Pricing A House Am I right

[iMuse97]

Does the GC ask the plumber to do a sqare foot price, and then say, "btw, there are two master baths, and each bedroom is a suite, and we want extra drainage with the footings, two sumps, and an ejector pump." ??

No, they don't. Resi electrical work can be even more involved than that.

Kitchens with dual-fuel ranges, warmers, custom refrigerators, and non-standard bathrooms, and decorative or elective electrical openings cannot be done by the square foot. They'll be having you do cans in the eaves and soffits 40' above grade and you'll still be doing it for 2.35/ft2.

I don't want to die penniless saying I always gave the GC a good price so he can afford his third home, his second boat, and his fourth country club membership.

 

[brantmacga]

I gave a GC a price for wiring a house @ 3.25 sqft. It is 4400 sqft and has a 400 amp service, 2 kitchens, 2 laundry rooms, 3 car garuage. It is a 3 story house. He want me to do bath fans, fire alarm, and do fan boxes in the ceiling instead of regular boxes. He is trying to say it should be done for around 2.35 a sqft. It think he is low. Can you let me know? Thanks.

you are too low and the contractor is insane; or there are EC's in your area who are starving so bad they'll work for less than free.

like everyone else has said, sq ft pricing is not the best way to calculate a price.

however, if you are going to do it that way, you must realize two kitchens and laundry rooms doubles your appliances; the things that use the most expensive copper sizes in the house. so your normal sq ft calculation is not going to apply to your advantage here.

i price my resi by each device, but if you break it down to a sq ft cost, the average is about $3 per ft for the code min, plus another $1500 for a 200A back-to-back service; this doesn't include any low voltage (tv's, phones, date, etc. . .) These figures may vary a little now; i just wired a new house for my in-laws and that was the first one i've done in 18 months, and standard rates did not apply. I got the baby girl, so they got a discounted electrical install.



when you are able to make time for this, sit down and figure out what it costs you to install every device, light fixture, etc. . . buy an estimating book to help you get started. it will take time, you may get frustrated, but it will work out for you in the end. you won't walk off any more jobs scratching your head wondering what you made (or lost). some GC's aren't crazy about the idea, but it is a more fair way of pricing for the both of you. some jobs will cost them a little less, some a little more, but at least they know where every dollar went. and more importantly, so do you. feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

 

[macmikeman]

I promise to do better in the future.

Man, I got to start staying home so I can jump on ones like this before you do....:grin: Time zone thing

 

[Power Tech]

I gave a GC a price for wiring a house @ 3.25 sqft. It is 4400 sqft and has a 400 amp service, 2 kitchens, 2 laundry rooms, 3 car garuage. It is a 3 story house. He want me to do bath fans, fire alarm, and do fan boxes in the ceiling instead of regular boxes. He is trying to say it should be done for around 2.35 a sqft. It think he is low. Can you let me know? Thanks.

Well of course he is going to try to get the best deal.

So when the job is done he can gloat about how much he came in under budget.

Don't fall for it. You might as well take 5 to 10G out, hand it to the guy and go pick up cans.

You wont have to work, and it would be a big time saver.

 

[George Stolz]

He is trying to say it should be done for around 2.35 a sqft.

Wow, the lowballing GCs in your area are even cheaper than the lowballers in mine! Around here they say "You should be around $3 per square foot!"

Incidentally, the last house I bid was a shade over $6 per square foot, and I'm not convinced we're making money on it yet.

As the others have said, it's an interesting and irrelevant indicator, not something to actually pay any attention to when generating a price.

 

[LarryFine]

. . . go pick up cans.

You wont have to work . . .

Picking up cans isn't work? It's more work than wiring is to me.

 

[TobyD]

I always do my pricing by the oulets installed.As stated earlier ,at times on the spec.home the sq.ft. will range from $2.50 or slightly above.Keep in my youhaveto get paid for the garage and porhec in that price.The garage will most likely have approx 10 outlet and the door sensor wiring.

In southern TN,alot of the contractors will furninsh the material for the electrician on dwellings.I've been told the labor on a dwelling will add up to approx.$1.25 per sq.ft.In addition the charges are extra for hanging paddle fans and recessed cans.

I don't normally bid houses without a set of plans.Most of the builders I work for understand that any thing other than exceeding the minimum is going to be extra.Examples--Task lighting-landscaping lts--accent lts--floor recpt. undergrond service couduit and the list goes on and on.