WHAT should i charge to install this control box

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growler

growler

Senior Member
Location
Atlanta,GA
petersonra said:
It does not look like a 2 day project to me.
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Cow said:
Same here.:-?

If that took me two days, I'd be fired....
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You guys must be omniscient because I have no idea how long it would take to do this job. Is this job around a fully operational line at the plant? What about security, at times it can take hours just to get a vistors pass or a security badge just to get into some plants.

What are any of the working conditions like? The only person that could know anything is bullheimer because he is the only one that's ever been to this particular plant. He thinks it will take him two days but he couldn't possibly know anything because he has been there.

When you get fired or just look real dumb is when you say a job can be done in half a day and it ends up taking two days. ;)

 
B

bullheimer

Senior Member
Location
WA
word.
still, there are some people on this site that are just sooooooooo much better and faster and everybody else. probably know everything there is to know about electrical work too...half a day for a panel change too, i'm sure.

must be nice to be one of them folks.

but i don't care, really, i've done a panel change in a half a day. i've also done one in 16hours that got done at 2a.m. what does that mean, besides the obvious.

anyway, it don't matter much to me, cause i know for sure i'd have fired myself at least a dozen times if i'd have been working for myself. as it is, i'm my own boss, i dont have any other jobs at the time. i.e. i dont answer to anyone, esp imaginary people on the inter-web. if i wanna take half a day, one day, two days or two weeks, what's it to you? just tell me what's so bad about making $1400 cash in two days instead of one, hmmmmm???:D
 
electricguy61

electricguy61

Senior Member
Location
Remotely running business in Bay Area, CA from Med
bradleyelectric said:
word. There is a huge difference in $1400. in revenue for 2 days and making $1400 in 2 day. When you learn the difference you will understand.
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When I was a one man shop, I never understood the above.

Get your first journeyman, and you figure it out real quick.

Also, the "I can do a service change in 6 hours" guys don't figure out that it took an hour to drive to the customer site and quote the job, an hour to pickup the materials, an hour to obtain a permit, an hour to deal with the utility company, an hour to run to the supply house or Big Box store because something breaks, etc, etc, etc.

When you do all the work yourself, you get to keep much of what's leftover after expenses. When you have employees, you sometimes come to the conclusion you made more money when you worked by yourself.:)
 
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petersonra

Senior Member
Location
Northern illinois
Occupation
engineer
growler said:
You guys must be omniscient because I have no idea how long it would take to do this job. Is this job around a fully operational line at the plant? What about security, at times it can take hours just to get a vistors pass or a security badge just to get into some plants.

What are any of the working conditions like? The only person that could know anything is bullheimer because he is the only one that's ever been to this particular plant. He thinks it will take him two days but he couldn't possibly know anything because he has been there.

When you get fired or just look real dumb is when you say a job can be done in half a day and it ends up taking two days. ;)

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That's why I asked. It does not appear like there is a whole lot to it. So I wondered where he came up with the idea it was going to take him two days.

I have seen this kind of thing drag on seemingly forever too.

If someone is going to ask how much he should charge based solely on a couple pictures of a very simple install, what do you think the response is going to be?
 
flyboy

flyboy

Member
Location
Planet Earth
iwire said:
It is obvious, the job is worth exactly $4,713.86.

Not a penny less or more, when done you will have made exactly 30% profit. :roll:
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You're gouging the customer! There's no way this job should sell for more than $4,713.85. It's guys like you that give our profession a bad name.
 
B

bullheimer

Senior Member
Location
WA
why oh why did i even bother to ask???
btw they accepted my bid. i expect material to be less than $100. including the permit. most of my time will be spent reading the wiring diagrams over again.
i think some of you guys must be plumbers. i dont know what was so hard about this question. Mr. cow who said he could do it in a half a day might have been overly optimistic, but at least i think he had a firm grasp of what i was asking and what i was doing. he peed me off at first, but after the rest of the BULL ONIE, he's like one of the few that got the message, so
thanks everybody, i love you no $#^!

Larry please close this thing before i have a brain aneurysm!
BULL says thank you to COW. go figure.
 
bradleyelectric

bradleyelectric

Senior Member
Location
forest hill, md
Cow said:
Same here.:-?

If that took me two days, I'd be fired....
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This was the only reply in this thread I could find by Cow.

Your going to base the fact he is 1 of the few that grasped the situation based on that response? He is not a contractor and neither is the person he was quoting and agreeing with. Telling isn't it.

I notice your signature is about trying to survive. Ever think you may be able to thrive if you focused differently?
 
C

Cow

Senior Member
Location
Eastern Oregon
Occupation
Electrician
I don't understand what all the fuss is about? I made one simple statement. As mentioned above, I'm not a contractor either. Does that mean I'm less qualified to determine how long a job would take? Not how much I'd bill it out for, but how long I thought it would take. He's wiring two control boxes with a handful of control wires from a j-box 10' away or so, we're not bidding a hospital addition here....

Now tell me where I went wrong?
 
bradleyelectric

bradleyelectric

Senior Member
Location
forest hill, md
Cow said:
I don't understand what all the fuss is about? I made one simple statement. As mentioned above, I'm not a contractor either. Does that mean I'm less qualified to determine how long a job would take? Not how much I'd bill it out for, but how long I thought it would take. He's wiring two control boxes with a handful of control wires from a j-box 10' away or so, we're not bidding a hospital addition here....

Now tell me where I went wrong?
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I'm sure you have a good grasp at understanding how long it would take to do a task with all the equipment and knowedge to do it in front of you and you standing ready with tools in hand.

The fact is the OP probably had that much time wrapped up in looking at the job. The looking may have only taken a few minutes but the driving, parking walking, signing in, waiting for faucility engineer, tour of whatever, looking at safety factors, checking equipment, whatever else may have been involved may have had a half day wrapped up from the time he started the old truck to the time he parked it.
 
S

satcom

Senior Member
bradleyelectric said:
I'm sure you have a good grasp at understanding how long it would take to do a task with all the equipment and knowedge to do it in front of you and you standing ready with tools in hand.

The fact is the OP probably had that much time wrapped up in looking at the job. The looking may have only taken a few minutes but the driving, parking walking, signing in, waiting for faucility engineer, tour of whatever, looking at safety factors, checking equipment, whatever else may have been involved may have had a half day wrapped up from the time he started the old truck to the time he parked it.
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Many do not figure the cost of operating a business, they may have excellent trade skills, but are missing everything from non productive, operating and overhead costs.
 
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