Scenario:
A large and old philadelphia row home. Old knob and tube wiring, mixed with 70 years of previous remodels.
5500 Sq. feet.
3 stories, with several sub panels (fuse type) that will be removed/replaced/relocated.
25% of existing interior wall layout is going to be torn out and remodeled, the balance to be 'restored'.
My task is as follows:
-Replace the existing 200 Amp service, with a 400 A feeding 3 meters and 3 125A subpanels. (the house will be divided into 3 apartments).
- Rewire the entire interior, saving and reusing whatever existing wiring I can.
Now, I have been a commercial construction Foreman/Superintendant for 25 years. I have built Hospitals, nursing homes, 18 screen movie theatres, and the like, from the ground up.
But I was never an estimator, and certainly not for this style of work. So my question is this;
Since it is extremely difficult to accurately predict labor hours and material with something with so many variables and unknowns, my plan was to throw a 'per sq. foot' number on it, with an additional % added for the 'remodeling factor'.
My initial thought was $3/sq. foot, and an additional $3000 for the service itself. (I ususally get between $3000 to $4000 for 400A services.)
This puts me at around $19,500.
An intial consultation with the property owner revealed he was expecting at least @$15,000. He was not too surprised at my "without really fine tuning it, I'd say around $18 or $19K" remark.
The pace/schedule of the project is a leisurely 5 months, as the homeowner is a small contractor doing the work himself.
Can anyone who has experience with this type of work, offer any advice as to if I am approaching this correctly? Is my Sq. foot idea the way to go, and should I add an additional 'remodeling aggravation' factor?
Any advice from the more experienced would be greatly appreciated.
[This message has been edited by MONOLITH (edited 09-16-2004).]
