Residential estimate per square foot

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satcom

Senior Member
rosie06 said:
Is there a square footage calculation for rough estimates on one and two family homes?
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Most of the electrical trades use unit pricing, and then quote on that, some guys will convert the unit price assembly to a sq ft price.
 
Rewire

Rewire

Senior Member
Location
Lake of the Ozarks
A better method is to calculate based on the number of bedrooms ,baths,and living areas.i have a flate rate for a bathroom so if you have three bathrooms it is 3 x the rate.I do the same for bedrooms and kitchen and living room and laundry/utility. Then I add the service 100,200,400. Then heat/AC and HW. So a three bedroom two bath with 200A service central heat/Ac and HWH would just be a matter of adding the individual rates.
 
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satcom

Senior Member
Rewire said:
A better method is to calculate based on the number of bedrooms ,baths,and living areas.i have a flate rate for a bathroom so if you have three bathrooms it is 3 x the rate.I do the same for bedrooms and kitchen and living room and laundry/utility. Then I add the service 100,200,400. Then heat/AC and HW. So a three bedroom two bath with 200A service central heat/Ac and HWH would just be a matter of adding the individual rates.
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That may work fine if all the bathrooms and bedrooms were the same, I would not want to use that on some of the monster homes, or custom homes, tract homes, are usually a good place to use a flat rate schedule.
 
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CopperTone

Senior Member
Location
MetroWest, MA
rosie06 said:
Is there a square footage calculation for rough estimates on one and two family homes?
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NO NO NO.

the answer will always be NO.

Most guys have a unit value for each task say 15 amp duplex receptacle, 3 way switch, 5" recessed lights. Add up each one of these tasks then multiply times the amount of your assigned value then add everything up.

Only then can you divide your price by the sq ft of the house and then you have your price per sq ft.

Square footage method for electrical doesn't work - GC's and GC estimators like to try to use this method but in reality it is based on past historical data and every house is different (unless you are doing tract housing where every house is the same)

you can have a 2000 sq ft house with 30 recessed lights, under cabinet lights, dimmers everywhere, extra 3way switches, cable, cat5, stereo, central AC, multiple heat zones, many outside lights, extra lights and rceptacles in the basement, decora devices, etc, etc -
You can have the sme size house with code minimum - which could have none of the above - with a rough sq ft guess - you would be way off on the first house described.
 
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CopperTone

Senior Member
Location
MetroWest, MA
Rewire said:
A better method is to calculate based on the number of bedrooms ,baths,and living areas.i have a flate rate for a bathroom so if you have three bathrooms it is 3 x the rate.I do the same for bedrooms and kitchen and living room and laundry/utility. Then I add the service 100,200,400. Then heat/AC and HW. So a three bedroom two bath with 200A service central heat/Ac and HWH would just be a matter of adding the individual rates.
Click to expand...

I've wired bathrooms with 2 switches, 1 receptacle gfi, 1 exhaust fan, and 1 vanity light - 1 20 amp circuit. Very simple and easy.

I've wired bathrooms with 6 switches,4 gfci recepacles, jacuzzi tub w/gfi protection, 2 vanity lights, 4 recessed lights, exhaust fan light, in cabinet lights, heated floor, towel rack warmer, heated mirrors(anti fogging). I've used 4 circuits in this set up. How can you charge the same price for both of these bathrooms?

You would be ripping off the simple bathroom customer and you would be rippng yourself off on the more elaborate bathroom.
I would never tell anyone how to run their business but I add up everything every time and charge the true cost for that job.

What if every bedroom the customer wants 4 recessed lights in it, or the master bedroom is 4 times the size of all the other bedrooms? Seems like a bad way to estimate by just adding up the bedrooms and multiplying times your set price for that room.

I've done complete kitchen remodels for as little as 4000 and as much as 10000 . They are 2 very different kitchens.
 
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Rewire

Rewire

Senior Member
Location
Lake of the Ozarks
CopperTone said:
NO NO NO.

the answer will always be NO.

Most guys have a unit value for each task say 15 amp duplex receptacle, 3 way switch, 5" recessed lights. Add up each one of these tasks then multiply times the amount of your assigned value then add everything up.

Only then can you divide your price by the sq ft of the house and then you have your price per sq ft.

Square footage method for electrical doesn't work - GC's and GC estimators like to try to use this method but in reality it is based on past historical data and every house is different (unless you are doing tract housing where every house is the same)

you can have a 2000 sq ft house with 30 recessed lights, under cabinet lights, dimmers everywhere, extra 3way switches, cable, cat5, stereo, central AC, multiple heat zones, many outside lights, extra lights and rceptacles in the basement, decora devices, etc, etc -
You can have the sme size house with code minimum - which could have none of the above - with a rough sq ft guess - you would be way off on the first house described.
Click to expand...

Remember the 70s.I worked for a guy in the late 70s building kit houses the only difference was the style of colums for the front porch and door.
 
480sparky

480sparky

Senior Member
Location
Iowegia
hotwire1955 said:
if you have more then two drinks they might
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"E sheets", not "Three sheets"......
drinkingsmiley-1.gif
 
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