Plumbing prices and call out charge

[JayTech]

how much to plumbers charge per hour these days I’m doing my nvq and eventually want to go self employed. How much is the going rate per hour and how much is call out charge these days ?
Any help would me much appreciated

 

[Harvest Fields]

You probably will not get a solid answer here mate. Too many variants to be had.

Edit due to spelling error

 

[JayTech]

Ok thanks

 

[Riley]

Surely you’ve just asked the same question again

 

[JayTech]

Surely you’ve just asked the same question again

Oh yeh sorry I corrected it my mistake

 

[SimonG]

Enough!

 

[Rob Foster]

Call out charges vary. STD fee for 1st hour. Different rates for existing customers and new ones. Charlie Mullins outfit charge £125.00 + vat for first hour . I used to charge travelling time from time I left home Centralheatking

 

[Harvest Fields]

Call out charges vary. STD fee for 1st hour. Different rates for existing customers and new ones. Charlie Mullins outfit charge £125.00 + vat for first hour . I used to charge travelling time from time I left home Centralheatking

There is always one.

 

[Last Plumber]

It’s your decision.
You need to arrive at your own charging out rate based on overheads, wages and profit.

There are too many differences as Harvest said.

 

[Pickwickpick]

Call out charges vary. STD fee for 1st hour. Different rates for existing customers and new ones. Charlie Mullins outfit charge £125.00 + vat for first hour . I used to charge travelling time from time I left home Centralheatking

They charge over £300/h when you get real close to Christmas! My step fatehr ended up using them couple years back when I was stuck up in Brum and he'd already been ripped off by a dodgy firm he found online! Started off with just a leaking TRV, ended up with cowboys breaking his boiler followed by a £1,500 bill off Mullins, it was a very expensive drain down!

 

[JayTech]

Ok thank you all for the advise have a good weekend all

 

[Murdoch]

Where most self employed people go wrong is that they under estimate their annual overheads and over estimate in the early years the number of weeks per year they will be working ......... which is the perfect storm for being a very busy poor fool.

 

[Pickwickpick]

Where most self employed people go wrong is that they under estimate their annual overheads and over estimate in the early years the number of weeks per year they will be working ... which is the perfect storm for being a very busy poor fool.

Yep I made that mistake when I started out on my own and it was a nightmare as it then set a price expectation with repeat custom and any word of mouth jobs through them. Took me a few years to steadily rise prices up to something a bit more reasonable with my original network of clients.

Also some of it when you start can come from that fear of turning away/loosing work, but you quickly learn the hard way that its best not winning a job than winning it on a crap price!

 

[Stephen]

Hi

I'm not a plumber but my impression is that whatever your price, it will always be too much for too many people. That's life.

A suggestion was 125ph plus vat which is probably more than a neurosurgeon would earn per hour. If you figure that one out, let me know.

 

[Pickwickpick]

Hi

I'm not a plumber but my impression is that whatever your price, it will always be too much for too many people. That's life.

A suggestion was 125ph plus vat which is probably more than a neurosurgeon would earn per hour. If you figure that one out, let me know.

£125ph wasn't a suggestion, he was referring to how much Pimlico charge.

 

[BYP]

I charge £50 minimum call out including VAT for the first hour, plus parts. Depends on job to job though.

 

[Rob Foster]

As always when running a business profit and turnover are two issues to keep a balance with. One expensive job per week or being rushed off your feet doing cheap jobs that make no money Rob Foster aka centralheatking

 

[Last Plumber]

Where most self employed people go wrong is that they under estimate their annual overheads and over estimate in the early years the number of weeks per year they will be working ... which is the perfect storm for being a very busy poor fool.

Bob on That Murdoch.
I come across them a lot. People starting up, selling Boilers for cost, charging a 'wage' on top. No-one can compete and they're mega busy for a while. Following the 'busy while' they either jack it in and go back to being an employee or they get wise and charge properly.

 

[Welder]

Never ever charged a call out fee. Always found people hated 'em. However, I always (okay mostly...) seemed to be able to suss out the idiots from the genuine.
It's not rocket science.
Estimate your hourly rate based on the money you need to earn to live properly (not forgetting all the incidental commitments like tax NI etc) but working just FOUR days a week. Then make sure all materials are at trade plus 20% and once the job is landed buy wisely.
Be confident and work comes in.

 

[Pickwickpick]

I used to add 10% onto materials until I did rough maths a year or two ago about the time spent picking them, planning/shopping around for good price, collecting them... and realised I really was rarely covering my time.

 

[SimonG]

30% for me, minimum. Nozzles and smaller service parts like oil filters it's nearer 100%.

 

[JayTech]

I’m with a plumber now doing my nvq and he has been excellent giving great advise just like the rest of you about pricing and call out charge. I didn’t expect this kind of response thanks to all that’s replied and helped with info much appreciated

 

[Rob Foster]

Fixed costs can kill a business, some are unavoidable like road tax for the truck. Variable costs need close scrutiny buying expensive derv, expensive pipe and fittings is lazy practice , advertising is a subject in itself
Huh I could drone on if you want Rob Foster aka centralheatking

 

[JayTech]

Fixed costs can kill a business, some are unavoidable like road tax for the truck. Variable costs need close scrutiny buying expensive derv, expensive pipe and fittings is lazy practice , advertising is a subject in itself
Huh I could drone on if you want Rob Foster aka centralheatking

Cheers rob thanks for the advise

 

[WC1]

Choose your customers carefully, a few bad payers can really make a dent. They don't teach that on nvq. Good luck

 

[JayTech]

Choose your customers carefully, a few bad payers can really make a dent. They don't teach that on nvq. Good luck

Yeh they fella that has took me on to do my nvq has told me that he said you can generally tell the good customers and the pain in the butt customers lol

 

[WC1]

You develop your spidey sense very quickly

 

[JayTech]

You develop your spidey sense very quickly

 

[Welder]

You develop your spidey sense very quickly

But only if you let yourself listen... Blokes are typically sh1te at that

 

[WC1]

True, but it's learn spidey sense quick or pack up and put tools on ebay:

plumbers tools job lot 167710439947 | eBay

 

[Welder]

True, but it's learn spidey sense quick or pack up and put tools on ebay:

plumbers tools job lot 167710439947 | eBay

They're not plumbers tools, well none that I've met in the last 25 years anyway! Even some imperial spanners and bicycle spanners. It's some poor sod's shed tool kit that's been pilfered!

 

[Harvest Fields]

True, but it's learn spidey sense quick or pack up and put tools on ebay:

plumbers tools job lot 167710439947 | eBay

You can keep them mate.

 

[WC1]

But only if you let yourself listen... Blokes are typically sh1te at that

Another reason for encouraging more females into the trade. I'm no sjw but building trades are lagging behind pretty much all of the rest of uk society and aren't better for it. (I'm sure some won't be pleased with that but hey ho.)