Dear forum community,
I have a question that comes up quite often: We are currently building our house with a general contractor, and we decided to exclude all sanitary items that are mounted "in front of the wall"; everything else was handled by the contractor’s appointed plumber. When I asked him if he would also install our two washbasins and the toilets, he grumbled but agreed. During a phone call, he said it wouldn’t cost "much." However, he has now allocated 19 working hours for these few items and is charging me a special price of 900 euros without an invoice. It should be noted that the washbasins and bathroom accessories in the main bathroom were mounted on porcelain tiles with a thickness of 1 cm (0.4 inches), which of course requires more time for drilling.
He and his employees installed the following (in the main and guest bathrooms):
- 2 x wall-mounted Laufen Pro rimless toilets, white, with Clean Coat (Note: items behind the wall were provided by the plumber, thus covered by the general contractor)
- 1 x ceramic washbasin, 60 cm (24 inches) wide
- 2 x wall-mounted toilet brushes
- 2 x wall-mounted toilet paper holders
These items were mounted on porcelain tiles with a thickness of 1 cm (0.4 inches):
- 1 x double washbasin "Villeroy & Boch Venticello" cabinet double washbasin white, with CeramicPlus, including two space-saving siphons, with 2 tap holes and 2 x Grohe Lineare single-lever washbasin faucets, S-size with push-open drain, chrome finish
- 2 x Keuco Edition 400 towel rails, single piece, fixed
- 2 x Keuco Edition 400 cup holders
- 1 x Keuco Edition 400 soap dispenser
What do you think about this, and if this seems unrealistic, what would you do? The issue is that this plumber also installed our heating system, so we have a 5-year warranty with him through the general contractor. We are also buying the water softener from him, which he is giving us 200 euros cheaper because we agreed to have the maintenance contract with him (though it has not been finalized).
Thanks in advance!
Sony
I have a question that comes up quite often: We are currently building our house with a general contractor, and we decided to exclude all sanitary items that are mounted "in front of the wall"; everything else was handled by the contractor’s appointed plumber. When I asked him if he would also install our two washbasins and the toilets, he grumbled but agreed. During a phone call, he said it wouldn’t cost "much." However, he has now allocated 19 working hours for these few items and is charging me a special price of 900 euros without an invoice. It should be noted that the washbasins and bathroom accessories in the main bathroom were mounted on porcelain tiles with a thickness of 1 cm (0.4 inches), which of course requires more time for drilling.
He and his employees installed the following (in the main and guest bathrooms):
- 2 x wall-mounted Laufen Pro rimless toilets, white, with Clean Coat (Note: items behind the wall were provided by the plumber, thus covered by the general contractor)
- 1 x ceramic washbasin, 60 cm (24 inches) wide
- 2 x wall-mounted toilet brushes
- 2 x wall-mounted toilet paper holders
These items were mounted on porcelain tiles with a thickness of 1 cm (0.4 inches):
- 1 x double washbasin "Villeroy & Boch Venticello" cabinet double washbasin white, with CeramicPlus, including two space-saving siphons, with 2 tap holes and 2 x Grohe Lineare single-lever washbasin faucets, S-size with push-open drain, chrome finish
- 2 x Keuco Edition 400 towel rails, single piece, fixed
- 2 x Keuco Edition 400 cup holders
- 1 x Keuco Edition 400 soap dispenser
What do you think about this, and if this seems unrealistic, what would you do? The issue is that this plumber also installed our heating system, so we have a 5-year warranty with him through the general contractor. We are also buying the water softener from him, which he is giving us 200 euros cheaper because we agreed to have the maintenance contract with him (though it has not been finalized).
Thanks in advance!
Sony
N
nordanney19 May 2019 18:45Well-earned money through undeclared work. Unfortunate and too expensive. But there is nothing you can do now; you should have asked beforehand.
Well, I did not commission or request any undeclared work. Our plumber, who is handling all the work on our house anyway, agreed to install the items. When I asked him what he would charge, he voluntarily mentioned—without me asking—that it would be 900 euros without an invoice. I neither accepted nor declined this offer. Just to make this clear.
H
hampshire20 May 2019 21:54@Sony70: One tempts, the other allows themselves to be tempted. It doesn’t matter who is who.
I’m not in favor of undeclared work.
With a site investigation offer like that, I could have saved 700€ (about $750). I just found it outrageous that someone assumed I would sell my self-respect for that amount.
I guess everyone has their price – but 700€ (about $750) is definitely not mine.
By the way, while I find it refreshingly honest, I also consider it at least naive to question the price of undeclared work in a forum.
That’s an attitude and opinion that clearly do not align with your values. I’m not going to judge.
I’m not in favor of undeclared work.
With a site investigation offer like that, I could have saved 700€ (about $750). I just found it outrageous that someone assumed I would sell my self-respect for that amount.
I guess everyone has their price – but 700€ (about $750) is definitely not mine.
By the way, while I find it refreshingly honest, I also consider it at least naive to question the price of undeclared work in a forum.
That’s an attitude and opinion that clearly do not align with your values. I’m not going to judge.
H
HilfeHilfe21 May 2019 06:32Sony70 schrieb:
Well, I could have also written the net price, but my self-respect is not connected to the VAT. So, what was the final outcome? Did you manage to negotiate the price down?