DIY question

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rf_fozzy Dec 2023 4:50pm, 1 Dec 2023 21,154 posts	0 rf_fozzy I mean who has £900 to spend on a report to tell you that you need to do £xxxx amount of work? I've seen a version of the report the company that's given me the quote and it doesn't look that much. For 3-4hrs work by someone, I cant justify spending £900, so it wont be happening unfortunately
ChrisHB Dec 2023 9:17pm, 1 Dec 2023 22,810 posts	0 ChrisHB Is this what you're looking for (for a start)? theguardian.com
paul the builder Dec 2023 12:20pm, 4 Dec 2023 7,437 posts	0 paul the builder 200 plus VAT won't get you much, I think you were being optimistic. That's going to cover about an hour on site plus travel time, and an hour writing a report. It's not going to go very detailed in that amount of time. You're welcome headdesk Of course if you read more carefully you'll understand I 'm assuming somewhere around 70 per hour, +/- based on travel, inconvenience, 'hungriness' etc. I don't have to explain that she won't be getting directly paid that hourly rate, of course. That's not how businesses, with overheads, work.
rf_fozzy Dec 2023 1:15pm, 4 Dec 2023 21,163 posts	0 rf_fozzy Given that they're saying it's approx 2-3 (max) hours on site and about 1.5h report writing (I've seen a sample report and it's not huge), I don't see that much difference. Surely the overheads aren't that much - let's assume all things are equal (obviously they won't be, but let's pretend...) then if £250 = 1h site time plus 1h report, then 2.5h +1.5h report should be ~£400, not £900. At least the way I see it. I just think for what they're offering, £900 is a rip-off. Happy to share the link, to sample report but obviously not on the open forum.
Mushroom Dec 2023 1:18pm, 4 Dec 2023 2,925 posts	0 Mushroom To quote the old adage, you're not paying just for 4 hours work fozzy - you're paying for the several years of training and experience.
rf_fozzy Dec 2023 1:21pm, 4 Dec 2023 21,164 posts	0 rf_fozzy ChrisHB - yes, some thermal imaging is part of what I was thinking. Someone has offered to loan me one of the ones that fit onto a mobile phone for a weekend and so I'm going to use that (if you're an octopus customer, they loan them out for free too). What I wanted was also a bit of rationailsation - i.e. you can put triple glazing in, but that will have a 10% effect, if you put in underfloor insulation here, here and here, that'll save you 20% etc. And things like, saying where doing something is a challenge (i.e rip out what's there and redo the whole house..) I can do some of this myself, but when it comes to things like whether the cavity wall insulation needs replacing or whether it's worth taking up the stairs to fit underfloor insulation, I could do with some pointers. Anyway, I'm getting some window quotes for triple glazing this week.
rf_fozzy Dec 2023 1:22pm, 4 Dec 2023 21,165 posts	0 rf_fozzy "you're paying for the several years of training and experience." I realise that - and that's obviously reflected in the hourly rate. Look at what people in the public sector are paid and then make the same argument....
rf_fozzy Dec 2023 1:28pm, 4 Dec 2023 21,166 posts	0 rf_fozzy Btw when we cost grants and research work, we're not allowed to inflate the prices - we can obviously claim the base salary (which should reflect the experience and training of the person doing the work - although it doesn't always because of the rules grant funding bodies allow costs to be determined), and some overheads (depending on funder - most charities won't pay overheads), but then we're expect what FTE the person will work on the project and then it's paid pro-rata. That's what I'd expect when costing these types of jobs, but obviously the private sector is just the wild west!
Mushroom Dec 2023 1:33pm, 4 Dec 2023 2,926 posts	0 Mushroom They've more than likely got lots of overheads to cover in their charge rates. I have a friend who's a structural engineer. The premium for the public liability insurance is eye-watering. Even an audit junior in a firm of accountants on a £30k annual salary (£15ph roughly) is charged out at £100ph.
Mushroom Dec 2023 1:38pm, 4 Dec 2023 2,927 posts	0 Mushroom To come back to your original post - are there companies still offering 'Green Deal' energy improvements? If so, that might be an option? My father used one a few years ago, and they sent an advisor to look over the house and recommend various ways to improve efficiency. They were touting for some of the work themselves of course, but the survey was free and he didn't have to commit to anything.