Price per sq. foot.

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SparkyEst.

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Just curious if anyone actually uses a price per sq. ft. method. Benefits in my eyes are that you can turn a bid out relatively fast, but I just see more negatives than positives. What is your opinion and have you had success at this method?:?:?:?
 
SparkyEst. said:
Just curious if anyone actually uses a price per sq. ft. method. Benefits in my eyes are that you can turn a bid out relatively fast, but I just see more negatives than positives. What is your opinion and have you had success at this method?:?:?:?
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I have a square foot chart that I use only to double check my hand takoff bid. Never to set a price.

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masterinbama said:
I have a square foot chart that I use only to double check my hand takoff bid. Never to set a price.

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That's what I'm thinking about using it for just double checking, I am 2 months into estimating and working on building this sq. ft. method, but definitely a work in progress. How long you been in the business and how did you build the repertoire of price per sq. ft. numbers?
 
ptonsparky said:
4000 sq ft home with open design and just three rooms. How much?
4000 sq ft home with eight rooms?
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While I don't do houses, I have been estimating for a little while. I think that with a little prep and a couple caveats, sq footage can be used for houses. First, fixtures other than can lights in kitchens, living rooms by others, second. incoming service conduit and conductors must be taken off. Third, must account for oddities, far side service, a well, and know whether electric or gas heat, instant water heater, etc.. So you can, say have a fixed price per ton for gas vs. electric heat. Per foot and amperage for an underground service. The number of rooms in the house is not going to change the cost to a significant enough amount that you can't just add a couple hundred dollars.

All that said, I would never square foot a commercial project, and I wouldn't even square foot a house until I had personally done a takeoff on a similar project.
 
SparkyEst. said:
That's what I'm thinking about using it for just double checking, I am 2 months into estimating and working on building this sq. ft. method, but definitely a work in progress. How long you been in the business and how did you build the repertoire of price per sq. ft. numbers?
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The only way you can have a comfortable sq ft price is to have done several houses of the same (or very similar) design/size/plans. You do take-offs on those to begin with then you can calculate a sq ft price but just for that same type house. That would fit mostly in tract houses. You could have two or more houses the same that are not tract houses but each may want different things, such as underground vs overhead, one can light vs 50, standard receptacles/switches vs Decora, etc.
 
Strathead said:
While I don't do houses, I have been estimating for a little while. I think that with a little prep and a couple caveats, sq footage can be used for houses. First, fixtures other than can lights in kitchens, living rooms by others, second. incoming service conduit and conductors must be taken off. Third, must account for oddities, far side service, a well, and know whether electric or gas heat, instant water heater, etc.. So you can, say have a fixed price per ton for gas vs. electric heat. Per foot and amperage for an underground service. The number of rooms in the house is not going to change the cost to a significant enough amount that you can't just add a couple hundred dollars.

All that said, I would never square foot a commercial project, and I wouldn't even square foot a house until I had personally done a takeoff on a similar project.
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Huge difference between simple house with basics and keep most things minimal and one that has additional kitchen(s), guest suites, multiple laundry rooms, or where owner is a tech guru on some level.

A large house can have a huge living room that actually is larger then a small dwelling - but don't cost as much to wire that living room alone as it cost to wire the small dwelling.
 
Strathead said:
While I don't do houses, I have been estimating for a little while. I think that with a little prep and a couple caveats, sq footage can be used for houses. First, fixtures other than can lights in kitchens, living rooms by others, second. incoming service conduit and conductors must be taken off. Third, must account for oddities, far side service, a well, and know whether electric or gas heat, instant water heater, etc.. So you can, say have a fixed price per ton for gas vs. electric heat. Per foot and amperage for an underground service. The number of rooms in the house is not going to change the cost to a significant enough amount that you can't just add a couple hundred dollars.

All that said, I would never square foot a commercial project, and I wouldn't even square foot a house until I had personally done a takeoff on a similar project.
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I was a commercial estimator for over 30 years. Every estimate we did was assigned an estimate number and logged into a spreadsheet that had info like: Customer name, bid date, type of construction, (retail, medical, church, etc), and sq/ft.
After the bid was won or lost, the sq/ft price was logged in, and winning bidder's price was logged in.
We had great data for sq/ft pricing, but it was ONLY used for budgeting purposes.

When I did resi years ago , I unit priced everything based on REAL assemblies and data from history. Never sq/ft.....ever
 
DennyGareth said:
Excuse me, what is 'open design'? :?

Something like this house with terraces?
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A "one room house" would be about as open of a design as you could get but still be protected from the outdoors. Often there is at least a separate "room" for the bath area.
 
SparkyEst. said:
That's what I'm thinking about using it for just double checking, I am 2 months into estimating and working on building this sq. ft. method, but definitely a work in progress. How long you been in the business and how did you build the repertoire of price per sq. ft. numbers?
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Budget and checks only and you have to compare apples to apples. New construction sq. ft. differs from reno. Healthcare/patient care facility differs from a office rene etc. etc.
 
i always bid by the square foot. i am trying to do so now myself. the trouble is trying to figure out How Much to charge per sq. ft! last one was $5.50 and was a little low, but i got a $1K tip. so now i am bidding one at the same price, i think, but wanting to make it $6 because of the 1 hr drive there. it has an open design and no interior can lights, so big savings, but he is making up for that by wanting to not pay for the garage sq footage, which i ALWAYS include in the sq footage! he also makes up for the simplicity, by surrounding the Outside of the house with a surface mounted light all the way around it: 20 of them. and all on 3 way switching!!

even with a low (1) number of special 240 ckts, i want to get $6/sf on this one. i think i will tell him the bad news. he's an owner builder so he doesn't really have a clue: first house i think. he was complaining that the hvac and plumber didn't include garage in the sq footage, i said yeah because there isn't either one in the garage, i have 4 lights, 3 way to the man door, and the panel on the far end away from the living area that every single wire has to go thru.

now if you think my price is high, it is i guess over what a cheapo track guy will charge for two reasons: 1st i have no employees i can pay $20 and hour to do this job for me so i can make money charging 40 or 50. and, i don't do n.e.c. minimums either, for example i dont use any 14 ga wire for outlet ckts, just 12. so i need to make at least 50/hr to make any money on a house. also i am turning away $100/hr work the whole time i am doing a rough in: about 10-14 days.
and i don't include ANY surface mounted lights in my bids for custom homes either. owner/builder must buy.

now i know another guy with 3 or 4 employees who is charging a flat $6/sf to do customs down in stanwood/camano island (not really an island) and he buys the lights, but he has more work than you can shake a stick at. he said some 50 houses with this one builder. so i cant really be out of line for doing a custom up right on the water in Birch Bay for the same price, minus the lights. if he were closer to me i could do the 5.50 (already told him that before he gave me the print with all the exterior lights) no sweat, but after that miserable drive home for an hour last night when i got his light layout, to be honest i dont even want the job!!! but i got nothin else at the moment dammit!!!

just want to add that my price pretty much includes any kind of circuits you want to throw at it, 10 can lights, most everything except optional kinds of 240V stuff like welders etc. 3 way's up the butt and lights in closets. i include all fart fans and recessed lights, over 10 at $75 ea. dont include outside lights either and try to keep at a minimum. so this guys 20 he wants really chaps my arse.
 
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