Cost of a plumber

Do not know about other places, but generally speaking where we are (in the province) there are not many dedicated plumbers. There are people who do plumbing and a lot of other things and they do not charge by the hour. They charge by the day or by pakyawan (project price). There is a person who does various work where we live and he does plumbing too. His daily rate is 400PHP plus two snacks. When he works a half day he gets half that.

Here in Ilocos Sur we pay 500 Pesos/day plus lunch and a snack, while carpenters and cabinet makers get 600 pesos/day plus the food.

Here in Surigao City :
400p/day (Cement/Hollow block)
500p/day (Carpentary/Plumbing)
600p/day (Electrical/Wiring)
and depending on workload :
*Extra hand @350p/day.
Includes lunch & snack.
If its a small job I'd rather do it myself.
Cheers

Very cheap indeed...

Agree with all of the above contributions especially Philippine Destiny, we are also in a province just out of Bacnotan La Union. The plumber we have used several times wants/quotes a contract price, we ask him for daily rate and he won't tell us, we told him we will only pay daily rates, so he fesses up @ 500 per day, we offered 400 p/d with food, accepted and the job was half of his contract price, BTW this guy is an electrician but fills in quiet times with plumbing, as an electrician he is 600 per day with food but these guys have no tools so you have to help them out often.

As you say robal, cheap but you need to get them to sharpen their pencils before accepting a price and then be around to make sure they actually work.

BTW as a side note we had cignal tv installed almost a year ago, 4 people came out to do the job, 2 to watch and advise the 2 workers that actually did the job, when I saw what was going on,,,,,,,,, they were going to mount the sat dish on ours and neighbours fence 8 foot off the ground using a box that they found on our property, when I asked them why there they said "best signal sir" so I asked how they were going to get the cable from the dish into the house roof where the connections for 4 rooms were already connected in the roof space.
"Simple sir, we run the cable down the wall and across to the house and then up the wall into the roof space and reconnect"
I asked if they were going to bury the cable in conduit "no sir just across the ground because we don't have shovel". For 30 feet I asked, "yes sir". Guys wouldn't it be easier to mount the dish on the roof, drop the cable through the roof iron and then connect? "yes sir but we don't have ladder". I asked how then they intended to get the cable into the ceiling space some 14 foot of the ground, they hadn't thought of that nor did they possess a drill or a step ladder to access the manhole to make connection.

I asked their boss, one of the watchers "if I lend you an extension ladder, a drill and a step ladder can we mount the dish on the roof?" response "Yes sir that is much quicker" later I asked the workers why they didn't have the required tools to do the job and they basically said that there was no money to buy those tools, I see that as 4 of them turned up on 2 motor cycles.

Long winded story I know but we got what we wanted and they had an easier installation, to date I really have no idea what the two watchers did, the system works fantastically unless we have torrential rain, some body mentioned to us to put a plastic cup over the receiver section of the dish and that would stop the problems, any thoughts?

Sorry for wandering but sort of aligned.

Cheers, Steve.

bigpearl wrote:

Agree with all of the above contributions especially Philippine Destiny, we are also in a province just out of Bacnotan La Union. The plumber we have used several times wants/quotes a contract price, we ask him for daily rate and he won't tell us, we told him we will only pay daily rates, so he fesses up @ 500 per day, we offered 400 p/d with food, accepted and the job was half of his contract price, BTW this guy is an electrician but fills in quiet times with plumbing, as an electrician he is 600 per day with food but these guys have no tools so you have to help them out often.

As you say robal, cheap but you need to get them to sharpen their pencils before accepting a price and then be around to make sure they actually work.

BTW as a side note we had cignal tv installed almost a year ago, 4 people came out to do the job, 2 to watch and advise the 2 workers that actually did the job, when I saw what was going on,,,,,,,,, they were going to mount the sat dish on ours and neighbours fence 8 foot off the ground using a box that they found on our property, when I asked them why there they said "best signal sir" so I asked how they were going to get the cable from the dish into the house roof where the connections for 4 rooms were already connected in the roof space.
"Simple sir, we run the cable down the wall and across to the house and then up the wall into the roof space and reconnect"
I asked if they were going to bury the cable in conduit "no sir just across the ground because we don't have shovel". For 30 feet I asked, "yes sir". Guys wouldn't it be easier to mount the dish on the roof, drop the cable through the roof iron and then connect? "yes sir but we don't have ladder". I asked how then they intended to get the cable into the ceiling space some 14 foot of the ground, they hadn't thought of that nor did they possess a drill or a step ladder to access the manhole to make connection.

I asked their boss, one of the watchers "if I lend you an extension ladder, a drill and a step ladder can we mount the dish on the roof?" response "Yes sir that is much quicker" later I asked the workers why they didn't have the required tools to do the job and they basically said that there was no money to buy those tools, I see that as 4 of them turned up on 2 motor cycles.

Long winded story I know but we got what we wanted and they had an easier installation, to date I really have no idea what the two watchers did, the system works fantastically unless we have torrential rain, some body mentioned to us to put a plastic cup over the receiver section of the dish and that would stop the problems, any thoughts?

Sorry for wandering but sort of aligned.

Cheers, Steve.

Low pay, lack of capital to buy the tools to combat the different jobs that they perform everyday does contribute to low motivation for efficiency and performance. One should be prepared to lay out their
plans right out in front of them; where things should be installed and be ready to tackle the equipment scarcity!

Agreed bigpearl;

Did they even bother to carry any of those 'sharpened pencils' you talked about? Hahaha!!!
Like I've mentioned for smaller jobs I'd rather do it my own, or get a family member to assist & also made it a point to put in place a full tool kit for our use.

Thanks

robal wrote:

bigpearl wrote:

Agree with all of the above contributions especially Philippine Destiny, we are also in a province just out of Bacnotan La Union. The plumber we have used several times wants/quotes a contract price, we ask him for daily rate and he won't tell us, we told him we will only pay daily rates, so he fesses up @ 500 per day, we offered 400 p/d with food, accepted and the job was half of his contract price, BTW this guy is an electrician but fills in quiet times with plumbing, as an electrician he is 600 per day with food but these guys have no tools so you have to help them out often.

As you say robal, cheap but you need to get them to sharpen their pencils before accepting a price and then be around to make sure they actually work.

BTW as a side note we had cignal tv installed almost a year ago, 4 people came out to do the job, 2 to watch and advise the 2 workers that actually did the job, when I saw what was going on,,,,,,,,, they were going to mount the sat dish on ours and neighbours fence 8 foot off the ground using a box that they found on our property, when I asked them why there they said "best signal sir" so I asked how they were going to get the cable from the dish into the house roof where the connections for 4 rooms were already connected in the roof space.
"Simple sir, we run the cable down the wall and across to the house and then up the wall into the roof space and reconnect"
I asked if they were going to bury the cable in conduit "no sir just across the ground because we don't have shovel". For 30 feet I asked, "yes sir". Guys wouldn't it be easier to mount the dish on the roof, drop the cable through the roof iron and then connect? "yes sir but we don't have ladder". I asked how then they intended to get the cable into the ceiling space some 14 foot of the ground, they hadn't thought of that nor did they possess a drill or a step ladder to access the manhole to make connection.

I asked their boss, one of the watchers "if I lend you an extension ladder, a drill and a step ladder can we mount the dish on the roof?" response "Yes sir that is much quicker" later I asked the workers why they didn't have the required tools to do the job and they basically said that there was no money to buy those tools, I see that as 4 of them turned up on 2 motor cycles.

Long winded story I know but we got what we wanted and they had an easier installation, to date I really have no idea what the two watchers did, the system works fantastically unless we have torrential rain, some body mentioned to us to put a plastic cup over the receiver section of the dish and that would stop the problems, any thoughts?

Sorry for wandering but sort of aligned.

Cheers, Steve.

Low pay, lack of capital to buy the tools to combat the different jobs that they perform everyday does contribute to low motivation for efficiency and performance. One should be prepared to lay out their
plans right out in front of them; where things should be installed and be ready to tackle the equipment scarcity!

That's what I did, a learning curve for all involved and now I am the wiser.

Cheers, Steve.

manwonder wrote:

Agreed bigpearl;

Did they even bother to carry any of those 'sharpened pencils' you talked about? Hahaha!!!
Like I've mentioned for smaller jobs I'd rather do it my own, or get a family member to assist & also made it a point to put in place a full tool kit for our use.

Thanks

No they wouldn't know what "sharpen your pencil" means but at the end of the day with some frustration (hey do you see any thing new) we dealt with the problem and achieved the goal, we are both wiser, hubby and I and perhaps after our debacle they now have a ladder to make their installations efficient.
Have to laugh though, when I presented them with my 28ft extension ladder they were very thankful and proceeded to climb onto the roof with the ladder upside down, yes I stopped them and corrected the situation but from my observations these guys had never seen an aluminium extension ladder.
Only my observations but very happy to live here and play the game, keeps me entertained and then some.

Cheers, Steve.

Bigpearl mentions  Q: the system works fantastically unless we have torrential rain, some body mentioned to us to put a plastic cup over the receiver section of the dish and that would stop the problems, any thoughts?  UQ

We've hv had torrential rain in Surigao City for the last 2 days.
Really dun understand what a 1peso plastic cup has in common with the receiver dish which must must hv a factory spec ISO/standards rating.
Anyways :  surprises to be had everywhere you turn in the phils.
Hahaha

Thanks

manwonder wrote:

Bigpearl mentions  Q: the system works fantastically unless we have torrential rain, some body mentioned to us to put a plastic cup over the receiver section of the dish and that would stop the problems, any thoughts?  UQ

We've hv had torrential rain in Surigao City for the last 2 days.
Really dun understand what a 1peso plastic cup has in common with the receiver dish which must must hv a factory spec ISO/standards rating.
Anyways :  surprises to be had everywhere you turn in the phils.
Hahaha

Thanks

I don't see how a plastic cup will stop rain from absorbing or refracting satellite signals.

BigPearl

Your story sounds very familiar.  After having lived in our home for a few years, we have met a few people we call for various jobs around the house. Plumber, electrician, etc.

The guys who arrived years ago to install our satellite dish also arrived on two motorcycles, with one having the dish strapped to his back like a ninja turtle. Same story as yours though they did have a drill.  We loaned them our ladder to complete the installation in the way we wanted it done.

We have since accumulated numerous power tools, nuts, bolts, screws, nails, and misc hand tools. The guys who work on our home from time to time, most often make use of the ladders and often a couple of other items.  At least we get the job done the way we want it done.

Considering the amount of money they get paid and still take care of a family, I'm amazed they can afford the few tools that they do have and we're happy to help the job along with the tools we let them use from time to time.

Good Grief,

I got ripped off my first week in the Philippines, I asked my stepson to call a plumber (Sunday).
For what you guys paid he would have been here 20 days.

A short story, I guy calls a plumber and the plumber charged him $200. The guy complained and said even my Doctor doesn't charge me that much. The plumber said "I know, I was a Doctor".

W9XR wrote:

Good Grief,

I got ripped off my first week in the Philippines, I asked my stepson to call a plumber (Sunday).
For what you guys paid he would have been here 20 days.

A short story, I guy calls a plumber and the plumber charged him $200. The guy complained and said even my Doctor doesn't charge me that much. The plumber said "I know, I was a Doctor".

Sorry i'm not judging here!...but your stepson could have helped out and done some ground work & then asked you.
We'll I guess its a learning curve for all of us.

Cheers

many cal them selve plumber elctrician,carpenter mechanic and so on but only few if enny have technical education.
this is the reality in the Phils ,sad situation .
i have seen situations i could almost not beleve,were it was claimed that he was a proffesional ,but i understand there need for survival and to provide for there family.
most of the time i do all repairs or projects my selve or wen i hire persons i discreetly advise on how i want it done ,not to make them loose face or not to show of.often i led them use tools that they can keep , i just buy new tools.
i had good technical education and only  now i really apreciate it and realise how much this is needed here.it is not that the will to do a good job is not there , it is "the know how" that is not there.
greets Dirk

Depends on where you live and when the work was done. Only 10 years ago a foreman who also ‘knew' plumbing was paid 350 and his workers 250/day. Now it seems it's higher.
In my experience, there may be two or more levels. One is the straightforward labour/time day-cost for a ‘plumber' - good luck in finding anyone certified as such! - and the other is in hidden costs if he's not honest.
It's not unusual for a carpenter, plumber or electrician to leave something major undone, to use an inferior part, or to leave a job on the verge of collapse so that they can get called back to either complete the work or to ‘fix' the problem that oddly cropped up.
This latter needs to be covered up-front so that you head off the bolabola that's common here. When building 3 piggeries with extensive plumbing requirements, I built in a ‘warranty' feature that if a crew messed up on something, they'd have to return free-of-charge to fix it. Worked.

On all jobs done by pinoy, one must not only provide supervision, but oversight and such direction to make things simpler. Not used to having tools, do not be surprised if you have to go out and buy things or lend them yours to get the job done as efficiently as possible. They often are smarter than seems so on the surface, but they are used to being hobbled by owners or bosses who take advantage of them.

At the same time, many overpromise on their abilities: in so doing they get the work, and will figure out how to get the job done when the demand arrives. Winging it this way is standard practice.

Patience goes a long way here! And that gets worn thin, do it yourself, if you have the know-how or interest. The obvious state of this country means that most things are done haphazardly, and the ‘ruling class' don't care much about anything other than making money in any way they can. Hence there exist a lots of holes that dishonest practices fit nicely into.

As well, even given treats - skyflakes and pepsi for merienda - do not be surprised if they slack off when you are gone. Talking is much less effort than getting on with it responsibly.

So supervise your crew at all times?

daenr wrote:

Depends on where you live and when the work was done. Only 10 years ago a foreman who also ‘knew' plumbing was paid 350 and his workers 250/day. Now it seems it's higher.
In my experience, there may be two or more levels. One is the straightforward labour/time day-cost for a ‘plumber' - good luck in finding anyone certified as such! - and the other is in hidden costs if he's not honest.
It's not unusual for a carpenter, plumber or electrician to leave something major undone, to use an inferior part, or to leave a job on the verge of collapse so that they can get called back to either complete the work or to ‘fix' the problem that oddly cropped up.
This latter needs to be covered up-front so that you head off the bolabola that's common here. When building 3 piggeries with extensive plumbing requirements, I built in a ‘warranty' feature that if a crew messed up on something, they'd have to return free-of-charge to fix it. Worked.

Bola-Bola won´t work on me. I tell them right off what´s needed to be done and tell them in Tagalog "na pagbutihin naman ang trabaho para mayron tayong trabaho bukas." Translation: "Work well so we can work together again tomorrow." Just be nice and give them incentives like the right compensation. Maybe a Tanduay rum in addition as they depart for the day. You´ll see that they´ll try their best tomorrow with a smile!

robal

daenr wrote:

On all jobs done by pinoy, one must not only provide supervision, but oversight and such direction to make things simpler. Not used to having tools, do not be surprised if you have to go out and buy things or lend them yours to get the job done as efficiently as possible. They often are smarter than seems so on the surface, but they are used to being hobbled by owners or bosses who take advantage of them.

At the same time, many overpromise on their abilities: in so doing they get the work, and will figure out how to get the job done when the demand arrives. Winging it this way is standard practice.

Patience goes a long way here! And that gets worn thin, do it yourself, if you have the know-how or interest. The obvious state of this country means that most things are done haphazardly, and the ‘ruling class' don't care much about anything other than making money in any way they can. Hence there exist a lots of holes that dishonest practices fit nicely into.

As well, even given treats - skyflakes and pepsi for merienda - do not be surprised if they slack off when you are gone. Talking is much less effort than getting on with it responsibly.

So supervise your crew at all times?

Oversight is important to show your firmness on the agreed upon project...

robal wrote:

daenr wrote:

Depends on where you live and when the work was done. Only 10 years ago a foreman who also ‘knew' plumbing was paid 350 and his workers 250/day. Now it seems it's higher.
In my experience, there may be two or more levels. One is the straightforward labour/time day-cost for a ‘plumber' - good luck in finding anyone certified as such! - and the other is in hidden costs if he's not honest.
It's not unusual for a carpenter, plumber or electrician to leave something major undone, to use an inferior part, or to leave a job on the verge of collapse so that they can get called back to either complete the work or to ‘fix' the problem that oddly cropped up.
This latter needs to be covered up-front so that you head off the bolabola that's common here. When building 3 piggeries with extensive plumbing requirements, I built in a ‘warranty' feature that if a crew messed up on something, they'd have to return free-of-charge to fix it. Worked.

Bola-Bola won´t work on me. I tell them right off what´s needed to be done and tell them in Tagalog "na pagbutihin naman ang trabaho para mayron tayong trabaho bukas." Translation: "Work well so we can work together again tomorrow." Just be nice and give them incentives like the right compensation. Maybe a Tanduay rum in addition as they depart for the day. You´ll see that they´ll try their best tomorrow with a smile!

robal

Guys many of your points are valid, but still be prepared for problems.
Especially if projects are going to run into the weeks/months.
Many workers tend to smoke daily (easily 60p/*day) & consume alcohol (Tanduay Long Neck easily 100p/*week), Other Edibles easily 50p/*week)...I have noticed that after the initial 10days, the standard/
efficiency of work generally begins to drop, & some don't even want to come back to complete their jobs, so be well prepared!
Even though being nice & giving them incentives like the right compensation, good snacks, Tanduay rum per week...infact have even given cash advances for their urgent family needs have all not worked well for me.

Thanks

Stupid is as stupid does.

Cheers, Steve.

manwonder wrote:

robal wrote:

daenr wrote:

Depends on where you live and when the work was done. Only 10 years ago a foreman who also ‘knew' plumbing was paid 350 and his workers 250/day. Now it seems it's higher.
In my experience, there may be two or more levels. One is the straightforward labour/time day-cost for a ‘plumber' - good luck in finding anyone certified as such! - and the other is in hidden costs if he's not honest.
It's not unusual for a carpenter, plumber or electrician to leave something major undone, to use an inferior part, or to leave a job on the verge of collapse so that they can get called back to either complete the work or to ‘fix' the problem that oddly cropped up.
This latter needs to be covered up-front so that you head off the bolabola that's common here. When building 3 piggeries with extensive plumbing requirements, I built in a ‘warranty' feature that if a crew messed up on something, they'd have to return free-of-charge to fix it. Worked.

Bola-Bola won´t work on me. I tell them right off what´s needed to be done and tell them in Tagalog "na pagbutihin naman ang trabaho para mayron tayong trabaho bukas." Translation: "Work well so we can work together again tomorrow." Just be nice and give them incentives like the right compensation. Maybe a Tanduay rum in addition as they depart for the day. You´ll see that they´ll try their best tomorrow with a smile!

robal

Guys many of your points are valid, but still be prepared for problems.
Especially if projects are going to run into the weeks/months.
Many workers tend to smoke daily (easily 60p/*day) & consume alcohol (Tanduay Long Neck easily 100p/*week), Other Edibles easily 50p/*week)...I have noticed that after the initial 10days, the standard/
efficiency of work generally begins to drop, & some don't even want to come back to complete their jobs, so be well prepared!
Even though being nice & giving them incentives like the right compensation, good snacks, Tanduay rum per week...infact have even given cash advances for their urgent family needs have all not worked well for me.

Thanks

Yes, I´ve also given cash advances they call it "vale" but I don´t know about you... I´ve been successful with my projects and it was done on time. I had them sign a contract for the project and told them to come on time and a 15 minute break every 2 hours! They do smoke cigarettes during that time and at the end of work they drink Tanduay and I gladly supplied their "pulutan" and a pack of cigarettes. I always had conversations with them and we did have some fun. I speak Tagalog very fluently (thanks to the US Military) and 2 Filipino dialects. That really helped!

robal

robal wrote:

manwonder wrote:

robal wrote:

Bola-Bola won´t work on me. I tell them right off what´s needed to be done and tell them in Tagalog "na pagbutihin naman ang trabaho para mayron tayong trabaho bukas." Translation: "Work well so we can work together again tomorrow." Just be nice and give them incentives like the right compensation. Maybe a Tanduay rum in addition as they depart for the day. You´ll see that they´ll try their best tomorrow with a smile!

robal

Guys many of your points are valid, but still be prepared for problems.
Especially if projects are going to run into the weeks/months.
Many workers tend to smoke daily (easily 60p/*day) & consume alcohol (Tanduay Long Neck easily 100p/*week), Other Edibles easily 50p/*week)...I have noticed that after the initial 10days, the standard/
efficiency of work generally begins to drop, & some don't even want to come back to complete their jobs, so be well prepared!
Even though being nice & giving them incentives like the right compensation, good snacks, Tanduay rum per week...infact have even given cash advances for their urgent family needs have all not worked well for me.

Thanks

Yes, I´ve also given cash advances they call it "vale" but I don´t know about you... I´ve been successful with my projects and it was done on time. I had them sign a contract for the project and told them to come on time and a 15 minute break every 2 hours! They do smoke cigarettes during that time and at the end of work they drink Tanduay and I gladly supplied their "pulutan" and a pack of cigarettes. I always had conversations with them and we did have some fun. I speak Tagalog very fluently (thanks to the US Military) and 2 Filipino dialects. That really helped!

robal

With us works starts at 7

break with snack at 9

lunch on their own at 11-1

break with snack at 3

end at 5

no smoking no drinking and peeing only in designated pee spot

did not always work that way 

"pavlov" classical conditioning

Hmmm

robal wrote:

Very cheap indeed...

I agree.

Building/fixing a house in the Philippines is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get.

Jackson4 wrote:

Building/fixing a house in the Philippines is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get.

Toothache ? Cavities? Root Canals?. . . . . . A hose job for sure.

They will charge you as much as they think they can get away with, that is, if your a foreigner, think of a price and treble it. Usually better to get stay out of the way and let your woman deal with it........ you can come out of hiding once the price is agreed. Your plumber will very rarely have the right tools for the job so if you end up lending tools, make sure you get them all back before he leaves.

@GuestPoster285 Helpful to know!  Thank you!

@GuestPoster285 where I live in Oklahoma we use a lot of Mexican workers, start 7 no break 15 minute lunch they carry it in their pocket, and hard working in Hot sun only a hat, I tell my Filipino workers if they went to the USA to work they will be up against Mexicans and don't stand a chance

@GuestPoster285 where I live in Oklahoma we use a lot of Mexican workers, start 7 no break 15 minute lunch they carry it in their pocket, and hard working in Hot sun only a hat, I tell my Filipino workers if they went to the USA to work they will be up against Mexicans and don't stand a chance

- @Okieboy