Running the Business · Part 2
Template: the estimate worksheet, blank and worked
One sheet, used on every job that is not already in the price book, that walks the takeoff, labor units, loaded rate, materials, overhead, contingency, and margin in order and produces a price by division rather than by feel. The blank is followed by the same sheet filled in for a 50-gallon gas water heater replacement, so the format is never in doubt. Keep the finished sheet in the job folder; it is what a change order is measured against.
What the full lesson covers
- Fill the sheet top to bottom; do not write a price until line 9.
- The loaded labor rate and the overhead rate are computed once a year and written at the top of every sheet, so they are never guessed on a job.
- Price equals cost divided by (1 minus target margin). The sheet shows the division so the markup mistake cannot happen.
- The finished worksheet is the takeoff of record for the job; changes are measured against it.
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More lessons in Getting Work
- 1Where the first ten jobs actually come from
- 2Supply-house relationships and credit: the account, the terms, the personal guarantee, and the notice your supplier sends your customer
- 3Subbing to general contractors: how to get on the list, what they check, and the four clauses in the subcontract that matter
- 4Property managers, home-warranty companies, and realtors: volume vs. margin, and the paperwork each one lives on