Hello,
I hope someone here can help me.
We are currently renovating a house.
I have requested a quote from a plasterer because we want to have all the rooms plastered. An employee already came to take the measurements. In his quote, he states the wall area as 220m² (2,370 sq ft).
I took the time to measure everything myself. I simply multiplied each wall’s length by its height and always subtracted windows and doors. I came up with a total of 158m² (1,700 sq ft).
I spoke to the plasterer about this, and he said the 220m² figure is correct because doors and windows that are smaller than 2.5m² (27 sq ft) are included. Only windows larger than 2.5m² are deducted. He referenced the DIN 18350 regulation for this.
To me, this doesn’t make any sense, since I am paying for materials and labor based on the square meters.
The actual area should be 158m², not 220m².
It’s like buying 20 liters of fuel at a gas station but being charged for 40 liters at the register.
Does anyone understand this and could help me see it more clearly?
Thanks a lot.
Best regards,
Kristof
I hope someone here can help me.
We are currently renovating a house.
I have requested a quote from a plasterer because we want to have all the rooms plastered. An employee already came to take the measurements. In his quote, he states the wall area as 220m² (2,370 sq ft).
I took the time to measure everything myself. I simply multiplied each wall’s length by its height and always subtracted windows and doors. I came up with a total of 158m² (1,700 sq ft).
I spoke to the plasterer about this, and he said the 220m² figure is correct because doors and windows that are smaller than 2.5m² (27 sq ft) are included. Only windows larger than 2.5m² are deducted. He referenced the DIN 18350 regulation for this.
To me, this doesn’t make any sense, since I am paying for materials and labor based on the square meters.
The actual area should be 158m², not 220m².
It’s like buying 20 liters of fuel at a gas station but being charged for 40 liters at the register.
Does anyone understand this and could help me see it more clearly?
Thanks a lot.
Best regards,
Kristof
H
hampshire25 Mar 2021 12:12By the way: Nowadays, it is not common for a tradesperson to provide a quote based on a site measurement. The workload is high, and the effort involved in taking measurements—which is unpaid—is quite significant. Perhaps this is a sign that they will do a good job. I would consider it a no-obligation favor.
N
Nice-Nofret25 Mar 2021 12:46It doesn’t matter how the contractor arrives at their price; what counts for you is only what you pay and what you receive in return!
hampshire schrieb:
That’s true. At the same time, one can assume that a client will also engage with the subject matter and be willing to think along. You can’t put together an offer for everyone outside the standards. Besides, this would also eliminate the ability to compare offers. There is nothing to add to the overall explanation, but I still find it hard to understand why tradespeople are defended for their "unclear and/or incomplete" quotes, while customers (laypeople) are expected to deal with the topic themselves.
Of course, it is advantageous for a customer to have familiarized themselves with the subject and to know what to expect in advance. However, in my view, precisely such quotes distinguish good from bad ones: some are detailed and at least somewhat understandable for laypeople, while others are scribbled down in “technical jargon” and reduced to the bare essentials. Basically following the motto: "The customer can ask questions" or "The customer just has to read up on it themselves"...!
It would cost the quote provider nothing to include a direct reference, under the calculated item, to the relevant DIN standard and, if applicable, the calculation condition. This would make it understandable for the customer, allow for easier comparison, and save the tradesperson from “stupid” follow-up questions on that point.
I am convinced that in this case, better comparability would be ensured and that this would certainly give the tradesperson an additional advantage compared to others.
H
hampshire25 Mar 2021 13:45netuser schrieb:
However, it remains incomprehensible to me that the tradespeople are being defended for their "unclear and/or incomplete" quotes. It’s quite simple: We don’t know what the quote looks like, so we cannot assume any particular lack of clarity or incompleteness. In case of doubt, the presumption of innocence applies.
Similar topics