Minimum Price For Carpentry?

PlainPainter

So I get this call from a lady to pressure wash her home, some background. I am a painting contractor - that has done all sorts of residing and exterior trim replacement, replaced boards on decks - heck I have done whole roofs. But I am getting into just pressure washing. But she wants two boards replaced on a deck - someone burned a hole into the deck, ruining two ten feet long deckboards, 2x6's ptp. And the floor beam below it is damaged as well - will require some sistering - so there is something to nail down to. Anyways I think about it - and I figure, with all the travel to the lumberyard to get the lumber, and the setup and breakdown of tools - at least should take half of a billable 8 hour day. I was thinking $200 in labor and $50 materials - then decided to be nice and dropped it down to $200 total - my this woman shrieked at me over the phone. Would you guys stoop lower than this, to drive out to look at a job and bid something lower than $200? I know it's only 2 boards - but then again, I don't have one those staples 'easy' buttons. If I was replacing all sorts of trim and clapboards around her house - then of course my time to go get lumber would be leveraged, as well as tool setups and breakdowns - then it would be much cheaper. What do you all think?

Tom R

Let her whimper, - - you gave a more-than-fair price . . .

Cole

Hell no you cant do it any cheaper, if she cant pay that you dont want to work for her anyway.

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mottyk

I agree. Put in the ear plugs and let her shriek . In NY that would be cheap.

aWorkaHolic

How much do you think your worth a day? If this job will only take you half a day, you pretty much want to consider it a full day job. Unless you have another filler job set up on the same day.

I have a few repair techs, and will send them out to do simple jobs like that and your pricing is reasonable. I would send out one of my guys to do for almost that price but I have other jobs going on at the same time.

So if your comfortable at the price you quoted her, I say go for it if thats all you can make in a day.

bujaly

The same problem here, is the some of the shiit I run into weekly. The people today that bought a house a few years back, when EVERYBODY and their 10 year old sister were able too, don't realize how much their home is a cost to maintain. It's BS! I could get into a bunch of BS, but this pisses me off... These new homeowners.

Last I read, it cost 1% to 1.5% of your homes value to keep it up on a yearly basis, on average... That might be an unfounded statement, but it fits the bill.
I understand this scenario was due to
a fire of some sort, but still, the deck needs to maintained, even if due to human error or whatever. I wonder if this lady thinks you're just running around to service people for $100 a day?

I say, screw her. Your time HAS GOT to be worth more than that my man.. Unless, you've got 2 or 4 jobs lined up for the rest of the day as aWorkaHolic stated.

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PlainPainter

In the past - I'd charge people my hourly rate for precisely the amount of time I was on the job. Then after a while - it occured to me, my hourly rate is based upon having 8 hour billable days week after week. Chasing 1-1/2 hour jobs here, 2-1/2 hour jobs there with meeting with customer, gas. It got to the point where I started instituting minimums - and at the minimum - to be fair - I am billing customers for half days for really small jobs - I thougth that was more than fair. For a carpenter - I feel $400 for 8 hours plus materials is ultra fair - so I cut that figure in two - and to be really fair included the price of the two boards, since I am suppose to be cleaning her house. Some people.....

RobertCDF

Thats crap! screw her. If she calls back after not finding a better price tell her its now $300.

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Cole

I like your style!

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PlainPainter

I had one guy in another forum put it to me like so...


Yep, I think $200 was very reasonable. She is not going to get anyone that is going to pry out 2"x6" 's, run to Blowes or Cheapo go through the bowed lumber to find a couple of gems, fix a joist, and then install the boards for less than that. If her mother's, brother's, sister-in-law's, friend's cousin could have fixed it, it would have been done by now.


I don't know if people are just cheap, don't care, or think that 'easy' buttons really do exist. The more you add up your time - things just cost money unless you're some street trash urchin willing to do crap for cheap. And I think it's great to bounce off other guys on these forums - you don't know how ****ty I felt yesterday - you'd think I commited a crime. It's good to come back to these forums and get a reaffirmation that I wasn't way out of line. I am sticking to my minimums. Minimum half-days, just need to figure if $200 is too low to charge for a half-day work. I am thinking more like $250 for carpentry.