What Did I Miss?

stacker

submitted a bid monday for a tuck pointing job in a nearby town(20 miles).building is two story,120 foot long.there is some work to be done on the front of the building,above a new brick veneer,about 60 x 20.these are the only two walls on the project.
bid called for power washing,grinding joints out,repointing with matching masonry,water proofing the backside of the parapet wall,and metal coping on the big wall parapet.
i figured 160 hours more/or less.my bid came in at $10,350.00,which i figured high.i was low bidder out of 4 bids.
high bid was $45,000 and change!next two bid were $35,000 and change.
i came in $25,000 under 3rd highest bidder.i even figured 500.00 for gas.
now i know that these companies have higher overhead than i do.i worked for one,mid continetal restoration out of fort scott kansas and i know they pay there men well.but that is alot of difference.

__________________
life is short,do your masonry naked!!
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concretemasonry

It looks like they sow somwthing you did not see, judging from the wide difference between you and the next highest bidder.

Did you look closely regarding the requirements for the parapet wall, capping and flashing? Type of flashing and waterproofing materials? Flashing down and into/behind the existing roofing?

Your competition could have felt there was more routing out and tuckpointing. How about the nasty word "matching" existing masonry?

Since the cap and parapet were included, you should assume there may have been an existing moisture problem that they expect to be completely cured with the repair. Did you look inside? Anytime a parapet is involved, you can expect some moisture problems.

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Dick

Engineer, designer and consultant recently active domestically and internationally on construction and design in about 35 countries.

stacker

here are the specs from the bid sheet.
power washing of all brick surfaces(low or moderate pressure)
defective mortar joints repointed with appropriate mortar mix and color match of existing mortat joints(see appendeix of ASTM C 270)
repair and replca brick in arches over the windows as needed
replace brick and repoint parapet
remove existing anchor bolts and brackets from the building and fill holes
repair movement cracks in the brick wall
clean and fill construction joints where older brick meets newer brick
install metal coping along top of the south wall with watertight seams
waterproof the backside of the parapet wall on south elevation where repointing and or replacing brick is not effective.


when i talked with the lady in charge,she said one company had planned on using metal on the parapet wall to waterproof.
i planned on 1/2 inch of stucco and finish with efis.
i really dont think i missed anything.i just think that these big companies think they can come in here and bid whatever and get away with it.
the county hasnt awarded the bid yet,if i get it,i will make money.just not as much as the big dogs.

__________________
life is short,do your masonry naked!!
http://ok.local.yahoo.biz/knabemasonry/index.html

joasis

So, want to brick a home for me in a few weeks? 10k bricks, ranch style, 4 columns, 2 gables, 4/12 pitch. I was scratching my head....guess I better order the brick.

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Tscarborough

Be very careful Stacker, EIFS is not good for parapets, and even when it is used should have a metal flashing and drainage system or a metal cap.

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It ain't Rocket Science unless you are building rockets.

nlgutters

the only thing you missed out on is about 20k