Single Family Home Electrical Pricing

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wmeek

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Location
Texas
Occupation
Electrician
I am an Electrical Contractor.I currently just do smaall service type work. I have a set of blueprint for a 2482 sq ft house. these prints were drawn up by an Architect. There has been no electrical calculations done. My Question is how do I go about doing an Load analysis to be with in the NEC.without knowing what fixtures are to be installed . Is there a rule to do this as a bare minimum:confused:
 
Re: Single Family Home Electrical Pricing

Just use article 220 and if your gut feeling tells you you're shy, add say 10 - 15 % overall.
Regardless of what your calculations come out to, you should use a 200A minimum service for this size house in todays world.

Roger

[ July 25, 2003, 11:45 AM: Message edited by: roger ]
 
Re: Single Family Home Electrical Pricing

Get with the home buyers and plan out a lighting and power system. Find out things like recess lights, chandeliers, ceiling fans, microwaves, entertainment centers, computer network, etc.

Now is the time to design and make it right. Bring them pictures for examples or take them on model home tours.

I think lighting design is a good profit maker.
 
Re: Single Family Home Electrical Pricing

I agree with Roger.

Regarding NEC. they do "assume" the min. loads per sf.

You are correct for asking. Start with the minimum and add from there.

Mike P.
 
Re: Single Family Home Electrical Pricing

i would figure the house with a 200 amp service and a minimal number of lighting outlets (not fixtures). then i wood figure a unit price for a particular recessed fixture, three ways, extra outlets, data/phone outlets. light fixtures selected by owner will be installed t&m.... you then have a base wiring price and unit pricing for additional work....
 
Re: Single Family Home Electrical Pricing

First I'll start out with a cost/sq. ft. Usually around $2.00. Basic stuff only without cutting corners. This does not include the service, smokes, or cans. Then I add for custom work like ceiling fans, chandeleirs, cans, extra outlets and so on. At least it is a place to start.
 
Re: Single Family Home Electrical Pricing

when you're using your "square foot" method, do you use total or living area footage?
 
Re: Single Family Home Electrical Pricing

I've been estimating residential electric for about 12 years. Conservatively, I have done take-offs and proposals for over 14,000 different jobs (our company will wire over 10,000 houses this year).

I say all this to give the reader an idea of my bona fides, my qualifications.

There is only one accurate way to bid residential electric, it is fairly straightforward, but absolutely requires experience in the field, knowledge of the codes and local ordinances, and a familiarity with the market within which the house is being built. Additionally, estimating requires the knowledge of knowing what to count and look for, what questions to ask, what problems to anticipate . . .

Each job is made up of three components:
1) Material
2) Labor
3) Overhead (office staff, vehicle support, insurance etc.)

Add the three together, and those are the hard costs. Mark it up whatever the local market will bear (again, experience and knowledge of the local scene are essential), and you have your price.

The variables involved in this process, however, are so many, (and sometimes so subtle), that counting openings or figuring a per foot price only works if all the variables are accounted for in the formulas. You might get a job this way, and you might even turn a profit . . . but you will never sustain a business over the long term.

If you live in a ?booming market?, the rapid turnover of monies will even disguise the fact that you are running in the red. Come a building slow down, and the receivables will catch up to you.

I realize that this is not the reassuring answer you wished for, but the best advice is . . . consult an expert.
 
Re: Single Family Home Electrical Pricing

There is absolutley more than one way to estimate anything regardless of what the "experts" say. The square foot method can be very accurate as can the per opening method. The catch is you have to have experience and know what it takes and costs for you to wire a house. You can then come up with figures from this.
 
Re: Single Family Home Electrical Pricing

I to go along with what Scott had to say you can make money on the $/per sq. ft. but you follow the min. code. I do small contracting jobs and give my price on heated footage but where you make or break your self is in the add on work.I set my price for each additonal recp.,switch ect. in the contract befor I begin work and the price is set for doing the work at rough in and their is another price if it is added after wall board or what ever is installed. Just remember if you do this type of work dont try to screw the customer it will come back and bite you very hard. to give you an example I did a remodle for some people a few months ago the wife wanted to add severial more recp.,some floor recpt. add more can lights I told her it would not be a problem I wrote every thing down on my add on sheet with the price showed it to her husband he said what ever she wants,signed off on it and I went to work. because I was up front with these people and was willing to make them happy I have picked up three more jobs from their word of mouth to people they know. Rember keep the wife happy and let the husband sign off on the money
 
Re: Single Family Home Electrical Pricing

There are examples of residential calculations in appendix D of the NEC book. These are "minimum" requirements for residential loads. If you're going to be installing a swimming pool, hot tub, central air, etc. you'll have to take that into consideratrion. The POCO's in my area do not require calculations for services up to 200 amps.

So, if you want to take a short cut, do as Roger suggested and install a 200 amp, 40 circuit main breaker panel. You may get by with a smaller panel ( if your calculations dictate) but it's not going to add to the resale value of the house.

Just my opinion.
 
Re: Single Family Home Electrical Pricing

I would suggest you bid the project to meet the minimum requirements of the code. And state so in your proposal. Also state the plan date and revision date..
You should leave out all the "nice to have stuff" and "if it was my house i'd do this"
 
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