Electrical Work

Discussion in 'Plumbers' Talk' started by bathroom boy, May 6, 2011.

  1. bathroom boy

    bathroom boy New Member

    I have done my own electrical work for a number of years now, I specialise in bathrooms, I pay £440 a year for cps scheme, but I find over a year I do very little electrical and I am wondering whether to ditch it as it is becoming a pain in the rear with ever changing regs, the only problem I forsee in when I put a quote in for a bathroom refit and they want electrical work doing, it then becomes a problem getting the customer to pay the spark seperatly. as if If pay him it is then classed as sub contracting. How does one go about this. 
     
  2. sinewave

    sinewave Screwfix Select

    What's wrong with sub-contracting BB?

    I'd not av it any other way.
     
  3. palavaman

    palavaman Well-Known Member

    pray, kindly tell me what is wrong with sub-contracting?
    like sinewave, i'm dying to find out???
     
  4. wetpants

    wetpants New Member

    That would be good.............Please
     
  5. bathroom boy

    bathroom boy New Member

    I like to have my books straight and I have never employed anyone, so the simple question is what are the implications, I should have known I would only get simple answers from simpletons, I remember now why I don't spend much time on this forum anymore.
     
  6. hibeealex

    hibeealex Member

    BB,
    if you subbie it out, you will be responsible for deducting the tax and forwarding to the IR,  you should see the cert from the subbie and it will tell you what to deduct, you then need to give him a form showing what has been deducted.
    Its a pain in the butt, just get the client to pay him direct. save the hassle
     
  7. wetpants

    wetpants New Member

    Now youve spat your dummy out,youve got a straight forward simple answer from a jock, now put your dummy back in your gob and grow up.

    Is this forum of whimps.
     
  8. palavaman

    palavaman Well-Known Member

    ''I remember now why i dont spend much time on this forum''


    well get back to fitting bathrooms and dont come back.  just let the simpletons to get on wiv it, SIMPLEEES
     
  9. bathroom boy

    bathroom boy New Member

    Thanks hibeealex, nice to see you can still have a grown up disscussion on here. Cheers mate.
     
  10. Rowdey

    Rowdey Member

    BB,
    If bathrooms are your thing, then every job has new lights, extractor, UFH, shaver socket, cabinet lights etc etc and each job needs signing off.
    My error is that although i've passed my Part P, i've never got round to joining Elecsa or similar, but do have a trusty sparky who will do the tests and sign it off.
    He still needs paying around upwards of £100 each time, and don't need many of those before your £400 disappears..

    Getting a subbie in is a pain - the unpaid tax collector bit is just the start of it..! (oohh, i've forgotten my roller and brushes/ batteries have gone on my tester/got any long brown rawl plugs etc etc..)
     
  11. bathroom boy

    bathroom boy New Member

    Good point Rowdey, but the thing is allthough the spark needs paying another way of looking at it, if I did it I would have to pay myself for the time spent doing the work, also the spark is doing this all the time and probably much faster than me, it is also becoming a pain in the rear all the regs etc.The way I will probably work it is to get the customer to pay him and then all the electrical work is no longer my responsibility.
     
  12. snezza30

    snezza30 Member

    Bathroom Boy, You said in your original post that on an annual basis, you do very little Electrical work!!!!"????

    If that is so, then surely it cant be to much of a problem to get the customer to pay the Electrician direct on the odd occasion that you need to call one in?

    I know it is a pain in the * to administer the sub contractor scenario, but once you have done it a few times and you get registered as a MAIN Contractor as opposed to just a SUB Contractor, then i dont find it too bad.I only have 4 various subbies that i currently use for different work, and that is only when i cant be everywhere due to work load.
    ( A Plasterer, a Tiler etc)

    The problem is similar for both Bathrooms and Kitchens, as i do both. Sometimes, due to the order in which certain aspects of the work have to be undertaken, when you sub the work out, the sparkey may need to make a couple of visits to site in order to complete work after and before the work that you need to do.Therefore his costs are going to increase and he is going to pass them on to you (or the customer!)
    If he cant make it when you need him to be there, the job gets delayed and it holds you up!!!!!!!!!

    Snezza30

    Message was edited by: Screwfix Moderator
     
  13. joinerjohn1

    joinerjohn1 Screwfix Select

    I'd have thought the biggest problem is,,,, getting a sparky or other tradesman,, when you actually want them, and planning for contingencies.
    Electrics, whether it be in a bathroom, kitchen, bedroom, en suite, whatever, require at least two visits from the sparks for first fix , then second fix. Possibly even another visit to test the new installation. (depending upon the complexity of the installation)
    A couple of sparks I know, would need at least a fortnight's (if not longer) notice of when they'd be needed. (both for first fix and again for second fix)
    Sometimes it's hard enough to balance things out though. First fix isn't usually a problem, but it's no good asking the sparky to come back a week later to second fix, then  you hit a big problem which delays you by a few days. Sparky turns up and your nowhere near ready for him. Or a typical scenario, sparky first fixes, you carry on, then the plasterer lets you down, delaying the job by a week or longer.
     
  14. snezza30

    snezza30 Member

    Thats the point i was trying to make JJ.

    Over the years i have had to do all the various work that is required in the process of fitting a kitchen or bathroom, coz when you get other people involved it is nearly always them that hold a job up.
    Not what you do yourself.
    As, is quite often the case, the client has only got the one Bathroom then any delay in completing the project, ends up cusing problems with the customer!!

    Snezza30
     
  15. bathroom boy

    bathroom boy New Member

    I worked for Dolphin bathrooms about five years ago and all the fitters were expected to first fix for the sparks, i.e. drop a 10m/m cable in for electric shower, same for fans etc. Downlights drill the holes, spark then comes and along completes and signs off.I,m sure this won't be a problem.
     
  16. joinerjohn1

    joinerjohn1 Screwfix Select

    Problem these days is, how many sparks allow others to do all of their first fixing and just turn up to second fix and test? How do you ensure that other trades or unforeseen problems don't hold the job up?;)
     
  17. Captain Leaky

    Captain Leaky New Member

    Just find a good sparky, build up a relationship and keep him. I have been using the same one for yonks and he never lets me down. He also gets more work from me than any other source :)
     
  18. sinewave

    sinewave Screwfix Select

    Concur wit the Capt'n.

    A Spark I give work to now and again does regular work for a Kitchen Fitter and they have weighed up each others skill set and said Sparks is more than happy to let the KF run in cables behind Cabs and DL's etc for hime to connect up.  In fact his cableing is neater than a lot of Sparks I've seen over the years!
     

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