Fool proof pricing?

[TFGplumbing]

Hiya guys

As a new business I'am doing okay with pricing at the moment(no major cock ups) but it takes me hours, obviously its important to give an accurate prices so that you get the job, But I'am finding that I never seem to be able to accurately give a price for materials I will use ie pipe & fittings there are always seems to be extenuating circumstances where the job won got exactly as originally planned and I end up using more things; I cant spend hours at someones house counting out exactly how many 15mm elbow i'am going to use.. I can only get a rough idea.

Clearly the problem is:

a) I don't want to over estimate materials and lose a job.
b) Under estimate materials & eat into profits.
c) I don't want to put "materials as required" on quote as its misleading; and potentially may cause conflict at bill time.

I normally put on quotes "prices do not include unforeseen variations" or some such.

Clearly I'am still learning business skills which is fine and expected at this early stage.

Any tips from the pros?

 

[cr0ft]

I don't spend very much time on quotes at all to be honest. For large jobs guestimate the price of materials and add a couple of hundred on to cover anything unexpected. After you have done a few bathrooms you will soon start to know roughly what you are spending.

For small jobs, do a similar thing, always add on a decent contingency.

A job where you can't do that isn't a job worth doing imo.

 

[hammers4spanner]

Classify large job crOft ?

I put a £4000 buffer on a job i have just done and materials cost motored right into that !!

 

[Destroyer2813]

As mentioned I don't try and work out fittings down to the last tee or elbow will drive you mad I work out roughly how much I did then add a percentage on

 

[Leo21]

The more you do the more idea you'll get. I take an educated guess at the materials, then add £50 or £100. That's tube and fittings only. There's always stuff you can't account for. As you go along you'll gather more stock, so if you do cock up you've got some materials in the bank. Swings and roundabouts, but on the whole your up.

 

[erpkid]

We quote labour - fixed plus materials at cost. We give an estimate of materials and load this heavily. At then end of the job the customer gets a pleasant surprise. The other advantage is that a customer being charged less does not want a breakdown elbow by elbow. Also it depends on the job for example going from vented to sealed you should always point out that this may reveal weaknesses in pipe work especially under screed. We use a spreadsheet and walk our way through the job if it is bigger and always go overboard and round up on labour. It is worth doing a mini review after the first few if you don't make what you need and ask where the problem lays. With us it is tiling as this always takes longer than expected. Eventually you will get it right every time just as your bus pass pops through the letterbox

 

[Ermintrude]

No such thing as fool proof. I don't do sanitary because too many horrible bits and variables. Just to heating and hw systems.

Domestic stuff is pretty simple once you have done a few , u know what jobs worth roughly before u open car door to price job...... Just need to make it look like your working it out for custards sake . But if you hit unforeseen problems ...... Start the meter rolling.

Tendering is a bit more involved , some times tender drawings end up being construction .... Rarely tho so u have the opertunity to re measure and agree variations. ( not that you will get paid for them !!!!) also programme changes , builders works and other trades can cause you day works. ( very dirty word)

 

[hammers4spanner]

Heating can bite your urse ermingtrude bigger pumps and valves aint cheap

 

[TFGplumbing]

I mainly do heating myself, and i prefer heating generally. Nothing like the smell of a freshly installed radiator getting bouncing for the first time.

 

[cr0ft]

Classify large job crOft ?

I put a £4000 buffer on a job i have just done and materials cost motored right into that !!

I'm assuming he is asking about a domestic quote so I guess a bathroom installation or cental heating install.