Quote:
Originally Posted by JamesNLA
Gentlemen like Mudmaster, who do pretty much the same job over and over, with little dynamics can spend FAR less time adding everything up because It's just SF.....basically. However jobs that have many phases and especially remodel work, just takes far far longer.
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James,
You are correct in saying that all my new work is relatively simple compared to a remodel where you are trying to build off of the HO's mind, and not blueprints.
However, tenant fit outs are 80% custom to suite thier needs, and those are not as easy because nothing is standard.
When I first come on the job and do the "shell" it is firewall fabrication(which takes the longest) the hallway, four walls, and a standard drop ceiling to cover the decking. But when it comes time for the fit outs, it is much more involved, from where they want walls, to plumbing,electrical placement, to door placement, to cabinets/countertops, to flooring, to a different type of acoustical tile(not all want a standard NDF), to type of paint(walls only get primed during shell construction), speciality storefront,etc..
Those take alot more time to calculate. I have done a FEDEX Kinkos on one site, and done another somewhere else, with two completely different set ups. Restaraunts are even more involved because of FRP,Stainless,Tile, etc.. Sometimes a customer decides they want trim and chair rail instead of your basic cove base..so long story short, it is much more complicated.
Like you, it can take me up to 8 hours DESK time to do a proper estimate, which does not include material pricing, subcontractor pricing,etc..it can take a few days or more to get it right.
In closing, I would rather spend a week on a proposal and have all my ducks in a row, than to spend an hour on a proposal and have my ducks flying in four different directions.
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