I read the discussions earlier on estimating and I just wanted some expert advice on the best estimating sources. I’ve been in business for 8 months as a handyman and I got burnt on a lot of jobs. People who call me always want something that isn’t in my estimating book (odd jobs). I don’t know how to bid and I get burnt because the job takes 3 times longer than expected. For instance scraping and painting old windows took longer than expected and I still couldn’t make it look like new. Any estimating software or web sights that is accurate and in detail would be greatly appreciated.
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What you want to find is productivity rates- not pricing. You want to have a reference for how long something takes- not how much to charge- only you can determine that based on your costs of doing business. Depending on the type of work you're doing, look at the Craftsman Books- there's several for different types of work. They also publish a manhours data book with no pricing at all.
Bob
Elijah,
I agree with Bob, but you might still be able to use the estimating material that you already have. If you can find out one of two things.
Have you been keeping good records of your time spent on various tasks? If you find that the your average time to complete an activity is twice as long as they say, then take their number and double it.
Or like Bob said, find out what their labor rate is. They very well might be assuming $25/hr, where your costs are $55/hr. (#'s are arbitrary).
The biggest hurdle with estimating is building up a database of how long it takes you to complete a task. The book makes generalizations, but you need to cover your cost of business.
Good luck.
Jon Blakemore
Been in the Handyman business the last 4 years or so, part time at my liking. Had the same problem (actually, HAVE is more correct!) about estimating time. About the only thing I found helpful is keeping records of tasks I've done and how long it takes. And, it is always easier to quote high, and come down if you need to, than the other way around.
I bought the RS Means book on Residential Construction and Remodeling, but I only use it for gross comparisons. What I don't like about it is that some steps are so broken out it's too easy to overlook a cost that is in there. Like painting: it has separate costs for covering floors, walls, prep, prime, paint, 2 coats. Heck, why don't they just include the prep in the painting cost and description. I wouldn't paint anything without covering the floors and furniture underneath the painted area, (duh) so why not include that in the prep price?
Just figure how long it would take to hang a window, door, storm, paint a ceiling walls, replace a switch or outlet, set a toilet, etc. and write it down in a logbook somewhere. If you're unsure, add an hour. If it's plumbing, add several, plus mileage for 2 trips minimum to the HW store. :) Only your experience will help here. Keep a database, or a spreadsheet at a minimum.
Also, don't forget to add time for setup and cleanup, usually about an hour/day. And the costs for rosin paper or carpet shield and trhe like.
Then, when you come up with your price, check it over, or sit on it a day or 2 and then redo your estimate to see if your numbers are the same. I know if I'm having a good day, I'll usually estimate a job to the homeowners advantage and be way too cheap. But when it's time to do the job, a bad day will really set you back.
The one thing I would not encourage you to do is ask yourself "would I pay that for this job on my house?" because if your'e like me, you hate to pay anything for something you can do yourself, and any price will sound too expensive.
Like replace a thermocouple on a boiler. Part costs about 5 bucks, takes half an hour to put it in. At $50/hour, you make $25. But that is WAY cheaper (about a third) than what an HVAC or plumbing contractor would charge to pull up in the driveway. My advice is simple: your're in it to make money, so make money. Price yourself just under the other repair trades, and the homeowner will be ecstatic, and you'll probably make more than your regular hourly rate.Pete Duffy, Handyman
I am a handyman too. When I started, I bought the RS Means construction cost estimating software. I knew I needed it, and I thought it would be a HUGE help.
It's been a bit of a help, but only on those jobs where I'm doing a complete remodel, or complete rebuild. (I used it to estimate the cost of replacing a rotted wall at the back of a cabin. Just finished the job, and the estimate was very close.)
It would not have been a help in the example that you gave -- scraping and painting wood windows. For those types of jobs, only experience can tell you how to estimate them.