Crown installed $2.97 ft - Contractor Talk - Professional Construction and Remodeling Forum

zipicus · 09-05-2009, 04:55 PM

A competitor of mine has got his foot in where I do crown and other stuff, he's been around awhile, I have heard of him, infact I think he advertises in vendor pamplets that he won the Angie's List Service award. So he's got on the side of his truck...5 1/4" MDF installed, material included for $2.97 per ft???? This sounds to cheap to me...yes, no? So this guy would do 1 medium sized room(15'x15')..no paint I assume..for $100?? I thought I was cheap! I've been told I am, but man, this is Handy Man rate! Is this what it takes to stay busy??

Joe Carola · 09-05-2009, 05:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zipicus

A competitor of mine has got his foot in where I do crown and other stuff, he's been around awhile, I have heard of him, infact I think he advertises in vendor pamplets that he won the Angie's List Service award. So he's got on the side of his truck...5 1/4" MDF installed, material included for $2.97 per ft???? This sounds to cheap to me...yes, no? So this guy would do 1 medium sized room(15'x15')..no paint I assume..for $100?? I thought I was cheap! I've been told I am, but man, this is Handy Man rate! Is this what it takes to stay busy??

15x15 room is 60' x 2.97 = $17820

Winchester · 09-05-2009, 05:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zipicus

A competitor of mine has got his foot in where I do crown and other stuff, he's been around awhile, I have heard of him, infact I think he advertises in vendor pamplets that he won the Angie's List Service award. So he's got on the side of his truck...5 1/4" MDF installed, material included for $2.97 per ft???? This sounds to cheap to me...yes, no? So this guy would do 1 medium sized room(15'x15')..no paint I assume..for $100?? I thought I was cheap! I've been told I am, but man, this is Handy Man rate! Is this what it takes to stay busy??

Maybe he got a great deal on material price

ScipioAfricanus · 09-05-2009, 05:42 PM

Sure, he could it for that.
Hw goes into the room in question, doesn't move a thing, maybe puts a drop cloth on the nicer furniture...maybe not. Sets up his saw outside the front door, measure one wall...BAM...two boards about 15' long with bevels. Slam them up with a Paslode straight nailer.
Two nails every 32" or so, maybe into the joist or studs maybe not, crap everywhere.
Measure the other wall, cut the MDF crown on a bevel again, slam them home, nailed the same as the first.
Two tubes caulking one moist sponge (maybe) and a finger. Smear the crap on.
Pack up the ladder get the check and leave before the chit comes down.
Done.
Hacked out in about an hour, to the HO it looks SOOO much better than before, nail holes and all.
Gets a call in a week to comeback and do the painting with Behr paint $150.00.
It's a beautiful thing...NOT.

Andy.

Willie T · 09-05-2009, 05:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe Carola

15x15 room is 60' x 2.97 = $17820

A little too high, Joe. I'll do it for only fifteen thousand.

mhillc · 09-05-2009, 05:51 PM

Two tubes caulking one moist sponge (maybe) and a finger. Smear the crap on.
Gets a call in a week to comeback and do the painting with Behr paint $150.00.
It's a beautiful thing...NOT.

Andy.[/quote]
Caulk and paint make you what you aint

Joe Carola · 09-05-2009, 07:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Willie T

A little too high, Joe. I'll do it for only fifteen thousand.

I meant $178.20

Willie T · 09-05-2009, 07:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe Carola

I meant $178.20

Oh shucks! And here I was getting all excited at the chance for some big money.

cyezza · 09-05-2009, 07:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zipicus

A competitor of mine has got his foot in where I do crown and other stuff, he's been around awhile, I have heard of him, infact I think he advertises in vendor pamplets that he won the Angie's List Service award. So he's got on the side of his truck...5 1/4" MDF installed, material included for $2.97 per ft???? This sounds to cheap to me...yes, no? So this guy would do 1 medium sized room(15'x15')..no paint I assume..for $100?? I thought I was cheap! I've been told I am, but man, this is Handy Man rate! Is this what it takes to stay busy??

He won't last for long at that price, he is barely covering materials.

katoman · 09-05-2009, 09:13 PM

I see ads like this on the telephone poles. Can't beleive anyone would actually call a guy who advertises like that.

Definitely going to do a hack job. Double that and you come close to covering my labour charge. Materials extra.

I agree, he won't be around long. I just ignore this stuff.

Scribbles · 09-05-2009, 10:48 PM

I could do it for that price; in fact I did 6 years ago. I would hang 700' in a day, looked like crap but never had a call back. I choose not to now. How much do you want to work? And more importantly, who do you want to work for? And for reference the customers I work for now would call me back and complain with that quality.

Scribbles · 09-05-2009, 10:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cyezza

He won't last for long at that price, he is barely covering materials.

Depends on your volume, I can get 5.5" at $.50 a foot, when I buy 3k feet at a time, normal pricing for me is about -$1.00lf. But I buy a lot of trim. I know some of the really big boys round here are in the $.30lf range.

$2.5 - $2.75lf is about standard for production work round here.

cyezza · 09-06-2009, 06:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scribbles

Depends on your volume, I can get 5.5" at $.50 a foot, when I buy 3k feet at a time, normal pricing for me is about -$1.00lf. But I buy a lot of trim. I know some of the really big boys round here are in the $.30lf range.

$2.5 - $2.75lf is about standard for production work round here.

Are you going to buy 3000 LF for this 60 LF job or do you have exactly what they need in stock? I just did a 350LF job for $1,800. So I guess it depends on where you are, quality of work, and how picky your customers are

intrim · 09-06-2009, 09:44 AM

Thats possible if he's just making a few bucks to cover his bills.
Down here in north Texas tract homes are plenty. We've been working with the same builder/community for the past 8yrs. The homes average 350k and up. We run approx 300lf of crown in each, we usally have a few pcs of crown left after each house, which end up getting trashed. For "lunch money" we install it in a HO house for about 100 room, no prep or paint.

Scribbles · 09-06-2009, 10:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cyezza

Are you going to buy 3000 LF for this 60 LF job or do you have exactly what they need in stock? I just did a 350LF job for $1,800. So I guess it depends on where you are, quality of work, and how picky your customers are

I was not stating that that is what I am doing; I charge $4-$5lf. I do buy in volume sometimes when I am doing several houses, but my point is if you are marketing yourself ad a cheap crown guy, I would invest 1500$ in crown so I could make a decent profit on the work.

BCConstruction · 09-06-2009, 10:50 AM

The funny thing is some people really are happy with bad work. As an example my mother-in-law who is a really nice woman by the way

got a guy around to do some crown moulding in her bedroom. The guy was not cheap either at about $450 for the one room with materials. She was more than happy with the work and wont let me take it down. She was going to get the same guy to come out and do the kitchen so i told her i would do it. Just moved over here and had zero tools. went out and bought a mitre box, coping saw some of me farther in laws tools and put some up for her. She was happy but the thing was she was also happy with the last guys

I think there a customer for every quality of work and price, sometime's has no bearing what so ever of the quality of work you will get. Jaw still hits the deck every time i see that crown mouding though lol.

zipicus · 09-06-2009, 05:54 PM

Well, like I said, he was awarded the AL Service award, so he's doing some thing right....I've lost 2 bids to him, but I can't imagine installing in a furnished home for $2.97, I can see if the houses are empty....maybe. But hey since he's my competitor I'm shooting lower, I just made new flyers and listed my install w/no paint @ $2.75 I will just crank it up to $6+ if they want it painted, which is most likely. I think I'm going to get a sign for my truck listing my install rate like he does.....but cheaper, I'm not worried about it, there's plenty of other stuff that keeps me busy out there.

Scribbles · 09-06-2009, 05:58 PM

Charge for estimate, +, have only one style of crown at 2.75, +, work like a car dealer, delivery charge, +, paint, +. It can work, just a bit shady. Pay the bills for the next year and it will get better.

cbfx3 · 09-06-2009, 06:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BCConstruction

The funny thing is some people really are happy with bad work. As an example my mother-in-law who is a really nice woman by the way

got a guy around to do some crown moulding in her bedroom. The guy was not cheap either at about $450 for the one room with materials. She was more than happy with the work and wont let me take it down. She was going to get the same guy to come out and do the kitchen so i told her i would do it. Just moved over here and had zero tools. went out and bought a mitre box, coping saw some of me farther in laws tools and put some up for her. She was happy but the thing was she was also happy with the last guys

I think there a customer for every quality of work and price, sometime's has no bearing what so ever of the quality of work you will get. Jaw still hits the deck every time i see that crown mouding though lol.

wow...

Danz · 09-09-2009, 10:13 AM

not anybody can do crown! and the ones that can should price it with pride. 2.97 a lf is not bad around here + materials.
down here in West Tx. a good trim carpenter shouldn't have to advertise.