Educational costing example

Bathroom Extractor Fan Replacement — Worked Job Estimate

A transparent example for UK electricians, handymen and small electrical contractors showing how a small job can be costed before customer paperwork is prepared.

1. Job summary

Replace an existing bathroom extractor fan, confirm isolation, remove the old unit, fit a suitable replacement, test operation and leave the work area tidy. This short scope is illustrative and does not cover every legal, technical, inspection or certification requirement.

2. Sample cost inputs

InputExample assumptionValue
Labour2.5 hours at £45/hour£112.50
Call-out / travelLocal journey allowance£20.00
Extractor fanExample supplier price£68.00
Isolator, fixings and consumablesSmall materials allowance£12.50
ParkingWhere chargeable£6.00
DisposalOld unit allowance£4.00
Overhead allowance10% of direct subtotal£22.30
Margin allowance20% markup on cost base£49.06
VAT statusExample VAT-registered business20%
Deposit requirement30% of VAT-inclusive total£105.97

3. Worked calculation

Labour: 2.5 × £45.00£112.50
Materials: £68.00 + £12.50£80.50
Additional costs: £20 travel + £6 parking + £4 disposal£30.00
Direct subtotal£223.00
Overhead allowance: 10% × £223.00£22.30
Cost base£245.30
Margin allowance: 20% markup × £245.30£49.06
Net customer price£294.36
VAT: 20% × £294.36£58.87
Final customer total£353.23
Example 30% deposit£105.97

The “margin allowance” here is explicitly calculated as a 20% markup on the cost base; businesses may define and calculate margin differently. The result is not a recommended universal selling price.

4. What can go wrong

  • Forgetting travel or parking.
  • Missing fixings and consumables.
  • Underestimating labour or access time.
  • Ignoring business overhead.
  • Forgetting a profit allowance.
  • Using unclear VAT treatment.
  • Leaving deposit terms ambiguous.
  • Creating paperwork from incomplete figures.

5. Cloudfyre workflow

  1. 1Use the free calculator
  2. 2Check labour, materials, margin, VAT and deposit
  3. 3Create an estimate or quotation when ready
  4. 4Convert job information into invoices, reports or follow-ups where supported

Document credit use depends on the document type shown inside Cloudfyre.

6. Static example paperwork preview

Illustrative only; this is not connected to Cloudfyre’s production document generator.

Example quotation

Bathroom extractor fan replacement

Total: £353.23

Customer scope
Replace existing fan, test operation and tidy work area.
Labour
2.5 hours (example)
Materials
Fan, isolator, fixings and consumables.
Exclusions
Unexpected wiring, ducting, access or remedial work.
VAT status
Includes example VAT at 20%.
Deposit terms
Example 30% deposit: £105.97.
Validity period
Example: 14 days, subject to availability.

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