Thanks Ken,
I just decided a long time ago that I was spending too much time estimating the jobs instead of talking to the client, estimating other jobs or just doing the work. It's pretty easy to come up with a formula to use after you have estimated a few jobs. Just estimate three decks the normal way and keep track of the square footage of the deck itself. Then do something like this.
floor averages a total of 700 square feet.
charging $1.50 per square foot on deck = $1048.50
the railings and spindles avereage 108 linear feet.
rails and spindles at 108 linear feet at $2.50 per foot = $270.00
The square foot price for this job would be 1.88 a square foot (deck floor measurement), this would include the rails and floors.
I priced it with what I believe is close to the industry standard pricing of $2 a square foot. That's how I came up with $1400
As I said before, if there was lattice, pond/pool, lots of plants, steps or high elevation I would charge additional (PITA) factor.
The PITA pricing factor is something everyone has to figure out for themselves. Some of you might not mind lattice as much as I do..lol.
Some guys will price the labor out then add extra for the sealer, chems ect but it usually works out about the same in the long run. Now it's true that a lot of guys will charge less or more than this base price but it's something that you can use to figure out estimates faster.
Some people may think I'm crazy for not measuring every single peice of wood but that's okay, I think it's too time consuming. I want to concentrate on service and results more than my estimates. I may get $20 less than someone else or use a gallon more sealer than I though but to me, it's worth it in the long run. A $20 profit loss isn't going to hurt me if I can increase my speed and get to estimates faster.
I wonder what home owners think when someone is out there measuring every side and piece of wood or spending so much time to do it.
If I was them, I would be thinking MAN, this is gonna be expensive..lol
Or, doesn't this guy know what he's doing? Why is it taking him so long to estimate this job if he knows what he's doing?
When I'm hiring someone to work on my home I want someone that's quick, decisive and knows what they are doing. If they spend a lot of time figuring out the price I'm going to wonder, how often do they do this?
Please take this as help, not critisizm. If what your doing works for you and you get the job that's great! I'm just trying to offer some help to save you some time and tell you what works for us. |