Tiler Vs Builder

[NWB Tiling]

I've just had a call from a lady requiring bathroom , kitchen floor and kitchen splash tiled in the New Year. As yet i have not been round to view or measure.

However, she informs me that she currently has a builder in doing various works for her and that she will compare my quote with that of the builder.I've no idea if the builder can tile , aware of different backgrounds , etc

I realise some the detials atm are a bit scant, but any words of wisdom on how to get my quote accepted ( apart from giving a really low estimate).

Cheers

Nige

 

[Gazzer]

All you can do is prepare your quote and give the price you are prepared to work for. Whether the builder is a builder tiler or candlestick maker, it makes no odds.
In my experience most builders tend to price higher than my rate anyway and also take longer.

 

[cornish_crofter]

Provide a detailed quote, specifying what materials you would use. Also offer a 12 month guarantee against adhesive failure and workmanship, and any other issues you, as a tiler can think of.

If you can, include a print off of photos of similar work you've done before. I don't think the builder would be able to show any tiling photos.

If a general builder saw a quote like that he may run a mile 😉

 

[tile55]

The best thing that yu can do IMO is price up the job as usual give a written quote detailing all the work and the materials you will be using (always assume that you will be doing the work), then wait for the client to give you the go-ahead.
No use worrying what the builder, candlestick maker or Mr Bodgit is charging, you can't influence their pricing. :santa_cheesy:

 

[cornish_crofter]

The best thing that yu can do IMO is price up the job as usual give a written quote detailing all the work and the materials you will be using (always assume that you will be doing the work), then wait for the client to give you the go-ahead.
No use worrying what the builder, candlestick maker or Mr Bodgit is charging, you can't influence their pricing. :santa_cheesy:

True, but it's a matter of selling yourself on all aspects, not just price. If it were just price then the client would go for the cheapest quote.

When I'm up against another tradesman I always detail my quote as much as possible. I know that other tradesmen I've been compard to give vague estimates. On one such occasion I lost out on a job to another chap, it tunred out that the clients didn't get all the work they thought they were going to get. They've not told be as such but I walk past the house regularly and there is some fascia board/soffit that has not been replaced and needs it, which I had included in my quote. So I know that they weren't comparing like for like.

 

[Olz]

Just do a normal qoute, including exactly what your going to do, i wouldnt be getting in to the realms of the builder will be rubbish because of a b and c, at the end of the day you dont know the builder, what his skills are or if he's planning to do the tiling himself or sub it out to a tiler he has working for him.

The price is the price that your prepared to work for, no more no less, if you think your going to be undercut try and save the customer some money on materials to keep your price down without sacrificing your labour rate.

She may not have even had a quote from the builder or anyone else, she may just be saying that to put the seed of doubt in your mind that you need to be cheap to get the job!

 

[NWB Tiling]

Cheers for the replies guys.
Some very sound advice,which is a testament to subscribers of this forum
I will certainly take on board when visting and preparing quote. .

Nige

 

[JIMBOB187]

I wouldn't ask the guy at the car wash to service my car! If you get my meaning, I like specialists so I always stress this point to customers when coming up against this, not lost one yet.:83::carolers:

 

[medlar]

plenty of valid points made here,especially off CC,if you get the job you get it,if ya dont ya dont

 

[doug boardley]

Don't go buying work, treat your estimate as you would if builder wasn't involved, she may be trying to play you and the builder off against each other. If the builder is aware that you also are doing an estimate he may feel out of his depth and not bother. On your estimate detail the adhesives, primers, grouts etc you will be using, if the builders quote comes in cheaper ask the lady if the builder has given a detailed breakdown of materials.

 

[enduro]

I had this yesterday, a bit different circumstances. I also run a carpet and upholstery cleaning buisness with my wife, and i got a call from a lady who wanted her new settee protected with a scotchgard stain protector, so i went round to give her a quote, turned up with my box of tricks did a dye bleed test to see if the colours would run etc everything was fine and i quoted £75.00....she said that's expensive my cleaner can do it for £15.00..ok i said do they know about applying fibre & fabric rinse before applying scotchgard as you need this as a carrier for the protector...umm no they were going to use something out of a can. Anyway i got the job as she said i seem very professional and knew what i was talking about. So basically you have to make sure that when you quote it looks very professional, take the quote round in person and go through it with them, explain why you need to prime, use flexible and so on...Believe me this does work i have got loads of jobs this way, so don't just stick in the post with Tile kitchen walls £250.00...BE THE BEST AND IMPRESS :santa_cheesy:

 

[sstilingservice]

I agree with enduro I quted for a job a few week's ago and the lady said that the PLUMBER had offered to tile for her !!!!!!!!!!!!! Anyway to cut a long story short . I quoted listed what I was going to do and how I was going to do it . Now the PLUMBER has messed up his measurement's and the entire jod has been put on standby because he can't fit the bath the way the customer wanted. Didn't check all the measurments first opps.

 

[cornish_crofter]

I had one job, when I started trading. I quoted £385 for it.

The lady then told me that she had had a quote for £335 from someone else. What she was really asking me is could I come down a bit, I didn't think the other tradesman actually existed.

I said I would match his price as I wasn't that busy. Getting the job purely because I came down to that figure reinforced my suspicions that this other chap didn't exist. I still made a good profit out of the job. I did get a bit of other work from them but then they moved.

Each call needs to be on its own merits. Very often the person doing the quote is the best person to judge whether the customer really does have someone quoting or not, forums like this one can only suggest approaches based on what other people think the situation could be.

However, whether you're up against anyone or not, putting together a marketing package with your quote would not be a bad idea, especially if you;ve got photos of some relitively complex work you've done. If she really does show this to a general builder he may feel that his time is better spent elsewhere, rather than trying to compete with someone who is rather more skilled than he is.

As for the price, quote as normal.

If you guarantee your work, make it clear and for what and how long.

 

[NWB Tiling]

i'll certainly take some photo's of previous - as this is best advertisement. Also stress the quality of the materials and 25 guarantee plus my guarantee.

I like the bit about, i wouldn't want the guy at car wash to service my car.

Cheers for the advice.

I will update in the new year.

Cheers

Nige

 

[doit4u]

I agree with just about everything said about doing a detailed quote, after discussing the customers requirements and then selling your quote on quality.

I am wary of jobs passed on. A local plumber who normally does the whole job including tiling has passed a couple of jobs on to me.

One was OK, it was for the mother of one of his customers who wanted kitchen walls tiled after a new kitchen had been fitted by one of the big companies and he said he couldn't fit it in.

The other was for a bathroom floor to ceiling that he had change the suite on. Again he said he was to busy to do the tiling but I have a sneaky feeling he didn't fancy the job as the walls were in a hell of a state.

It was in one of those council houses that were built in the 60s by the poured concrete method. They had knocked the original seperate bathroom and toilet together and there was a 3/8 inch step between the two rooms. It was a right b**ch and took 1/2 as long as I anticipated. And I was once offered a cuppa all the time I was there - mind you that was probably a blessing - they bred boxer dogs and the place was humming.

I am also now wary of recommending other tradesmen because if they don't turn up or do a good job it comes back to haunt you.

One regular asked me for the name of a plasterer to do ceilings and walls to get rid of all the artex. The first one quoted and then never turned up and she was constantly ringing me. The second quoted and got the job and then asked her how much I was charging for the tiling and offered to undercut, luckily she knew my work and stuck with me. Needless to say I won't be giving that plaster ( Do not swear )number to anyone in the future.

 

[medlar]

it could also be that this "general builder" is a qualified tiler who has branched out in the building business,or as said previously,he may have a tiler working for him

 

[CBTC]

I've never been to a job yet where 'the builder' did the tiling which is anything other than a wreck - even where every other element of the work is top notch! Not once.

 

[medlar]

i know a few "jobbing builders" who are actually "time served tilers" i actually know 1 lad who is time a served tiler and also a corgi registered gas fitter

 

[doug boardley]

apart from plumbing and electrics I could actually build a house from a plot of land to completion, smart a**e eh!

 

[medlar]

apart from plumbing and electrics I could actually build a house from a plot of land to completion, smart a**e eh!

No,not a smart ar*e Doug,just a very accomplished tradesman:20:

 

[cornish_crofter]

One regular asked me for the name of a plasterer to do ceilings and walls to get rid of all the artex. The first one quoted and then never turned up and she was constantly ringing me. The second quoted and got the job and then asked her how much I was charging for the tiling and offered to undercut, luckily she knew my work and stuck with me. Needless to say I won't be giving that plaster ( Do not swear )number to anyone in the future.

What a complete ------! The only person he's shafted is himself. You still got the job you were going to get and now you'll be recommending a different plasterer.

I put a builder in touch with a client and he got around £15ks worth of work. He was old school and respected boundaries. Whenever the client asked him if he was interested in doing work that may impinge on me he asked the client to discuss it with me first.

As a result of my putting him in touch with the client the builder handed me 2 more bathrooms on a plate! He told the client that he felt I should do the work on those. I didn't want the £15k job as it was too much for me to take on at once, but the builder felt that I should benefit in some way, so he suggested to the client that I was approached to do those bathrooms and worked for the client directly, whereas he and his guys cracked on with the other stuff.

 

[Rob Z]

Hi Nige,

To echo what many have already said, I try to put plenty of information into the proposal that will hopefully make us stand out from the crowd. Including technical details about the installation itself, and details that are specific to this installation, might make all the difference. For many customers, they are used to a tile contractor giving them some sort of flat rate to set the tile ($X per sq ft, or $X per tub surround, etc), and they end up thinking that all tile is the same and a "what's the big deal, you just glue the tile down" sort of mentality. Giving them the information and detail that is needed to trigger a discussion could let them see that what you have to offer is better than the other guys.

Of course there will always be the customers that want it done as cheaply as can be done, and don't care that you have much more to offer than the guys that are just the lick-em, stick-em type. But for the more discriminating customer, I've found that my approach yields a good rate of success getting the job and with the customer being happy to spend the extra dough to get what they didn't know they wanted until I have been able to teach them about the details that go into a solid, long lasting tile installation.

Best of luck!

 

[LM Ceramics]

thats all you can do giv your quote as normal be professional and let her make a choice if the builder exsists most customers just try it on

 

[NWB Tiling]

Well , just to update this thread - took all the advice given and submitted estimate.... Never heard another word from her, so guess the builder got the nod.
Either way her loss, but the advice very much appreciated.