What is an average footage for running NM-B

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SBuck

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I am opening a shop, I have only worked commercial and industrial. I am looking into residential work and am looking for some insight. I understand averages are based on the worker. I estimate the average electrician can run 200' 3/4 emt a day. Depending on the install that could go up to 500-600' if on a rack.

Any help would be appreciated.
 
SBuck said:
I am opening a shop, I have only worked commercial and industrial. I am looking into residential work and am looking for some insight. I understand averages are based on the worker. I estimate the average electrician can run 200' 3/4 emt a day. Depending on the install that could go up to 500-600' if on a rack.

Any help would be appreciated.
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I really need to slow down, I have run more than 200 feet in a day many times before:)

You really need to consider some conditions of the installation. Lots of drilling and several boxes to hit will take more time on just a couple hundred feet of cable than installing a thousand feet with long runs and very few boxes. Other factors are can or will you be able to pull multiple cables at same time, are you working on ladders, scaffolding, etc or standing on the floor? How much other trades things will be in the way?
 
kwired said:
I really need to slow down, I have run more than 200 feet in a day many times before:)

You really need to consider some conditions of the installation. Lots of drilling and several boxes to hit will take more time on just a couple hundred feet of cable than installing a thousand feet with long runs and very few boxes. Other factors are can or will you be able to pull multiple cables at same time, are you working on ladders, scaffolding, etc or standing on the floor? How much other trades things will be in the way?
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All the variables you are giving are what I mean by average. 200 foot of 3/4 conduit is an average condition (working as one person- getting the material and tools together, cutting unistrut or for those down south kendorf, making hangers, drilling anchors, 6 1/2hr in an 8 hr work day, ect.) I could go on forever on all the things required to get 100' of conduit installed. But in the end there is an average of in all the scenarios. I know around the Chicago land area they run conduit for Residential, if you can not throw up 600' a day they run you of the job. But conduit and NM-B are two different animals.

Someone is bound to have come up with an average NM-B. I could be wrong. My experience with commercial has required the need to come up with quick methods to estimating a larger job. Being that I have not worked the residential market I do not know the time frame that they estimate under.

Again thank you for your input.
 
Should we guess that you mean the time it takes to make a completed opening ready for inspection, sheetrock and device instal?

Back, when (dirt was new) I was doing small residential spec homes 40 minutes per was my start to finish time for 14 and 12 awg circuits. I didn't have to worry about breaks, there was none, OSHA, there was none or failed inspections, there was none.

I can't get them done in an hour now. You are going to have a fun time competing with guys that don't know how to bend conduit.

Add: For those types of homes I used an average of 17' per opening. Probably not an equal comparison to homes of today.
 
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If you can get enough commercial work to keep you going, just let the resi thought die of loneliness. Residential is far more headaches. It has good days, but you will see more jack legged slop than you thought could ever be done. Every day will show you lower levels of messier slop. Customer won't have $ to fix properly, "can't you just fix it enough to get the lights on?" "Is it really that bad? My cousin did it & he wouldn't do anything that's not safe". "Oh if I'd known it would cost that much, I wouldn't have called you. I don't have the $ to fix it now". "My son in law wants you to call him about it. He worked last summer doing electrical work. He doesn't understand why I need this or shouldn't do that."

You see a lot less of that in commercial work & don't have to crawl under houses or through attics.
 
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