How to Quote a Job as an Artisan in Nigeria: A Pricing Guide for Plumbers, Electricians, Tilers, Welders and Tailors

A practical guide for Nigerian artisans on quoting jobs that pay: costing materials, pricing labour, deposits, written quotes, handling price changes and…

Published September 2026 · Business · by Skillnaija Team

Most Nigerian artisans are excellent at their craft and poor at pricing it. They quote from memory, forget half the materials, undercharge for labour because the customer 'is a relative', buy materials with their own money, and end the month busy but broke. Pricing is a skill, and it is the one that separates the artisan with a motorcycle from the one with a workshop. This guide sets out a method that works for plumbers, electricians, tilers, welders, tailors, POP installers, painters and anyone who sells skilled work.

Rule one: never quote before you have seen the job

A leak 'somewhere in the wall' is not a job; it is a diagnosis. Visit, measure, photograph, ask what the customer expects, and only then quote. If a visit costs you transport, charge a call-out or inspection fee (₦3,000 to ₦10,000 in 2026) that is deducted from the job if you get it. Customers who will not pay for a visit will not pay for the job.

Rule two: cost every material at today's price

Write the full list — every pipe, fitting, cable, breaker, bag of cement, sheet of board, metre of steel, zip and reel of thread — with the quantity and the current market price. Add 10% for waste and the fitting you will discover is also broken. Prices in Nigeria move with the exchange rate; a quote given in January cannot be honoured in June, so date it and state that it is valid for seven to fourteen days.

Rule three: price your labour as a number, not a feeling

Decide what your time is worth per day or per hour and stick to it. In 2026 a competent self-employed artisan in a Nigerian city should earn ₦10,000 to ₦25,000 a day in labour, more for skilled trades and more in Lagos and Abuja. Estimate the days honestly (double your first guess for anything you have not done before), multiply, and add the cost of helpers. For small repairs use a minimum charge — a ₦3,000 tap washer still takes an hour of your day and transport.

Rule four: add the costs customers never see

Transport to and from the site (every visit), tool wear and replacement, consumables (blades, discs, tape, glue), phone and data, and the days you spend looking for work. A share of these — 20% to 30% on top of labour — belongs in every quote. Then add profit: the money that buys the next tool. Without profit you are an employee of your customers.

Rule five: write it down and take a deposit

A quote on WhatsApp is enough, but it must be itemised: materials with prices, labour, transport, total, what is included and excluded, and the completion date. Then take a deposit that covers all the materials, and never buy materials with your own money — the customer who 'will pay when you finish' is the customer who does not. Balance on completion, after they have inspected. Keep the messages; they are your contract.

A worked example: a bathroom re-plumb

• Materials: PPR pipes and fittings, valves, waste pipes, tap connectors, sealants — ₦48,000 at market prices, plus 10% waste = ₦52,800
• Labour: two days at ₦18,000 = ₦36,000; a helper one day at ₦6,000 = ₦6,000
• Transport (three visits) and consumables: ₦9,000
• Overhead 25% of labour: ₦10,500
• Profit 20% on labour and overhead: ₦10,500
• Quote: ₦124,800, deposit ₦55,000 (materials), balance on completion, valid 10 days

The artisan who quoted ₦70,000 'all in' from memory for this job would have worked two days for nothing.

Handling 'that is too expensive'

Show the breakdown. Offer to reduce the scope (fewer fixtures, a cheaper tap the customer buys), not your labour rate. Explain what a cheaper job leaves out. Some customers will go to the cheaper artisan; many of them come back after he leaves the job half done. Your reputation for finishing is the thing you are pricing.

The mistakes that keep artisans poor

1. Quoting without visiting and measuring.
2. Forgetting materials, transport and consumables.
3. Charging relatives and church members nothing and resenting it — charge a family rate, but charge.
4. Buying materials with your own money.
5. Accepting 'I will pay you when I am paid'.
6. Taking more jobs than you can finish and missing dates — the fastest way to lose every customer you have.
7. Not keeping records, so you cannot tell which jobs made money.

Learn the trade and the business together

Every Skillnaija trade course ends with a graded job plan and quote — Plumbing, Electrical Wiring, Tiling, Welding, POP, Furniture, Tailoring — because pricing is part of the craft. Small Business Accounting and Local Business Growth cover the records and the customers.

Frequently asked questions

How much should an artisan charge for labour in Nigeria?

A competent self-employed artisan in a Nigerian city should earn ₦10,000 to ₦25,000 a day in labour in 2026, more for skilled trades and in Lagos and Abuja, plus helpers, transport, consumables, 20% to 30% overhead and a profit margin.

Should artisans charge for inspection visits?

Yes, when the visit costs transport and time: a call-out or inspection fee of ₦3,000 to ₦10,000 in 2026, deducted from the job if you get it. Customers who will not pay for a visit rarely pay for the job.

How much deposit should an artisan take?

Enough to cover all the materials, so you never buy with your own money. Balance is paid on completion after the customer has inspected the work.

How long should a quote be valid?

Seven to fourteen days. Material prices in Nigeria move with the exchange rate, so date the quote and state its validity.

What should a written quote include?

Materials with quantities and prices, labour, transport, the total, what is included and excluded, the deposit, and the completion date — even if it is sent on WhatsApp.