Hello there,
I've been running my landscaping firm in the London area for a couple of years now and was wondering if there were 'standard' industry prices per metre or sq/m for fencing and decking?
I've been doing a bit of reading through the forums and noticed some figures being thrown about for fences which seem to run from between £70-100 per panel dependent on style and area. At the moment I leave the properties of my clients and write out a quote which I later email them, I'd like to be able to throw out a ballpark figure for them immediately on-site so I can get an immediate response to gauge whether they will take me up on the price.
Obviously I understand that it's not going to be clear cut price-wise, but If I could get a few benchmark prices for close board, panels, post & rail etc. then Im sure they could be adjusted either way dependent on materials required?
Regarding decking, at the moment, after quoting I'll go back and draw out a plan, then work out all the lengths of timber individually. Is there any kind of price system people use per sq/m to give the client a ballpark figure for say budget softwood, or a more expensive hardwood? Which can then be adjusted dependent on whether the deck will be elevated or at ground level.
Any replies will be much appreciated,
Mark.
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Replies
A standard industry figure for construction site fencing.......yes, adhoc one off jobs ...... no, but ball park figure of £65.00 per lm will be a starting point for a basic fence and escalating upwards for expensive decorative style fence panel jobs
i dont touch ball park figures with a barge pole. You inevitably end up with egg on your face. When a client asks me i always tell them ill work out the quote fully and have it in writing to them so they know excatly what it will be. I find they are much happier with that. Much safer too
I find every decking job is so different, dependent on access, height, cuts involved, etc etc. I just price out each one individually
Its always good to be able to ballpark figure a customer, you can gauge their reaction and get a better idea of what their budget and expectations are. That is very important, If you ball park them a price and they "seem" happy with it then you know its worthwhile spending the time doing a written quote for them. If they cough and splutter at the ballpark figure then you know you are wasting your time as their expectations are way, way away from the realistic price that the quote will produce. As you say, terrain, access, distance etc all come into the final price, but you've got to give at least the impression you know your market well enough to give a ballpark figure to a customer when asked at the meeting with them. I have always found being able to and knowledgeable enough of your market and customers to at least give them a cost to consider, normally led to me winning the work. I still do it now even though I only do mostly commercial grounds / landscape maintenance work.
I have found 90% of domestic customers want a figure at the meeting, followed up by a written quotation to nail it all down.
Thermo said:
ball park figures are not the way i work, each and every job is differant, each and every job has a written quotation and the price on there is what the customer pays, unless they ask for more work and then there is another quote written and given to them before i start the extra work.
I'm with you Phil, 'ballpark' figures are one step from the well known double glazing and much advertised driveway companies who will give you a 'ballpark' figure 2 or 3 times higher than the going rate and expect the customer to 'drive' them down - and make a killing if they dont!
phil smith said:
Agreed, but as a business you should still be able to give a customer a rough figure to start with no matter what the job, only exception being, doing a job you've never done before or using a specific type of material you've never used. Many (not all) customers don't have an idea of costs involved, that's why they get professionals in. Turning round to a customer and saying "sorry I haven't a clue" is not the way to win work. What should be said is " I can only give you a guesstimate of £XXX, at this time but will survey, measure up, price up materials and get a written quotation out to you in a couple of days". Agreed on big jobs this is mission impossible, but for a average deck or fence then any professional that does that type of work should know their material and labour costs per m2 or Lm. They will have the knowledge of previous projects to think back on and give a ball park figure. A ball park is exactly what it is, a rough guide to the customer.
phil smith said:
in a way i totaly agree with what you are saying, but i guess every one has their own way of doing things and i find the way i do it works best for me
www.mibservices.co.uk said:
Absolutely Phil, everybody works different but its a very good tool to be able to use, if used properly, I like the way it sorts out the genuine customers from the kidders that have no intention of paying the going rate and it has the added bonus of not wasting your time writing out full blown quotes to people who won't get the work carried out. Try it the next time your quoting a job you are familiar with, it might just get you the job, or at least stop you from wasting your time writing quotes that will go straight in the bin. The customers expression on hearing the ball park figure will tell you lots of information.
phil smith said:
i carry out quite a lot of static caravan decking generally the majority are very similar i have 3 basic designs from which i can price almost every job ive quoted
from this i can give the client a quote on the day saving time in measuring / take offs / pricing / return visits
if additional items are required of higher spec needed it doesnt take much time to amend