Remodel and service is harder to estimate than new construction, especially if they don't want to open up the walls and tear down the ceiling for you.
Sometimes people will be receptive to T&M and sometimes not.
Sometimes T&M will have you working for much less than anyone else in town would have even opened the plans for.
What I sometimes propose is that I will give an estimate and then do the job T&M. I now make sure that my estimate is what I would do the job for win or lose. I recently got lazy and casually gave a verbal number off the top of my head that ended up being a couple of hundred too low and was asked "what caused it to go so so high?" I hate that and won't ever let it happen again.
I will estimate on the high side of realistic as I prefer to present an invoice that is lower than expected. Or not take the job. When I say realistic I mean realistic. What's the costliest thing you could possibly encounter in trying to get wire from here to there? Don't forget how all those pesky little parts add up.
Depending on the size and scope of the job, I will sometimes ask to take a look at the attic, basement, service, and sometimes run a rod up the wall at a switch box (to check for blocks, pipes, headers, anything...) before giving a number.
However,when all goes well this seems to make everyone happy even if it doesn't put me in that 5000 sq ft home that I really need.
Just keep good records of what you actually did and how much it cost you to do it for future reference.
And it should go without saying to learn from each and every surprise you encounter.
Vince
