ᐅ Assessment of Tile Work Quote: Are the Additional Charges Justified?

Hello everyone,

We are building with a general contractor and have been satisfied so far. However, we now feel that prices are increasing towards the end. Our contract includes tile work in sizes up to 80x80cm (up to approximately 31x31 inches) and up to a height of 1.2m (4 feet) in two bathrooms and the technical room. The shower niche and bench are also included, as well as grout in white or gray and standard plastic trim strips as edge finishes.

We have chosen a tile described for both wall and floor use and would like to install 60x60cm (approximately 24m² / 258 sq ft total) floor tiles and 120x60cm (about 30m² / 323 sq ft total) wall tiles. The general contractor’s offer now includes the following additional charges:

- Large format surcharge €21.40 per m² (per 10.8 sq ft)
- Patterned laying surcharge €12.20 per m² (per 10.8 sq ft)
- Rectified tiles surcharge €10.30 per m² (per 10.8 sq ft)
- Installing floor tiles as wall tiles surcharge €18.75 per m² (per 10.8 sq ft)
- Expansion joint profiles surcharge €32.60 per linear meter (per 3.3 ft)
- Shower floor slope €218 each
- Stainless steel trim strips as edge finish €29.65 per linear meter (per 3.3 ft)
- Stainless steel strips for tile edges €39 per linear meter (per 3.3 ft)
- Stainless steel corners €17 each
- Skirting tiles €25 per linear meter (per 3.3 ft)

Without the tile pattern layout, the total amounts to €4,500. We had not planned for such additional costs for installation and stainless steel trims/skirtings, and would like to get a sense of whether this price is reasonable. I understand the surcharges for large format and rectified tiles, but what about installing floor tiles as wall tiles or the surcharge for patterned laying? Maybe you could share your opinions on this.

Thank you very much.

Well, you are working with a general contractor. This means you either accept the price as it is, remove some items, or you get what is specified in the scope of work.

Even if everyone here says that the price is quite high, which might be true, what can you do about it?

If you say, "I won’t pay that," your general contractor will respond, "Okay, then you will get the standard according to the scope of work. Please choose materials and installation methods that fit within the price range."

We still have some unresolved issues, and I would like to have a basis for negotiation. For that, I would like to get an assessment of how realistic the price is. I can understand most of the items, but the additional cost for floor versus wall tiles or for laying tiles in a pattern is not clear to me.

When I do a quick search, I usually find prices for installation work between 40 and 80 € per m² (430 to 860 US dollars per square yard), so our extra costs seem quite high. However, it might be that everyone says these are the current market prices, but unfortunately, I don’t have any references for that. Isn’t this forum meant to discuss topics like these?

I had the same experience – the tiler, subcontracted by the general contractor, was the worst and really charged a lot during the final inspection, but there’s nothing you can do about it.

Examples:
Laying 60x60 cm (24x24 inches) tiles instead of 30x60 cm (12x24 inches) = €17 per m² (sq ft)
120x120 cm (48x48 inches) = €75
Stainless steel strip €7 per meter (foot)
Mitre-cut €30 per meter (foot) (awesome, I did this myself, definitely worth the money)

I didn’t have to pay extra for the slope, but the work specification included a level-access shower, which is impossible without a slope.
And we also have floor tiles continuing up the wall, for free...
GD

Have someone clearly show you what is included within the scope. You might be surprised—the result could be closer to what you expect than you think. A bathroom doesn’t become more attractive just by using a different tile size. I also don’t want to pay extra for a slope; otherwise, I would like to know what the cost-neutral option includes.

Thanks for the tips and assessments! I was already considering just going with the standard size, and we are happy to forgo a larger format – however, we found hardly any suitable tiles that are not rectified, and he definitely wants to charge the extra cost for the floor and wall tiles as well as the pattern installation. Because of that, the larger tiles hardly make a difference cost-wise anymore :-(