On Sun, 4 Mar 2007 06:36:48 -0800, "Sacramento Dave"
wrote:


"Berkshire Bill" wrote in message
.. .

"John" wrote in message
...
I have a small bathroom remodel, probably about 10 hours, certainly no
more then 20 hours of work for one person. How much should I be looking
to pay a contractor? What is the labor rate, not counting hardware?


I generally won't quote if the customer is providing the material, so I
would probably bid $8000.00 if there isn't a bathtub or toilet involved.

Bill


When I was in the remodel business and the customer would know all the
answers labor time, material cost, how to do the job I would triple the bid
because I knew what I was up against.

With that attitude, I'd never use a contractor such as yourself.

I generally know about how many labor hours something takes due to 20
years of property management experience.

A fair estimate is such an agreed upon number of hours plus a
reasonable factor for the unexpected. If I get an estimate and the job
comes back 20-30% over budget, I'm fine.
If it comes back 200% over, we got problems...

Too often I've had contractors try to blow smoke up my u-know-what by
telling me all the bad things that COULD happen.
Yeah the sky can fall too...

If bad stuff happens then we talk, otherwise I don't expect an
estimate that allows a contractor to buy his retirement home with
every job.

I never accept high flat rate jobs especially if I start dividing the
number of probable hours into the quoted rate and the hourly rates
total more than what my local brain surgeon would make.

Doug