Electrician quote for materials

[Hayley Evans]

Hello there, this is my first post, I am not an electrician but I wondered if anyone could help me out with a quote I have been given.

The electrician was recommended by our builder and I just wondered if his quote was accurate. I've looked myself at the same materials and they are half the price - but other than the downlighter they are the same brands etc as he said he would be installing (so not cheap stuff that's going to break).

I've priced it at 50% less than the electricians quote for materials. The one thing I can't price up is the cabling and I imagine there is way more cable used that I would have initially thought.

Before I ask the electrician about the price and potentially ---- him off, I just wondered if it was possible that the wire could come to £400? It's a standard 3 bed semi, on the 1st floor the lighting ring and sockets need rewiring and a new (large, 9m x 5m) loft needs to be wired.

Thanks

 

[telectrix]

looks as if that materials quote is OTT. have you any individual prices he's quoted for sockets, etc.? £400 for cable would do a whole house.

 

[Octopus]

Hum ...... you have cherry picked the obvious items you can cost but there are far more items needed .......and all these cost ...... plus there is the cable ......

 

[Pete999]

Seems a bit OTT to be honest, is he a Spark, or a bloke from the Pub? ask him for his CPS details (NICEIC or similar) see what the response is before you commit to anything, as well as getting quotes from other Electricians, if he is in cahoots with the builder, it could be his mate and a con is in progress, I hasten to add the words "it could be" could well be a genuine quote but get a couple more for comparison.

 

[Wilko]

Hi Hayley and welcome to the Forum.
It's normal to add something to the cost of items, to cover the time taken to order, collect and provide you with warranty. But it does sound high so perhaps seek a 2nd quote?

 

[Toneyz]

Get other quotes.

 

[richy3333]

Impossible to say really without a host of more info. Fire clips are now much more expensive than normal cable clips. We don’t know the cable routes etc. If you have doubts perhaps get a second price? To be honest there are other aspects that account for estimates - location/travel, awkward customers, work time, guarantees/warranties the list could go on. Have you considered screws, trunking, capping glands, bushes, intumescent sealants?

 

[davesparks]

OP could you be a bit more specific about the pricing please? At least let us know what the materials list is to get a rough idea of how much cable and other accessories will be making up that £400

That £400 could also include RCBOs, back boxes, conduit, clips, screws and other fixings etc etc.

 

[snowhead]

Hayley
You could offer to supply the materials yourself.
BUT, they would need to be there when the Electrician needs them.
If there were any problems with any items, you'd have to pay the Electrician extra to remove them , go back to the supplier and get them exchanged yourself, then pay the Electrician to fit the replacements.
Also if anything you supplied failed within their warranty period the same would apply, you'd have to pay extra and arrange for the replacements

 

[123]

This is one of the reasons I don't break down my quotes into materials & labour. And certainly wouldn't give a customer an itemised list of materials and costs.

 

[Hayley Evans]

Thanks everyone lots of replies and lots of things I didn't know about, @davesparks you're right I hadn't factored in any of those things. Maybe it's lots of little things added together.

@snowhead, that's what I was thinking, a little bit more for the peace of mind/less headaches would be worth it, but it does seem like a lot to pay.

@Wilko, what sort of warranty should I expect? The electrician hasn't mentioned one? I just assumed he would wire it up and be off. I understand a small surcharge on sourcing the items needed and that's very fair.

I don't have a materials list, just a price, £840. So I've probably missed stuff off. It's 10 x white double sockets, 7 smoke alarms, 1 heat alarm, 1 three way switch, 1 dimmer, 3x1 way switch, 4 downlighters, 6x6"pendants and a bathroom light. The switches and sockets are click brand and the alarm Aico, putting it quality stuff makes sense and I don't mind paying for that.

Maybe I should ask for a breakdown but I don't want to be a pain! I have asked for 2 others to come and quote too.

 

[davesparks]

What brand are the downlights?

 

[Hayley Evans]

@davesparks I don't know which ones the electrician will install but the ones I priced were Aurora MPRO1 7W LED 2700K Extra Warm White, at just under £25 each which included VAT and the Bezel. The electrician did say his lights were 3/400k (they give me a headache if they are too white, that's why Initially thought I would get the materials because I'm fussy).

 

[Wilko]

Regarding warranty, again I'd discuss with the Electrician. FYI, some lamp manufacturers offer an extended warranty if the product registered. I think your selected brand have this - you'll see if it's there on their web site.

 

[Octopus]

7 smoke alarms .... is this a HMO?

 

[Deleted member 105166]

@davesparks I don't know which ones the electrician will install but the ones I priced were Aurora MPRO1 7W LED 2700K Extra Warm White, at just under £25 each which included VAT and the Bezel.

Hi Hayley

As you are going with Scolmore sockets, why not go for their downlights as well? I'd highly recommend their Inceptor Nano range, this will save you some money over the Aurora.

Hope this helps.

 

[AJshep]

The trouble is the general public can pretty much always buy the materials for same price as someone in the trade. Especially if you are getting them from mutiple places online im sure you will find them cheaper.
Clips, capping/oval, backboxes, grommits screws cable etc. Do add up though and is surprising.

Worth remembering if you brought the materials and something (a downlight) went faulty then you would have to expect to pay for the revisit. So its also worth bearing that in mind.

 

[Hayley Evans]

Regarding warranty, again I'd discuss with the Electrician. FYI, some lamp manufacturers offer an extended warranty if the product registered. I think your selected brand have this - you'll see if it's there on their web site.

Yup, I tried to price products with a warranty but I sort of assumed that if anything failed (say 2 years later) the electrician would still want paying again?

@Murdoch - no, it's a loft conversion and instead of fire doors we can use heat/smoke alarms in every room.

 

[Hayley Evans]

Hi Hayley

As you are going with Scolmore sockets, why not go for their downlights as well? I'd highly recommend their Inceptor Nano range, this will save you some money over the Aurora.

Hope this helps.

Thanks, I'll have a look

 

[Markyd]

why 7 smokes?.......but if needed and 1 heat will come to about £250 alone for quality ones