Construction estimating
October 25, 2017 6:02 PM Subscribe
i'm trying to get s.f. costs of some new construction. For hurricane Sandy estimation (yes, the work is not done yet) I am new at this, and I am trying to be thorough, include all the areas.
!. Is there any on-line estimator (free) instead of the books (e.g. Means, Craftsman)
2. There seems to be a lot of factors unknown e.g. a new 4" slab. sometimes they specify vapor barriers etc. but sometimes not. How do you add in the formwork? Add in the demo, and the resilient flooring? What about the room walls on them that have to be removed, or replaced. Or do you have to go through all these to get a full, thorough figure?
3. New footings. Does that mean to grade? What about the 4' formwork on them? doesn't some siding have to be removed to do the work?
4. New resilient flooring (.82) does that include the cost of the new tile?
5. Should it include the 10% contractor profit?
Or should I just settle in, SLOG it through, and try to catch all the possible factors? It just seems so vague.
!. Is there any on-line estimator (free) instead of the books (e.g. Means, Craftsman)
2. There seems to be a lot of factors unknown e.g. a new 4" slab. sometimes they specify vapor barriers etc. but sometimes not. How do you add in the formwork? Add in the demo, and the resilient flooring? What about the room walls on them that have to be removed, or replaced. Or do you have to go through all these to get a full, thorough figure?
3. New footings. Does that mean to grade? What about the 4' formwork on them? doesn't some siding have to be removed to do the work?
4. New resilient flooring (.82) does that include the cost of the new tile?
5. Should it include the 10% contractor profit?
Or should I just settle in, SLOG it through, and try to catch all the possible factors? It just seems so vague.
I do quite a bit of estimating.
Sources:
Historical data for projects in our office.
General Contractors.
Means.
Slogging through means is not a bunch of fun, and you have to know what you're doing. I try to "build the building" in my head. Items cover just what they say. You may be putting siding on the second floor of a house, the price for siding installed does not cover the scaffolding (how long? delivery fee? Time to set up/tear down?) fer instance. Similarly, the crane to lift on the roof trusses isn't covered. If you don't have plans and specs it is harder.
If you can get a GC or Architect to help you, it would be good. Even if you have to buy a couple hours time.
We do quite a bit of school work. Schools in this area are going for 275 to 300 a foot right now. A similar number for your job would be a good back-check against missing major item.
Oh, and standard overhead and profit for GC's on change order work on any Gov't project is 20%, so I think you are low there.
Means also has a section in the back that has labor rate adjustments for different areas, I think your area would be more expensive than here in south Georgia. So there isn't really a "national price" for anything.
Demand also is a BIG factor in pricing. Stuff came for cheap during the great recession, not so much now, we're seeing upward pressure on prices.
posted by rudd135 at 5:41 PM on October 26, 2017
Sources:
Historical data for projects in our office.
General Contractors.
Means.
Slogging through means is not a bunch of fun, and you have to know what you're doing. I try to "build the building" in my head. Items cover just what they say. You may be putting siding on the second floor of a house, the price for siding installed does not cover the scaffolding (how long? delivery fee? Time to set up/tear down?) fer instance. Similarly, the crane to lift on the roof trusses isn't covered. If you don't have plans and specs it is harder.
If you can get a GC or Architect to help you, it would be good. Even if you have to buy a couple hours time.
We do quite a bit of school work. Schools in this area are going for 275 to 300 a foot right now. A similar number for your job would be a good back-check against missing major item.
Oh, and standard overhead and profit for GC's on change order work on any Gov't project is 20%, so I think you are low there.
Means also has a section in the back that has labor rate adjustments for different areas, I think your area would be more expensive than here in south Georgia. So there isn't really a "national price" for anything.
Demand also is a BIG factor in pricing. Stuff came for cheap during the great recession, not so much now, we're seeing upward pressure on prices.
posted by rudd135 at 5:41 PM on October 26, 2017
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Even if it's not for a counter-claim, they might have some direction as to what they expect to be included, or what is customary in your area. Every state and local municipality has different building codes; hopefully they can either speak intelligently on those codes, or direct you to current up-to-date resources.
posted by vignettist at 10:35 PM on October 25, 2017