How Much Do Building Contractors Cost? Average UK Labour Rates

February 28th, 2025

Building contractor rates in the UK vary significantly based on location, experience, and the specific trade. In this guide, we break down the average hourly and daily rates for key tradesmen—including bricklayers, carpenters, electricians, plumbers, and more.

We also provide a regional comparison and a year-on-year analysis of 2024 versus 2025 data, highlighting cost changes to help you budget more accurately.

What Is The Average Hourly Rate Of Bricklayers In 2025?

Here’s how much bricklayers charge hourly and also their daily rates across different regions in the UK:

	Greater London	Inner London	South East	South West	Wales	Scotland
2024 Hourly Rate	£25.82	£25.07	£24.91	£24.43	£20.88	£20.52
2025 Hourly Rate	£26.83	£25.70	£25.99	£24.14	£20.20	£21.51
2024 Day Rate	£206.58	£200.57	£199.27	£195.46	£167.02	£164.16
2025 Day Rate	£214.62	£205.59	£207.90	£193.11	£161.57	£172.10
% Change YoY	3.9%	2.5%	4.3%	-1.2%	-3.3%	4.8%

	Midlands	East Anglia	North East	North West	Northern Ireland	Rep. of Ireland
2024 Hourly Rate	£22.60	£22.75	£23.16	£21.30	£20.81	£18.62
2025 Hourly Rate	£22.67	£24.09	£19.48	£20.46	£22.40	£17.38
2024 Day Rate	£180.77	£182.00	£185.24	£170.40	£166.45	£148.97
2025 Day Rate	£181.35	£192.75	£155.84	£163.71	£179.23	£139.00
% Change YoY	0.3%	5.9%	-15.9%	-3.9%	7.7%	-6.7%

The total average day rate of a bricklayer in the UK is £181.
The total average hourly rate of a bricklayer in the UK is £23.

What Is The Average Hourly Rate Of Carpenters In 2025?

Here’s how much carpenters and joiners charge hourly and also their daily rates across different regions in the UK:

	Greater London	Inner London	South East	South West	Wales	Scotland
2024 Hourly Rate	£28.04	£28.69	£27.19	£24.95	£22.86	£24.92
2025 Hourly Rate	£27.88	£29.28	£27.79	£24.71	£20.36	£25.52
2024 Day Rate	£224.32	£229.50	£217.52	£199.59	£182.85	£199.39
2025 Day Rate	£223.04	£234.20	£222.33	£197.70	£162.88	£204.16
% Change YoY	-0.6%	2.0%	2.2%	-0.9%	-10.9%	2.4%

	Midlands	East Anglia	North East	North West	Northern Ireland	Rep. of Ireland
2024 Hourly Rate	£24.09	£24.45	£24.63	£22.72	£23.32	£21.12
2025 Hourly Rate	£23.27	£24.09	£22.42	£21.91	£24.47	£19.75
2024 Day Rate	£192.71	£195.62	£197.05	£181.76	£186.54	£168.98
2025 Day Rate	£186.19	£192.73	£179.32	£175.25	£195.75	£158.00
% Change YoY	-3.4%	-1.5%	-9.0%	-3.6%	4.9%	-6.5%

The total average day rate of a carpenter in the UK is £194.
The total average hourly rate of a carpenter in the UK is £24.

What Is The Average Hourly Rate Of Carpet Fitters In 2025?

Here’s how much carpet fitters charge hourly and also their daily rates across different regions in the UK:

	Greater London	Inner London	South East	South West	Wales	Scotland
2024 Hourly Rate	£28.43	£28.87	£27.89	£24.36	£24.29	£24.26
2025 Hourly Rate	£28.30	£29.10	£28.21	£24.33	£22.21	£24.31
2024 Day Rate	£227.46	£230.95	£223.09	£194.86	£194.33	£194.10
2025 Day Rate	£226.38	£232.78	£225.65	£194.66	£177.70	£194.52
% Change YoY	-0.5%	0.8%	1.1%	-0.1%	-8.6%	0.2%

	Midlands	East Anglia	North East	North West	Northern Ireland	Rep. of Ireland
2024 Hourly Rate	£24.36	£24.93	£24.04	£23.51	£20.90	£23.11
2025 Hourly Rate	£23.55	£21.90	£25.01	£23.19	£20.53	£21.50
2024 Day Rate	£194.85	£199.40	£192.31	£188.08	£167.22	£184.87
2025 Day Rate	£188.37	£175.21	£200.10	£185.55	£164.20	£172.00
% Change YoY	-3.3%	-12.1%	4.0%	-1.3%	-1.8%	-7.0%

The total average day rate of a carpet fitter in the UK is £195.
The total average hourly rate of a carpet fitter in the UK is £24.

What Is The Average Hourly Rate Of Decorators In 2025?

Here’s how much decorators charge hourly and also their daily rates across different regions in the UK:

	Greater London	Inner London	South East	South West	Wales	Scotland
2024 Hourly Rate	£24.15	£24.54	£23.31	£21.52	£20.09	£18.89
2025 Hourly Rate	£24.30	£24.80	£23.69	£21.24	£18.09	£19.06
2024 Day Rate	£193.17	£196.35	£186.45	£172.14	£160.70	£151.11
2025 Day Rate	£194.37	£198.40	£189.54	£169.89	£144.74	£152.44
% Change YoY	0.6%	1.0%	1.7%	-1.3%	-9.9%	0.9%

	Midlands	East Anglia	North East	North West	Northern Ireland	Rep. of Ireland
2024 Hourly Rate	£20.41	£21.38	£20.78	£19.70	£18.33	£18.62
2025 Hourly Rate	£19.92	£20.98	£19.57	£19.09	£19.30	£17.38
2024 Day Rate	£163.25	£171.04	£166.26	£157.57	£146.61	£148.97
2025 Day Rate	£159.38	£167.83	£156.52	£152.73	£154.42	£139.00
% Change YoY	-2.4%	-1.9%	-5.9%	-3.1%	5.3%	-6.7%

The total average day rate of a decorator in the UK is £165.
The total average hourly rate of a decorator in the UK is £21.

What Is The Average Hourly Rate Of Electricians In 2025?

Here’s how much electricians charge hourly and also their daily rates across different regions in the UK:

	Greater London	Inner London	South East	South West	Wales	Scotland
2024 Hourly Rate	£32.85	£32.50	£31.96	£28.82	£27.90	£31.12
2025 Hourly Rate	£32.59	£32.64	£32.60	£29.02	£27.06	£30.94
2024 Day Rate	£262.80	£259.97	£255.69	£230.57	£223.22	£248.94
2025 Day Rate	£260.72	£261.16	£260.83	£232.14	£216.46	£247.49
% Change YoY	-0.8%	0.5%	2.0%	0.7%	-3.0%	-0.6%

	Midlands	East Anglia	North East	North West	Northern Ireland	Rep. of Ireland
2024 Hourly Rate	£28.51	£29.24	£29.38	£28.09	£27.28	£25.29
2025 Hourly Rate	£27.75	£29.48	£27.03	£26.60	£27.44	£23.63
2024 Day Rate	£228.11	£233.90	£235.01	£224.71	£218.24	£202.30
2025 Day Rate	£222.04	£235.82	£216.23	£212.80	£219.54	£189.00
% Change YoY	-2.7%	0.8%	-8.0%	-5.3%	0.6%	-6.6%

The total average day rate of an electrician in the UK is £235.
The total average hourly rate of an electrician in the UK is £29.

What Is The Average Hourly Rate Of A Foreman In 2025?

Here’s how much a foreman costs per hour and also their daily cost across different regions in the UK:

	Greater London	Inner London	South East	South West	Wales	Scotland
2024 Hourly Rate	£41.69	£40.89	£39.25	£35.15	£34.73	£34.20
2025 Hourly Rate	£41.10	£40.31	£38.81	£34.92	£32.53	£31.86
2024 Day Rate	£333.49	£327.11	£314.03	£281.20	£277.84	£273.61
2025 Day Rate	£328.81	£322.50	£310.50	£279.34	£260.28	£254.85
% Change YoY	-1.4%	-1.4%	-1.1%	-0.7%	-6.3%	-6.9%

	Midlands	East Anglia	North East	North West	Northern Ireland	Rep. of Ireland
2024 Hourly Rate	£32.59	£35.66	£33.34	£32.29	£30.76	£33.60
2025 Hourly Rate	£33.08	£34.27	£33.14	£31.65	£29.58	£31.50
2024 Day Rate	£260.74	£285.25	£266.72	£258.29	£246.06	£268.80
2025 Day Rate	£264.64	£274.12	£265.13	£253.17	£236.67	£252.00
% Change YoY	1.5%	-3.9%	-0.6%	-2.0%	-3.8%	-6.3%

The total average day rate of a foreman in the UK is £275.
The total average hourly rate of a foreman in the UK is £34.

What Is The Average Hourly Rate Of A Gas Safe Engineer In 2025?

Here’s how much Gas Safe engineers charge hourly and also their daily rates across different regions in the UK:

	Greater London	Inner London	South East	South West	Wales	Scotland
2024 Hourly Rate	£41.48	£42.14	£39.72	£36.95	£35.52	£39.66
2025 Hourly Rate	£40.95	£42.15	£39.90	£36.63	£33.56	£33.31
2024 Day Rate	£331.86	£337.12	£317.79	£295.56	£284.19	£317.27
2025 Day Rate	£327.57	£337.21	£319.24	£293.02	£268.44	£266.51
% Change YoY	-1.3%	0.0%	0.5%	-0.9%	-5.5%	-16.0%

	Midlands	East Anglia	North East	North West	Northern Ireland	Rep. of Ireland
2024 Hourly Rate	£33.22	£36.15	£32.88	£32.16	£30.71	£31.50
2025 Hourly Rate	£33.43	£35.64	£31.85	£32.90	£29.04	£31.50
2024 Day Rate	£265.79	£289.18	£263.01	£257.31	£245.69	£252.00
2025 Day Rate	£267.40	£285.14	£254.80	£263.19	£232.33	£252.00
% Change YoY	0.6%	-1.4%	-3.1%	2.3%	-5.4%	0.0%

The total average day rate of a Gas Safe engineer in the UK is £281.
The total average hourly rate of a Gas Safe engineer in the UK is £35.

What Is The Average Hourly Rate Of A General Builder In 2025?

Here’s how much general builders charge hourly and also their daily rates across different regions in the UK:

	Greater London	Inner London	South East	South West	Wales	Scotland
2024 Hourly Rate	£25.38	£24.99	£24.78	£23.40	£20.44	£20.56
2025 Hourly Rate	£25.46	£25.46	£24.87	£23.58	£18.54	£20.89
2024 Day Rate	£203.08	£199.92	£198.28	£187.22	£163.50	£164.44
2025 Day Rate	£203.69	£203.71	£198.95	£188.65	£148.35	£167.13
% Change YoY	0.3%	1.9%	0.3%	0.8%	-9.3%	1.6%

	Midlands	East Anglia	North East	North West	Northern Ireland	Rep. of Ireland
2024 Hourly Rate	£21.64	£21.96	£24.21	£21.50	£21.87	£18.59
2025 Hourly Rate	£20.81	£22.46	£19.83	£19.91	£23.15	£17.38
2024 Day Rate	£173.10	£175.71	£193.67	£171.99	£174.95	£148.71
2025 Day Rate	£166.46	£179.66	£158.62	£159.26	£185.19	£139.00
% Change YoY	-3.8%	2.2%	-18.1%	-7.4%	5.9%	-6.5%

The total average day rate of a general builder in the UK is £175.
The total average hourly rate of a general builder in the UK is £22.

What Is The Average Hourly Rate Of A Groundworker In 2025?

Here’s how much groundworkers charge hourly and also their daily rates across different regions in the UK:

	Greater London	Inner London	South East	South West	Wales	Scotland
2024 Hourly Rate	£24.25	£24.68	£23.68	£23.81	£20.29	£18.42
2025 Hourly Rate	£24.10	£24.59	£24.12	£23.40	£18.95	£17.99
2024 Day Rate	£194.03	£197.46	£189.45	£190.47	£162.34	£147.39
2025 Day Rate	£192.80	£196.69	£192.99	£187.18	£151.57	£143.94
% Change YoY	-0.6%	-0.4%	1.9%	-1.7%	-6.6%	-2.3%

	Midlands	East Anglia	North East	North West	Northern Ireland	Rep. of Ireland
2024 Hourly Rate	£20.26	£21.02	£20.18	£18.94	£18.13	£18.53
2025 Hourly Rate	£20.31	£21.97	£20.15	£18.35	£18.24	£17.38
2024 Day Rate	£162.05	£168.17	£161.47	£151.56	£145.01	£148.20
2025 Day Rate	£162.46	£175.72	£161.22	£146.77	£145.96	£139.00
% Change YoY	0.3%	4.5%	-0.2%	-3.2%	0.7%	-6.2%

The total average day rate of a groundworker in the UK is £166.
The total average hourly rate of a groundworker in the UK is £21.

What Is The Average Hourly Rate Of A Labourer In 2025?

Here’s how much labourers charge hourly and also their daily rates across different regions in the UK:

	Greater London	Inner London	South East	South West	Wales	Scotland
2024 Hourly Rate	£19.02	£18.87	£18.24	£16.54	£16.53	£16.98
2025 Hourly Rate	£18.73	£18.63	£18.30	£16.42	£15.30	£16.77
2024 Day Rate	£152.19	£150.98	£145.93	£132.31	£132.22	£135.82
2025 Day Rate	£149.84	£149.01	£146.43	£131.36	£122.38	£134.18
% Change YoY	-1.5%	-1.3%	0.3%	-0.7%	-7.4%	-1.2%

	Midlands	East Anglia	North East	North West	Northern Ireland	Rep. of Ireland
2024 Hourly Rate	£16.86	£17.62	£16.96	£16.03	£17.28	£15.14
2025 Hourly Rate	£16.54	£17.42	£16.03	£15.57	£17.32	£14.13
2024 Day Rate	£134.89	£140.98	£135.66	£128.23	£138.22	£121.14
2025 Day Rate	£132.34	£139.37	£128.26	£124.58	£138.57	£113.00
% Change YoY	-1.9%	-1.1%	-5.5%	-2.8%	0.2%	-6.7%

The total average day rate of a labourer in the UK is £134.
The total average hourly rate of a labourer in the UK is £17.

What Is The Average Hourly Rate Of A Plasterer In 2025?

Here’s how much plasterers charge hourly and also their daily rates across different regions in the UK:

	Greater London	Inner London	South East	South West	Wales	Scotland
2024 Hourly Rate	£25.49	£25.29	£25.12	£22.76	£20.72	£20.44
2025 Hourly Rate	£25.85	£26.50	£25.73	£22.75	£20.02	£20.63
2024 Day Rate	£203.93	£202.29	£201.00	£182.11	£165.75	£163.55
2025 Day Rate	£206.77	£212.00	£205.81	£181.96	£160.15	£165.02
% Change YoY	1.4%	4.8%	2.4%	-0.1%	-3.4%	0.9%

	Midlands	East Anglia	North East	North West	Northern Ireland	Rep. of Ireland
2024 Hourly Rate	£21.73	£21.89	£22.09	£21.64	£23.21	£18.59
2025 Hourly Rate	£20.91	£22.41	£19.78	£19.65	£23.84	£17.38
2024 Day Rate	£173.83	£175.10	£176.74	£173.14	£185.70	£148.71
2025 Day Rate	£167.26	£179.26	£158.25	£157.17	£190.74	£139.00
% Change YoY	-3.8%	2.4%	-10.5%	-9.2%	2.7%	-6.5%

The total average day rate of a plasterer in the UK is £177.
The total average hourly rate of a plasterer in the UK is £22.

What Is The Average Hourly Rate Of A Plumber In 2025?

Here’s how much plumbers charge hourly and also their daily rates across different regions in the UK:

	Greater London	Inner London	South East	South West	Wales	Scotland
2024 Hourly Rate	£29.46	£29.02	£29.22	£28.50	£23.07	£26.71
2025 Hourly Rate	£29.62	£30.27	£30.04	£27.35	£22.26	£26.73
2024 Day Rate	£235.67	£232.18	£233.72	£228.03	£184.56	£213.65
2025 Day Rate	£236.95	£242.13	£240.31	£218.78	£178.06	£213.85
% Change YoY	0.5%	4.3%	2.8%	-4.1%	-3.5%	0.1%

	Midlands	East Anglia	North East	North West	Northern Ireland	Rep. of Ireland
2024 Hourly Rate	£24.70	£28.18	£26.04	£24.93	£23.23	£21.12
2025 Hourly Rate	£23.77	£27.38	£22.52	£22.58	£24.54	£19.75
2024 Day Rate	£197.62	£225.47	£208.30	£199.41	£185.86	£168.98
2025 Day Rate	£190.14	£219.08	£180.13	£180.68	£196.30	£158.00
% Change YoY	-3.8%	-2.8%	-13.5%	-9.4%	5.6%	-6.5%

The total average day rate of a plumber in the UK is £205.
The total average hourly rate of a plumber in the UK is £26.

What Is The Average Hourly Rate Of A Roofer In 2025?

Here’s how much roofers charge hourly and also their daily rates across different regions in the UK:

	Greater London	Inner London	South East	South West	Wales	Scotland
2024 Hourly Rate	£25.53	£25.13	£24.77	£22.93	£20.72	£19.54
2025 Hourly Rate	£25.91	£25.68	£25.76	£22.93	£19.09	£19.65
2024 Day Rate	£204.28	£201.06	£198.16	£183.47	£165.77	£156.30
2025 Day Rate	£207.29	£205.42	£206.06	£183.40	£152.68	£157.24
% Change YoY	1.5%	2.2%	4.0%	0.0%	-7.9%	0.6%

	Midlands	East Anglia	North East	North West	Northern Ireland	Rep. of Ireland
2024 Hourly Rate	£21.84	£21.99	£22.35	£20.77	£19.57	£18.61
2025 Hourly Rate	£21.92	£22.91	£19.46	£20.68	£19.96	£17.38
2024 Day Rate	£174.74	£175.94	£178.81	£166.19	£156.58	£148.86
2025 Day Rate	£175.34	£183.30	£155.65	£165.47	£159.64	£139.00
% Change YoY	0.3%	4.2%	-13.0%	-0.4%	2.0%	-6.6%

The total average day rate of a roofer in the UK is £174.
The total average hourly rate of a roofer in the UK is £22.

What Is The Average Hourly Rate Of A Tiler In 2025?

Here’s how much tilers charge hourly and also their daily rates across different regions in the UK:

	Greater London	Inner London	South East	South West	Wales	Scotland
2024 Hourly Rate	£25.77	£25.21	£25.24	£22.61	£20.61	£21.00
2025 Hourly Rate	£25.83	£25.10	£25.53	£22.56	£20.04	£20.44
2024 Day Rate	£206.16	£201.68	£201.92	£180.89	£164.85	£168.01
2025 Day Rate	£206.62	£200.77	£204.26	£180.51	£160.34	£163.49
% Change YoY	0.2%	-0.5%	1.2%	-0.2%	-2.7%	-2.7%

	Midlands	East Anglia	North East	North West	Northern Ireland	Rep. of Ireland
2024 Hourly Rate	£21.46	£22.74	£21.49	£20.58	£21.65	£18.63
2025 Hourly Rate	£20.78	£22.74	£19.41	£19.51	£22.72	£17.38
2024 Day Rate	£171.72	£181.93	£171.89	£164.63	£173.19	£149.04
2025 Day Rate	£166.25	£181.94	£155.25	£156.09	£181.73	£139.00
% Change YoY	-3.2%	0.0%	-9.7%	-5.2%	4.9%	-6.7%

The total average day rate of a tiler in the UK is £175.
The total average hourly rate of a tiler in the UK is £22.

What Is The Average Cost Of Tradesmen In 2025?

In 2025, the average cost of hiring a tradesperson in the UK varies depending on the trade and expertise required. Here’s a table summarising the hourly rates and day rates of tradesmen across different professions:

Trade	Hourly Rate	Day Rate	Trade	Hourly Rate	Day Rate
Bricklayer	£22.57	£180.56	General Builder	£21.86	£174.89
Carpenter	£24.29	£194.30	Groundworker	£20.79	£166.36
Carpet fitter	£24.34	£194.76	Labourer	£16.76	£134.11
Decorator	£20.62	£164.94	Plasterer	£22.12	£176.95
Electrician	£28.90	£231.18	Plumber	£25.57	£204.53
Foreman	£34.40	£275.17	Roofer	£21.78	£174.21
Gas Safe Engineer	£35.07	£280.57	Tiler	£21.84	£174.69

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