Help pricing a small job

[tim]

Advice please.

I am quoting on a largish project for a potential customer (another library). He has also asked me to quote on a small job that he would like done sooner than the main job .

It is essentially three softwood shelves, painted and fitted. The bottom shelf will also have a vertical board holding 7 or 8 brass coat hooks. The shelves are about 1.5m long, 375-300mm deep and 30mm thick. I imagine that some form of edge profile will be routed. I have hopefully included a pic below:


The problem comes with the quoting. It seems ridiculously expensive (in my mind) because the client is 25 miles away, I will have to allow for a full day for fitting (since there will be no useful working time left afterwards) and I reckon a day inc buying materials, making and painting.

So when materials and hardware are added in I get a figure of around £500. Seems high to me but maybe its not?

Thanks for any advice.

Cheers

Tim

[jasonb]

If you give them two prices, one for doing it before the main work and one for doing it all at the same time they may be willing to wait. As you have not got the main job there is a risk that if you go in low on the hope of getting the main job they may just be using you to get a small job done on the cheap.

This is one reason I don't like doing small or maintainance jobs as you need to have several on the go at once unless you charge for the rest of the day that will be wasted.

I've just prices for two stair gates in oak to keep toddlers off the stairs, came out at £550 inc VAT, just seems too pricy when you can buy a beech gate for around £30. In fact I have allowed to buy two gates and rob the hardware off them anyway.

Jason

[tim]

Thanks Jason

I agree with you about the split pricing option. I normally don't take on small jobs for the same reasons you describe.

Does the price seem reasonable as a stand alone job though?

Cheers

Tim

[jasonb]

For whats involved it's a reasonable price. Whether the client appreciates all what is involved is another matter

J

[engineerone]

tim, i think the problem always is that people find it difficult to compare proper work with the stuff they can see in the shops.

what you need to sell is that they are buying your skills and abilities, not the article which the customer asked for.

sounds perverse i know, but once you get away from fitted kitchens, the price of doing things by "hand" is so difficult to value.

people want to relate prices to shop prices not to the length of time it took you to learn your skill.

i agree with jason, only be prepared to do both jobs, not either or.

paul

[wizer]

hmm it sounds high to me, but that's because I know I can do it myself. For your time and work, it sounds reasonable.

This doesn't sound like a very bespoke piece of work. Why don't they just buy some shelves and get someone to put them up?

Unless you want the work, then go with Jason's idea and tell them it'll be cheaper to do it with the other work.

[blacksheep]

I'd give the client a figure for the two jobs combined but assure him that I'd do his little shelves first once I'd got the order (and deposit!) for everything.

I'd then plan on combining the shelf fitting with the detailed measure-up for the library.

Incidentally, for smallish jobs I simply quote £250 per day - that generally covers my time and the cost of materials. Fotunately though, most of my work is within a mile or two.

Cheers
Phil