ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area Anyone want to play?

Ok, I don't pay an accountant (I can do a better job myself for free...) but all the other expenses I have... 'cept worker's comp...

I guess I feel sorry for people, heck I'm making double what most do around here, and I'm still in the 15% bracket...

I got to do some billing now, but I'll be back with questions on how to approach all of this...

Thanks for all the input guys...

I am the #2 man for a small central nebraska contractor. We currently have ten men counting our summer help.

Billing rate is $30/hr for residential/farm, $35 for industrial. Charge $17.50 service call to get to the front door. Minimum charge is $30.

We shoot for 30% mark-up, but will cut that to be competitive.

My pay is $18.25. I'll make 45k+ this year without the headaches of being a business owner. The boss will do considerably better than that, but HE EARNS IT!!!
I don't have to handle many midnight/weekend calls.

GJ

The bottom line is the bottom line. If you are running a company, things are going well and are making just a little better than you were as an employee, you cannot weather hard times. If you are a one man out-fit or one journeyman and several helpers, what happens if you can't work. Happened to me in 96. Out for one month for falling through an attic and almost 3 months cause I had to have a kidney taken out. Even if the medical is covered by insurance, if the real net for the work you do is not enough to keep you going for a reasonable amount of time when the work is not there or you can't do it yourself the business will not survive. I brought my brother in to replace me. Can you afford to pay your take to someone else and still survive? Will your regular customers stick with you or come back to you if they had to use someone else? What if that someone else is barely making a living by charging less but does as goood or better work? If you have disability insurance for yourself that is also overhead and the customers need to be the ones to pay it, like the employer pays workmans comp and unemployment for employees. Your employer is the customer. I've been out of contracting for around 2 years. I just had better options. I am making more take-home and the stock options, insurance, paid vacations (3 weeks), basic 40 hour week, technical challenges as opposed to management and business challenges, nice office environment (no rain outs and loss of income) and liberal sick day policy(not used yet but nice to know it's there) allow me to sleep better and devote time to other important things that were neglected when surviving on 40 plus hours a week. If I did not have other options I would be a contracor rather than work for someone else. But, it would be on Other People's Money, I would draw a regular salary, there would be an office manager or manager/estimator/purchaser/payroll/etc to take care of the things I used to do after the "real" work was done. I learned too much from the experience of being a one man show to want to take that route again. If you are one man doing $200,000 gross a year you may be making $50,000. If you are part owner drawing a $50K salary, and investors are financing the projects, you can do much bigger jobs and not have to worry about starving this week to get ahead later. If you are lucky you might end up like Henry Ford. He had to pay millions to buy out his investors(Chevrolet, Olds and others who later became his competition) to get control of his company back, but he never had to worry about the light bill and groceries.

OK, you bring up lots of questions, so I'll start a new thread...

Go here ...

How much for a through-the-roof attic fan on a 2 story home with a switch installed in a bedroom to override the t-stat? Power is tapped from a convenient j-box in the attic.

This time of year? If there are compelling reasons not to turn it down do it time and materials. Charge double your normal rate for attic time. I can't imagine anyone (other than Mom) that means enough to me to do it for less.

1)200 amp svc. with 20-30 circcuits ? easily 1050-1150.
2) same job surface mount sparky has it right on the money.
3)ceiling fan with crwspace access, figure 4 hours labor about 160-175.
4 same job no acccess prolly 225
5)first hour 65 each additonal hour 35
6)New construction 2.50 to 3.00 /sq.ft.

#1 200 amp upgrade 1200 no se cable allowed here
#2 same price and i recomend a good drywall man i dont do mudding taping or painting.
#3 t&m #4 t&m
#5 45.00/manhour travel time.34/mle if over 20 miles.

mark up on materials 10% above my cost. manhours charged to go to and return from supply house.
do not warrent materials supplied by others.
will waver travel when customer is decent
will not warrent anything if customer is late on pay.
have to cover overhead IRS and insurance co want cash now.