I am new in the construction trade and I’ve been taking on what ever type of work I can get. It now seems that I am focusing my efforts mainly on hanging and finishing drwall. I have been bidding most of the jobs by time and materials but I’ve been asked by a few larger G.C.’s for a labor price per board (4×8). I am not sure how to price it. I have a large office building to bid, about 950 sheets- all walls and need a little help. Any feed back would be appreciated.
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To Basile and others:
I'm not a drywaller and cannot answer your question with any accuracy, but it would really help if people who post would, at least, enter some regional background! There is a world of difference between coasts in term of costs, methods, terminology (loggers vs. lumberjacks and creeks vs. brooks) and I feel at a loss sometimes trying to help somebody with my "mile wide and inch deep" knowledge when I don't even have a clue about the circumstances. (I'm not picking on you, Basile, you just gave me an opportunity here to spout off)!
Now, let the real experts have sway!
Some people would bitch even if they were hung with a new rope.
How fast can you work?
How much money do you want to make (reasonable) an hour?
I scheduled a job in one part of the country (KY) last fall where they got $9 an hour. Where I live (CT), it's $30-$35 a sheet for 12' sheets.
On this job, also look at the economy of scale associated with the job. While a typical addition may be 40 sheets and a typical house 240 sheets, here's one job worth 950 sheets...of walls only. This one job will keep you from having to shlep to/from four houses, or 24 additions...and may keep you from having to bid umpteen jobs to actually sign those 4/24. That may be worth something to you.
Also, it's an office building. Does the builder want you and a helper working on this for eight weeks, or is he expecting you to have a crew of eight so you can attack the building from all angles, all at once?
Thanks for the coments. I bid the job today at $18 a sheet. I'm using large sheets 12, 14, 16's where I can to eliminate cuts and butt joints. I'm thinking about 4 to 4.5 weeks. My crew is a little greener than me, but I think that should be plenty of time. (with a few 12hr days) Thanks again
I didnt get enough imformation either. I told this in a earliear post; 40 sheets of 4by 12 in one 8 hr day per man. The price of that should be about one third more than a union carpenter makes per 8 hrs. Now you should have a price that is close.
Tim Mooney
Im not sure what part of u.s. you are from. In Southern Illinois, just east of St. Louis.
I am a contractor that bids houses from the 150's to 300's. in this area hangers get
12 to 15 cents a sq. ft. that is 8' walls, that relates to $4.80 a sheet for 4x12. To
finish it ranges from 33 t0 37 cents a sq. ft.
Let me throw a real wrench into the stew... I bid $500 to use less than 24 sq. ft. of rock. Of course I'm patching 13 holes in a nursing home with two layers of rock for fire protection and it's orange peel texture I have to blend into. Just goes to show it's not always the sq. ft. price you have to look at...