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How much did I under bid

6/29/17       
Gloverb1102 Member

I bid this job $1600.00 how much would you charge for this?


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6/29/17       #3: How much did I under bid ...
Wood Dust

First off I hope your number of $ 1,600 was a typo.

Secondly , with the risk of sounding reckless....You should be able to answer this question your self. Are you a hobbyist and this is your first job?

-How many hours did it take you? Did you get your hourly rate?

-How much was material

Did your labor costs and material come in at or under $1,600?

That unit if your really priced it was grossly under priced no mater what region you are in.

6/29/17       #4: How much did I under bid ...
Pat Gilbert

Around $8,000, but I get underbid by half all the time.

How did you come up with $1600.00?

6/29/17       #6: How much did I under bid ...
Leo G

About $5500.00

6/29/17       #7: How much did I under bid ...
Mark B Member

Ton of hardware and detail variables but Im with everyone else, if you built and installed this for 1600.00 you lost your shirt.

6/29/17       #8: How much did I under bid ...
Michael Greco  Member

Website: http://www.michaelgrecocabinetmaker.com/

$1600 has got to be pretty close to the material cost, unless you built it from cardboard.

That is Ikea pricing.

I see in-cabinet lighting, which could be an easy $300 add on. As others have said, lots of variables.

Did you provide design or drawing services? Samples? Hardware selection?

How much did you underbid? Maybe 300-400%.

Take it as a lesson well learned and paid for.
Up your game on the next project.

6/29/17       #9: How much did I under bid ...
Michael Greco  Member

Website: http://www.michaelgrecocabinetmaker.com/

BTW, it looks like nice clean work. Great effort, regardless of the price. And you should know that.

Check back in with a great win, next time.

6/29/17       #10: How much did I under bid ...
rich c.

Was $1,600 for the install? As mentioned, if the job is done, you know how much money you lost. You need to attend a small business class so you understand overhead and expenses in relation to estimating. If you are fishing for estimating help, you already got that.

6/29/17       #11: How much did I under bid ...
Bob

When pricing jobs we must consider the geographic area that the job is in. I operate a shop in north east Georgia and my brother operates a business on the coast of SC near Myrtle Beach. We build very similar cabinets but he will get at least 3 times the price of what I would get on the same type job. His overhead in that area is much greater than mine. The overall profit will be very similar. In my area, the estimated cost of materials to build your project would be around $900 - $1000. I would have priced in the area of $2500 - $2750.

6/29/17       #12: How much did I under bid ...
Pat Gilbert

Ditto on what Michael said, nice clean job.

6/30/17       #13: How much did I under bid ...
Wood Dust

Yes, the work does look like it is clean and of quality.

And a valid question, was your price just the install?

6/30/17       #14: How much did I under bid ...
Alan F.

The only problem with this job is it looks very well done and will lead to lots of referrals with the expectation of a similar price.

It might be nice to explain to the owner that you enjoyed working with them but you are just starting out and underpriced the project and would appreciate referrals but won't be able to give future customers as good of a deal as you gave them.

6/30/17       #15: How much did I under bid ...
Paul Miller

Website: http://MCCWOODWORKING.COM

Without all the details, it is hard to price this, but it appears to be around $4,500 plus installation. I would bid installation for two guys a full day and one day for one person to put on handles, adjust doors etc. We bid $10 per ft to install crown. It appears that you have about 12' of crown.

We bid our installation at $45 per hour per person. Installation would be $1,080.

Another way I look at bidding a job like this is I try to estimate my materials and I do not want my materials to exceed 28%. If I calculate my material costs, I divide my materials by .28 and I compare that number to my bid.

Items like the valance over the center desk area, I bid at $300. I also see you have a keyboard. I double my cost for the keyboard. Painted finishes are usually bid about 15% higher than either a stain or natural finish.

6/30/17       #16: How much did I under bid ...
david zaret Member

including the finishing? i wouldn't finish that piece for $1600, much less build it for that. in my area, i wouldn't touch that for much less than $7500.

6/30/17       #17: How much did I under bid ...
todd  Member

Website: http://www.atthetopnashvilleroof.com/

Wow, you must be doing them a favor! Or owe them some money ;)

6/30/17       #18: How much did I under bid ...
todd  Member

Website: http://www.atthetopnashvilleroof.com/

It looks good, by the way. You could probably get some referrals from that, to recoup your costs.

7/1/17       #19: How much did I under bid ...
Dan / drbwoodworks

We would be around $8000 , with 1" frames and doors solid maple drawers , paint and installation . I'm in lower Fairfield county Ct. I don't think $1600 covers material.

7/3/17       #20: How much did I under bid ...
Adam

I think this thread is a fishing expedition. Either by a cabinet guy who is looking for someone else to throw a number or a customer who wants to know what something is worth before they get prices.

When the consensus is it wouldn't cover the material price, then the question is bs. Anyone can figure out the material cost or they don't have a clue which means they are the customer.

7/3/17       #21: How much did I under bid ...
D Brown

To the original poster,,,

It's time you came clean and tell us how much the job cost you please !

Otherwise you are using many qualified cabinet makers time for little reason.

7/3/17       #22: How much did I under bid ...
Paul Miller

Website: http://MCCWOODWORKING.COM

I don't care if this is a valid posting or not. I think it's a good question because we all have an opportunity to share our pricing structure. Different shops will price things differently. Also, maybe this is just one part of a larger job. And, for younger people, this should give them some idea about where most shops price their products.

7/3/17       #23: How much did I under bid ...
Mark B Member

The OP's on these never respond. You know when you dive in the pool your're never going to get a hand down your pants.

7/5/17       #24: How much did I under bid ...
David R Sochar Member

Mark B - You might just have to put your own hand down your pants..... Well, let's move on. You are right, the OP is long gone, back in the garage trying to lure in another job to pay for the last.

Real question or not, the message is clear: know your costs. Track your time, all of it. And track your direct costs, all of them. Buy wholesale. Know your overhead. Use values if you have no rent, as in the Garage. After the job is over, you will know what you should have charged. And you will have real world data to base the next estimate upon. Continue this for the next 30 years, and you can shoot from the hip and be accurate every time.

If you are not honest with yourself, you will always struggle. There are customers out there, listening for that track saw in the garage, seeking out the inexperienced, the novice only to take advantage of them. How many of us have heard the new shop 'owner' say "I only need $20 per hour, I can live on that..." Then 6 months later, he is gone.

7/5/17       #25: How much did I under bid ...
D Brown

Paul, the prices will be all over the board from different areas we already know that, so comparing prices will do little to teach.
Explaining how we arrive at a given price seems to me much more helpful . So the formulas we use meaning so much per square or lineal foot of base cabinets , and so much per door or drawer times so many feet of finish plus installation.

That is how we arrive at our prices.
Of course our overhead costs need to be known and factored in to create your hourly wage.

7/6/17       #26: How much did I under bid ...
Mark B Member

David, sticking my own hand down my pants doesnt serve the same purpose as to someone stroking me making me feel like things will be OK. These posts nearly never have any feedback from the OP to clarify hardware details, finish details, and so on. For all anyone knows this job was supplied raw, unsanded, with 1.5" plated butt hinges and slathered with a fat coat of gloss white from an on-site finisher.

My point was identical to yours. You have to quantify your expenses but asking the OP to drop his drawers (which he has kind of already done) is an exercise in futility.

If the job went off at 1600 I applaud him/her for persevering through a job that likely showed early on that you under bid by a boat load. At least he/she didnt try to cheat their way out. Looks like a decent, clean, job.

7/6/17       #27: How much did I under bid ...
Mark B Member

P.S. The image in the OP looks (to me) like a render rather than an actual photo.

7/7/17       #28: How much did I under bid ...
Adam

Mark,

Are the shadows too photo-realistic?

I agree with you after taking a look. I still believe the OP is BS

7/7/17       #29: How much did I under bid ...
Mitch Suber  Member

Website: subercustomshutters.com

Maybe the OP just hired the most professional estimating staff possible for free. I never thought of doing that, mainly because I never would. But I often get pictures from legitimate customes for the purpose of showing what they want. The poster did say, he just bid the job. So apparently he hasnt done the work yet. On the other hand, maybe the Op is embarrassed and not responding because of some responses. Thank God I have never had to share some of the prices that I have underbid. Going home broke after the install was painful enough. Underbidding is a part of learning, a very expensive part. Unfortunately I still let it happen at times, even after 27 years. Before I had the excuse of not knowing, not any more.

7/8/17       #30: How much did I under bid ...
Larry

After looking closely @ the photo, I don't think it is a rendering. Notice the door margins and the miss-alignment of the tiles. I find it hard to believe that even a garage shop would price at that level, so something is amiss!

7/8/17       #31: How much did I under bid ...
Pat Gilbert

Another case of fake news?

7/8/17       #32: How much did I under bid ...
gsxon

Pat's spot on it's fake news/cabinetry

Customer had this made and is arguing with the "cabinetmaker" over price, so though they would post his work here to get it valued.

I have to question the support the OP received for quality of work those look like 1/2 gaps between doors and drawer fronts

I think they are worth no more than was paid for them, if not a little less

7/20/17       #33: How much did I under bid ...
Scott

All I can say to the OP is you better charge them another $6000 for the handles.

8/23/17       #34: How much did I under bid ...
ron bergley  Member

Website: http://www.qualitycustominteriors.com

The guy never said that he did the work yet and he didn't say that image was a photo. That said, saying he bid $1600 sounds crazy. I'm not sure why he really posted this.

Ron
Quality Custom Stairs


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