[deepinthewoods]

id really appreciate it if i could get some advice on what  hourly rate you would be happy to pay for someone offering a bespoke joinery/restoration service. my personal circumstances are about to change and i need to somehow find an extra 100/ week to pay my rent or im going to have to move back into bedsit land with my daughter, ive been advised that im charging too little for what i do.
if anyone has recently employed a time served chippy or joiner or indeed is one, what is the going rate per hour? thanks in advance. dave

[Sylvia]

One of my neighbours does bespoke joinery, Dave, I'll ask him. He makes lovely things. When his wife says Pete made the bed, she really means it, he actually made the bed!!

[deepinthewoods]

thanks sylvia, i also made the bed, and the tables

[bloomer]

different trades but people i know doing specialist bespoke work assuming just normal overheads charge £20 per hour plus depending on the demand for their products etc...


remember your not just charging for your time but your tools and other over heads as well


(sorry if thats stating the obvious i don't know how business brained you are, have heard your a gifted joiner though)

[40acres]

Joiners average 150 a day on site. But bespoke is a different animal all together. Usually you price on a job, so someone wants a table making, it takes you 3 days + materials so your looking at £600-£1000 dependant on timber and other items.

[rispainfarm]

It does depend on which part of the country you are in. People in Home counties for example expect to pay alot more for someones services, but up in Scotland we wouldn't get away with charging alot, we just wouldn't find the work. Also am I wrong in saying most people charge by the job, I know if we have had joinery work done, we have always been given a fixed price for the job rather than by the hour. I must admit I am wary of paying by the hour as unscruplous people can linger in their work and push the price up,  not that I am saying for one minute you would do that but you know what I mean.

[bloomer]

all our work is by the job but you still need a day rate to use for your own calculations for a job.


i dropped my day rate when i came from the midlands to scotland but thats more because i need to rebuild my client base and need to be working.

[rispainfarm]

Can you ring up a few local joiners on the pretence of wanting something bespoke done and see what they say?

[The Woodsiders]

Hi Deepinthewoods
You must charge what you feel the job is worth and do not ever do yourself down, if someone asks for a price and they are not happy then move onto the next job, you are a skilled craftsman, I have been down that route myself and have now butched up so to speak, if someone wants you service they will pay the asking price as long as they are not being mugged.
But we all understand that the price must be pitched according to circumstances

[Bramblecot]

A carpenter friend has recently charged me 'mates rate' of £10 an hour - anyone else he would charge £20 an hour in this area (South West).  It is a difficult balance if you are building up clients but don't under-sell yourself.  Good luck.

[deepinthewoods]

thanks all very useful.
 i think im too cheap!!!basically, i restore sash windows, bringing them up to 'as good as new', that involves replacing any rotten members, reglazing with 'thermo' glass and fitting draft strips. most of my work is to listed or heritage buildings, and i way exceed the remit. i figure that the windows are either restored or replaced and replacing 270yr old sash windows is gonna cost! ive been charging 12.50, im going to charge £18, i can restore most sash windows in around 30hrs so that would put an 8ft x 3 1/2 ft window at around £750 (including materials).
does that sound reasonable to you?

[bloomer]

if you look at what they would cost them to replace thats a bargain


if you have a property that needs that kind of window you are going to have to pay for it...

[benkt]

I've no particular experience with joinery, but my general experience suggests that you should charge more.
 It is so easy to undercharge because customers never tell you that they would have paid twice what you quoted but they always tell you when they want to pay half what you quote.
At £18/hr you only need to find (and do) 2/3rds the work to earn the same as at £12 an hour. So the one-in-three people that turn you down as too expensive is just saving you work but not costing you money! Not to mention customers willing to pay more are usually better customers, those who haggle over hourly rates invariably end up taking twice as long to settle up when the invoices arrive!

[40acres]

thanks all very useful.
 i think im too cheap!!!basically, i restore sash windows, bringing them up to 'as good as new', that involves replacing any rotten members, reglazing with 'thermo' glass and fitting draft strips. most of my work is to listed or heritage buildings, and i way exceed the remit. i figure that the windows are either restored or replaced and replacing 270yr old sash windows is gonna cost! ive been charging 12.50, im going to charge £18, i can restore most sash windows in around 30hrs so that would put an 8ft x 3 1/2 ft window at around £750 (including materials).
does that sound reasonable to you?

Ring another area, like 50 miles away and ask for a quote. Give as much over the phone as you can and get a 'ball park' figure. Take 3 of these and you have your 'average' rate.
Dodgy job +20%

[Moleskins]

thanks all very useful.
 i think im too cheap!!!basically, i restore sash windows, bringing them up to 'as good as new', that involves replacing any rotten members, reglazing with 'thermo' glass and fitting draft strips. most of my work is to listed or heritage buildings, and i way exceed the remit. i figure that the windows are either restored or replaced and replacing 270yr old sash windows is gonna cost! ive been charging 12.50, im going to charge £18, i can restore most sash windows in around 30hrs so that would put an 8ft x 3 1/2 ft window at around £750 (including materials).
does that sound reasonable to you?

We've paid about £1000 for a new sash window, double glazed with 'plant on' glazing bars. Then there was the fitting cost and a a small amount of redecorating after.
HTH