Just curious if this project took me too long.
Existing finished basement, 9′ ceilings. I added two closets that are 2′ by6′. One of them had to be framed around some soffit, the other one had to have some duct work re-routed through it with a little box frame on the inside. They both were framed into a corner, using two existing walls along with the two framed sections, if that makes sense.
The drywall was in the basement already, but is only 8′, so no standing it up to eliminate seems. At least one shopping trip for misc stuff like corner bead is needed and counts toward time.
Both closets had double sliding doors. The base trim had to be ripped down to match the existing stuff. The doors had to be painted.
The opening were originally going to be finished drywall, but were changed after cornerbead and mud had already finished. Casing was added and had to be painged first.
So shopping trip, framing, re-routting duct (two 90’s and a boot), dw, tape, corner bead, mud, prime, paint, paint doors, paint casing, rip base trim, install base, install casing, putty nail holes, caulk, second coat of paint, hang doors, install pulls on doors.
That is the gist, what do you guys think, how long would this take you working alone? I’ll tell how long it took me later.
I know this is kind of long, but would appreciate anybodys thought out time frame on this.
Peace,
Casey
Replies
One week job for me, all things said and done.
40 hrs.
I'm thinking 5-7 days.One variable that coyuld add a lot of time waste to one like this is how much working space avaailable down in the basement. Tight space where you cconstantly move one thing to get to do another item really costs in time. Also efficiency in task management - for instance coiuld do first coat of mud and then while it dries be painting doors if there is space for them
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I actually did have a ton of space to work in, both finished and in the unfinished for cutting and such.
What I didn't have was any sort of communication between the homeowner, my boss, the house builder, and myself. The homeowner would ask me to do something (usually punch related) the builder wouldn't want to pay to have it done, and I'm kind of stuck in the middle. I could go on, but if you thought my first post was long, you'd better settle in for a really long one.
Peace,
Caseyhttp://www.streets.org
Was this for a customer or on your own house?
2 days work at most, not counting the time for the mud to dry, or paint to dry.
1/2 hour only for 'shopping' , if it is not on hand and cannot be picked up when already going past the store for other reasons, whole job would be put off until such a time as that.
Since only do stuff on own or kid's house, no travel time included, as full sets of tools readily available.
Make it a rule to never make a specific trip for just one purpose, even if Lowes is only 3 miles away.
3 days
own house... could take 3 years to finish the last piece of trim or right about a week before it goes on the market to sell
if it was a per profit job.. 4-5 days walk out finished... dry time is the time waster
p
What with one thing or another I'm guessing 4 days work.
Small jobs like that which need to be spackled 3x is always a pita but you need to charge for all the returned trips. Using 45min hot mud helps but you still need to keep returning...and waiting for things to dry. I had a similar experience doing a half a sheet of drywall in a bathroom I remodelled. I got to do the the whole powder room but had to wait for the pedestal sink to arrive b/4 I could plumb it in.
That one piece of 4x5 drywall took me forever b/c I had to keep coming back.
a cpl of hours to install it (cutting around pipes etc for it to fit) and get a coat of 45min mud on...cleaned up...dicked a round a little to kill some time...got the second coat on same day. Left..came back the next day to last coat it. Left..came back the next day to sand and prime...dicked around for an hour and got the first top coat on...left came back the next day and last coated it.
Your job..all said and done I'd say 3 days tops and possibly a short trip back to last coat something or other..
. Just depends on how many trips back and forth you had to make due to mud and paint. Be sure to count the endless trips.
Also how many trips up and down stairs to the truck... ugh..etc etc.
Too many of us see the job as being easy and quick and forget to add in all the time it takes to do the "actual" task.
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add that to his time estimate!View Image bakersfieldremodel.com
Took me about one minute to read that.
Sorry, it was late and I lose my ability to be concise when tired.
Peace,
Caseyhttp://www.streets.org
I'm guessing about a week
But I dont paint the inside of the closet doors anymore (example of how I'm trying to work faster)
I could do it in four days if I were allowed to do what some people do and that is - don't paint any of the doors or trim
Just leave it primer color
This job did take me a week. It's not that I thought it would take significantly shorter, it's just that my boss thought it would and I was curious what other people would say.
This project was also combined with a bunch of punch out stuff on a three thousand square foot house that took me another two days. It didn't help that the homeowner was continually adding or changing stuff, which homeowners are wont to do.
Thanks for all that posted, especially to the "slow" workers who would take four or five days.
Peace,
Casey
The boss almost ALWAYS thinks it will take less time. Heck, upon first look, I usually think less time, too.But when looking at jobs I always kinda have to step back, imagine myself actually doing the work and all the bits that surround it.Small jobs like this always seem to suck up an inordinate amount of time, what with all the dickin' around, trips, and waiting for stuff to dry. Now, if you were to combine the job with a bunch of other stuff on the same site, well, you'd be able to rotate among the different tasks at hand. Overall more efficient and less time spent on each job than if they were separately done.View Image
This job did take me a week...This project was also combined with a bunch of punch out stuff on a three thousand square foot house that took me another two days.
So - three days for the work described, and two more for the punch list? Or 5 days for the work described, and two more (total 7) for the punchlist items?
I'm curious, because I said 3 days, and I wondered how close my estimate was to your actual time.
I agree with the others, who said the boss will always tell you it should have taken less time. Only you know the actual details of every facet of the job.View Image bakersfieldremodel.com
The closets took about five days, plus another two for punch out.
I was working on the closets for seven days altogether, with the punch out stuff mixed in there as well. I tried to keep the different jobs tracked okay because they were getting billed differently. So it came to about 40 hrs working on closets and about 16 hrs on punch. Obviously give or take with those numbers due to the fluidity of the work.
I think my boss thought it would take two days, maybe two and a half.
Peace,
Casey
http://www.streets.org
Well, there's your answer. Two different modus operandis. He needs both to be successful, sounds like you guys are a good team.View Image bakersfieldremodel.com
Actually we are a pretty good team, but it doesn't mean I don't need to vent or feel justified in the time I spend working sometimes.
Thanks for that reminder though.
Peace,
Caseyhttp://www.streets.org
I think he's the one who needs reminding!View Image bakersfieldremodel.com
I'm sure the amount of time it took you was the amount of time it would take anyone to do a proper job. Your boss is unrealistic and needs to get back to work. That'll refresh his memory.
I can't complain about the amount my boss works, as he works probably about 70 hrs a week. I personally don't feel the need to work anything like that amount.
He is a fast worker, but he doesn't always pay a ton of attention to detail. I have had to go back and fix or finish a number of things he has done because he didn't have the patience to do it right the first time. But hey, it was done right.
Thanks all.
Peace,
Caseyhttp://www.streets.org
Well then, I suspect your boss is a bit of a hack and there's no point in comparing apples and oranges. Pay no attention, quality is the key. That's where the real money is in this business. The folks you really want to work for seek it out.
I wouldn't say he's a hack, but he does sometimes do poor work because he's rushed, which I won't say I've never done. And he does usually complement me when I do good work.
Peace,
Caseyhttp://www.streets.org
best quote I heard from a customer after a job took a bit longer than we expected
"things always take longer than they do..."
or
"Things always take longer in the end than they do in the beginning"
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I think your time is reasonable. As others have noted, little jobs, especially with GWB finishing and the like, can take what seems like an eternal amount of time.Other factors that may come into play are things like how far the work area is from an exterior door, existing finishes that need to be protected, schedule and makeup of the family (kids/pets can be a challenge to work around at times), and other items like that. It can be tough for a new construction guy to look at a job like that and think 30-40 hours is reasonable. On a new site, a closet like that may only add 3 hours (15 minutes duct work, 60 minutes GWB, 30 minutes trim, etc.) but remodeling work is a whole different ball game.
Jon Blakemore RappahannockINC.com Fredericksburg, VA
As all said well before me.People forget that drywall can't be rushed. Period. Hot mud or not it just don't matter.I hate stipple!!! OK dispiese and loth. For years I couldn't understand why reno's cost more than a new build. I now understand. but estimate X 2 your close.
I would plan on a week but it would probably take me two.