Profit Margains

This photo is little me, fearlessly putting the finishing touches to my roof tiles after a friend and I had replaced some rotten roof felt. You won't be surprised to know that I never trained as a roofer, but there's little on the practical side that I 'm unwilling to have a go at, given some expert guidance and the right tools. Well, so long as the job isn't too big or too strenuous, that is.

That guttering is a bit of a problem, though. It's called Finlock and was popular about 50 years ago.  No nasty metal gutters to rust, and no flimsy plastic ones to crack and become unsightly.  This stuff was designed to last as long as the house... but it doesn't.

The technically minded among you may notice that it spans the cavity between the inside and outside walls. Unfortunately, after a few decades it cracks and leaks rainwater down the cavity, and the next thing you know is that damp patches appear on the inside walls.  I have damp patches on my lounge wall.  O dear!

Replacing that lot is far beyond my modest abilities, so I contacted a local builder who has been most helpful in the past, but he was fully committed for the next few months. Coincidentally, a national company (that had better remain nameless) wrote and asked if they could provide a quotation for the work. I accepted.

Their salesman was delightful.  He stroked the cats, drank my coffee, complimented me on my knitted cardigan (actually somebody else's knitting, but I dishonestly accepted the praise) and told me that the work would cost £4600.  I gulped.  "Well, if you put up one of our advertising boards, write a nice letter of recommendation and become our Facebook friend, we'll cut the price to £3800." I still looked glum and said that I'd first contact my builder friend.

A few days later, a letter arrived.  The price had magically dropped to £2500.  I sat tight. Then yesterday, they phoned to say that, if I promised not to tell anyone about the amazing deal I was getting, they would do the work 'at cost' for £2300 - half the original price!  "That's still pretty high," my builder friend told me, and I believe him.

I really don't deny anyone an honest living, so if they can persuade folk to accept their offers, I wish them well. Caveat Emptor! But next time someone knocks on your door, offering to replace your windows, fix the roof that you thought was okay, or renew your leaky gutters, shop around and don't ever accept the first price they quote. I reckon that labour, transport and materials for my job would have cost that company, at most, £1600.  So, had I accepted the final offer, they would have made about £700 on a day's work.  Not bad, I suppose, for a large company with high overheads.  But the first price quoted?  £2000 profit for a day's work is certainly the way to grow rich.  Nice work, if you can get it, I say.