Look at it another way. We are dealers for lots of brand names. They all have their different ways of trading. Some state that their parts MUST be sold for retail price, regardless of what we pay. Therefore, regardless of the labour we are charging, we make on the parts too. Or else risk losing the dealership. That's a fact.

I'm going to make a point of asking the tradesmen that I know, because I cannot believe that everyone is selling materials for the price that they pay. To be honest, more fool them if they are. I'm not saying that I want to be over-charged, but it's a natural assumption that people don't sell products for what they pay.

There are theoretical comparisons that you could draw between the 'normal' retail industry and the construction industry. After all, it is just as likely that a manufacturer of a product that is used in any industry could insist that their products be sold for a recommended retail price.

So, another scenario then. I presume you quote on labour by the hour for a job, generally? So, how does it work if you take 2 brickies and one works considerably faster than the other. Is it right that the faster guy should earn less money because he got the job done quicker? I know I have digressed a little, but I am trying to test how far the 'lets be fair to the customer' thing actually goes.

Back onto my bungalow. So, you are saying £3.5-4k as an approximation? Then I have to remove all the kitchen units that are on the other side of that wall and have it replastered and paint it before refitting the units. The floor would also be affected as would the ceiling/coving I imagine. Then there's those bays. I can't imagine that those windows are a 5-minute job to remove and refit. One of them has a radiator on the inside of it, so the heating system would have to be broken into too. Then there's the window on the side.

Perhaps I am going over the top, but I imagine that if I have a few builders round and tell them what needs doing, most, if not all, will take a sharp intake of breath before saying 'I would render it'. No?