Hi all i have been a carpenter 15 years now and for the majority iv been employed. Im now going into the realms of self employment and will need to start pricing jobs etc. I know my day rate so i could work out how many days i think things will take and go about it like that but surely there is an easier way? Is there an up to date price list of carpentry items available anywhere? Ie £70 a door £5 per M skirting just for example. It would make pricing work a lot easier for my self. Thanks in advance J
I bought a general guide 14 years ago whilst at 2320 electrics, showed it to my tutor who looked at the sparks prices and he burst out laughing. As I took on diy/ handyman stuff I realised the prices given weren't in touch with local prices so it went. It cost me about £20. There was a much dearer prices book which I never bought, had a name beginning with I think "S " or "R", a short name of one syllable.
Possibly you mean https://www.rics.org/uk/products/data-products/bcis-construction/bcis-price-books/ I'm a DIY woodworker but know my way around construction contracts from the day job. I'd ignore the price books for domestic work and just go with a day rate + materials. And don't undersell yourself just because others might quote cheap. Price for quality and you'll get repeat business.
You might be thinking of Spon's pricing guides. The prices won't be realistic for a small operator. So long as the quality of the work reflects the price I completely agree.
It doesn't work in the real world of domestic carpentry as hanging a door in a new four bedroom house is vastly different to hanging a door in a two hundred year old house with original frames five inches shorter than the standard door the customer wants, and many other examples. It always comes down to how many days, what your competitors are charging in your area, and how good your reputation is.
The last sentence should be made into a screen saver on the phones of anyone who's just started pricing up their own work. ( if phones still have screen savers, my Nokia 1600 does)