ABSOLUTELY NO DISRESPECT TO KEN & JOHN (must say this off the bat
) but, there are other factors to consider when "pricing lower" for the quantity jobs. We did a 32 deck townhome community last year... it was priced substantially lower than what a single homeowner would have paid but take this into consideration:
1) Gas increases (you know the daily one we're experiencing recently) - when you're working in ONE location, you're not driving to a half dozen different addresses throughout the week.
2) Set up & tear down time.....if you park well, you can generally knock out quite a few decks before you have to move your equipment (if you're trailer mounted like we are)
3) Word of mouth & exposure - hitting this many residences, being present on site for days and days - I'm betting that these people know far more others than live in the complex. You've indicated that the yellow pages are full of ads - word of mouth referrals are what you are going to need to rise above the other advertisers.
4) Experience, experience, experience......the vast majority of deck companies cannot boast of 50 decks in a month or two, most average fewer than that many in a year. You'll be so comfortable with your product by the end of this job, you'll be flying through the higher end jobs, increasing your profits.
The final question would be, if you don't get this job, are you still booked up? What else would you be doing? You HAVE to be honest and realistic in evaluating this question. Don't bid it and LOSE money, but think about 1-4 when deciding if doing it for less than a single family home is going to make it worth your time and energy.
Celeste