Electrician Fair pricing?

R

RandomRando

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Joined
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Hi all.

Quick one, im trying to validate an invoice that I have received from an electrical contractor for services rendered. I am installing underfloor heating in my house and have a company doing the heating side of things but they wouldn't do the electrical aspect. In all fairness, the electrical contractor was on site from 09:00 - 15:00 on the first day and then from 09:00-13:00 on the second day and wasn't dragging his feet - whenever i saw him and his assistant, they where always working: either chipping away the channels or in the roof pulling the wire through. The second day they came back to re-plaster the cut out channels.
I'm actually not sure what i expected the invoice amount to be honest. Knowing me, I may be underestimating amount of work needed to complete the job so I would like some of your opinions, please. He doesnt belong to any of the large electrical contracting firms, he runs a small team around KZN and ive found him quite affordable in the past. The service I've got from him and his team is always way above that of the larger more well known electrical contracting firms.

Job Description:
  • Cut, chase and re-plaster/make good 4x channels for 20mm conduit and 4x 4x2 switch boxes on walls in 4 different rooms
  • Supply and install conduit and wall boxes in walls.
  • Supply and install new wiring from the DB to each 4x2 wall box (85m of 2.5mm cabling on the invoice, which i can believe after walking it out)
  • Install 3x circuit breakers in my DB and connect up wiring so that the UFH company just has to connect their module and flip the switch in the DB.
Invoice received: a little over R6300.
Costings:
  • 14m x 20mm conduit @ R5.40 p/m = R75.60.
  • 1x Conduit accessories (4x wall boxes; 8x "males"; 4x elbows; Glue) @R48.66
  • 85m x 2.5mm FTE @13.06 p/m = R1110.10
  • 1x Specialized dual blade Wall Chaser Hire(including vacuum attachment) @ R575
  • 3x 20A CBI Circuit Breakers @ R152.50 ea. = R457.50
  • 9.5hrs Labour (Wall Repair consumables {cement & plaster sand} included) @ R450p/h with a 5% discount because I'm a frequent customer = R4061.25
  • Total = R6300 and some change
Am I over simplifying the work involved here and is this pricing about what one could expect for this job? I want to continue supporting this guy but seeing as i didn't ask for a quote given my previous business, i need to make sure that the invoice i have is fair. I'm not going to try haggle him, i know that good tradesmen are worth their weight in gold (im in the electronics industry myself), so I guess this is just a check up on my end.

TIA.
 
Last edited:
sounds pretty normal, i think you are a bit of a clown for not knowing an expecation up front xD

also...your username doesn't help things here
 
Electro-Dynamics said:
Hi all.

Quick one, im trying to validate an invoice that I have received from an electrical contractor for services rendered. I am installing underfloor heating in my house and have a company doing the heating side of things but they wouldn't do the electrical aspect. In all fairness, the electrical contractor was on site from 09:00 - 15:00 on the first day and then from 09:00-13:00 on the second day and wasn't dragging his feet - whenever i saw him and his assistant, they where always working: either chipping away the channels or in the roof pulling the wire through. The second day they came back to re-plaster the cut out channels.
I'm actually not sure what i expected the invoice amount to be honest. Knowing me, I may be underestimating amount of work needed to complete the job so I would like some of your opinions, please. He doesnt belong to any of the large electrical contracting firms, he runs a small team around KZN and ive found him quite affordable in the past. The service I've got from him and his team is always way above that of the larger more well known electrical contracting firms.

Job Description:
  • Cut, chase and re-plaster/make good 4x channels for 20mm conduit and 4x 4x2 switch boxes on walls in 4 different rooms
  • Supply and install conduit and wall boxes in walls.
  • Supply and install new wiring from the DB to each 4x2 wall box (85m of 2.5mm cabling on the invoice, which i can believe after walking it out)
  • Install 3x circuit breakers in my DB and connect up wiring so that the UFH company just has to connect their module and flip the switch in the DB.
Invoice received: a little over R6300.
Costings:
  • 14m x 20mm conduit @ R5.40 p/m = R75.60.
  • 1x Conduit accessories (4x wall boxes; 8x "males"; 4x elbows; Glue) @R48.66
  • 85m x 2.5mm FTE @13.06 p/m = R1110.10
  • 1x Specialized dual blade Wall Chaser Hire(including vacuum attachment) @ R575
  • 3x 20A CBI Circuit Breakers @ R152.50 ea. = R457.50
  • 9.5hrs Labour (Wall Repair consumables {cement & plaster sand} included) @ R450p/h with a 5% discount because I'm a frequent customer = R4061.25
  • Total = R6300 and some change
Am I over simplifying the work involved here and is this pricing about what one could expect for this job? I want to continue supporting this guy but seeing as i didn't ask for a quote given my previous business, i need to make sure that the invoice i have is fair. I'm not going to try haggle him, i know that good tradesmen are worth their weight in gold (im in the electronics industry myself), so I guess this is just a check up on my end.

TIA.
Click to expand...

Bargain...
 
Seems very reasonable and assuming the work was to code/decent. If this is in Joburg please PM his company details so that I can use him possibly in the future?
 
WaxLyrical said:
Some unrelated advice
Please, please do an asessement on the power costs to run underfloor heating if you havent done so already?
Click to expand...
Depends on the size of the mat.

I have under tile heating, that ranges from 300W for a small bathroom to about 2kw for a bedroom.
It's not cheap.
 
Electro-Dynamics said:
Hi all.

Quick one, im trying to validate an invoice that I have received from an electrical contractor for services rendered. I am installing underfloor heating in my house and have a company doing the heating side of things but they wouldn't do the electrical aspect. In all fairness, the electrical contractor was on site from 09:00 - 15:00 on the first day and then from 09:00-13:00 on the second day and wasn't dragging his feet - whenever i saw him and his assistant, they where always working: either chipping away the channels or in the roof pulling the wire through. The second day they came back to re-plaster the cut out channels.
I'm actually not sure what i expected the invoice amount to be honest. Knowing me, I may be underestimating amount of work needed to complete the job so I would like some of your opinions, please. He doesnt belong to any of the large electrical contracting firms, he runs a small team around KZN and ive found him quite affordable in the past. The service I've got from him and his team is always way above that of the larger more well known electrical contracting firms.

Job Description:
  • Cut, chase and re-plaster/make good 4x channels for 20mm conduit and 4x 4x2 switch boxes on walls in 4 different rooms
  • Supply and install conduit and wall boxes in walls.
  • Supply and install new wiring from the DB to each 4x2 wall box (85m of 2.5mm cabling on the invoice, which i can believe after walking it out)
  • Install 3x circuit breakers in my DB and connect up wiring so that the UFH company just has to connect their module and flip the switch in the DB.
Invoice received: a little over R6300.
Costings:
  • 14m x 20mm conduit @ R5.40 p/m = R75.60.
  • 1x Conduit accessories (4x wall boxes; 8x "males"; 4x elbows; Glue) @R48.66
  • 85m x 2.5mm FTE @13.06 p/m = R1110.10
  • 1x Specialized dual blade Wall Chaser Hire(including vacuum attachment) @ R575
  • 3x 20A CBI Circuit Breakers @ R152.50 ea. = R457.50
  • 9.5hrs Labour (Wall Repair consumables {cement & plaster sand} included) @ R450p/h with a 5% discount because I'm a frequent customer = R4061.25
  • Total = R6300 and some change
Am I over simplifying the work involved here and is this pricing about what one could expect for this job? I want to continue supporting this guy but seeing as i didn't ask for a quote given my previous business, i need to make sure that the invoice i have is fair. I'm not going to try haggle him, i know that good tradesmen are worth their weight in gold (im in the electronics industry myself), so I guess this is just a check up on my end.

TIA.
Click to expand...
The total is R6300? That's not bad
 
Steamy Tom said:
sounds pretty normal, i think you are a bit of a clown for not knowing an expecation up front xD

also...your username doesn't help things here
Click to expand...
lol. I'm into electronics, not full blown electrical though haha. I know a thing or two however. I didnt know the expectation upfront because ive used this guy before so i trust him - was just checking the competitiveness. seems the Covid-19 pinch has gotten to my brain on pricing lol
 
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