How to Price a Carpenter Job
You have learned how to use your tools, how to figure out the amount of materials required for a project, and have gotten a call for your services as a contractor. Now it is time to price the job. Pricing a project can be one of the most challenging parts of being a contractor. This skill varies slightly from locality to locality, but, is basically the same principle. In order to price a carpentry job you need only a bit of time, a tape measure, some basic math skills and a pencil. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Clipboard
- Computer with Internet access
- Tape measure
- Calculator
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Instructions
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Set up an appointment with your client to review the work area and discuss the project in detail. Depending upon the project, this meeting can last from 15 minutes to a couple of hours. Always be a few minutes early for your meeting. Being late shows an unprofessional attitude, and, being on time is being late. So, always show up, fully prepared, at least 10 to 15 minutes ahead of your scheduled time.
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Review every inch of the work area. Discuss every specification with the customer. Give the client choices in materials and methods. Write down every choice that the client makes so that no detail is forgotten. Take exact measurements of the work area and record these as well. Discuss work hours and the expected length of the project with your client. Set up a telephone or in-person follow-up appointment with the client.
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Sit down and calculate every material you will need for the entire project. You must determine every board, nail, screw, etc. for each section of the job. Write down every piece of material that you will need and go on the Internet. All of the larger, chain hardware stores have prices and availability listed for every item that they carry. Record the individual price of all of the items you will need. Don't forget to write down any rental costs for equipment you may not have on hand. Add all of these numbers together to get the total cost of materials for the project.
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Multiply 1.5 by the total cost of materials to obtain a labor cost. Add the labor cost to the total cost of the materials to get the total price of the project. Now you are ready to meet with the client to discuss the cost and sign the contract.
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Tips & Warnings
Being a contractor takes special licenses and insurance. Please check with your local and state building codes and conform with all laws pertaining to contracting before going out to bid your fist project.
