concrete labor pricing...WHAT!!

[PWC Repair]

Is it just me or do the concrete guys stick it to everybody. I'm ready to start pouring a footer and retaining wall for my shop so I've done my research, priced materials and got some labor rates. Seems like a 2 man crew will come out and make a WEEKS WORTH OF PAY EACH in a day and a half.

Looks like I'll be buying some lumber and plywood and doing it all myself.

 

[HAY YOU]

Report back after you finish making the forms, putting in rebar, pouring, striking it, stripping the forms & checking out your handy work.

 

[RivennHewn]

It seems like a high price, until you try to do it yourself.

 

[RV77]

Doing Concrete is a alot of labor and I wouldnt do it if you dont have the tools or experience.

 

[Rogue1987]

I've done the labor for putting in concrete footings ...if I had the option I'd pay someone else to do it!

 

[Jbizzle]

My dad and I did our back patio and I will never do that kind of concrete work again! We mixed everything on site. Talk about labor intensive!!!

 

[MFortie]

Yup, I'm looking at north of $20K for the foundation and 6" slab for a 40'x60' red iron building...

And that's with my buddy doing the grading.

Although, the way the contractor broke it down made more sense:

$10K for mud - $90/yard + delivery fees since we live in BFE (compared to the rest of San Diego)
$5K for steel and labor (he had to use ironworkers to set the steel - #6 - on the last building my size he did based on the engineer's foundation plans.)
$5K for his labor (dig footings, set forms, pour, finish, etc.)

Think I'll let him do it for his $5k...

 

[chamoisfive]

Yup. Agree with all of the above. I do this as part of my career choice and yes, it is labor intensive. Not a part that I enjoy the most but it's gotta be done & done right. Sorry to say but **** it up & get on with it. Either yourself or a contractor you can trust.
Having said that though, there will always be gougers waiting for 'the mark'. Hope you aren't on the receiving end of one.
Good luck with your project

 

[PWC Repair]

Yes, done it before, not rocket science. Did the 21ft octagon under my pool, my front porch and steps, and my 12x18 little shop slab. Spray down the 2x's and plywood with Thompsons water seal and re-use all in the shop build=money not lost. I HAVE NO PROBLEM paying somebody for some labor but anything over $500 a week take home in my area is pretty good money. There's no way I'm paying a general laboror triple what I make.

 

[APEowner]

There's no way I'm paying a general laboror triple what I make.

Hmm. I think this may be the heart of the problem.

 

[A**holes Garage]

I have a commercial concrete license and I sub it out....

 

[Leaflessshadetree]

I usually do it myself. Sometimes it takes me 2 weeks to do what two good guys can do in a day.

My grandfather always told me that you don't pay people for what they do, you pay them for what you can't or don't want to do.

 

[tdkkart]

Have you checked the price of a truck, trailer and skid steer(even a beat to hell used one) lately??

 

[tdkkart]

Although, the way the contractor broke it down made more sense:

$10K for mud - $90/yard + delivery fees since we live in BFE (compared to the rest of San Diego)
$5K for steel and labor (he had to use ironworkers to set the steel - #6 - on the last building my size he did based on the engineer's foundation plans.)
$5K for his labor (dig footings, set forms, pour, finish, etc.)

Think I'll let him do it for his $5k...

This exactly how I always say it works out, cost of mud x 2 = cost of job.

 

[Stuart in MN]

Remember there's a big difference between the labor rate and what the individual workers are making per hour.

 

[mechan]

Remember there's a big difference between the labor rate and what the individual workers are making per hour.

Common sense has no purpose here, clearly the laborers working for concrete companies are just rolling in the money.

::shakes head::

 

[Strouty]

Whenever we do foundations for towers, we get about $375 a yard, most of the time more, especially if it is under two truck loads.

 

[southalabama]

For a footer I'd do it myself but for anything that requires finish work such as a slab or a retaining wall I'd hire it done. I just had a 40x60 poured no way I could have done that. I don't have enough friends who could volunteer that much time. Renting finishing machines would also present a problem. When I was a teen dad poured a 20x30 and it nearly killed us. I also remember dry cracking and peeling hands.

 

[volleyball]

Lots of things you can do yourself. Biggest thing is you have to have the proper, level foundation. I want to make sure that it was done right. Because if it ain't the whole thing will be off. I don't have the tools and I don't have the friends I need to get it done.

 

[NUTTSGT]

So what are the numbers you're complaining about ? Yards of concrete and what do they want to pour/finish it ?

Since there is a retaining wall, how excavation needs to be done ?

 

[upndown]

If you ever need a good nights sleep, labor for a good concrete crew or block laying crew..Just sayn

 

[600SL]

Well I talked my contractor down from 10K to 3K + the concrete. His task was 1 days work to pour 50 yards and float it. I did the rebar, forms and excavation. I told him a 5 man crew for a day at anything over that was a bit excessive. It ended up being himself and two other guys for about 6 hours, plus him staying thought the night to float it.

Yes they can get out of hand.

 

[Stevie-Ray]

PLEEEEEASE look around. When I contracted for my garage, I was working with a builder that got a price on cement that was, I thought, out of reach. I changed my footprint from 28x56 to 24x48 and he asked again. The price was $500 less. WTF? Well, he explained, some things don't change just because garage will be smaller. Well, the builder ended up losing the job to another builder that gave me the proper price right up front, and as it turns out, I got one of the best cement guys up here, according to quite a few. It appears that some contractors seem to want to price themselves right out of the market. The second contractor was nearly 5K less for the build in total.

 

[brownbagg]

CONCRETE LABOR AROUND HERE IS ABOUT $100 per person per day, not more than $150. a 22 yard house slab 1200 sq ft about $800. but that just to place, no digging, no forming. just dump and finish

 

[aubrey601]

Edit

 

[PWC Repair]

Common sense has no purpose here, clearly the laborers working for concrete companies are just rolling in the money.

::shakes head::

That's just it!! These ARE the guys that work for other companies doing it on the side and they still want mega bucks. Here are the common figures so far. $5-7 per linear foot for a footer
$24-30 " " 4ft high retaining wall
$.080-$1.10 per sq foot to finish the slab after I set everything up.
3 different guys so far, none of whom own a company.

Found another guy that's stopping by tomorrow. We'll see how his adds up.

By the way, my dirtwork has already been done and a trench for footer is already dug.

 

[Jackfre]

I'd keep looking, consolidate the bidding and decide what I was willing to pay and offer that price to the guy you want most. Then go down the list. For me, currently recovering from a nasty back injury, I look at concrete work as one of the places I want someone else to do the job. I guess I've gotten to the point that I don't want to hurt myself on that heavy labor portion of the job that can bring the whole project to a halt. Good luck with it and keep us posted on which way you go.

 

[nolimits76]

That's just it!! These ARE the guys that work for other companies doing it on the side and they still want mega bucks. Here are the common figures so far. $5-7 per linear foot for a footer
$24-30 " " 4ft high retaining wall
$.080-$1.10 per sq foot to finish the slab after I set everything up.
3 different guys so far, none of whom own a company.

Found another guy that's stopping by tomorrow. We'll see how his adds up.

By the way, my dirtwork has already been done and a trench for footer is already dug.

At these rates, what materials and equipment do you supply?

That's what everyone is trying to say -- you are thinking labor cost is literally just labor. All the tools, release agents, lumber, etc. are things that also add up and cost money. If they are supplying those things then it may not be as bloated as you think. Not to mention, even if they make $10/hour and supply no tools why should they sell themselves for $10/hour when they know a "real company" will charge you $50/hour? I'd up sell my services too and push for $30/hour or better. Make a little extra and save you a little too over hiring a pro.

Sounds to me like you expect a "buddy deal" from people that aren't you buddies.

Not to sound rude, but in our area, most Hispanics do this sort of work and there are lots that need work and gather at street corners. Have you considered hiring a few of them for a few days? Sounds like this is what you are seeking.

 

[Holedgr]

Edited my post....Not worth it

 

[countryroad82]

Concrete trade is kind of like my trade. When somebody asks why it costs so much to do body work my first reply is how many times in a vehicles lifetime does it get painted? That's the smarta$$ answer, I will then break down the amount of time, overhead, and supply's it requires to do just a nice job and it helps clarify the confusion. It's like hiring a carpenter, you know 9 out of 10 reasonably inteligent humans can do it, just do you want to spend the time, effort, money, and labor to do it yourself.

 

[Dugan]

We use to charge 5.50$ a sq ft for 4" pads. 6.5$ if we had to remove existing concrete.

I dont know how my father made money...

 

[PWC Repair]

Well, latest guy was a no show. I'll probably just buy some 2x6's and break out the transit as soon as I rebuild this transmission and get paid.

 

[Endmout]

Can you rent forms in your area?

 

[6768rogues]

Doing the work $200 per day. Knowing how to do the work correctly add $300 per day.

 

[Arps]

Its expensive because its worth it. Concrete work *****.

 

[Banjorear]

Yes, done it before, not rocket science. Did the 21ft octagon under my pool, my front porch and steps, and my 12x18 little shop slab. Spray down the 2x's and plywood with Thompsons water seal and re-use all in the shop build=money not lost. I HAVE NO PROBLEM paying somebody for some labor but anything over $500 a week take home in my area is pretty good money. There's no way I'm paying a general laboror triple what I make.

$500 a week takehome is good money where you live? I live in NJ with my two sons and my wife. We spend our money wisely and can't get out the grocery store each week for under $150-200.

I think you have an unrealistic expectation of wages.

 

[kiatech]

$500 a week takehome is good money where you live? I live in NJ with my two sons and my wife. We spend our money wisely and can't get out the grocery store each week for under $150-200.

I think you have an unrealistic expectation of wages.

anything in new England is going to be expensive, not sure where the other Guy lives.

 

[icenfire01]

My buddy did concrete for a few years so when I did my slab I called in all my chips, plus I owe a few now. Even with us doing all the work I still had out of pocket expense of rebar, skid steer rental, ditch witch rental, dirt, gravel, laser level, plate packer rental, rental for forms, plus I had to rent all the finishing equipment. The guys I rented from needed all his stuff back by Mon. so we busted a** Fri. after noon thru Sun. I saved a lot of money but it SUCKED. I would NOT have done it if my buddy wouldn't have been there. Concrete is one of those things where you better know someone or you will have to pay for it.

 

[socapots]

$500 a week takehome is good money where you live? I live in NJ with my two sons and my wife. We spend our money wisely and can't get out the grocery store each week for under $150-200.

I think you have an unrealistic expectation of wages.

This is what I was thinking as well. Life is not cheap.

 

[Mr Mat USA]

Hello everyone. I'm new here and haven't really introduced myself but I had to jump into this thread.

Here's a story about outrageous pricing...
I called a couple of contractors for estimates on repairing a cracked and heaved garage floor. The garage is a two car attached 24x30. CORRECTION 21x19 feet.

The first guy that showed up was from a concrete leveling company. They drill some holes, shoot some foam under the slab and raise it. They claim it's fast, immediately useable, and leaves a waterproof material that supports the load on poor soil.
It's a 2 man job that takes 2 to 3 hours. The cost "FOUR THOUSAND DOLLARS!"
Apparently they use some sort of foam infused with gold, platinum, and unicorn horn.
I guess I should also add, this salesman showed up in a small car with the company logo all over it.

A real concrete contractor showed up in a truck and gave me a quote of $1800 for full replacement. He also gave me a quote for my 24x40 pole barn. I was trying to go from memory. FYI 24x40 slab $3100, slab with wire mesh $3485.

I'm one that believes, the concrete guys earn that money. It's labor intensive work. I'm willing to take on lots of projects, but a big concrete job isn't one of them. When the concrete starts pouring, the clock is running. You have to get it right before it sets or you have a big expensive problem.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to the project. I need to wait until Michigan lets go of winter before it can start.

Great thread