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I’ve recently been asked by an acquaintance to replace some rotting exterior window trim around her house. It’s definitely something I can handle, but have no idea what to charge her for something like this. It’s basic brick mold with drip cap and edge. Lack of maintenance has caused it to rot in some places. The trim needs to be replaced, caulked and painted. There are about 12 windows of various sizes. I’d appreciate any suggestions on pricing this job.
Thanks!
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Sound like you need my t-shirt that reads "I work for pie". Grin and bear it.
Are you sure that is all the rotting wood, once you start you are likely to find lots of things. I would price out at exactly what new windows cost to cover.
Not my forte though. Best of luck
*On goofy jobs like this (just did some patching for a friend this weekend) I figure the Demo/clean-up to be twice as long in time as the install would take. So figure how long to case a window, then triple it and there's your set-up/demo/clean-up/install time. Pick an hourly you're comfortable with, and go from there. Remember this DOES NOT include unforseen/hidden conditions/defects. I do as little work for friends as possible, I do the work only on my free time(evenings and/or weekends) and charge very little(basically gas and tool use!). Jeff/Buck Const.
*In reading your post again, why not go with time and materials and do one or two and you both get the feel of it. This can not be a money maker for anyone.
*Chris,We never give a firm price on rot repair. If it looks bad on the surface, who knows what's going on underneath. I'd agree with time and material......start one window (the worst one) and see what you find. From there you may have a good idea of how long it takes to fix one, and you can give them a price for the rest if you dare. Looks can be deceiving. I went to patch a small hole on the bottom of an exterior door jamb, and later found out that the king stud, buck and header were all rotten from a roof leak that had been draining down the outside of the wall between the brick and the sheathing. Nobody knew until this small spot of rot appeared on the surface of the door jamb. It was rotting from the inside out. Very costly repair.Good luck,Ed. Williams
*Reminds me of remodeling my office building. The front is a glass and aluminum window wall roughly 8' wide which sat on a 2x6 just above the concrete step on the outside of the building. We removed the 2x6 to find the floor was rotten which caused us to make an in place form, supported on steel posts with a 6" pour to replace one 8' 2x6 that appeared rotten. Oh yes, as this is a split foyer, we replaced 6 or 8 steps each way as well. Geez, it was my time, my materials and I would have hated to have had that is a firm written bid. Dennis
*Chris, I've found working for friends calls for a special pricing strategy. I quote them a full price, maybe a little high, and then promise a discount. The better the friend, the better the discount. My last discount was 100% because I knew the artisan, hehe. Pricing that way allows my friends to quote the full price when someone asks, "How much did that piece cost?" Saves me from having to explain why my prices are higher for a stranger.