Just trying to get a reality check on my plumbing Sub’s costs First off
He is a great guy that does excellent work and have used him for the last 9 years. (Haven’t compared his cost with others).
I just received his invoice for a current job. (It was a bid and I accepted it no problem and it is figured in the bid to client. But as I write the check it seems to me I am in the wrong part of this business.
Arrive on job 8:30
Lunch at noon 20 min- half hour
Finished at 3:00
Install soaking tub including setting tub filler, W/O(I helped drop tub into place)
Set two sinks and faucets
Set toilet
trim out shower
Total 940.00
What do you think?
Replies
Plumbers here are around $70/hour with a modest markup on parts. If I asked one to BID on the job you describe, I might pay that much, but since I hire them hourly it would have been a fair amount less.
There is probably still time for you to switch to plumbing if you want to.
"What do you think?'
I'm wondering what sub's bid included their lunch hour times?
not to mention exact arrival and departure times.
aside from that ... I think he's a hack and he's stealing from you ... 9 years problem free are meaningless ... he's a crook and U should have it done for half that quote.
and faster ...
with a quicker lunch.
Jeff
Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
JeffThe arrival time, lunch etc were just to give an idea of the time he spent on site.
Damn Jeff, need a hug or somethin?
;-)
The hardest thing in the world to understand is the income tax.
-- Albert Einstein
Did he show up the day and time he promised?
Did he have all the tools and parts the first trip?
Did it leak?
Did he sawzall any joists?
"Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
Edited 7/6/2007 7:46 am ET by FastEddie
Since it was a "hard number bid" if it would have taken him a week would you have offered him more money?
I have bid jobs that have taken longer, & made less, but also have bid jobs that everything went smooth as silk, & made a crap load of money per hour.
You knew what the cost was going to be before he started, does it matter how long it took him?
He's working too cheap...here in WI the journeyman rate alone would have eaten up $200 of that $940 - and that's without paying benefits. What about all the hidden costs, overhead, profit for the company, etc? Since it was a bid, you have to figure some extra for contingencies. Sometimes the job that looks like honey can turn into sh!t after you get started. Did you furnish all the materials? Your post didn't say. You can't assume that all went in his pocket even though your customers know that's where everything they give you goes. ;>}
If all anyone wants is wages, work for someone else - it less headaches.
How much do you think he should be paid for that job? Remember; it was a bid (of which you agreed too) so if something went wrong and it took him 3 days, that'd only be $313 per day.
9 years of trouble free work is worth something too.
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And if he'd been paid less, who gets the saved money? The customer or you?
Which leads me to a small rant about builders cheaping down their subs: I don't know if it's this way everywhere, but when I was doing work for a couple of builders, they would be half way into the job prior to hiring me for the trim and built-ins. EVERY time I would quote a job, they'd try talking me down a few hundred $$'s. I know damn well that few hundred $$'s was for their proffit because they'd already (magically) told the customer the price months prior to even consulting with me. Man that used to pizz me off having to beg to get paid by these guys at the end that did nothing but take credit for my work and make $150K per year.
"I never met a man who didn't owe somebody something."
Thanks for the response. I was just feeling things out. I really don't have any intention of changing to another plumber.To the comment about him being a hack. I really don't know where that comment came from with out more information. He is far from it being one of the most professional subs I work with.again thanks
The poster calling him a hack was joking I am sure. I am pretty sure it was meant to be sarcasm. Breaktime has a lot of that. To me it sounds like the system working as it should. Trouble free work for a set price. As long as the homeowner is happy with the work and you are able to provide it efficiently, that is what really counts. Soon, one day, $940 may not be much at all!Handyman, painter, wood floor refinisher, property maintenance in Tulsa, OK
Thats the whole purpose of having bids, you know ahead of time what the cost will be. The time he spends on the job has nothing to do with it unless he's holding something up. If you think that is an excessive amount get other bids on the next job and see how close they are. BTW smart people don't always go with the cheapest! Luck.
"If all else fails, read the directions"
Well let's see if you can pass the test. Fill in the blanks:
1) Right-tighty, lefty-______
2) Sh!t runs ___________
3) Don't bite your _______
1.------ How many left handed threads would you like to see?
2.------ Can I use a pump?
3.------Never bite your________ she might hit you.
The hardest thing in the world to understand is the income tax.
-- Albert Einstein
I think #1 is Cold goes on the right, Hot goes on the left.
Is that if you're standing in the tub or outside the tub?
The hardest thing in the world to understand is the income tax.
-- Albert Einstein
#4 pay day on friday
5) how much crack you show means no one stands behind your work
How much time did it take to look at the job initialy? what about the time it took to write the bid up ?
What if he has to come back and tighten something up in a few days?
every time i write a check to the plumbing and elect. subs i think im in the wrong business too. But nthats the way they charge so its up to you as the general to choose good ones (wich sounds like yours is pretty good) and sell the job with a good markup on there costs.
Then they think gee whiz this guys making a killing off me and he hsnt done a darned thing. LOL
I'm a licensed plumber and I keep track of our crews time through QuickBooks and, in general, it costs $450 per fixture including all labor, pipe fittings but NOT including the cost of the fixture which I supply at invoice plus 15% (invoice being my discounted cost) Some days you get in and get out and it looks groovy, some days you spend the entire 8 hours in the crawlspace sucking PVC fumes and battling spiders while laying in a half an inch of mud. It all works out in the end. I do love the work and yes we do charge out at $650 per fixture and take home a nice salary.
Getting a plumbing license in this state is not easy and the rules of the game are pretty esoteric, kind of like dungeons and dragons in 3-D.
Actually the work is a lot of fun all things considered. The fumes are a drag though.
M
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"You cannot work hard enough to make up for a sloppy estimate."