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That one homeowner who changed how I estimate decks | Contractor Talk - Freelance Forum - The Community for Independent Professionals

alext52•2mo ago

That one homeowner who changed how I estimate decks

I had this guy in Des Moines last summer, retired engineer named Bob. He asked me to walk through a simple deck replacement but he kept asking why I was quoting based on square footage alone. He pulled out a notebook with his own measurements and pointed out I was missing the railing complexity and the stairs. I figured he was just being difficult but he was actually right. He showed me how my $4500 bid was $800 too low for the materials and labor on those curves. Now I break every estimate into four sections instead of one flat number and it's saved me from at least two bad jobs already. Anybody else had a customer teach them something that actually stuck?

5 comments

5 Comments

charlie1982mo ago

Did he actually show you his math on those curves or just tell you they were off? I'm curious if he broke down the linear feet of railing with all the posts and balusters separate from the decking square footage. That split saved me once too on a weird octagonal deck where the railing alone was almost half the cost.

river_thompson2mo ago

Had it backwards in my head for years honestly. Always lumped railing in with the deck square footage and wondered why my material estimates were so far off. Kinda makes sense now that you spell it out though.

brooke4482mo ago

Does anyone account for railing height changing material needs, like if you build a lower platform deck with shorter posts?

owens.laura2mo ago

Did Bob walk you through his whole breakdown or just hit the high points? I'm asking because @brooke448 brought up railing height and I've been meaning to figure out how that changes the post count for different platform heights. If you got the full math on those curves, I'd love to hear how he split the linear railing from the square footage.

laura_wilson2mo ago

Had a customer once walk me through his own breakdown on a wraparound porch and I felt like a total idiot standing there with my notepad. He pointed out I was basically guessing at the railing cost and that's where all the money goes on anything with angles. Your Bob sounds like a saint compared to that guy who made me redo the whole bid in front of him and then told me I was still off by 15 percent. Made me split everything into framing, decking, railing, and stairs from then on though, so I guess I should thank him.