newbie question

[jkdkaliman101]

II have a question about bidding. Plz PM me of answering in the forum would be inappropriate. BTW I'm using products from Elite Crete and this is my 1st official bid. it's looking like my materials and equip rental is going to run me about $1, 265.00 if I go with *@#$E100-Pt4, B-421 flake, E100-vr1 clear, AUSV, agg. Non slip and moisture test.*@#$If I go with spartic all I'm looking at $1, 494 for materials and equip rental.*@#$The grinder, vac and hand grinder will run me about $350 for the day.This is for a. 400 sqft floor. How much profit should I have? *@#$If I bid the job at $4.5 per Sqft I'm only making $300 and that's to pay two guys plus all my drive time and labor. That doesn't seem right.*@#$Even if I do the VR-1 I'm only looking at $535 profit?*@#$Should I hit it at 6 or 7 a sqft?Does my material cost seem right?*@#$Thanks in advance. ..I want to get the customer a bid quick but want to bid it right.*@#$-Tom

 

[jkdkaliman101]

Ps.. this is assuming I won't find any cracks once I grind off the old paint

 

[bdamico]

Is part of the problem that you're renting the equipment? Did you tell him you've never done a floor before btw? What kind of warranty are you offering given that you've never done this before?

 

[jkdkaliman101]

??? I see the filter interpreted Half my post as swear words. Lol. . Not yet. .. maybe AFTER this job

 

[jkdkaliman101]

No I didn't tell him that but I WILL stand behind my work. I've never done epoxy floors per se but I have used a grinder before and I Have acid etched, rolled and sprayed solid acrylics. Done my fair share of paver restoration and cleaned sealed multiple concrete slabs/drives etc. So although a full broadcast epoxy floor is not something I've done specifically, I'm not exactly going from a cashier or oil change tech or bank teller to floor coatings. I've been in exterior restoration since 2005... mostly wood restoration but as mentioned above I'm at least familiar with the industry.

As far as warranty goes I'm going to bsse that off what my distributor used to offer. IE.. warrenty workmanship, one year on coating, repaired cracks not warrenteed. I'd like to know what "industry standard" for warranty is though. I HAVE to stand behind my work. And I WILL stand behind my work.

 

[Garage Customz]

I want to get the customer a bid quick but want to bid it right.*@#$-Tom

What are your costs for the following:
-Workers comp
-Insurance
-Labor per hour
-Fixed overhead costs (IE: phone, rent etc)
-Job related expenses (IE: material pick up, proposal time etc.)
I mean....you do figure all this into your pricing don't you. Its called overhead.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

If you want advice on setting up a garage floor install business, call me.
You are going about this the wrong way.

You need to get a buffer and diamabrush head, a good Dustless vac and for 400 sq feet you should do it yourself or with (1) guy max.

This job should be going on with other jobs in the area.

Investing a few bucks upfront will pay dividends in the future.

 

[jkdkaliman101]

If you want advice on setting up a garage floor install business, call me.
You are going about this the wrong way.

You need to get a buffer and diamabrush head, a good Dustless vac and for 400 sq feet you should do it yourself or with (1) guy max.

This job should be going on with other jobs in the area.

Investing a few bucks upfront will pay dividends in the future.

I appreciate the offer to help. It's nice having a few numbers in the phone for those "oh **** what do I do now" moments lol

For the record, I am in business now but the cold weather has me off to a slow start and I'm seasonal too boot. I also just bought another work truck so I don't really have the funds to invest in new equipment right now which is why I need to rent. Btw the grinder I'm renting is an 11hp dual head Edco with dyma serts. I hope that will be sufficient.

Also I talked to my insurance rep and no additional coverage is needed for me. My current liability limits suffice.

Again, I'm looking to expand on the list of services I offer but am in that learning curve phase and part of that is trying to figure out fair proposals. I am at the point with my wood restoration where I can just look at a deck and know what to charge. Not so with flooring.

I plan on rolling profits back into equipment and eventually want to convert my biggest truck (16' box truck) into a flooring/overlay rig.

I was wanting advise based on the criteria mentioned in my OP on how to bid the job. At this point my "gut" tells me drop the spartic and stick with the AUSV with agg. Drop the VR-1 and go with PT-1 since uv light won't really be an issue with this garage. Do that and stick to the 4.50-5.25 ish area and alls well. No I won't make as much since the rental equipment will run me $350 but it is what it is.

For some reason I wasn't expecting my material cost to be so high for 400 sqft. I think that is what threw me. Originally I was guessing my materials would run me $500-600 and another $350 for rental so a $1700 bid would be what I was thinking. But honestly this is where my inexperience really hurts me. I hate the new business in the dark blues Haha.

I've got to start somewhere though right... why not here? I'm impressed with the level of professionalism I've seen here and I feel comfortable getting and asking for advice. A couple of you have already graciously offered to talk with me personally but I have a habit of becoming an information wh**e and will hold off lest I become a pest hahaha.

Anyway I've got to get this bid in soon or I may lose the job altogether. So I'll check back in a bit and hopefully I'll put something together that works for custoner and me as well.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Perhaps, you are paying too much for materials. Shop around. Some suppliers have a special installer-only price list.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[NUTTSGT]

??? I see the filter interpreted Half my post as swear words. Lol. . Not yet. .. maybe AFTER this job

There is no filter, that I know of in use at GJ. Your post has not been edited by anybody either. What appears in your post, is what you typed.

 

[floorcoatingsguru]

Are you in Georgia? I'd be glad to meet with you and go through the process with you even if you aren't using my product. I will speak in generic terms. I'm not sure I can sell you material anyway. This forum is more of a hobby for me as we only sell to professionals. I can save you a lot of headache. The prices you listed are WAY out of line. You'll never make any money at those costs.

Offer still stands.

 

[jkdkaliman101]

Are you in Georgia? I'd be glad to meet with you and go through the process with you even if you aren't using my product. I will speak in generic terms. I'm not sure I can sell you material anyway. This forum is more of a hobby for me as we only sell to professionals. I can save you a lot of headache. The prices you listed are WAY out of line. You'll never make any money at those costs.

Offer still stands.

Sigh. .. no I'm in illinois. Hoping one of the senior members in my neck of the woods makes a similar offer. Thank you anyway. As far as buying your products or anyone else's for that matter. I WANT to be the professional.

I've spent hours/days...watching videos, asking questions, reading literature but nothing beats hands on. I don't want to be the hack contractor that just slaps an ad in the phone book and goes to town only to disappear a year from now. I'm a stickler about doing it right and knowing "my stuff" .

Your the first one to mention my material cost is sky high. Because I'm new, I had nothing to gauge those prices against so that definitely caught my attention.

There are so many suppliers, so many brands it makes my head spin. Trying to piece it all together is giving me a migraine.

So are the epoxies that say sherwin Williams sell equal in quality to what I'm getting at elite crete? Is your system better quality than elite crete? Wondering why I'm paying so much with them?

Lov voc 100% solid epoxies mixed at 1-1 or 2-1 seem to be the way to go right? So if I find another supplier that's cheaper with that epoxy I'm good? Or is it more complex than that? What about urethanes?

Anyone in illinois that can chime in?

Just how bad AM I being ripped off by my distributor?

PS the main reason I'm using elite crete products are because I took a "training" class with them that left me with more questions than answers and getting detailed personalized help is like pulling teeth.

 

[Shea]

Your material costs seem way off base. Shop around and consider bulk purchases when the money becomes available. Buying in 5 gallon containers and mixing only what you need on site will cut material costs considerable vs. buying in 1.5 gallon kits that many times do not get fully used. Compare shipping costs for better priced materials vs. buying local.

Costs will decline when you invest in your own grinding equipment. Also, many installers charge additional for removing an existing coating when grinding. You might want to check your competition regarding that. Two installers plus yourself is over kill and a waste of $$$$. Two people is all that is needed for a garage that size.

 

[SunsetsAndFriends]

Part of the problem is that your first supplier knows that you're "green" to this business. You could ask for the contractor pricing list and see what they say. But shopping around, asking for their contractor/bulk price list would be helpful.

 

[thegarageguy]

If you plan to price a job out on what a customer is willing to pay then you are doomed for failure.

It's rare but we sometimes get clients wondering why their floor is more expensive than their neighbors or why it's so much higher in NYC. It's because every floor is unique and may require different preparation and products. Also, some locations are more difficult to work in or further away. There is not set price for any job. ALso, of course we as contractors are always looking for the best price to buy or products but cheapest doesn't always mean better. Never base your cost on how cheap your material is...

Figure out your daily cost of operation (ie; rent, elec, ins) + material & sundry (buckets, brushes, etc) cost + travel (ie; gas & tolls), labor + margin (YOUR PROFIT) and you should have the correct number to sell a job.

I'm surprised a person that has been in business would ask such a question...not trying to bag on you but how do you do it for your other business?

 

[jkdkaliman101]

..... Double post...delete. ...

 

[jkdkaliman101]

If you plan to price a job out on what a customer is willing to pay then you are doomed for failure.

It's rare but we sometimes get clients wondering why their floor is more expensive than their neighbors or why it's so much higher in NYC. It's because every floor is unique and may require different preparation and products. Also, some locations are more difficult to work in or further away. There is not set price for any job. ALso, of course we as contractors are always looking for the best price to buy or products but cheapest doesn't always mean better. Never base your cost on how cheap your material is...

Figure out your daily cost of operation (ie; rent, elec, ins) + material & sundry (buckets, brushes, etc) cost + travel (ie; gas & tolls), labor + margin (YOUR PROFIT) and you should have the correct number to sell a job.

I'm surprised a person that has been in business would ask such a question...not trying to bag on you but how do you do it for your other business?

I get your last comment and I understand what goes into a bid in the big picture. I guess my question for bid help was more specifically geared toward product/material cost and the ins/outs of real world labor time.

With my current business I DO know the price of stain and cleaning agents and I DO know coverage rates. I DO know if $85 for a 55lb bag of raw oxcilic is high or low etc etc.

Floor coatings, epoxy systems etc is new and there are a lot of unknowns. Slowly but surely it's starting to click.

This forum is a great resource to help negate or circumvent the learning curve. Even with small details. In looking at spiked rollers. Is $160 bucks to high for a 24" roller? Is $90 more like it or will one of the pros chime in and say "save your money and instead do this. ..or go with this epoxy or use this mixer or..... whatever. "

That's just one possible example. Some aspects of the industry you guys take for granted are a brand new discovery for me.

I can bid decks or house washes or patio paver cleaning, sanding sealing all day long cuz I've done my share of them.

 

[floorcoatingsguru]

Send me a private message or email me direct. I think I can have someone help you in Illinois. He's a White Sox fan though and I'm a Cubs and Braves fan but I won't hold it against him.