[jazak]

I have a customer who wants a 100sq ft retaining wall installed. Here is what I'm thinking.

Labor:
Me $300/day ~ 3 days = $900.00
Bro $300/day ~ 3 days = $900.00
TOTAL $1800.00

Rentals:
Kubota $225/day ~ 2 days + $175 = $725.00
Compactor $80/day ~ 3 days + $20 = $260.00
Stone Saw $80/day ~ 1 day + $20 = $100.00
TOTAL $1,085.00

Materials:
¾” Clean Stone $35cu yd ~ 7cu yds = $245.00
Topsoil $40cu yd ~ 1 cu yd = $40.00
Mulch $35cu yd ~ 2cu yds = $75.00
3” PVC Pipe $40 - 100x3 = $40.00
Landscape Fabric $50 – 100x3 = $50.00 (between ¾” rock & soil)
Block Adhesive $6.25ea ~ 10 = $75.00
Wall Block $850 ~ 50sq ft = $1,700.00
Block Caps $9.00ea ~ 27 = $250.00
TOTAL $2,250.00

GRAND TOTAL $5,120 ~ 12.5%(profit) = $630 + $5,120 = $5,750.00



So what do you think? Is my pricing good? Off? Do you feel I have the wrong materials or rentals? What changes should I make, if any?

[jazak]

......................

[Matt Kulp]

What about some product mark up, or is that figured in? Also, I would change the Landscape fabric to Geotextile for the seperation fabric. JMO

[jamesn162]

Please dont take this the wrong way. How long have you owned your landscaping business? the reason i ask is because i think your profit to material ratio is quite low. I make this assumption thinking that you are a legal company with proper insurance, workmans comp etc etc etc.

[agla]

I'm not saying you should charge $x per SF, but you are essentially charging $57.50 per SF for a very straight forward installation. That is a high price for that type of wall.

Block price is way high. I figure you are proably using a basic block that will proably cost 6-10 bucks a face foot.

How are the people suppose to get to the front door without steps built into the wall? Just something to think about.

[VoodooChile]

So you are either too high, or too low! Great how we cleared things up for you...

Is this your first wall? Add some hours if it is.

What about disposal? The boulders, and block scrap.

Are you working with a manufacturer and/or distributor who is knowledgeable and willing to answer questions? Things like geo-textile, soil-structure, and maximum heights for the block you are using, will have a big impact on your wall's long-term success. You need a supplier/manufacturer who is going to provide that information for the block you are using to succeed at wall building.

The front door's sidewalk must be hidden in the pix.

Your p/l/c -- profit, loss and contingency-- is a bit lower than ours.

I'd rather be too high on price, and not get a job I've never done before, than too low and doing a ton of work I can't handle.

17 years old, right? I'd say you're doing damn good.

Good Luck!

[agla]

You are not suggesting that he should charge more because his inexperience will make it take longer are you?

[jazak]

OK to answer everyones "?"s.

Matt Kulp - you don't think 12.5% is enough? I was told that 10-18% is good.

jamesn1622 - I have been in business for 2 years, I'm only 17. However I have taken a couple classes on this and worked for a guy p/t last year who only did hardscape. (He got f/t guys now and doesn't need me) I have insurance but no workers comp. (I have no f/t employees.)

agla - how could I come down in the price? Is there anything you see that I could lower?

mrusk - there is a paver walkway in the front that leads to the front door. The block is going to be tumbled to match the walkway. Do you know of anything cheaper?

VoodoChile- I've done some walls before & always watch the guys installing walls by where I live. The rock is being moved right down the street to be used on another job I have. The wall is 3.5' tall at the max. I was told by the local stone supplier that the block he's going to sell me if fine up to 4' without geo-grid.

Another thing. Kubota for 2 days? What i would do is get your phone book up and call a excavator up. Its about a hour tops worth of work for a experieced operator. You could proably get it dug out for 200 bucks. You could proably get the dirt hauled away for another 100 bucks tops.

Then just use the wheel barrel for the stone.

[agla]

It looks like you are paying a high price for the block ($17/SF?).

There are two other factors beside you figuring your costs. One is what other experienced guys will charge for this.And finally, whether your client values the wall enough to pay that much money for it no matter who does it.

No insult to you, but someone who is asking a 17 year old to do this job over the many other installers with a longer history and more experience is not typically expecting to pay top dollar. His expectation is that you don't need as much income, or that you don't have overhead, or that you need to build up your experience, or you are not savvy enough to price it right.

If you can get top dollar, by all means you should take it.

[scl]

Not to mention 48 man/hours for 100 sq. feet? With 2 guys and a mini, you should knock this out in 2 days max!!! If you can get it, charge it! Wish more guys like you bid against guys like me

[jazak]

OK, so I'll bring my labor down a day, the compactor a day and the tractor down to a day. (I need the tractor to move the rock to the next job. It going to be hard to push the rock to where is has to go on the yard.)

So take roughly $900 off of $5750 = $4850.00.

How does that look? If you guys have any ideas on better block pricing let me know. Maybe I should lower my labor down to $250/day each?

mrusk - I'd rather just put $325.00+/- on the bill and get better at running machinery and use it to transport the rock then hire someone for $100+/- less. JMO

If you are using versa lok tumbled, which i assume you are, the price should be around 12 a sq ft.

[jazak]

I was going to buy from the local guy, Curley Stone. They sell,
Cambridge, E.P. Henry, Grinnell.

He quoted me on 6" EP Henry Coventry.

What block would you suggest?