[BJR]

I have noticed that a few members are asking how to price jobs.

I use a spread sheet to work out my quotes. It took me 2 years of constantly monitoring projects to complete and I am always updating it.

This is how I do it.

In the first column you put your item.
The second column has the charge out rate.
The third column is where you put the quantity.
The fourth column is the addition column. You use the sum formula to do this.
At the botttom of the fourth column you use the sum formula to add up all the amounts.
Then I add Tax and Profit Margin using the product formula.

Here is a sample. I Hope.

I have a different page for every aspect of landscaping. It makes quoting much easier and quicker.

The only way to learn is to start taking notes of times taken to do a task. Do it constantly and adjust your rates as required.

Always make sure that you don't undervalue your time.

[jwholden]

Bjr,

That is a great idea!!! From the way the sheet reads do you price the paver install and the base prep as two different things? Around here most guys just shoot for a number per square foot. ( I'd put it from 12-16 depending on the paver and difficulty of the install).

I agree that we shouldn't undervalue our time and am working harder every day not to.

[Stonehenge]

jw - While I still do a lot of pricing per square foot on hardscapes, I think that in the long haul that's not the way to go. Pricing based on whether it's a walk or a patio (or drive), quantity of edge restraint, lineal feet of cutting, access to site, etc, is a better way to go. However, to do that you really need to have a good amount of historical data on how long it takes to do each step. While I have a good 'feel' for it, when the day comes that take-offs are not part of what I do, someone else may not have that same 'feel' and I'll need to have a formula like what BJR has. Paul prices this way as well, and I think it's the best way to go when you are really doing some volume work.

I'd like to spend more time collecting that kind of data, but at the moment my bank of extra time is overdrawn....maybe next season....

[Paul]

Some things in bidding are judgment calls, no amount of record keeping can handle all the nuances of a job site. You can be right 95% of the time on your bid number but that 5% can come back an bite you. I like the format we use now as seen in Estimating Program you must remember it's a data base that works with Excel allowing us to work with our numbers before the final bid is written.

[Rex Mann]

When we do an estimate we "build a price". We look at all the things that vary job-by-job, which is everything. We charge for how much and what type of materials(s) need to be removed. Will it be done by hand or machine. How much base is required. How many liner feet of edge material will be used. How many square feet of pavers are going down. We break it down by 200-500, 501-1000, 1001-1500, 1501-5000, 5001 plus. We call this sand and pavers. this is the base price and we add all the other variables in. This price would be for generation one pavers. Tumbled pavers add X amount on top of the complete price for gen. one pavers. Also charge extra for backyard locations with poor access. I have over 20 line items on my cost sheet. We have them for both residential and commercial clients.

Peace,

Rex

[Paul]

My "data base" lists each paver type with it's cost and install times, base is broken down by labor type and job size. So As I do a "take off" my list appears as a assembly, I can pick from that assembly what I need to include in that bid, including trucking of material, delivery, labor for each item. What makes each bid more interesting is the different patterns of install for each paver, some have much more difficulty because of random pattern.
Which involve more cutting and thought , "Paver Quilting" or the mixing of 3 or more different pavers into a job can effect the price along with different patterns or direction changes in the laying pattern.

Maybe we should start a thread of what items we use in bidding a job.

[BJR]

The spread sheet I attached is only a small part of the whole file.

I have other spread sheets for preparation and another for access.

I have 17 sheets with an average of 20 items per sheet.

Then, sometimes, I also have to work out prices for componenets of the job that the sheets don't address.