Tile Showers Pricing?

floormechanic

I am just curious what the going rate for some of you who install tile showers....right now I charge 9.50 a sq. ft. depending on the detail. I install the fiber rock, etc, myself which is included in this price. I was just curious if I am over pricing or if this is a fair marketable rate.

JJC

You haven't mentioned your location. It would be difficult to compare the labor prices of where I work to where you work as each area is different in price structure. It's like trying to compare an apple against a grapefruit.
Since you told me your price, I'll tell mine . Checked the last shower I did. It figured to be $15plus /sq ft. Labor only. I don't do demo, and I don't do backerboards,etc. That belongs to someone else. Everything is prepared for me before I show up. I also only do ceramic and stone tile.
Jim

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Jim
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Mike Finley

Way more than 9.50 sq foot, plus individual extra charges for a mud pan vs a fiberglass pan, sizes of tile (bigger or smaller than 13x13 gets a surcharge), a cut pattern vs a listello would get a surcharge, pattern such as diagonal vs block pattern gets a surcharge, a shower bench gets a surcharge, a corner shelf and built in shelfs get surcharges, type of product to be installed anything other than ceramic or porcelain gets a surcharge such as glass tiles or natural stone. Sealing is always included in the base price.

We also do the entire job from start to finish, demo to sealing. Any demo, framing and fabrication costs extra. As does moving drains, changing out valves.

Gordo

Figure your daily rate requirement, then multiply by how many days to complete. Add materials plus M/U.

Why do you floor guys continue to charge by the foot? So many variables play a factor on these jobs that prevent a standard square foot pricing.

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Looks like some pros were here.

MattCoops

gordo,

we've always charged by the square foot
what is wrong with that?
theres your way, and the sq ft way

different "variables " that play a factor are listed on a sheet in the clipboard. These are added into the multiples.

Theres a demo charge
a backboard charge
an underlayment/waterproof/anti-fracture charge (if stone tile or a basement job)

these are pretty much set prices

then, theres the tile install charge
this increases depending on tile size, composition, layout pattern, etc.

then, theres a grout, clean, and seal charge

these are all charged by the square foot
which pricing was calculated and formatted after careful consideration

any little extras are added in

you just got to take the time to determine what you are gonna charge per square foot for each aspect of the project

I would think coming up with an hourly rate would be tough

I can demo, lay backerboard, snap lines, and start laying tile all in the same day. So if I did an hourly charge for demo, prep, and install for the first day it would be a different rate for the next day.
And if I wanted to be an ass I could say I'll take a 3 day job, charge an hourly rate and ride out the job. Demo one day, prep another day, lay tile for a couple days, grout one day, seal one day. All them days add up to a pretty penny.

I would never bid a job by the day or by the hour. Who knows what you'll run into. What if you work fast and complete the job early?
Will the homeowner chase you for the extra hours you bidded in the estimate?

I think an hourly rate is ridiculous. For any bid.

Sq ft method is accurate

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Matt with Cupan Custom Tile & Paint of Lowell, Massachusetts
Design and installation of ceramic tile and natural stone for floor, wall, and countertops
(978) 601-8774 | cupantile@gmail.com | view tile pictures and more

Ansel

I agree that charging by the square foot is not the way to go (sometimes). Most comercial GC's around here, and probably anywhere will try to lock you into a square foot bid. They are also sure to rant if you tell them much more than 6 or 7 bucks a square foot for a simple job, plus maybe a buck fifty for the backers or ditra. I was told by a super on a job in a very afluent town nearby, that he was paying $5.50. I didn't even bid that one. I have installed Morocan mosaic tiles before, and I would have lost my shirt if I had attempted to do THAT one by the square foot OR by the job. I was frank with the homeowners, and told them that I had to charge hourly because I have never dealt with that exact tile before.

Every job is different, and I bid them accordingly. When I absolutely have to bid by the square foot, I charge $8 to set the tile and $2 for the Ditra. I just finished a shower today for $1,250. It had a preinstalled fiberglass pan. I just hung the Denshield and tiled it. I came to about $18 SF. In the future, I think that I will bid a shower with a fiberglass pan at about $1,500, and a mud pan at 2,500. These are just labor prices for a moderate size shower.

kevjob

figure out how many days you think it will take add at least one and then multiply your daily rate times the days and you should be near what you need to make

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Basement Finishing Highlands Ranch Colorado
Littleton Colorado, Basement Remodeling
Kitchen Remodeling Denver

numbknees

i do custom all mud showers
base price: $20.00/sq.ft
bench: $200.00
recessed niche : $200.00
window: $200.00
deco stripe: depends on the complexity $10.00 /lin.ft.
double the price for ceilings

numbknees

i applaud you on that one
rather than lowering your price
pass it by and let a hack do it
then the builder will get the message
he gets what he pays for
i'm sooo sick of builders & homeowners that want
a first class job for a fraction of the going rate

if you do good work
doing it for a cut rate
hurts the rest of us...and our families
that's one reason why i sought out this forum
to find out what others are charging
and let others know what i charge

Bud Cline

$150.00 per square foot no if's and's or but's, includes a corner bench and a niche or corner shelf. Glazed ceramic tile only, size of tile doesn't matter, one deco-liner if desired. Basement, second floor, doesn't matter. Customer supplies the tile and grout.

J&J Home Imp.

Wow did he really say $150.00 a foot? I start at $1500 and go up from there. I usually just eye ball a shower and tell them a price and roll. I haven't done anything really fancy yet mostly average. The last one I did was a 3x5 mud pan 12x12 tile with a corner seat. I hadn't used on of those seats before so that slowed me a bit but I did it in 3 days and charged $2100 and the HO supplied the tile and grout. I also did all the carpet, hardwood and other tile in the house and when I get a whole house I charge a little less. If I had gone in just to do the shower I probably would have gone up another couple hundred or so.

numbknees

jeez bud

you really get that ($150/s.f.)?

Bud Cline

Actually that statement is slightly misleading. For a long time I was trying to find a means of quoting a shower over the phone. Most phone calls are from shoppers looking for a bottom-line kind of deal.

In addition when I did have a chance to make a site-visit I wanted to be able to do a quick quote on the spot as a lot of these people are also just shopping for the lowest price, period.

That $150 amount is based on the footprint of the shower. I quote the footprint square footage multiplied by $150 per square foot. Then I wait for a reaction. It is pretty easy to single-out and seperate those desiring a quality installation from the WalMart shoppers this way. If the potential customer doesn't immediately pop their cork then I can be reasonably sure it may be worth my time to do a long hand estimate based on the details of the specific job.

That's what it's all about.

I usually get 3 out of 5 showers I quote to strangers and 5 out of 5 that come from referrals and repeat builders. This also gives my retailers a solid number to start to work with.

J&J Home Imp.

Now that you explain it that is a good way to ballpark. You can even do that over the phone if they know the foot print.

numbknees

that's a great method

i checked out the formula
on some of the recent showers i've done
and that number comes in a little low
my math makes 175+ for the ballpark baseline figure


-bill

tileguy51

I do alot of custom showers, and I usually get 12- 18 dollars a square foot depending on how much cutting and or paterns involved. Im almost burned out doing them latley. I also just bought the rigid 10 in. tile saw and wonderd if anyone has it or heard good or bad about it.

Mr. Green Genes

I think I may start using that $150/sq.ft. footprint method, if you don't mind.
As a method of checking for spreadsheet errors if nothing else.

PrecisionFloors

Somehow I missed this thread earlier.....

To the op: You are giving your time and talent away at those prices imo. I don't know your market or your abilities though.

I actually like your way of figuring Bud, I may have to steal that one from ya. It sounds like a nice simple way of doing it.

I usually try and figure out how many days I will have invested and the difficulty of the design and base a price on what its worth to me to do it, plain and simple. I get some and lose some.....the ones I get are damn well worth it

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tophatt

75.00-kerdi drain install
7.50 sq ft for walls
30 sq ft for floor if mudding it
8. ceilings
10 lin ft for curb and jamb
3-5 lin ft for accent rows, like row of diamonds and triangles, or sheat mounted accents
1.00 sq ft extra for ceiling or walls on 45 angle
2 sq ft extra if stone
50 for each corner shelve
anything more as far as prep or specialty I base of time. usually about 50 per/hour

I use kerdi water proofing and drain system, so might make a difference.
And this is just labor.

shed-n-deck

I'm no tile guy, but I charge more than that for kitchen counters...And bathroom stalls are far more complicated than Kitchen counters. If I were to do a shower, I think my minimum price would be close to twice what you are asking for.

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Shed