A potential customer just called and complained that my price seemed high to him.
25 lin. ft. of old tops removed, hauled off and disposed of. 25′ of new solid surface tops, stainless steel undermount sink installed by me, two joints hard seamed on-site.
My price $980.00 labor (just under $40/l.f.)
Tops are probably about $2,500. The product is Corinthian from Menards and is better than Visioneer IMO and less expensive than Corian.
What are you charging or paying? Just curious.
I told this guy, “That is my price.” I know that is what I must charge. I am glad my shedule is full enough that I do not feel compelled to offer a discount.
Replies
Install only, I would be something like $1500 to do the same depending on the specifics. That assumes the owner has the correct tops onsite in the garage and all I am furnishing is adhesives, sandpaper, etc. My contract disclaims any responsibility for owner-supplied materials.
Will you have to measure, check square, draw, fax, order, confirm, call, pick up, deliver, and warrant the tops? If I did that part a chunk of markup would go on top of their cost
Dealing with the sink install is another PITA--that would not be included in my price, owner to either hire and pay their own plumber to connect the sink after I am gone, or I have mine do it for more.
This guy is just jerking your chain. Tell him to get someone else.
David,I did tell him to see if he could find someone else. He has another quote for Visioneer, but the SS is really thin with that product and the seams would just be caulked with a color matched caulk (for about the same price as my hard-seamed top).He wants the better installation for less money...not gonna happen. Delivery is included with the top purchase (over $1000).I don't mind mounting the sink...would hate it if I broke a top tapping in the knurled brass nuts though. I have them hire the plumber.
How many hours on site do you figure?
About 7 hour on site, plus 2 hours into the measurements, quote, order, and off site hauling & disposal of old tops.
I just had the same thing happen, without the counter top involvement lol. I bid a couple of wind damaged barn door replacements. New track, trollies, track cover and build the doors. Prime and paint to match the barn. Re-install the railroad tie door guide. (not kidding) $1468.
Guy called and left a message. Said he and the neighbor got together and figured my price was $600 too high. So they are going to do it themselves. I keep wondering what they compared it too. DanT
Well, you know, 8 bucks an hour should be OK, and drywall screws should hold it together, maybe a $2 bottle of Elmer's, some 2x6, 1/4" plywood and a Saturday afternoon. There ya have it. Two people = piece of cake."I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."
Edited 12/27/2006 10:25 pm by highfigh
Your price seems reasonable. Tell him you could do it for that if he provided room & board too.
Small Hijack..
Did I read right , that yo are putting together a 55 drum kit from V-zang?
I KNOW how bad the parts can be and have a huge ASST. of spare goodies..as far as door(s) and frames...all the pivot points are randomly drilled and it took me a few kits to get the right combinations, and matching warped ness to get a gasket to seal.
If you need anything, lemme know. Also, get thee some gasket cement, and use stove cement ( if it ain't too late) and caulk the fittings to the drum at the door frame, and flue collar, throw away the supplied bolts, use monster TEK screws on everything.
You may even need to add a hole or two on the door frame to get a good seal to the drum.
Mine is CRANKING good now that I found the best way to re-engineer it...and I have added the 2nd drum on top as well.
Good luck.
OK, I also used to do a lot of corian ( was certified and all) your price sounds low, even from when I did it, ten plus yrs. ago.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
I have irriatable Vowel syndrome.
Yup, I cobbled a V-zang stove together as a shop heater/scrap burner.Funky. I'll try caulking some of the poorly fitted parts with stove cement--after the fact.Thanks for the offer of spare parts. What I have put together, I ain't eggzakly proud of...but it works. I appreciate the offer and the advice.
Corian-group D- 65sf installed, no fancy edgework. Tearout extra. Splash extra. Plumbing extra.
Using your sf, this top job in NW Oh. would be bid out @ 4426.00 Labor/material incl. tax-no splash.
Kowboy used to do tops here, now in Mi. He'd be a good source for the info.
A great place for Information, Comraderie, and a sucker punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
http://www.quittintime.com/
So Bass needs to call the guy back, tell him he realized he made a math error on the bid sheet and that the actual price install only is about $2000.
Sounds like you fabricate and install. That will probably pay better than a deal where the HO buys at Menards.
No sir, no install here. Enable the install, open the door and have the old top off, ready to go.
The price my supplier gives me on installed Corian is the same the homo can get walking in the door at HD, maybe I get a slight break. HD's price for that group D installed is 65 a sf./3250.00 + 219.00 tax.
I put 175.00 into it for the sink/faucet,DW and chopper installed-new stops and drains-plumber.
400 to take out the old top/dispose/and clean up the glue the previous installer used to hold it down, install caps on the no workee stops. Drop the kitchen, be there on install so no f-ups.
10% for the trouble 382.00
4426.00
Bass says not as much as corian, this price is for the high corian.
After that, don't know a thing about it.
A great place for Information, Comraderie, and a sucker punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
http://www.quittintime.com/
I hate it when It turns out that I'm bidding low...and yet the customer thinks I'm too high.I would love to make that phone call...just too nice I guess.I install about 5 laminate tops for each solid surface top. I get about one SS top each month. Still working on pricing. Glad to have the feedback from you and Calvin.
There is always a person saying your price is too high...no matter what you charge. sounds like he is one of them.
I'd also look into finding the distributer for "Corinthian" , not just go with a home store like Menards.
Last time I did solid surface, I was charging a minimum of $400 for the tear off. Plus, shop labor rates in our area were $60 per hour. Some of the larger shops were in the $90-$100 per hour. I'd have at least a few hours in shop cleanup alone, not including site work. That stuff goes every where.
As for the material, can you buy it for less than he can at menards? There lies another problem. If you can't mark up your materials at least 20%-50%, to me, it's not worth it. way too much invested in tooling to want to just make wages. That stuff eats router bits, saw blades and power tools. I never figured a router would last more than a year.
Plus, the stuff tears up your back/shoulders....
I spent $700 to be a certified"---" installer...I tried to do several jobs for my cost just to get to get better at it...No deal...
I did my kitchen with a purchased/installed granite for 10% more than my cost of materials to do it,,,Solid surface is !@#$%^&*()...
Bud
Man, this sort of thing happens to all of us.
I had a referral the other day, run power out to to a 36x36 horse barn (about 200 ft from main panel), subpanel/2 ground rods, exposed EMT inside, 20' ceiling, lots of interior and exterior lighting and switches, GFI receptacles. Oh, and power for an on-demand WH for the wash rack, and a floodlight on a post 150' from the barn.
Nice people, gated equestrian community. About a $2 million property. New Land Rover and 'Vette in the driveway.
I quoted a price based on AWG 4 copper feeders (incl an EGC) in Sched 40 between house and barn, incl trenching, and insulated EGC in all the EMT in the barn. Other stuff to meet Code requirements.
HO can't see why I want $14k to "just" install some receptacles and lights. Wants to see a breakdown and take a menu approach. We discussed dropping the WH, and the arena light. Still too high. I ask, what's your basis for determining it's too high? She says, well the neighbor had his barn wired and it was much lower...except that was a few years ago and materials, esp copper, have quadrupled in the last 24 months. And he has a standard 30 gal storage WH and not on-demand electric heater. Big diff.
Then she wants to know what the matls/labor breakdown is, and what my hourly rate is. Tell her I bid the job and don't do T&M, so my rate is immerterial, and I'll give her a detailed set of specs for $250 (applicable to the job cost). She says she doesn't want to shop for bids, and doesn't have any other bid.
This is when I wished her the best of luck.
It would've been a nice job, but I didn't want to renegotiate price. And she wouldn't tell me what her budget was. I hope for her sake and the horses, she gets someone who knows what the hay they're doing.
I figure if I get half the jobs I bid on, I'm doing all right. And I am--just bought a new truck today. I love buying a vehicle at the end of the year, and paying cash. Got it at $5500 under invoice.
Cliff
Edited 12/28/2006 12:45 am ET by CAP
AMEN!!!