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#18370 12/09/02 04:21 PM
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 111
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Sean WB Offline OP
Member
I was just wondering how you guys bid new construction(residential) I currently go by the square foot , excluding service build, temporary power etc. ANyway, Please let me know. Please be thorough.
Thanks!Sean WB


I did not get as think so badly as you shocked I did.
#18371 12/09/02 04:28 PM
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 267
W
Member
As you descibe I keep the service and temp separate. I usually go with the stop method. So much per receptacle, switch, 3-way, GFI, recessed lite. For a receptacle it could vary quiet a bit depending where you live, but I think the commality is around $35/stop.

#18372 12/09/02 04:39 PM
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 111
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Sean WB Offline OP
Member
$35 per stop? you mean for every termination? like every light switch, receptacle is $35? I was using the $1.8 or $2 per square foot, not including fixtures.
Please explain more clearly your method.
I appreciate the advice.


I did not get as think so badly as you shocked I did.
#18373 12/09/02 04:47 PM
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 267
W
Member
Sean;
If one bedroom has 10 receptacles it would be $350. That's everytning, rough and finish, labor and material. Just seems to be a fast method. Recessed lite would be more, could be $100 a stop depending on what kind of lite, and I was giving them the can, trim and bulb, just standard residential equipment, not fancy gold trims. This method for me gave me an exact quantity of items, so if they were to add to any of the listed items in the qoute I can make it an extra. I didn't nickle and dime, but I think you get the idea here.Let me know what you think.
~Ange

#18374 12/09/02 04:51 PM
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 267
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Member
by the way.this is new residential..old work is much different, wont apply

#18375 12/09/02 06:46 PM
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 449
F
Member
I always did the "per opening" pricing with the service separate. 3-gang switch= 3 openings. My prices were $30.00 per opening with NM boxes and $37.00 per opening with steel boxes. The recessed light fixtures and trims were cost of materials plus the per opening price. 240V circuits were priced individually depending on the length of run but were generally $125.00 for a range and $75.00 for a dryer. The service entrance is always priced as a package that includes meterbase, entrance conductor, loadcenter, grounding and all circuit breakers. I always include a price list with my contract that shows the per opening price if anything is added at rough-in. It also shows the per opening price if anything is added after sheet rock is up. I don't know how you can make money wiring by the sq.ft. unless you price it high or they are code minimum house wiring jobs. I figured the per sq.ft. price on a custom home I did last spring and it came to $5.50 per sq.ft. A small house(1200 sq.ft.) I did this summer came to $2.50. There are just too many variables.

#18376 12/09/02 07:36 PM
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 267
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Member
Yes, per opening, same thing, I just call it a stop.

#18377 12/09/02 07:52 PM
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 5,392
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the problem with res. bids is that many simply do not know what they want, so $3 sq.ft is the best 'from the hip' to use , especialy for those Sunday evening tire kickers.

i've used this as a general estimate for T&M jobs where the owner/GC either can't or won't make pre-bid decisions.

the 'per opening' method takes more work...
One can always assume from a set of plans the sq footage of rooms and layouts for receptacles, yet lighting will always remain the kicker.

sure, a kit & bath overhead (et all 210.70)can be assumed for code min lighting layout if your thing is bid low and all else extra.
i just find this creates bad relations, and cranky GC's.

the service ?, round fig's~ $20 per ft UG has been competitive here, 1/2 that OH

#18378 12/09/02 08:47 PM
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 58
K
Member
some call it a stop or an opening i call it a drop and i figure $30 a drop for a custom house. 1 drop per switch, outlet,light box. 240volt appliance= 2drops, service panel=2 drops, meter can = 2 drops phone and tv combo = 1.5 drops. that includes all standard recpt's, switches and smoke dectors. decor switches, dimmers, exhaust fans and all light fixtures including can lights are extra.
this method works best for me because it is easier to add or subtract a device or drop from the bid price. i tried using the sq. ft. method and using an estimating program from mike holt. holt's method is very thorough and exact whereas you do a complete material takeoff and plug it in to the forms. this is very time consuming however, it helped me develope the per drop price. you will have to adjust the labor units in holt's pgm to suite your area.
hopes this helps. thx., ken m

#18379 12/09/02 10:22 PM
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 2,236
Likes: 1
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I started with sq ft pricing, and with a similar thread and similar advice many moons ago, I have come to agree completely that a per stop method is best, while spelling out a materials list, electrical plan, and listing of "devices and lighting" provided (say, 45 SP SW, 50 15A recepts, 12 3-W SW, etc.) to limit their ability to add things you did not count on in your proposal.

A small 800 sq ft house could be wired for as little as $2500 or as much as $5000.

Large houses will vary even greater.

Sq Ft, unless specified code minimums (or like sparky said, for the shoot from the hip- tire kickers) is just too unpredictable.

Service is an entirely different animal.

[This message has been edited by sparky66wv (edited 12-09-2002).]


-Virgil
Residential/Commercial Inspector
5 Star Inspections
Member IAEI
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