I do alot of different things in the field. I am always amazed at how fast the veterans come come up with a price. Mostly I do trim work and sheetrock repair. Sheetrock repair I have no problem with….but alot of times I am competing with others for a job and I don’t really know what the going rate is. I am usually in the ballpark, but I was wondering if anyone can run through some of the trim prices for me. Just ballpark stuff. I am in the Houston area. Baseboard, shoe molding, crown, (stain and paint grade). I dont mean to ” go to school” on anyone. Just think it might be good to know. thanks
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Hey You,
I'm just up the road a bit from ya (Beaumont area)
I do not have a "set" price for trim work. Each and every job is different, and each and every bid I do for trim is based on the layout of the house rooms, type of trim, type of finish, difficulty of the angles and intersections, and height of the room (etc...) If you are doing strictly new construction, you might get away with a prcing structure based on linear feet, pieces of trim, etc..., but remodeling is a whole nother ballgame. Each job is different, and each job will be priced differently.
I do no worry about what the other's are charging, I now how much I must charge in order to cover my expenses, overhead, etc... and make a profit. They know how much they must charge. It will always be different between us, and that is how it should be. Learn to sell yourslef and your company, and stop selling the individual jobs. Once you master that, price won't be a problem anymore.
Too many times our professions worry about what the other guy is charging. and try so hard to stay real close to that. Economy and other criteria will dictate what the market will bear as far as your pricing goes, but you can't rely solely on what the other guy charges.
In my experience, pricing ANYTHING by the foot, the hour, the piece, etc... is a poor way to do business. Too many variables between each job, and too many ways to lose money doing it that way. Again, that is in the case of remodeling or repair work. New Construction is a different matter.
Just a humble opinion...
James DuHamel
Too many times our professions worry about what the other guy is charging
Then we cut ours..then the next guy cuts theirs....then we complain cause we can't make a living. James is right, do your bidding like he said....forget about the other guy and sell yourself. if they like/trust you they will hire you.....everybody, including homeowners, knows about the low bidding sharks in the building trades.There are fast carpenters who care..... there are slow carpenters who care more.....there are half fast carpenters who could care less......
This old thread had some prices for trim>>>
http://forums.taunton.com/tp-breaktime/messages?msg=566.1
Ps. That didn't take "too" long to find, and it wasn't "too" much of a pain to find where this thread went to. Ya, this new layout is so easy to navigate, and I'm "sure" the link will work fine.
semi retired remodeler/carp, houston area, we live in the land of cheap labor. i bid a small trim out, one room, base, cap shelves, fix mistakes, gave a price of $140. have to haul, compressor, hoses,guns, chop box, etc, didn,t get the job, job still not done. as long as there is no licence for us labor will be cheap. i found my niche doing bathrooms, there's about 12 trades in there & am lucky to be able to do have been able to do them w/ 1 helper. so hey you, there is an opening for a bathroom remodeler. o, wait, you asked about priceing, sometimes you make money sometimes you dont. g/l
James was right on . I will add to it. STAY AWAY from per ft pricing. It only puts us in a labor line with no respect. I understand that sometimes it has to be, but I stay clear. I dont even tell the insurance company how I came up with my pricing. I give a total price of the job by a listing of tasks and materials. Pricing per sg ft means price wars. Not a good thing for us to let happen. I figgure a higher rate per hour than I work for and add a percentage . If there is not the money you want in trim look at other things.
Bring more money to the bottom line
Tim Mooney