5 days to do the work, however, he was not committed to doing her job for the whole of the 3.5 days instead he only turned up to do an hour here & another there.
 
Tools

Wear and tear is depreciation come tax time. So a nailgun, for example, which is used everyday, will have to be purchased every few years (4 years maybe) then depreciated. Nails, on the other hand, for the gun are charged as they are used. Sharpening of tools and replacement are tax deductable. Fuel for the compressor is charged but not the compressor itself, it is depreciated. Fuel for the car is tax deductable.

Hope this is a little clearer.

SS
 
Sticky,
I have been in the building game for 21 years,so understand how depreciation works.The point is though that to get a benefit from depreciation,you have to first have spent the money,which comes out of your hourly rate.A diamond blade on a demo saw doesn't last forever,and we go through numerous every year.It is a consumable.A better way for this plumber to handle it would be to have a rate based on the material being cut,the depth of the cut,and the length of the cut.This would take in to account the wear on the blade,servicing,fuel etc.And the Kango coul dhave a similar rate for say an hourly use.This is of course assuming they were the plumber's own tools.

Tools
 
acutally - what i meant was that he has charged the equivalent of 3.5 days, but the work would have only taken a day at the most if he'd pulled his finger out, two days if he was being slack ... but at price he has charged me it would be the equivilent to 3.5. hence i feel i am being taken for a bit of a ride - the old "rich investor" story.

lizzie
 
To do any work on a council road or footpath.Naturally there is a fee,and before you can obtain the permit you need to supply a copy of your certificate of currency for public liability,together with a traffic management plan.I assume that is what the $90 was for.What most councils do for reinstating the asset is they have a set fee ($97 in your case) but this may not necessarily be the end figure.You are required to backfill your trench correctly and then make it safe by using cold mix so that there is no hazard.They then come along and pull out the cold mix and redo the asphalt of concrete.They won't let you do it yourself,because you can imagine what the streets would be like if every man and his dog had a go at it on a Sunday afternoon.If the cost of reinstatement is less than what you have paid,they will refund you the difference.If it is more,they MAY send you a bill.So if you hadn't backfilled a road correctly,they would have to dig it out and do it again,and will send you the bill.So I would be checking with the council if they do refund the difference,so that your plumber is not going to get his hands on that as well.

Tools
 
Hi Tools thanks for the info.

The council fees the plumber is charging me for is $90 + gst for "council fee" and $497 + gst for "council restore".

Are you saying that he may only have to pay part of that $497 and keep the rest if it is less?

I don't know if he should be passing on the gst to me.


Thanks

Adrian
 
Hi Adrian,

He would pay the 497 up front,but may get a part refund.I would just ring the council and ask a general question without giving any property details etc.No harm in asking ,and you may find that things work differently with your council,and I am steering you along the wrong path.You may even find the info on the council website.What is your local council?

Tools
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

dedalus
small subdivision costs breakdown
Replies
5
Views
15K
Stacey Survey
S
Back
Top