I am currently renovating a bathroom and need a 120mm (ish) hole through both leaves of the external wall for an extractor (going through the roof soffit is not an option due to the characteristics of the house).  I do not own a core drill for the job and from what I can tell, it will cost me in the region of £60 to hire one for a weekend - not including a wearage charge.

Is drilling a single hole like this the sort of job your average jobbing buildier is likely to entertain, and if so, what should I expect to pay him?  (I was thinking somewhere in the region of £20).

Thanks in advance.

[quote author=AndyOlds  link=1106748166/0#0 date=1106748166]

Is drilling a single hole like this the sort of job your average jobbing buildier is likely to entertain, and if so, what should I expect to pay him?  (I was thinking somewhere in the region of £20).

Thanks in advance. [/quote]

Hmmmm, £20 eh?  Don't expect too much of a queue of builders at your door for that job!

So this builder, who has paid £200+ for a powerful drill plus £120 for the diamond cutter is going to drill you a hole for £20 is he?  Sorry to sound sarcastic but this is an insult!

I charge about £50 for the hole if I'm already on that job doing other stuff.  As a 'one off' visit just to drill the hole it's going to be minimum £80 + vat

Cheaper to hire one.

If you find somebody to do it for £20, please let me know. I will use him to do all my holes instead of buying all the kit. It will save me a fortune!!

[quote author=AndyOlds  link=1106748166/0#5 date=1106780572]
 I just thought that for what's probably a relatively quick and straightforward job, I might have been able to get someone to do it for me cheaper than hiring the kit myself.

[/quote]

Don't forget, when you employ a builder for a job, his tools that he uses are 'hired' to you while he's using them. He doesn't just 'lend' them to you for free!    You then have to add on his time and fuel to get to the job, his time to do the job, his time to clear up afterwards and his time to return to wherever he came from.

This doesn't even include an initial visit to quote for the work.

£20!  

hi Andyolds i have just done this job myself 100mm hole for a cooker vent, used a 500mmx12mm sds drill and stitched drilled all round the hole,(drew circle on inside then drilled hole dead centre then stitched all way round,drew circle on outside lineing up with centre hole then stitched all way round,done it this way with no BREAKOUT AND NO COST  only if you a an sds drill,or a good hammer drill). goodluck

cupid

Jim,

Where did you hire from?  Was the £18 for the hire of the core drill bit only, or the bit and the drill machine as well?  (I only own a standard 700W hammer drill).

Cheers.

Anybody seen these http://www.axminster.co.uk/product.asp?pf_id=362302&sfile=1&jump=0 ?

It looks suspiciously like the B&Q one I bought a couple of years ago for £30, and for 'not too heavy' use it's been great!  I have used it (sensibly) to knock down a few walls, and it's been really good so far.  I've got one to knock down today, and now I've said that it's bound to go wrong!

The Axminster one's a bit dearer, but even at £50 it's got to be good value.  

Windy

[quote author=AndyOlds  link=1106748166/0#13 date=1107531717]That's why I asked if the hire charge was for the core 'bit' only, or for the core bit and an accompanying SDS drill.  I know my 700W hammer drill won't cope with a 120mm diameter lump of brick!! [/quote]

Sorry mate, I misread the comment.

HM

Thanks for everyon'es help and comments.  I finally got round to doing this job a couple of weeks ago (I know, a fair while since I asked the question!).  I ended up just chain drilling a fair few holes around the circumference of the circle of brick I wanted to remove, using an 8mm, long, masonary bit.  I then just knocked out the lump and tidied up the inside edges using a bolster.  

I am very pleased with the result - a nice clean hole which is covered by even the small 'margin' around the edge of the crap plastic vent supplied with the extractor fan.

I have to admit though, it did take me almost half a day to get the bugger drilled and I almost (almost, mind you) couldn't lift my pint later that night due to the aching in my arm!

Never mind, these things wouldn't be so satisfying if they weren't such a challenge!