quotes for block shed

depadz

getting quotes to build a block shed with tiled roof with services run out to it.
approx 6m x 3m. Nothing fancy.
getting quoted 20ish K. Sounds v. pricey to me?
Are these the going rates?

BBV

Just got a quote for a 14' sq shed with tiled roof and dashed to match the house etc. I'll be doing the electric myself and didn't need any finishing inside. That came back at 14k which seems way over the odds all things considered.

Think I might have to do it myself ultimately if thats what its going to cost.

Dan_B

Got quoted €11,000 for a 14X12
Done foundations myself, paid brickie to do block work and a joiner to do roof and door / window. Paid Spark to run power down and drylined inside myself.
Knew a plasterer (Result!)
Ended up consting me around €4,500 including materials!!
Builders don't get out of bed for less than 1K a day.

yop

IF you can lads go the same way as Dan did, the only way to go, more management involved from yourself but you should/will make the savings

skibum

Dan_B wrote:

Got quoted €11,000 for a 14X12
Done foundations myself, paid brickie to do block work and a joiner to do roof and door / window. Paid Spark to run power down and drylined inside myself.
Knew a plasterer (Result!)
Ended up consting me around €4,500 including materials!!
Builders don't get out of bed for less than 1K a day.

Dan did you need planning permission to build the shed? Also have you had any experience in foundations etc, or did you do it from a "book"?
I'm looking into putting either a wooden of brick shed / study in the back garden, but don't know where to start. I want something that will be warm and confortable enough during the winter, as I would be spending a couple of hours a day there.

kadman

Yeah , self build, I love it when the rip off builder gets side stepped..well done lads.

kadman

rooferPete

Hi,

Well done to those who can DIY, but I can't sit here and look at what is an all around insult to my business.

How much did any of the people employed pay to our beloved government ? or was it all crisp €50-00 notes?

How much did they pay in employers and public liability insurance ? or was it all live in hope ?

How many are obliged under consumer law to return and correct any problems with the building ?

How sure are you that the work is even borderline let alone in compliance with the building regulations ?

I'm not saying the prices are not high, what I am saying is the cost of being in business in this country is high and therefore passed on to the consumer.

The PAYE sector cry foul about brown envelopes but it is acceptable to openly discuss what are obviously cash payments on the internet ?

€1,000.00 A Day ?

I would be more than happy to turn up for a straight eight hours work with no responsibility attached for a hell of a lot less than that.

kadman

rooferPete wrote:

Hi,

Well done to those who can DIY, but I can't sit here and look at what is an all around insult to my business.

How much did any of the people employed pay to our beloved government ? or was it all crisp €50-00 notes?

How much did they pay in employers and public liability insurance ? or was it all live in hope ?

How many are obliged under consumer law to return and correct any problems with the building ?

How sure are you that the work is even borderline let alone in compliance with the building regulations ?

I'm not saying the prices are not high, what I am saying is the cost of being in business in this country is high and therefore passed on to the consumer.

The PAYE sector cry foul about brown envelopes but it is acceptable to openly discuss what are obviously cash payments on the internet ?

€1,000.00 A Day ?

I would be more than happy to turn up for a straight eight hours work with no responsibility attached for a hell of a lot less than that.

I dont think anyone is insulting your business Rooferpete. I think they're exercising their right to organise their building projects , so that they get the best value for money. Nobody is suggesting that they should not comply with good building practice and regs.

I agree with you entirely that the cost of running a business in this country is high. But equally so , foreign workers are being employed by building contractors all over the country at a lower rate of pay than their Irish counterparts, but thts not reflected when you get a quote.

As to whether the people employed in the black economy actually declare their additional earnings, the answer is probably no. But this is nothing to do with the person getting the job done. You gripe should be with the fellas doing the job for cash, not the folks trying to get an affordable job done.

Your contention is that people should not be looking for handymen to do a cash job. Why. You dont expect that to be made illegal do you.

Your in business to make money, and more power to you, you have the right to do that. And equally people should have the right to choose their method of getting their job done.

kadman

1000 e a day...oooohhh Iwish

rooferPete

Hi Kadman,

It has been a long time since I built a garden shed or home extension but looking at the prices above I may open that section again.

The contractor who pays one man less than another is breaking the law, besides which he will not keep the staff if they return a fair days work for a fair days pay.

From the questions that are asked in forums, basic knowledge of the trade let alone regulations are lacking in a lot of the Black Economy managed jobs.

As to the man who puts the money in his back pocket and "Forgets" to enter it into his books well I have to say let he without sin cast the first stone

However the more the black economy is supported the higher the legit contractors costs go because a false labour shortage sets in.

"Your contention is that people should not be looking for handymen to do a cash job. Why. You dont expect that to be made illegal do you."

Actually it is illegal to aid any person or company in Tax Evasion, something to do with theft from the exchequer.

I have no gripe with any man or woman working for themselves or the home owner employing them.

But I do not like to see prices from people who have all the overheads and responsibilty of running a business compared with the individual who has zero responsibilty and the biggest outlay being the call credit for their washngo phone which they throw away when complaints exceed new business.

Remember what they don't pay today is adding to our tax bill come budget day and increasing the costs on those who employ the legit contractor because leaving the revenue aside any accidents recorded by these individuals pushes up our operating insurance.

Looks like it's a no win situation and I'm too busy to start a one man crusade.

kadman

rooferPete wrote:

Hi Kadman,

It has been a long time since I built a garden shed or home extension but looking at the prices above I may open that section again.

The contractor who pays one man less than another is breaking the law, besides which he will not keep the staff if they return a fair days work for a fair days pay.

From the questions that are asked in forums, basic knowledge of the trade let alone regulations are lacking in a lot of the Black Economy managed jobs.

As to the man who puts the money in his back pocket and "Forgets" to enter it into his books well I have to say let he without sin cast the first stone

However the more the black economy is supported the higher the legit contractors costs go because a false labour shortage sets in.

"Your contention is that people should not be looking for handymen to do a cash job. Why. You dont expect that to be made illegal do you."

Actually it is illegal to aid any person or company in Tax Evasion, something to do with theft from the exchequer.

I have no gripe with any man or woman working for themselves or the home owner employing them.

But I do not like to see prices from people who have all the overheads and responsibilty of running a business compared with the individual who has zero responsibilty and the biggest outlay being the call credit for their washngo phone which they throw away when complaints exceed new business.

Remember what they don't pay today is adding to our tax bill come budget day and increasing the costs on those who employ the legit contractor because leaving the revenue aside any accidents recorded by these individuals pushes up our operating insurance.

Looks like it's a no win situation and I'm too busy to start a one man crusade.

Hi Rooferpete,

I do agree that the questions posed in this forum show a lack of understanding in basic building construction, and little appreciation of current building regs , but I would always encourage competent people to undertake the task, not necessarily main contractors.

I would not necessarily agree that the black economy, causes a labour shortage or higher costs for a legit company . The large number of foreign workers on low rates of pay , I dont think would support this view.

Its illegal to knowingly aid a person or company in Tax evasion, I would imagine, knowingly being the operative word here. No one yet has been prosecuted so far for getting the local chippy to fit a lock.

I agree that you cant compare legit business quotes with , next door neighbour chippy. But then if next door neighbours chippy is willing to fit your kitchen for 20 E an hour on a Saturday, are you going to call a carpentry contractor and get a quote of 20% of the kitchens value. No.

You know insurance companies do not need an excuse to push up accident insurance. Look at the massive hikes in the last five years, it does not reflect the same level of payouts.

You seem to be blaming , increased insurance, increased labour costs. increased tax , increased quotes, all at the foot of people who employ any one other than a registered contractor.
And not one word about increased profit margins. The name of the game today for a contractor is profit, and rightfully so. After all builders are not in the game for the good of the community, they're in it for the money. On the buildings is too bloody hard otherwise, I know I've been there.

No need for crusades here Rooferpete, this forum is for expressing your point of view, and mine , and besides I'm a pacifist.

While I may not agree with all your points, I will defend to the last click of my keypad, your right to express them , and I hope you will do the same for me,

kadman

Dan_B

Rooferpete, Spoken like a true contractor.
Laying a foundation is a simple job by any mans standards.
I used a brickie that came highly recommended and he did a fine job.
The Joiner I used to do the roof and door was a registered contractor and this was by far the most expensive aspect of the project.

So just how does the quote for €11K stand up??

Even taking into account the usual overheads it looks like at least 100% profit.

rooferPete

Hi Dan,

I agree with you a lot of the basic work is simple enough, a fair description would be grunt work because it is more hard labour than brains at work.

As a home owner and consumer I do understand where you are coming from, the part of small construction works in Ireland that annys me most is the obvious lack of appreciation of a customers hard earned money.

The average profit margin for a contractor is in the order of 15 > 20% depending on the size of the job, for that the contractor must produce a professional job, if he doesn't he shouldn't be in business.

Based on your figure of 4,500 did you take your own labour into account ? would your plasterer have worked for me for the same rate he charged you ? I doubt it.

The minimum I can pay a labourer who doesn't know how to drive a nail is about 80 per day, when all his benefits are tied in that number almost doubles, a good experienced labourer will command almost double that with the benefits rising in tandem.

Hi Kadman,

The next door neighbour who fits a lock for 20 or 50 is being a good neighbour, I have carried out local repairs for similar amounts but only in exceptional cases at my discretion.

The same carpenter will cost me a lot more either as a subby or direct employee, the costs are carried forward and charged out to the customer.

It's called business Gents and since I dont build garden sheds or extensions I can't comment on the cost per sqm, I do know there are a lot of different finishes available, some sheds I have seen are better built than the houses in front of them, others are waiting to fall.

I guess it's the side effects of a free market, "Live long and prosper"

boroughmal

Dear pete sounds like you have it right in most ways. Let the silly sionso get mugged off by the diy tradesman and then you can go and knock it down and charge 25k for a new one which he is likely to pay because he has been mugged. Then you can laugh all the way to the bank. Beats working in the trade for 40 years

FX Meister

You shouldn't need planning permisson depending on the structure. The guidelines are that it can't be higher than 3 metres. As for the size, I'm not quite sure but I think you are alowed to build it a max size of 25 square metres

kadman

FX Meister wrote:

You shouldn't need planning permisson depending on the structure. The guidelines are that it can't be higher than 3 metres. As for the size, I'm not quite sure but I think you are alowed to build it a max size of 25 square metres

Thought it was 2sq m.s at the front of the house.

kadman

FX Meister

Not sure about the front, Im talking about a shed out the back

kadman

My mistake..sorry, thinking about fornt porch

kadman