What kind of figure per square foot (oh, no, not a per square foot question!) should I plug in here to allow for my truss cost? I have about 5700 sf of trussed area, counting overhangs, and believe my last purchase ran me about $1.60 per square foot. That buy was 11 months ago.
I can’t wait for the truss plant to quote it. They have had my prints for two weeks now and still cannot cough anything up, and the bid is due Monday.
Replies
Bob,
I would feel more comfortable getting an estimate from the truss guys than anyone in cyberspace. I wonder if you couldn't talk to your truss salesman and explain your predicament. A rough number for him would be better than a rough number from us.
Or you could use a factor from your past price. Are the specs similar? If so, you can find the $/1k bd. ft. and extrapolate.
Jon Blakemore
OK, I hear you, but I beat them up already, asking for a rough number. They just won't respond.
Let's see. Spans are all short enough so we could do it in 2x10s if we sticked it. I have about 6500 net square feet of roofed area, actual, not projected, and if framed on 24" centers, we would be using, maybe, 0.6 lf of 2x10 per sf. My 2x10s run me 1.20 per lf, so 6500 x 0.6 x 1.20 gives me a rafter cost of $4680. Add another $1500 for ridges, valleys, beams, and you get close to $7200.
Truss premium over stick wood is maybe 20 percent, so factor up the $7200, and we get $8640. Maybe I'll use that.
I hate guessing on work by others. It's bad enough when I can't figure out my own costs.
Using the figures from my last truss job, I come up with $1.70sf. That's $9,690 for your job. Don't leave yourself short. NE FL price.
I don't use square foot numbers for pricing, unless it's just a rough guess and I've seen the print. (Or for double checking) But I've also guessed before and been way, way off and upset someone.
Just for giggles - I'd say $1.60 is WAY low, based on the sketches you've posted her. I've seen complex jobs go as high as $6. While yours is far from the most complex I've seen, I don't think I would call it simple either.
I wouldn't suggest going in at less than $3 if you want to cover yourself. You can always tell the customer that you don't have a firm price from the truss company yet, and will lower your bid if it comes in lower than you expected.
Prices can vary a lot from one place to another, and I haven't seen your whole print. So no guarantees - Just trying to be helpful.
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