Bidding a new home

[brantmacga]

Going rate here in South Georgia is $2.85/ft + $1000 for the service. I’ve heard as high as $4.25. I don’t offer sq ft pricing.

I can’t compete at those prices. I do custom homes though; I’ve attached some pricing screenshots from one I priced a few weeks ago. I think this house was around 2400 sq ft, and pretty basic.

Keep in mind any fixtures mentioned in the take-off are labor only; I do have a line for the cost to provide recessed fixtures.

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[romex jockey]

Ok, I guess I have to tweak my formula for smaller houses. But it works well for houses 2000+ square feet, which are the only sizes I've wired recently.

The latest 'save the planet' trend is micro-homes.

Basically a shoebox , every usual amenity stuffed in a big fight for inches, aided by archy's looking for thier 'green' merit badge.

They'll gladly 'tweek' every aspect of it, including the bidders.

~RJ~

 

[peter d]

I can speak to the Florida market as I'm very familiar with it. My mom purchased a new home in SW Florida and I was involved in the process. Basically every new house in that area of Florida are wired by a handful of mega EC's that also wire practically every new home in the state. They do it with piece rate labor and buying material by the truck load. The work is generally horrible and done very quickly.

 

[DBoone]

Going rate here in South Georgia is $2.85/ft + $1000 for the service. I’ve heard as high as $4.25. I don’t offer sq ft pricing.

I can’t compete at those prices. I do custom homes though; I’ve attached some pricing screenshots from one I priced a few weeks ago. I think this house was around 2400 sq ft, and pretty basic.

Keep in mind any fixtures mentioned in the take-off are labor only; I do have a line for the cost to provide recessed fixtures.

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Thanks for sharing that info Georgia

 

[DBoone]

I can speak to the Florida market as I'm very familiar with it. My mom purchased a new home in SW Florida and I was involved in the process. Basically every new house in that area of Florida are wired by a handful of mega EC's that also wire practically every new home in the state. They do it with piece rate labor and buying material by the truck load. The work is generally horrible and done very quickly.

Are their workers employees or subs. How do they do their piece rate system...hey guy, I’ll pay you this much for every receptacle you install, this much for every foot of Romex you run?

 

[electrofelon]

I find often I have to take a pay cut to do a new resi job. Often I can do additions/renovations/rewires at near or at my normal full rate. Had one major addition/renovation (basically like a new construction really) and I gave them a price that figured labor at $80 (300 man hours IIRC) I figured and actual material cost. Total price was like 29k IIRC. GC told me they got another price that was just slightly higher, and then he talked to a third guy as a consultant to get his opinion on the two prices, and he said they were both LOW. In the end though , they must have found someone cheaper, which isnt really hard to do. I dont have anyone cheap working for me, nor do I care to.

I remembered I still have those plans. So for completeness, price was 28.5K, new service, all material except fixtures and fans, 3200 sq feet, about half new construction, half rewire. Seems roughly in line with what brantmacga came up with.

 

[cdslotz]

Are their workers employees or subs. How do they do their piece rate system...hey guy, I’ll pay you this much for every receptacle you install, this much for every foot of Romex you run?

If it's like Texas, they use sub-crews (Ro-Mexicans). A sub-crew that only does rough-in's, a sub-crew that only trims out, etc

The EC's don't pay SS or unemployment tax because....well...they are subs.

 

[electrofelon]

If it's like Texas, they use sub-crews (Ro-Mexicans). A sub-crew that only does rough-in's, a sub-crew that only trims out, etc

The EC's don't pay SS or unemployment tax because....well...they are subs.

Are they licensed? subbing can get you around SS and unemployment but not around licensing requirements.

 

[ceb58]

Are their workers employees or subs. How do they do their piece rate system...hey guy, I’ll pay you this much for every receptacle you install, this much for every foot of Romex you run?

That is what happens around here. EC that works for a very large tract builder. He sends his regular sparkies in to do the rough in. They have it down to a science and can rough in a 2500 sqft in about 1 day. Then for trim out he brings in Mexican women to do trim out for piece rate of around $1.00 per recp. and switch not sure what he pays for fixtures

 

[brantmacga]

Bidding a new home

They have it down to a science and can rough in a 2500 sqft in about 1 day.

Back when I was a resi foreman I could take 2 helpers and rough-in 2000 square ft a day on what was pretty much code minimum with some recessed lighting added; these were decent size “custom” homes. Really just upscale tract houses. Start to finish we had about .05/hr per sq ft or less in the job.

What I do now though takes about .1/hr per sq ft, which is one of the reasons I’m so much more expensive than other resi guys here. That, and because we’re primarily a commercial outfit that travels, the average wage here is literally double the resi guys and we have full benefits.

Doing actual “custom” homes takes a lot more time. I’ve been utilizing the pre-fab shop for all the general receps and lighting and it does save some time.



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[DBoone]

That is what happens around here. EC that works for a very large tract builder. He sends his regular sparkies in to do the rough in. They have it down to a science and can rough in a 2500 sqft in about 1 day. Then for trim out he brings in Mexican women to do trim out for piece rate of around $1.00 per recp. and switch not sure what he pays for fixtures

Man that is cutthroat...$1... and to echo Electrofelon I won’t how the licensing aspect plays out.

 

[romex jockey]

That is what happens around here.Then for trim out he brings in Mexican women to do trim out for piece rate of around $1.00 per recp. and switch not sure what he pays for fixtures

Happens here too, mostly larger commercial jobs.

On the bright side, my HS spanish gets some practice.....:roll:~RJ~

 

[eds]

Doing actual “custom” homes takes a lot more time. I’ve been utilizing the pre-fab shop for all the general receps and lighting and it does save some time.

Do large custom homes also, how are you utilizing prefab in these. 90% of mine are not set in stone until a client walk thru at the end of rough framing, subpanels I generally try to slab.

 

[kwired]

The latest 'save the planet' trend is micro-homes.

Basically a shoebox , every usual amenity stuffed in a big fight for inches, aided by archy's looking for thier 'green' merit badge.

They'll gladly 'tweek' every aspect of it, including the bidders.

~RJ~

That is what happens around here. EC that works for a very large tract builder. He sends his regular sparkies in to do the rough in. They have it down to a science and can rough in a 2500 sqft in about 1 day. Then for trim out he brings in Mexican women to do trim out for piece rate of around $1.00 per recp. and switch not sure what he pays for fixtures

Who is responsible for troubleshooting anything that don't work when it is all done?

 

[brantmacga]

Do large custom homes also, how are you utilizing prefab in these. 90% of mine are not set in stone until a client walk thru at the end of rough framing, subpanels I generally try to slab.

Again, just general receps & lighting. 1gg nail-ups with wire already attached and wago’s installed, recessed housings with whips installed, fan & lighting boxes with whip installed etc....

I layout the house, have someone come drop a box at the marked locations and go.

My layouts are complete before I step on the job as the customer will meet with me and do it digitally.



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[DBoone]

Again, just general receps & lighting. 1gg nail-ups with wire already attached and wago’s installed, recessed housings with whips installed, fan & lighting boxes with whip installed etc....

I layout the house, have someone come drop a box at the marked locations and go.

My layouts are complete before I step on the job as the customer will meet with me and do it digitally.



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I’m very interested to learn more about your prefab operation. Could you share some pictures with us?

 

[DBoone]

Who is responsible for troubleshooting anything that don't work when it is all done?

That was kind of my thinking too. I mean I understand everyone is in business to make money but to me this just seems like a disaster waiting to happen as far as having callbacks to troubleshoot problems. Maybe not. Maybe they are cheap but competent.

Still would like to know how the liability insurance is handled. I don’t think anyone making $1 per device is going to have insurance.

 

[peter d]

Are their workers employees or subs. How do they do their piece rate system...hey guy, I’ll pay you this much for every receptacle you install, this much for every foot of Romex you run?

I talked to one guy and he was an employee but paid a flat rate based on the specs of the house (number of outlets, switches, recessed lights, etc). This same company also paid an hourly rate instead of flat rate if you desired that.

 

[brantmacga]

I’m very interested to learn more about your prefab operation. Could you share some pictures with us?

I don’t have any pics of residential stuff going on but I can take one of the workspace if that’s what you’re interested in.

But basically what I do when making up resi assemblies is to start with a take-off from the drawings for all the general receps and overhead lighting.

For receps, it’s 30’ of 12/2 rolled up and one end goes in the nail-up box, stripped out with a 4-port wago connector. When trim-out is ready I have them make up all the receps with 6” of blk/whi/grn. Plug them in and go. I know some people like to run cable through the walls to save material, but my goal is to save labor, so it’s all run overhead. Less drilling, less labor. And easier than trying to make some assemblies for overhead and some for through the wall. Where I’m centering boxes under windows, I use metal boxes with caddy TSGB16 brackets.

For overhead lights it’s a nail-up round box with 25’ of 14/2. Recessed lights get 15’ of 14/2, and I make up the first one for each room with 25’ of 14/2. Fan boxes get 25’ of 14/3.

I don’t pre-fab switch boxes, appliances, or kitchen stuff; I use the Legrand under-cabinet system so there’s nothing I can pre-fab there.

In the end, I might have some material waste but the labor savings benefits outweigh that. We spend less time pulling wire, making joints, making up recessed lights, etc... Half the work of those items is already done in the shop and the labor rates for those guys is lower than for electricians in the field.


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[DBoone]

Georgia,

Good stuff. Sounds like you’ve developed a very nice system for your company. What brand of nail on box do you use? For instance if you use a nail on blue Carlon (which of course nobody here does :roll:) they don’t have the built in clamp, just the plastic knock out. What would be a good efficient way to keep the box secured to he end of the NM during transport, moving around job site, etc.


Digging the prefab boxes and devices you got going on so want to pick your brain on even the smallest details.

Mississippi