Most handyman quotes in Britain are won or lost on the first number. The calculator above starts from what UK trade guides publish for the job in front of you, then shows what that price leaves you once labour, materials and the drive are counted.
How the calculator works
- Pick the job. Fourteen job types, each with a price band in pounds for the finished work, plus “Something else” when you want to price purely from your own costs.
- Enter your hours and materials. The band depends on the job type only. Your hours and materials set your costs, so they move the margin at the band price. For “Something else” they set the price itself.
- Your region. Rates are adjusted by a regional labour index across six regions — National average, London, England outside London, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. London runs well above the rest.
- Check what you keep. Open “Your costs and margin” to see the profit at that price, and change the prefilled costs to your own before you trust it.
Our UK ranges and what trade guides publish, 2026
“Our range” is the band the calculator uses. Where a guide prints a figure, it is in the last column. Where the two differ, the range is the printed hours at the £25–50 hourly rate.
| Job | Our range | What UK guides print |
|---|---|---|
| Faucet (tap) replacement | £120–£195 | Tap replacement £140–£240; 1–2.5 hours |
| Toilet installation | £50–£150 labour | Install only from £150, 2–4 hours; a close-coupled toilet adds about £119 |
| Light fixture (fitting) installation | £30–£50 | £30–£50 per task |
| TV or picture mounting | £50–£100 | Picture and mirror hanging, 1–2 hours, average £45 |
| Minor plumbing | £50–£100 | 1 hour, average £60 |
| Minor electrical | £50–£100 | 1 hour, average £60 |
| Painting woodwork, one room | £75–£250 | 4m × 4m room, 3–5 hours, average £95 |
| Carpentry | £100–£400 | Eight basic shelves, 4–8 hours, average £200 |
| Gutter cleaning | £50–£150 | £50–£120 terraced, £100–£150 semi-detached, £130–£165 detached |
| Window washing | £20–£60 | £20–£60 a clean; a separate trade in the UK |
All figures are before VAT and assume normal access. The hourly rate behind them is £25–50, with £30 the national average and £50 in London. Plastering, tiling, door furniture and pressure washing are not in the table: for those our range is derived, not printed.
Worked example
A tap replacement in England outside London — “Faucet replacement” in the job list. The published band is £120–195 with the tap inside it, and the guides that print it assume one to two and a half hours. The hours you enter do not move the quote, because the band depends on the job type. They set your costs, so they move the margin. Choosing London lifts the labour part of the band with the regional step — the tap itself costs the same everywhere. Open “Your costs and margin” and the panel shows the hours, your materials, the drive and what is left. Set your labour cost to what an hour of your own time actually costs you, not what you bill for it, or the margin will read high.
Quoting handyman work in the UK
- State the minimum before you drive. Fifty pounds for the first hour is easier to say on the phone than to explain on a doorstep.
- Quote the list, not the day. Clients book a tradesperson for three or four small jobs at once. Price each one, so a fifth is a conversation about money rather than a favour.
- Trust your own hours on the jobs nobody prices in full. No UK guide prints a whole-job price for door furniture, a job-sized price for tiling or plastering, or a pressure-washing job beyond the smallest area. On those, the hours you enter and your own rate are better evidence than any band.
- Put access in the quote. Parking, permits, lift booking and stairs eat hours in British towns. Say what the price assumes.
The calculator gives you the number. For typical rates and how to build a quote, read our US handyman pricing guide. Its rates are in US dollars.