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Minimum job charge

WoodRipper531 | Posted in General Discussion on June 29, 2005 05:48am

I have a painting contractor I do carpentry repairs for before he paints..ie: exterior trim, wood siding etc.. mostly good size jobs worth the travel and setup time. I do these jobs on an hourly basis instead of by the foot or job.

although there is this new one to repair; the lower rail of an 18″ section of railing and a patch on the cedar wrapped post its attached to. Not a very big job…but of course i’m going to take care of it. Definitley not a days work here but with travel, hauling my trailer, setup and doing the job thats a good amount of time. The actual job will probably only take me about 3 hrs at most (probably 2). I was wondering if there was a reasonable “flat day rate” for a smaller job trying to take into account travel time etc. I was thinking aout $100 but i dont want to gouge him nor do i want to work for free.

I’m in the Rochester, NY area for those wondering my demographic area..

any input is appreciated!

Reply

Replies

  1. blue_eyed_devil | Jun 29, 2005 05:56am | #1

    Charge him for your travel time.

    Four hour minimum.

    Figure about 65 to 100 per hour.

    blue

     

    1. WoodRipper531 | Jun 29, 2005 06:03am | #3

      Thanks, thats what i figured as well, just wanted to see if i was on the right track.

  2. User avater
    dieselpig | Jun 29, 2005 05:59am | #2

    You're gonna lose the day.... get paid for the day... or at least close to it.

    Personally, I won't back the trailer out of my driveway for less than $200 (no matter how quick the job)  unless I've really, really, really got nothing better to do.  And chances are that if I'm even doing it, it's a favor for someone so I'm really not looking to make money on it.

    If you're looking at the job as a favor to this guy who throws you alot of work... then do the favor.  Bill your costs and wages and lose what you could've made that day.

    If it's "business is business" then bill for the day.  If you're otherwise busy and have other places where you could be making money I'd treat it as "business is business" unless he was willing to wait for an empty day in the schedule or I could do it off-hours at some point.



    Edited 6/28/2005 11:00 pm ET by dieselpig

    1. WoodRipper531 | Jun 29, 2005 06:13am | #4

      Thanks and i agree with you about hauling out the trailer, its got to be worth it to haul that rig! Though sometimes I just bounce it house to house and drop it, depends on the location and security.

      It is a business is business deal, he's only going to add it to his painting bill and probably make a couple bucks himself. I just wanted to be fair to him on my rate 'cuz his repair jobs are good fill in work between houses. And youre right i will lose the day just for this small job, and I've got 2 houses coming up to trim.

      Thanks again for your input.

       

      1. Isamemon | Jun 29, 2005 08:32am | #5

        I think this fits with the thread "plumb broke"

        you are an artist with a skill that is being asked for

        chare what you need to, what the market will bear

        by the way, do as I say, not as I do, if yo knew me and saw what I drve

        youd say , easy for you to say

        guess what

        it was easy to say

        1. dude | Jun 29, 2005 09:56am | #6

          What are you driving a " Navigator"

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