£15 an hour. That was the figure being thrown around on a well-known social media platform — not Facebook — where customers were openly debating what tradespeople should charge. £15 an hour, or £130 a day, was being described as a perfectly acceptable rate.

Let’s make one thing absolutely clear: no legitimate tradesperson in 2026 can charge £15 an hour. That rate is virtually identical to the National Minimum Wage. And that’s the crux of the problem — people are confusing a business rate with a take-home wage. They are not the same thing. Not even close.

You’ve had three quotes. They’re all different – in this guide we will explain why.

One company has a smart website, a detailed quote with written contract, and a team of DBS-checked staff. The second is a bloke who answered after you called him 3 times and sounded like he was half asleep – his number was passed to you by a friend of a friend. The third company sound half decent, you found their Facebook page, but they don’t have a website, you spoke to them on Thursday they can start Monday. All 3 are offering to do the same job.

This guide exists because those gaps needs explaining. Not defending - explaining. The financial figures you will read in this article are real, they are ours (individual to us), and by the time you've read them you'll understand exactly where your money goes when you hire a legitimate limited company - and exactly what you're not getting when you don't.

At Upcycle Interiors, we’ve noticed a growing concern in the industry - and it’s one we take very seriously. More and more stories are emerging of customers being caught out by a misunderstanding between an estimate and a quote. It might sound like a small difference, but in reality, it can mean the difference between a stress-free project and a costly fallout.

Let’s break it down, the way we see it - with no fluff and no grey areas.

We believe that an informed client is a happy client. If you are reading this, you have most likely received a proposal from us & are in the process of deciding whether to go ahead. Perhaps you are comparing it with other quotes. Perhaps you are wondering what it includes, or why our figure is what it is

If you’re unsure of the options then this blog will hopefully clarify the way that pricing a job works.