need some price help

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southernboys

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hey guys ive got a friend that wan ts me to wire a shad and maybe a 1200sq ft house for him. im more than capable of running both these jobs I just have no idea how to price them. the shed is 70 ft from his powerpack Im going to run pvc pipe to his shed probaly 1" and feed it with 60a thus #6 thwn I will then mount a 4 circuit panel inside the garage to feed a few plugs and also possibly a ac window unit I have this job bid at $400 dollars for the labor and I break that down at 5 hrs to dig the ditch at 45 an hour and then 3 hours to wire the shed at 35 an hour those prices are for myself and my truck sound fair? the house is 1200sq ft and Im thinking $2.25 a sq ft to code my questions about the house is is that for one light in each room if so how much extra per fixture how do you guys charge for the service both overhead and underground. what about the trim is that 2.25 the price for both rough and trim? once again I truely appreciate all of your help
 
Re: need some price help

I'm in NJ, very close to NYC...and not to sway your pricing method, but I have a HO who is having a tough time swallowing 2.76/sq. ft. ...plus all the extras they added ( see My post:Underground "Service"...reply time stamped @ 12:25 AM ).

Normally my pricing "method" (if you could call it that ;) ) is pretty accurate...maybe this is not a "normal" customer.


For the shed, I just gave my buddy (mentioned in that same post) a price for a 60A feed to a garage w/40' of PVC underground (MLO panel). Price for that is about $900.
 
Re: need some price help

sounds way too cheap. Lot of work for $400. You did not say anything about material mark-up. Homes here in pipe are $4-5 sf.

I seen an ad for Best buy. They will mount your 29" or less flat screen tv for $300. They will even fish the tv cable up to 12'. That's it no outlet cut in. My point is a smart company understands how to add in overhead, profit, benefits, growth, training, warranty, etc.. I just don't see how many companies can stay a float for less then $60 an hour. I a guessing to be suscessfull you need to be more around $100 an hour.

I'm wondering if you really have a business or are just doing side work. I bet $400 would be good money for a day or more of side work. The problem is it brings down the industry to lower rates. This in the end is reflected in week pay rates. If everyone kept up side work our pay rates could be passed up by more unskilled professions. We would have to do side work every week to pay bills.

Sorry for the rant.

Tom
 
Re: need some price help

Sounds way cheap to me. How long have you been in business? Is there someone else that you can hire to do the digging? I can rent a trencher for a day at less than $200. I'd still charge $1000-$1500 depending on variables. If you are pricing to code, that does not include ceiling lights other than room specified in the code. Bedrooms and tv rooms are not among them.
 
Re: need some price help

brad just starting out ive been doing quite a few service calls however this is like my first semimajor job speaking of the shed. no I dont have aanyone else to do the digging why? as far as $4-5 a sf if I was doing the house in pipe I could see it that way however this house will be in romex. as far as my hourly prices the company I just left charges 65 an hour for two people I guess my biggest question is the price on the service also can anyone recomend a good estimating class or book as I want my priced to be fair to all three parties the customer other ecs in my area and lastly myself thanks again
 
Re: need some price help

I'm having the same problem you are trying to find the giong rate . I have been doing this for 2 years now mainly service work and a few house along the way. I cann't seem to get a clear cut answer to this question either...I usually charge $2.00/sq.ft heated space...$50.00 any extra outlets not on print.
 
Re: need some price help

The old house rewire. First let me say that I came from a commercial & Industrial background and started checking out residential work when it looked as if there was a commercial slow down and a housing boom. I found out the hard way that there are many factors involved in pricing an old house rewire. If you need help no one will work for you if they know what your doing ( if other work is available, old houses are dirty and require crawling in attics). The first thing to ask is will the house be gutted: If so, no problem and cheaper price. If sheet rock or plaster stays and all wiring fished, check for fire blocks ( trouble ). Is there 3 ft. of insulation in attic and only 2 ft. of head space. Is the crawl space really a crawl space or is there room to work. Overhead or underground service. If underground, is this place built on a rock pile ( I took a job running 5000 ft. of PVC once that I wish I hadn't, tree roots & rock ). Are there any other improvements being made at they time of rewire. New carpet, good you don't have to worry about it. New kitchen, good you can cut behind cabinets. An old electrician told me to look for the small things that would cost me time and I have found that very good advice. Lots of luck on the rehab, it's allways a learning experience no matter how many you do.
 
Re: need some price help

I would suggest that there is no such thing as a going rate. twodawg, if you have been doing houses at $2 a foot, go back and see how many man hours were used on the job and pull out all your material invoices. Figure out how much you made per hour, if you made enough to cover all your expenses including overhead, made a decent wage and had a good profit left over, then you charged enough, if you did'nt go up on the next job. No GC will ever be totally honest if you ask him, electrical prices vary a lot and he will low ball any "going rate" that he gives you. A lot of customers are willing to pay more for good service and quality, if they are looking at price only, find another customer. There will always be somebody that will take the job cheaper, just because they think it is the "going rate". Please don't take offense, I have been in the same place you are today.
 
Re: need some price help

Remember this when you price jobs:
" I would rather be sitting at home and broke than working my a** off broke and tired too"!

Mike Holt has a good estimating book.
 
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