Playing the guesstimate game

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ivsenroute

ivsenroute

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Location
Florida
I am curious as the the price differences around the country for the following:

Remove existing 100amp service with 2 old 60am meter bases and replace with 200amp service and 2 new 100amp meter bases.

One meter will feed a 100amp panel inside with 12 circuits by combining the 2 60amp fuse panels into the single 100amp new breaker panel.

The other meter base will feed a disconnect inside the basement at the point of entry that will then feed a new 100amp panel for the other side of the duplex that will replace the existing 60amp fuse box. There will be 10 circuits on that side because all appliance are gas.

New grounding system and bonding.

Outside work is subject to physical damage due to driveway so SE cable not an option. Inside work will be in an accessible basement.

I came in at $2,695, can't wait to see what my Jersey neighbors charge.
 
I can see you are trying to learn the market. Give it time, you will figure it out! "It's an art to some degree!"

Personally, I believe you are a little low. I know some union shops that charge $5000 for a typical service change. I only got this information, because a customer complained to me about their work---if I may add, for a very good reason!!!

I've learned to keep my mouth shut when it comes to what I charge. Reason: Once employees (not knowing the full spectrum of the business) find out how much you are charging, they feel they deserve more--not taking into consideration overhead, materials.................etc..........etc..

I've seen a few grow angry--even though they where getting paid very good wages as residential apprentices (18 per hour). Heck, I started off making $9 per hour. Once I made journeyman, one company only gave me $16. I later moved on, and made $23 per hour. Not many make $21 per hour in our state (residential work)
 
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Thats pretty much what I would charge for a standard 200 amp service change. Your price seems low to me. What is your material and labor cost. That includes the trip to get the permit, and waiting for the inspector.
Service changes are one of the few money makers we have, I think you are really shortchanging yourself.
 
ivsenroute said:
I am curious as the the price differences around the country for the following:

Remove existing 100amp service with 2 old 60am meter bases and replace with 200amp service and 2 new 100amp meter bases.

One meter will feed a 100amp panel inside with 12 circuits by combining the 2 60amp fuse panels into the single 100amp new breaker panel.

The other meter base will feed a disconnect inside the basement at the point of entry that will then feed a new 100amp panel for the other side of the duplex that will replace the existing 60amp fuse box. There will be 10 circuits on that side because all appliance are gas.

New grounding system and bonding.

Outside work is subject to physical damage due to driveway so SE cable not an option. Inside work will be in an accessible basement.

I came in at $2,695, can't wait to see what my Jersey neighbors charge.
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you're low in my opinion. seeing as we are kissing and telling,
a service that was a simple panel change (underground fed)
and a 60 amp A/C feed thru the crawlspace about 80' long was
$3,200.

main panel, disconnect, and 100 amp sub? with grounding and bonding?
around here, i'd ask $3,600
 
Your estimate seems low. I just bid on a 100A subpanel replacement. 24 circuits, pipe from main to panel, feeder wire will have to be repulled, as it will be too short [about 40 feet] and I got that job for $2500 - permit / inspection time included.

But, I am in california where everything is still expensive.

~Matt
 
I got $3121 for a total. You really need to consider how long it will take to get permits, material, and all the other job related expenses done. You will probably spend at least 1/3 the estimated hours getting all this together. I found this the hardest thing to figure into a job. All the hours you spend working on the job needs to be compensated one way or the other.

Gerry
 
resistance said:
I've learned to keep my mouth shut when it comes to what I charge. Reason: Once employees (not knowing the full spectrum of the business) find out how much you are charging, they feel they deserve more--not taking into consideration overhead, materials.................etc..........etc..
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I can understand that to some extent (I am an employee) but IMO it would help if contractors actually let the employees know how much materials cost, I know I have changed my own ways when I learned a certain product I liked to use was more money then it was worth.

Heck, I started off making $9 per hour.
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What we started out with has absolutely no bearing on what new guys will start with and it should be put out of your mind. I started at $7.00 per hour, no one would work for that now.
 
What we started out with has absolutely no bearing on what new guys will start with and it should be put out of your mind. I started at $7.00 per hour, no one would work for that now.[/QUOTE]

I agree, I started out at $4.50, just above minimum wage almost 20 years ago. (Stayed too long at that contractor, that's another story.) But now in Oklahoma you start "green horns" out at $10/hour and if their good (learn quick and willing to work) you better give them a raise pretty quickly, this hourly rate has nothing to do with I started at, so I ignore what I started at and pay the fiddler because I want to dance.
 
What we started out with has absolutely no bearing on what new guys will start with and it should be put out of your mind. I started at $7.00 per hour, no one would work for that now.
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I agree, but I'm trying to make a point! Regardless of time, the difference in pay between an j-man and an apprentice should have a large gap--when the apprentice is just starting out. These guys where making $18 to start!
 
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iwire said:
I can understand that to some extent (I am an employee) but IMO it would help if contractors actually let the employees know how much materials cost, I know I have changed my own ways when I learned a certain product I liked to use was more money then it was worth.



What we started out with has absolutely no bearing on what new guys will start with and it should be put out of your mind. I started at $7.00 per hour, no one would work for that now.
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I started at 3.35/hr
 
Rewire said:
I started at 3.35/hr
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I got you beat $3.25 And was put on the heavy wire pulling crew. We were under switch gears all day. In a concrete trench 8 ft deep with water in the bottom.
And no I didn't have to walk to school in the snow up hill both ways to and from.

Back to the OP ...I would charge $3600.00 in NC. All gas appliances will make it easier. Around here two meters gets two permits.

I was charging almost that 10 years a go. Seems we are getting more and more competition. That under bids jobs.
 
We didn't have no school and we played with a balled up brown bag - the game was soccer, on windy days it was called basket ball
:D
 
iwire said:
I can understand that to some extent (I am an employee) but IMO it would help if contractors actually let the employees know how much materials cost, I know I have changed my own ways when I learned a certain product I liked to use was more money then it was worth.
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I don't have any problem telling any guy anything he wants to know to the point of possibly offering too much information. I'd like things to be as much of a team effort as possible, and a little employee education on the costs involved in doing business is important to me. It permits a good guy to take an ownership position in his work (so to speak) without actually being an owner. I learned this from a good friend of mine who operates a HVAC business in a market area outside of my own. He passes company financial statements and completed job cost data around in employee meetings.

I started at $3.15 an hour, and cut my finger open on the very first day.
 
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