[zackkcaz]

hi there,
I have been doing interlock for 5 years and I was approached by a contractor to work for him doing peicework. He wanted to know what I would charge for building wall- charging by linear foot, and for buiulding a patio- per sqare foot. What are the averages I should be charging for this? would any body be able to help me?

[Lanelle]

Stop and don't fall for fitting into someone else's easy mold.
If you publish a flat 'square foot price' you will be on your way to going broke because so many jobs have conditions that take extra time and that money would come out of your pocket. Sorry, not much time to explain during the day.

[Stonehenge]

Yup-yup. In the insurance industry they called something like that "adverse selection", where your business model naturally lends itself to only getting the pain i n the neck jobs, installing higher dollar materials for lower dollar prices. Tell the builder you'll bid each one on a case-by-case.

Oh - and if he tells you that if you do this one cheap he'll have a lot of future work for you, run away as fast as you can.

[cutntrim]

You could probably provide a range (i.e. $12-$15/ft) whatever works for you in most situations, but you'd still want to price each job out individually. But you already know that, because that's how you've been doing it for five years now anyway.

[Squizzy Taylor]

I quote mortared wall re-pointing by the square on a case by case basis...and it soley depends on the access and condition.

I started out quoting walls per block and really fell into the trap.

Time and materials.....Time and Materials...thats the only way. Working my figures backwards on past jobs I have done big block walls from between $25 a block and $356 a block....you can figure how that will screw your business. Listen to what these guys here are saying.....your on a well trodden path.

[trees]

Ditto all the above. Talk to this builder like he's any other client. "I can give you a range that we typically fall within, but we don't do by the foot pricing. Each site is different and we bid them separately."

Be very wary of builders offering "lots of work"...

[Keith N]

Do not use the per foot pricing! Some customers hear a sqft price and they lock in on a sqft pricing mentality that you can't fix. I have a customer that is doing this to me right now and this job was bid by the job. Educate the customer and TRY to screen your clients as best as you can.