Backfilling Estimates For Curbs, Islands, Parking Lots, Sidewalks, Etc?

BeetsZ71

First off I am new to the forum and am amazed by the all the info and help you guys post here. I currently work as an estimator for a grading and excavating business.

How do you guys estimate your backfills? By backfill I mean for curbs, islands, pavement areas such as roads, parking, or sidewalks not backfilling for foundations or buildings.

Do you figure for so many linear or square feet per day?

I would assume to use a D5 dozer for along curbs, sidewalks, and roadways in open areas and backhoes or skidsteers for tighter spots and filling in islands. Also you can allow for a truck day to bring in or move dirt around onsite.

Currently we have no science involved with our backfilling estimates. We just look at the site plan and kinda say a day here, 2 days here, 1/2 a day here, etc., etc. and compare our numbers between 2 or 3 people. We have beeen talking of pulling up some of our data for past jobs we did and trying to compile some sort of rule or general guideline for backfilling in the future.

So how do you guys come up with the time needed to backfill? I know no two jobs are the same but I'm just trying to come up with something to go by in the future to get a little bit of science involved with our backfilling estimates.

jmic

Beats me Beets,
I must have gone to the same school, cause thats about the same method that I use.

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Joe

tgeb

That pretty much covers it!

Anything else we can help you with?

BTW..Welcome!

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Tom

www.gebcon.com

denick

Welcome Beets,

Glad to have you aboard. I'm with the other guys on this. There isn't enough of that type of work around here. Everything around here would have a hard time using a D5 grading near curbing. Where are you from?

If you could document some of the past work and start now recording what it takes to do the work your doing that would be he best information you could go by.

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Nick

"Every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life are based on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving" Albert Einstein

BeetsZ71

I am from and in the St. Louis, MO area.

denick

Beets,

What do you do to document daily production on jobs? We are a pretty small company but with the accounting software we use and our daily job sheets my wife can tell you costs pertaing to any taskon a job in less than an hour after she has the information.

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Nick

"Every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life are based on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving" Albert Einstein

BeetsZ71

Backfilling doesn't get much attention by us. We just do it. We like to keep a daily yard count, load count, and gross yards for the project. Tons too if we are hauling rock or debris.

denick

Beet,

How big are your projects?

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Nick

"Every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life are based on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving" Albert Einstein

BeetsZ71

They can get pretty big. We do anything from residential driveway demos and basement digs all the way up to state highway and bridge projects. We do a lot of commercial work.

denick

Do you collect daily crew production information?

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Nick

"Every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life are based on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving" Albert Einstein

BeetsZ71

Not really. We may do it for a single day and come up with an average.

denick

Have you ever looked at software lke HCSS's Heavyjob? hcss.com

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Nick

"Every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life are based on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving" Albert Einstein

BeetsZ71

I have now. It appears to be decent just judging by the fact that some of the bigger names in town are clients.

rino1494

Doing that type of work is basically the same for us, just estimate a couple days here or there. Moving material for cuts/fills we do by the yard. When it comes to clean up, we just estimate days.

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