On Wednesday, April 24, 2019 at 9:25:59 PM UTC-5, -MIKE- wrote:

I recently got a Makita cordless track saw.
To day, I used it to cut down some bi-fold doors for a client who had
hardwood flooring installed that raised the level of the floor.

On one hand, I wish I didn't charge by the hour for this one. :-)
On the other hand, this thing is going to pay for itself 10-fold in
times saved on jobs priced per job.

I am surprised to read that you would charge by the hour for something like that. Probably 25 (more?) years ago I decided to have develop schedules for different things I do, and it falls in line with other tradesmen like plumbers, electricians, etc.

I have a trip charge that includes one hour including material pickup. I will do all I can in an hour for the trip charge if I don't have to pick up material for a project, say door lock replacement, threshold installation, etc. where the customer has the hardware.

Otherwise, I charge by the unit. So for doors, I charge $25 a door to cut a hollow core to fit carpet. Minimum trip charge to drive out, set up the horses and remove the doors, cut them and reinstall them is $125. But with set up, I can only get two doors done, so a minimum trip charge would only get two doors. But if it is a house full, then with all the tools out and me on site, I can usually cut 3 an hour, working out to $75 an hour.

Different trades have different minimum trip charges, and as a repair/remodel/maintenance contractor I have all of them and charge them as well. Roofing around here has a minimum charge from a reputable company of $250 on an asphalt shingle roof and can include roof jack replacement, sealing a chimney, etc. Cement tile has a minimum of $375 and can include reseating tiles, sealing them, or caulking cracked tiles.

I have a plumber that works for me a lot and I charge just a bit less than a full time plumber does.

Using that method, when I price things out or develop an estimate, I can more easily plug numbers in or remove them as needed. I have found that the best thing for me is to convert anything I can to units (structured pricing that shows no favoritism between my clients that know each other) and then I know what I am going to charge if I get a quick phone call from a client or prospective client.

At any rate, it costs a certain amount of money to have a truck on site, keep the quarterly reports filed, buy/maintain/replace tools and consumables, keep all the paperwork straight and the bills paid, and on and on. The way I figure it, I am on the clock when the computer comes on, or the key turns in the ignition. I keep in mind I don't get all we estimate, but the expenses are ongoing.

Not reflecting on anything said or written here but only on my personal experience, as a cub contractor back in the mid 70s, I didn't understand the cost of staying in business and continued overhead that has to be spread over all the business you get while staying competitive. Overhead is the only thing in business that is constant (and taxes). That was a hard lesson. You can't pound extra money into a job because you haven't had much work lately, and it can't give away too much if the job is lucrative. It all has to work out over the year.

Ahhhh€¦. to know then what I do know. MIKE... seriously... go to minimum charges!

Robert