# General builders – what to charge in 2026 (UK)
General builders sit in the middle of everything: you're project‑managing, taking the risk, and stitching all the other trades together. Your 2026 rate needs to reflect that.
1. Day rates – general building in 2026
Labour‑only, pre‑VAT, for small builders and general builders.
A 2026 "average UK trades wages" overview has builders at £200–£350/day, with plumbers, sparks and bricklayers around or above that. Checkatrade's London builder page says builders in London charge £35–£50/hour and earn around £40,000/year as employees.
London & South East
- Newly out on your own: £220–£260/day
- Established: £260–£330/day
- High‑end / specialist / project lead: £320–£380+/day
Midlands
- Newly out: £180–£220/day
- Established: £220–£280/day
- High‑end/specialist: £260–£330/day
North / Scotland / Wales
- Newly out: £170–£210/day
- Established: £210–£270/day
- High‑end/specialist: £250–£320/day
Those numbers sit inside that £200–£350/day "builder" band and line up with the London hourly £35–£50 guidance (8‑hour day = £280–£400).
2. Common general building jobs and typical 2026 prices
These are project prices where a general builder is coordinating trades, not just swinging a hammer.
Small single‑storey rear extension (3m x 3m)
- Typical price: £30,000–£50,000+ (builder + trades + materials), depending on spec and region.
- Includes: Foundations, structure, roof, basic finishes, first‑fix and second‑fix services (often using subbies for M&E).
- Price goes up if: Complex ground, high‑end glazing, structural steel work, high spec interiors.
Knock‑through (remove internal load‑bearing wall, fit steel, make good)
- Typical price: £2,000–£5,000+, depending on span, access, engineer's design, and finish quality.
- Includes: Propping, steel installation, making good, basic plaster, waste.
- Price goes up if: Services in the wall, fancy finish, big RSJs, tricky access.
Garage conversion to room
- Typical price: £8,000–£20,000 for a standard single garage conversion to habitable room.
- Includes: Insulation, studwork, windows/doors, plaster, basic electrics/heating.
- Price goes up if: Bathrooms/kitchens added, structural changes, high‑end spec.
Loft boarding and basic room‑in‑roof
- Simple storage boarding only: £800–£2,000 depending on size, access and system.
- Semi‑habitable loft "room" with Velux, insulation, electrics: much nearer £10,000–£25,000, and often needs full regs if used as a bedroom.
General refurb / "rip‑out and refurb" of a small house
- Light refurbs: £10,000–£25,000 (decorating, flooring, basic kitchen/bath refresh).
- Heavier refurbs including structural changes, full rewires, kitchen/bath replacement: £30,000–£80,000+ depending on size and spec.
3. What general builders actually earn (2026)
Not many stats say "general builder" on the tin, but we can triangulate.
- Checkatrade: builders in London earn around £40,000/year as full‑time employees.
- 2026 trade rate overviews have builders at £200–£350/day, below plumbers and sparks but above some other trades.
Self‑employed:
- At £240–£320/day as a working builder, billing 180–200 days, your personal turnover is £43,000–£64,000.
- If you're running a small outfit (labourers, a mate, some subbies), your business turnover will be much higher, but so will your costs.
Real‑world take‑home depends on:
- How much time you spend off the tools project‑managing.
- How well you mark up subbie rates and materials.
- How badly late payments, retentions and extras are handled.
Plenty of "busy" general builders end up with the same net as a good chippy because they don't charge properly for risk and management.
4. What's usually NOT included in general building quotes
You're the one everyone expects to "just sort it", so you need to be clear:
Design and professional fees Architects, structural engineers, Party Wall, Building Control fees – usually separate.
Kitchen, bathroom and specialist fit‑out costs You might include them, but only if clearly specified. Otherwise they can sit as provisional sums.
Landscaping, driveways, external works Often excluded from the core build price or shown as optional extras.
Furniture, appliances, fittings above an allowance Many quotes include allowances (PC sums) – anything above that is a client‑top‑up.
Unexpected structural and ground conditions Deep foundations, rot, extra steels – these must be variations, not freebies.
5. How general builders charge – day rate vs fixed price
Domestic work
Most general building work is fixed price, with:
- A detailed quote or schedule of works.
- Provisional sums for unknowns (e.g. groundworks, kitchen, bathroom).
- Stage payments (deposit, foundations, watertight, first‑fix, second‑fix, completion).
Under the hood, you're using:
- Target day rates for yourself and any direct labour.
- Subbie quotes.
- Material allowances, with markup.
Day or hourly rates still appear for:
- Small jobs and repairs.
- Investigation work (find out why this wall is damp, why the floor is bouncing, etc.).
Commercial and development work
- More tendered fixed‑price contracts, sometimes with retentions and longer payment terms.
- Day‑work schedules for variations.
General building is almost always quoted as fixed price to the client, built from day rates, subbie rates and materials margin underneath.
6. Materials and markup – general builders (2026)
As the main contractor, you live off margin.
- On materials you buy and control (timber, plasterboard, insulation, fixings, small plant hire, etc.), a 10–20% markup on your cost is standard.
- On items you procure and guarantee (windows, kitchens, bathrooms, roofing packages), overall gross margin across labour and materials in the 15–30% range is normal for small general builders in 2026.
- If you just pass everything through "at cost", you end up running the job for free while taking all the risk.
Plain explanation for clients:
"There's a margin on materials and sub‑contracted work because I'm the one specifying, organising, coordinating and taking the risk if something's wrong. You still benefit from my trade terms and me dealing with problems, instead of being stuck between suppliers and trades."
What to do next
- Read: 14.2 – How to price your first job without underselling yourself
- Read: 14.6 – Pricing domestic vs commercial – different worlds
- Read: 14.9 – How to price extras and variations without losing the customer
- Read: 14.10 – Cashflow and pricing – why a profitable job can still break you
- Download: Payment schedule and deposit terms template
- Download: Cashflow forecast – 12 week template
- Use: Late Payment Calculator
Sources (UK, 2026‑relevant)
- Checkatrade – builder day rates, London builder costs, extension and conversion cost guides 2026.
- 2026 UK trades wages overviews – builder day rates £200–£350/day.
- Extension and conversion cost guides – typical project prices for single-storey extensions, garage conversions, knock-throughs, refurbs.
- FMB State of Trade Survey – small builder margins, payment terms, business confidence.
- Contractor markup resources – typical materials and subbie margin ranges for small construction businesses.
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