[Cochran]

I completely agree with everything ya'll have stated. I like bid jobs--I am confident in my bidding processes and believe I am fair. But, this is something discussed with the homeowner since there is quite a bit of work to be done and he feels he may want to add-on while we're into the project. I am comfortable with this homeowner, and he's a very easy going, well-respected individual in the community. When my Dad was landscaping on his own he did work for this guy and had no problems. He's also the owner of vacation cottages and I would like to form a professional relationship with this individual. Not really seeing red here, flags or not..... Also, I was referred by my rock supplier and they don't give my name out for a referral to anybody that would be hard to deal with.

OK, so I understand why not to place a price on the job. When I bill materials, how should I mark up? When I bid out a job I do my bid estimation on an Excel spreadsheet (that DOES NOT go to the owner) line iteming my costs all the way from COGS to fuel to overhead % for the job--it's very detailed and it really works for my estimating and bidding process. When I bill, I should incorporate all the 'hidden' costs into my materials costs so I don't lose on any $.

When I bill, do I need to line item each material cost? I typically don't line item each item, makes homeowners tend to be more picky when they can see what each individual item costs....

Does anybody have a sample of a contract used for a T&M job?

For down payment, should I take an approx % (50%) and call it down payment, or do most T&M jobs have a smaller down payment with more frequent billing?