TradeLinkers
Short jobs, quick turnarounds, invoices out before the plaster's dry
TradeLinkers suits plasterers running several short jobs a week. Price a room or a day rate as an estimate, book it on the calendar with clash warnings around your time off, send the customer an On my way email, and invoice from your phone before you've washed the buckets out. The dashboard shows what's still owed.
14 days free, no card. Then £9.99 a month. iPhone users can use the web app.
Typical plasterer jobs, all in one list
Any job works. These are the ones a plasterer books in most weeks.
What changes when a plasterer runs the paperwork on TradeLinkers
Lots of short jobs
Two days here, a morning's patching there. Day, Week and Month views show where the gaps are, and blocking out time off gives you a clash warning if a job lands on it.
Invoice the same day
Finish the skim, open the job and create the invoice. It emails as a PDF with your bank details and payment reference, and you can see when the customer has opened it.
Booked by other trades
If a builder or electrician books you, make them the customer and their client's house the property. The invoice goes to whoever booked you, with the right address on the job.
Room cleared before you arrive
On Android, send an Appointment reminder email the day before so the furniture is moved and the room is clear. On the day, On my way and Running late are one tap from the job.
See who still owes you
The Android dashboard totals what is outstanding and overdue. The Send payment reminder button emails the customer when you decide it is time to chase.
Estimate to invoice in one tap
Price per room or per day on the estimate. When the job's done, turn it into the invoice with the same lines, then add anything that changed on the day.
What a plasterer's invoice looks like
Each room as a fixed figure, with materials on their own line. The same layout works whether you price per room, per square metre or by the day.
Example figures to show the layout, not a price guide. Your own prices, business details, bank details and VAT setting go on the real thing.
| Description | Qty | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Bedroom 1: skim walls and ceiling | 1 | £560.00 |
| Bedroom 2: skim walls | 1 | £390.00 |
| Landing ceiling: overboard and skim after leak | 1 | £340.00 |
| Board, finish plaster and beads | 1 | £110.00 |
Straight answers
Should I price per square metre, per room or by the day?
Use whichever the customer understands, but build it from your day rate. Work out how long the room takes, multiply by your day rate, add materials and travel, and you have a per-room price. Per square metre suits bigger boarding or rendering jobs where the area is easy to agree.
Set your rate with the day rate calculator, and see pricing a job for the rest.
Does re-plastering an outside wall need building regulations?
It can. Planning Portal guidance for England says that where 25% or more of an external wall is being renovated, building regulations would normally apply, and the wall's insulation would have to meet current standards. Renovation means adding a new layer or replacing an existing one, not a decorative finish, so hacking off back to brick and re-plastering an outside wall may count.
Ask building control before you price a job like that, as added insulation changes the work and the price.
How long should I give customers to pay?
Set it before you start and print it on the invoice. For homeowners, a short term such as 7 days keeps things moving. For business customers, if no payment date was agreed, the law treats payment as late 30 days after they got the invoice or you did the work, whichever is later, and you can then claim statutory interest.
TradeLinkers adds a due date from the default in your settings. Work out interest with the late payment calculator.
Who do I invoice when a builder or electrician books me?
Whoever booked you and agreed the price. If a builder brings you in, invoice the builder, not their client, unless all three of you have agreed otherwise. For patching after a rewire, settle up front whether the electrician or the homeowner is paying.
In TradeLinkers, make the trade who booked you the customer and save their client's house as a property, so the job has the right address and the invoice goes to the right person.
What TradeLinkers does not do yet
- No CIS deductions for work you do as a subcontractor.
- Plastering files under Other in the fixed job categories, and the booking form shows the same list.
- No area calculator. Work out the square metres yourself and type the quantity.
Tell us what would help: get in touch. The person who reads it builds the app.
Tools and guides
Day rate calculator
What to charge per day to hit the income you want.
Job price calculator
Labour, materials, markup and VAT in one sum.
How do you price a job as a tradesperson?
Price a job from your real costs: a day rate, materials markup, call-out, travel and contingency, then VAT if you're registered. With a worked example.
How do you chase an unpaid invoice?
How to chase an unpaid invoice step by step: reminder timings, statutory interest and £40 to £100 compensation for business debts, and small claims.
Run your plasterer paperwork from the van.
14 days free, no card needed. After that it's £9.99 a month for everything, and you can cancel any time.
Android app on Google Play. On an iPhone or a computer, use the web app with the same account.