Pricing?

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Re: Pricing?

A 100 amp service for $700 is a heck of a bargain in this area.

Hey I wonder why we have trouble raising our rates. :roll:
 
Re: Pricing?

Originally posted by briangordo:
thats with the custmer buying all the material.
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NOT !

So who is responsible when the 0.38? Home Cheapot device fails/breaks...now is that callback a freebie?

Letting the customer buy the material is foolish.

For starters, how do THEY know what YOU need? Oh, yeah...you write them a shopping list. There's a freebie.
How about your expertise (aka, preferences) in selecting the material? Some guys use RX conns with screws, some use "black buttons"...whatever the material, YOU select it for a reason...cost, ease of installation, failure rate, etc. Another freebie.
How about the delays from the customer buying the wrong stuff? Another freebie as you explain a stove outlet and a dryer outlet ARE different.
This goes on and on until we arrive at the callback phase of the job....another freebie.

The point is: YOU leave a lot of money on the table when having "the custmer buying all the material".

Freebies aside..it's pretty dam unprofessional...unless you're a certified "trunk slammer" that also let's the HO pull the permit :roll:

Your "friend" is working harder than he needs to...and ultimately working for a lot less than he really could be making - unless, of course, he slams his trunk at 11:00PM and calls it a "day".

[ January 07, 2006, 05:44 PM: Message edited by: celtic ]
 
Re: Pricing?

sounds like its really bid like new construction if walls are open and there is no insulation.. otherwise you could consider charging time and material like I do if there is lots of snakeing involved and lots of variables you cant screw up with time and material :)
 
Re: Pricing?

Thanks to everyone,

I recaculated my bid at 6600.00. Thats $3 per sq/ft plus $1200 for the 200 amp service. We'll see if he goes for it. Since I do this on the side I am making pretty good money on the job. Hopefully nothing there that I did not forsee. Thanks again for all the help. I am picking up the National Electrical Estimating guide from Ed Tyler today.....maybe that will help me. I just want to make sure I spell everything out to the contractor as to what I am going to install per my proposal so we don't run into that "I thought you would do this or add that, the other guy I use does this and adds that for nothing" you know the type.
Well Thanks again

[ January 09, 2006, 10:11 AM: Message edited by: velocity ]
 
Re: Pricing?

Yes, definitely spell out every item as you plan to install it. When I bid a job like this you can look at everything in the house and find it in my proposal. Should be no surprises for either side. Good Luck.
 
Re: Pricing?

Originally posted by velocity:
Thanks to everyone,

I recaculated my bid at 6600.00. Thats $3 per sq/ft plus $1200 for the 200 amp service. We'll see if he goes for it. Since I do this on the side I am making pretty good money on the job. Hopefully nothing there that I did not forsee.


It would be a good idea to keep close track of your time and costs on this job and compare it to what you estimated. That should give you a good idea if your bid was right. It can definitely be a hard lesson to learn, but I think anyone working as an EC learned plenty of lessons exactly the same way when they first started out. I know I sure did.


I just want to make sure I spell everything out to the contractor as to what I am going to install per my proposal so we don't run into that "I thought you would do this or add that, the other guy I use does this and adds that for nothing" you know the type.

Yep. This comes up all the time. If you are doing a fixed bid, then you have to be very specific about the scope of the work. Fixed bid means fixed work. I just finished a kitchen remodel that would have been a nightmare if I gave them a fixed bid. Gotta love T&M! :D
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Re: Pricing?

Originally posted by iwire:
A 100 amp service for $700 is a heck of a bargain in this area.

Hey I wonder why we have trouble raising our rates. :roll:
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I don't even see how it would be possible to do a 100A upgrade that cheaply. I did a 150A upgrade a few months ago where the materials alone cost more than that. I did the job for $2000, and the homeowner was so happy that I did the work for such a "reasonable" price that she referred me to a lot of her friends and colleagues. No way would I upgrade a service for $700. I get more than that for a panel swap.
 
Re: Pricing?

you should figure out how time you will spend purcahsing materials and settting up the job such as unloading matrail form your truck also waht up clean up time
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Actually, if you used labor units on all materials, these things are included in the unit.
 
Re: Pricing?

He hasn't called back so I guess I was to high. Oh well I couldn't see myself doing it any cheaper than $6600.00. It would of been an easy job but heck if you go to low he'll expect it everytime and I would never make any money.
Thanks to everyone that helped me out.
 
Re: Pricing?

Originally posted by velocity:
He hasn't called back so I guess I was to high. Oh well I couldn't see myself doing it any cheaper than $6600.00. It would of been an easy job but heck if you go to low he'll expect it everytime and I would never make any money.
Thanks to everyone that helped me out.
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Now you're on the right track. Don't sell yourself short.
 
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