Pulling permits? (Sarasota: salon, buying, tenant)

[beninfl]

Originally Posted by macrodome2

It's not how much it cost but the return on the investment.

Exactly! If a contractor has to pay $4000, then absorb that as a cost of doing business, and into your pricing overall.

Cold Stone Creamery doesnt charge me $5k because they need an ice cream machine. They build it into the cost of my delicious Strawberry Blondie mix that I love. :-)

[Shabotnik]

Originally Posted by beninfl

Exactly! If a contractor has to pay $4000, then absorb that as a cost of doing business, and into your pricing overall.

Cold Stone Creamery doesnt charge me $5k because they need an ice cream machine. They build it into the cost of my delicious Strawberry Blondie mix that I love. :-)

True that, but the kid at the counter doesn't get labeled an unnecessary markup either.

[beninfl]

Originally Posted by Shabotnik

True that, but the kid at the counter doesn't get labeled an unnecessary markup either.

Only by the management.

[Cardiff by the Sea]

Originally Posted by beninfl

Only by the management.

So equivalent situations--right?

[beninfl]

Originally Posted by Cardiff by the Sea

So equivalent situations--right?

In a humorous way, perhaps. But I'm not entirely sure I understand the question.

[imagardener]

As a self-employed person I never did elaborate calculations about overhead+cost of doing business+cost of materials, etc. It is really irrelevant to the customer.

Just know what your competitor is charging and that's the base quote, then modify: higher if your work is better or you are busy and don't need the work, lower if you want the job and the date of work is good, etc. This method does not work in all cases but gets you in the ballpark. The more complicated the quote the more deviation from average you will get if you get several bids.

Some contractors will def. add on $$'s if a job is something they don't esp. like, or is in a county that is a headache with permitting.

Summer is usually the slow time for contractors here but we've found some are super busy. Luckily our job is small and most subs can get their part done in 1-2 days which means we get calls back instead of radio silence from those contacted (however 1 electrician and 1 window replacement firm did not give bid even after coming to inspect for quote).

[Shabotnik]

Originally Posted by imagardener

Just know what your competitor is charging and that's the base quote, then modify: higher if your work is better or you are busy and don't need the work, lower if you want the job and the date of work is good, etc. This method does not work in all cases but gets you in the ballpark.

This method will get you into the ballpark alright, the Ballpark of Bankruptcy.

The ONLY way one can successfully bid on construction work is to KNOW YOUR COSTS. Armed with this knowledge, you can build a successful bid. If you are bidding against "contractors" who don't know their costs, and believe me there are tons of them, you are chasing them down the bankruptcy trail. The last person on earth you want working on your home is a guy who isn't making any money.

I don't bid, I bill. If I can't convince you I'm the best value, I don't deserve your business. If you're only looking to compare my price with others, we aren't right for each other.

[loves2read]

We have friend who is contractor in TX--no license or training/tradecraft required there although he has educated himself because he want to build a quality product.
He said that so many of his subs run into,problems because they don't know how to really create an accurate estimate for jobs that be somewhat different from normal...
He says they are their own worse enemy because they often will try over estimating a new project to make up the underbidding on previous one...

By the way, we are still dead in the water on our project. First tile guy did not want to build a waterproof shower and one we finally found has not turned in his bid...he is in DC on vacation, back Sunday...
The cabinet designer found us a GC for reasonable cost to pull permits but now she has not completed her bid or given us contact info re the GC...and neither the plumber nor the tile/demo/painter guy sent references with their bid like we asked...
I am starting to think this remodel is like the albatross around the neck of the Ancient Mariner--
Since we have tried to get it done w/o any luck, we have had several other mal events occur to us or close family...you know how bad things come in 3's...

[imagardener]

Sorry to hear your project is stopped and this is the "slow" season when normally trades return calls and need work.

Our reno project is almost done: new on-demand hot water, modernization of all electric (crazy wiring from years of who knows who did it), new mini-split A/C to replace 3 window units and patching of all surfaces where cuts were made for the work done. Painting is being done today and then we're done (well except for the yard work which is big project too).

Just one job can't be done due to expense. I wanted to put an exterior rear door in place of a window but the cost of door is extreme for what is an older house. Budget $1500 and bids are $2400 or more. Slider would be $4000+.

Found out another wrinkle starting to be law (but didn't affect us because no windows need replacing). When replacing windows they will be required to be hurricane-proof if the sq. ft of replaced window(s) exceeds 25% of current window total sq. ft.

Of course this makes sense from a practical viewpoint but some people in older homes (and perhaps on limited budget) can't replace a window with same style without paying about 3X the current cost to upgrade to hurricane-proof, even if they have hurricane shutters already in place.

We have hurricane shutters for all openings (windows and doors) at our home but if we replaced more than 25% of windows then all would have to be hurricane-proof regardless of having shutters (for which we paid over 10K).

[loves2read]

Glad doors/sliders probably fall under that rule as well

If u don't have to have hurricane level
Check Craig's list for stuff taken out of homes or call Habitat in Sarasota
Might get lucky