Estimating Replacing An Existing 500sqft 2nd Floor Deck

Will Johnson

Working on costs estimating a 2nd floor deck replacement. It's in the back of the house, so demo will be a bit of work, but there's access for bobcat & excavator, so the heavy work will go quicker.

Wondering about typical estimates for labor costs on installing a deck like this:
Runs across the back of a 28' wide house, we'll use 5/4 x 6 Ipe, top screwed (not plugged), rough DF framing (city code is a bit more restrictive than the Prescriptive Residential Wood Deck Guide Construction Guide).

We're using 16"oc, short joist spans w/ hangers, 6x6 posts, 6x10 girders, typical Simpson (hangers/postcaps/standoff bases/ties, etc). No stairs

Looking for $13-14/sqft for install...

Comments?

BuiltByMAC

Danger Will Johnson, Danger Will Johnson - requests for "How much should I charge" usually get derisive responses.

Mac

Will Johnson

Thanks for dropping in, Mac. The fact is I'm cursed with a trait that has me throwing my hat over the hedgerow time & again. Can't seem to learn.

Upside is I've grown from a mow-n'-blow to a well respected landscape contractor in just a few years. Downside, not as profitable as I'd like to be. I find it difficult to estimate work I've not done a lot of, and just want to reduce the likelyhood I end up providing free work for otherwise-well-paying clients. So I asked.

Being a very small company allows me to take on unusual projects, so I often collaborate with other contractors or subs to make sure it turns out right.

rbsremodeling

Will

Here is some advice I can give,sub the deck out and have the sub price it and put a mark up on it.

Or

Figure out the materials and get a quote, figure out labor and add a few days and put a mark up on those numbers. Make a journal and start to gather actual labor and material cost for jobs and use it for historical data on future jobs.

or

Buy an estimating book like rs means or home tech and use it as guide for pricing out jobs your not sure about. Look at the numbers and adjust them for your guys and do not be over optimistic on the days it will take to complete the work

__________________

John Hyatt

Well Shucks Will,,Just send me on over the plans and by guppies I will show you how to bid that little girl, All for Free!!! J.

Will Johnson

Materials quote - check (about $ 10k )
Labor estimate.... 3 guys / 10 days (my wife insists I double my labor estimates) @ $30/hr. ($7,200)

Are we talking a simple excel spreadsheet here? I'm sometimes organizationally challenged. THIS is something I'd love to get WAY better at.

fwiw, I've kept every single invoice/receipt for a few years now, and they are logged to QB by job, so I HAVE all the info... The task of pulling out the numbers in a way that they're usable isn't something I've mastered yet.

Thanks John - don't know ya well enough to know if my leg just got pulled, but that's a mighty kind offer!

Off for a 9am appt -

John Hyatt

Consider your leg puled clear into canada. J.

Brock

That job should bid out around $34.50 psf.

Will Johnson

We need an 8' diameter steel staircase on one side.

Know of a manufacturers that make a kit?