pricing for a small job - Contractor Talk - Professional Construction and Remodeling Forum

jack 06 · 08-03-2009, 04:03 PM

i just moved to wyoming from the east coast and i have a few small jobs lined up,im looking for help on pricing such as framing, sheetrock, doors and windows.Its small jobs so a few helpful tips would get me on my way

thx

HusqyPro · 08-03-2009, 04:12 PM

Charge enough to cover your materials, overhead, and make a decent profit.

When i do something new I take the materials cost and multiply by 3 to get a price. Then I adjust up or down from there on the next one depending on if I feel I made enough money or not.

Kuba · 08-03-2009, 04:12 PM

Might want to be more specific in your questions by adding details of what you're working on..But with your information Id say that most would agree that if you work fast and show up on time you might get tree fifty.
((puts on a kevlar vest and helmet and looks around))

Kuba · 08-03-2009, 04:15 PM

Wow HusqyPro, you from Gen Id? I use to live in Lewiston & Moscow area...I use to hunt mule deer in your area.. I have a nice pick of a buck i nailed when i was a kid.. ill post it if i find time lol...

HusqyPro · 08-03-2009, 04:17 PM

There's a lot of deer up here after the harvest. I guess they cruise the fields looking for wheat and beans that fell off the combine or something. See em running across HWY 95 like crazy in the fall.

Kuba · 08-03-2009, 05:16 PM

Man i miss hunting Idaho... Living in PA has been one of the greater challenges of my life.

D.Foster · 08-03-2009, 05:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jack 06

i just moved to wyoming from the east coast and i have a few small jobs lined up,im looking for help on pricing such as framing, sheetrock, doors and windows.Its small jobs so a few helpful tips would get me on my way

thx

Well..... Lots of variables there man. Do you know how long it takes you to do those mentioned jobs? Are you sheet rocking a ceiling on the second floor up a tiny stairwell over antique furniture?Is the framing in a basement where there are gas lines, pipes, wires,ducts,litter boxes....
Replacement windows, or new construction? Pre hung, or slab doors?

Static Design · 08-03-2009, 05:47 PM

free fiddy

mikeswoods · 08-03-2009, 06:28 PM

There are some expensive and semi useless estimating books.

Craftsman NATIONAL REPAIR & REMODELING is one, Gives you aprox. time materials overhead. It's a starting point only.

BOBS advice is good you really need to figure each job and the unique factors of that job. Be careful of falling into the PRICE PER SQUARE FOOT nightmare. Think about this one example: tile setting 6.50 sf.

400 sf basement 1 day to set -one half day to grout

35 sf bath floor 1 day shot - 1/2 day shot

22 sf back splash 1 day ruined - 1/2 more trashed

PRICE PER sq ft not to good. How would feel on payday if the customer remeasured your job and found your number was a few square foot high?

Best luck and welcome to the group

MIKE

TBFGhost · 08-03-2009, 07:19 PM

You know I have to admit, many people say pricing out jobs is the hardest thing to do, but I have to disagree. After a few times I have got a pretty good idea of what I am looking for pricing wise....of course it helped that while I was working hourly as in employee I paid attention to how long it took me to do something and what materials where used....now I just plug those numbers into my bid. My bid is O.H.(which I worked out to an hourly rate based on working hours in a year)+material+ the amout of profit I am looking to make. O.H. was easy to figure out if you just keep track of your expenses in a spead sheet. The very first jobs where a little bit of an educated guess, but things smooth out fast if you keep track of your costs.... Is this over simplified? Yeah, but it works for me...for now...

jack 06 · 08-09-2009, 11:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kuba

Might want to be more specific in your questions by adding details of what you're working on..But with your information Id say that most would agree that if you work fast and show up on time you might get tree fifty.
((puts on a kevlar vest and helmet and looks around))

wat the feck is this tree fifty i hear about

ScipioAfricanus · 08-09-2009, 11:47 PM

Oh my, you opened this up again and got off so easy the first time.
I might as well tell you that asking "how much should I charge for my work" questions are, shall I say, 'frowned upon' here by many.
We seem to take an unhealthy delight in flaming (cyber speak for verbally abusing) those who post such things.
The reasons for this are many and varied but mostly because it is so much GD fun.
"Tree Fitty" was coined here by a guy known as Mickyco. Jeez that guy was so great and knowledgeable too. I dearly wish he would come back.
Well I hope this answers a few questions for you just not any "how much" questions.

Andy.

carpentershane · 08-12-2009, 06:18 PM

Where in WY are you??

TBFGhost · 08-12-2009, 06:31 PM

My biggest question is what the does region have to do with your pricing confusion? If you already ran a company, then you should know what it takes to build things and what it took for you to live where you were, now just update that, if you have to, to support where you live now....

denverboz · 08-16-2009, 09:21 AM

I use a couple estimating books from Home Tech, about the best I've seen, plus they're calibrated to your local area, plus they give you lots of wiggle room to adjust the numbers for yourself.