Plumbers Hourly and Day Rates [Explained]
If you need plumbing work completed in your home, this quick guide is going to give you an indication of what you should be paying.
Below, we’ll include:
- Plumbers rates per hour
- Plumbers rates per day
How Location Affects Rates And Prices
Below are estimates for hourly and day rates. Bear in mind that rates are going to vary considerably by area.
For instance, rates in Central London are typically the highest in the UK. On the flip-side, in rural areas of Wales and Scotland, rates are going to be much lower.
Average Plumbing Prices
Plumbers Hourly Rates
Expected Cost: £25-40 per hour
If you need a quick-fix or a job doing that’s likely to take an hour or two, you’ll get a fixed price based on your plumber’s hourly rate.
You should expect to pay £25-40 excluding materials. So, if a job take 3 hours, you’d expect to pay £75-120, plus the parts needed to fix your problem.
For small 1 hour jobs, expect to pay £40 per hour or more. For longer 2-5 hour jobs, it’s likely you’ll get a price closer to £25-30 per hour.
This might seem expensive, but remember, they’re only charging for time on-site. They need to factor in time for quoting the job, travel, fuel, wear and tear on their van and so on; this quickly adds up. By the time they’ve picked up materials for your job and finished up, it’s unlikely they’ll be able to fit more than one other job in their working day.
For simple jobs like fixing taps, or rectifying a toilet that’s constantly overflowing, material cost will be minimal. However, if you have a toilet or basin fitted, it’s likely to add £100+ (the exact cost is going to depend based on the spec of product you choose) or more to the overall cost.
Plumbers Day Rates
Expected Cost: £130-250 per day
Day rates for plumbers are going to be based on the complexity of the job in hand, and how many days work is on offer. Prices for day rates are going to be exclusive of materials.
For example, some commercial site workers will be on £100-120 per day for things like 2nd fixes. But it’s likely their workload is guaranteed for a few months or in some cases, permanent.
One off plumbing day rates are likely to be closer to the £250 range. A quote that is likely to bring in 1-2 weeks work will be closer to the £150-200 per day range, which is the typical range most plumbing day rates will fall into.
Naturally, some plumbers charge more than others. That might be due to location, huge workload thanks to recommendations, or because they’re extremely efficient, and manage to get more done than the average plumber in an average working day.
Feel free to compare quotes. But remember, the cheapest isn’t always the best!
How To Find A Cheap Plumber
If you need prices for plumbing work, it’s worth dropping into your local merchants and seeing who they can recommend.
If your work relates to gas or central heating, you can compare multiple quotes on comparison websites like this one.
Or, if you’re looking for a new boiler installation, you can check out HEATABLE. They’re part-owned by Bosch, so offer boiler fitting at extremely competitive prices.
What’s Next?
Thanks for reading our guide on plumber’s prices and day rates.
Still got questions? Not sure if a recent quotation is a rip off? Drop us a line via our contact form and we’ll do our best to help you out.