Beat out on quote by "legit" contractor

[LawnGuyLandSparky]

and what does a first year apprentice make ? or better yet you business guru you tell me what it cost the employer per hour for a first year apprentice

Rich R, the original estimate put (with 2 guys who are good at this kinda work) a total of 48 mh's to trim out. That seems excessive for an old work residential 80 mh roughout. How much does an apprentice cost you per hour? Hopefully nothing.

 

[jxofaltrds]

The last time I got involved with a plaster and lathe rewire I was able to talk the owner into just gutting the place out to bare studs. It did get the price of the rewire down and made things easier for everyone involved. Now all the cable is in the walls where it belongs and not fished up through the crawl space, there is insulation in the walls and all termite damage repaired , all holes caulked and it's a nice tight house.

Maybe this is what happened. Talked the owner into using the difference for the insulation,etc.

 

[Rich R]

How much does an apprentice cost you per hour? Hopefully nothing.

Yes they cost me nothing except sometimes I toss them a few scraps from the shop dogs bowl

 

[electricguy61]

$13,050 from me and my imagination.

When I first went to quote the job, the customer had already started painting the interior, and was in the process of re-roofing, so part of the scope was dropping everything else I had going and jumping on this job ASAP.

When I didn't hear back from them immediately giving me the go-ahead (I thought I really sold the job), I figured I must be a little high, so I'll knock 10% off and I'll still be OK ($14,400).

Good to know that I was in the ballpark.

I should remember that there's always 1 man shops that may never have done a lathe & plaster job, and bid like it's sheet rock. Come to think of it, I did it myself 30 years ago :grin:. I didn't make that mistake twice.

 

[electricguy61]

You do mean the total Labor Burden for him is $37.50hr then you need to add overhead, operating costs, and profit.

That's correct, it is the labor burden only. Which makes my point that we would be doing the job for nothing.

It's all good. Another day, 'nother dollar in the hole. Best not to get a job and lose money. There's other work.

I haven't missed any meals, nor will I. (1 Timothy 6:7,8)

 

[George Stolz]

Rich, Lawnguy, play nice.

Anyway, not to make this thread educational or anything, but I'm curious.

How much time do you dedicate per hole on this job? Right now, I just pecked in the quantities into my spreadsheet and determined I've got 83 minutes per hole to accomplish the items listed. What is your time allowed?

What is your profit percentage for this type of job, normally?

I think I would take the job for $7900 in a heartbeat.

 

[electricguy61]

Rich, Lawnguy, play nice.

Anyway, not to make this thread educational or anything, but I'm curious.

How much time do you dedicate per hole on this job? Right now, I just pecked in the quantities into my spreadsheet and determined I've got 83 minutes per hole to accomplish the items listed. What is your time allowed?

What is your profit percentage for this type of job, normally?

I think I would take the job for $7900 in a heartbeat.

I figure @ 1 hr per hole, 2 men (1 jw, 1 appr) for these type of jobs. The job is 50 miles away(with traffic), and I pay driving time to the site, so you're down @ 1.5 hours per day right off the bat. I'm pretty happy if 2 men can do 10 openings a day average. Many days go much better, but often you can dump a lot of time in the difficult pulls (exterior walls, fire places, etc.) Also, I require the job to be clean at the end of every day.

I'm pretty confident in my labor figures, I guess I'm just too generous with what and how I pay my labor .

Really though, I've always tried to pay the best wages I can, pay for schooling, health insurance, tools, etc. When I like an employee, they don't usually go anywhere else. That pays me in the long run.

 

[George Stolz]

I figure @ 1 hr per hole, 2 men (1 jw, 1 appr) for these type of jobs. The job is 50 miles away(with traffic)... Also, I require the job to be clean at the end of every day.

Alright, I'm down to $7,331 at 60 MPH and drive and cleaning thrown in.

Edit: Is it a ranch?

 

[electricguy61]

Edit: Is it a ranch?

Nope, just a long ways away.

 

[George Stolz]

LOL - I'll try that again.

Is it single story?

 

[Ohmy]

These whole house rewires can be weird. We normally do them for 1/2 of what other people are charging and they are great profit jobs.

On the same house, I've seen quotes from 5K through 40K.

 

[LawnGuyLandSparky]

.

My TV cost me 1250.00. Period. I traded $1250.00 for a 54" Sony Bravia flatscreen HDTV.

An employee doesn't "cost" money, an employee makes you money and then some. They're HUMAN resourses, assets... not liabilities that just cost money and sit there upon aquisition and do nothing but continue to cost money.

The OP quoted $16,000.00. Apparently, his profit alone is way more than the wages of 2 employees working almost 2 full weeks, and he wasn't going to lift a finger. Why do employers feel they're entitled to more profit that their actual payroll?

 

[cadpoint]

...Just quoted a rewire on an @ 1930's home....

For that time, I think they called them all a cottage house, mostly becuase they were square which has raised above ground and had a crawl space...

The ranch was created in the late 50's - early 60's and is was on a slab...

If you want to call a ranch a single story, you might be well right, but alot of houses around here are still built raised above grade.

Apartments and condo's are mostly all on slab.

 

[electricmanscott]

Why do employers feel they're entitled to more profit that their actual payroll?

The hits just keep coming. :roll:

I hope this was a joke but considering the source I have to believe it is for real.

That said if you have to ask that question you will NEVER understand the answer.

 

[electricguy61]

My TV cost me 1250.00. Period. I traded $1250.00 for a 54" Sony Bravia flatscreen HDTV.

An employee doesn't "cost" money, an employee makes you money and then some. They're HUMAN resourses, assets... not liabilities that just cost money and sit there upon aquisition and do nothing but continue to cost money.

The OP quoted $16,000.00. Apparently, his profit alone is way more than the wages of 2 employees working almost 2 full weeks, and he wasn't going to lift a finger. Why do employers feel they're entitled to more profit that their actual payroll?

I hope you're right, electricmanscott (that this posting is in jest). Cause from this guys profile, he's not a businessman.

I won't bother saying anymore.

 

[electricguy61]

LOL - I'll try that again.

Is it single story?

Now I'm LOL.

No it's not a ranch house, it's single story with crawl space, but very little attic space.

 

[satcom]

We are in an area with an overflow of 20's and 30's era K&T wired homes, and even the most modest one story home rewire with lath and plaster in my area will run from $9K to 14K and your lucky to break even on many of the jobs, if there are dead men in the walls, or walls filled with foam or some type of poured insullation, or even more fun is one filled with brick.

 

[readydave8]

As an employer I feel that I should make more in profit than the amount I'm paying in actual payroll. My employees can go work somewhere else if its a better place to work, so I have to make sure that they are motivated to stay with me, reward them well for hard work.

I don't have employees any more because I make more money this way. Probably because I didn't follow my own advice about profit.

 

[mcclary's electrical]

The hits just keep coming. :roll:

I hope this was a joke but considering the source I have to believe it is for real.
That said if you have to ask that question you will NEVER understand the answer.

:grin::grin:

 

[petersonra]

As an employer I feel that I should make more in profit than the amount I'm paying in actual payroll. My employees can go work somewhere else if its a better place to work, so I have to make sure that they are motivated to stay with me, reward them well for hard work.

I don't have employees any more because I make more money this way. Probably because I didn't follow my own advice about profit.

If you consider profit to be what is left over after all your expenses including payroll, and you are not on the payroll, you might be correct, depending on how few employees you have.

Very few (if any) businesses have the kind of profit margin you are suggesting, although with just one or two employees it might be possible.

These days my guess is most contractors are barely breaking even, although that would be after paying themselves some kind of salary.