TIL my quote for a community solar map might be way off... | First Gig Pricing - Freelance Forum - The Community for Independent Professionals

Robert Owens · 2026-03-06T14:26:59.729279+00:00

A town group wants me to chart best roof spots... I have no clue if my hourly rate is fair for this kind of work.

Just pick a number and add three zeros.

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Pricing this stuff is a total nightmare. Solar mapping needs way more work than people realize. You're basically doing a custom site survey for every single roof. Charge for the analysis time, not just the pretty map. Forget your normal hourly rate and bill for the whole project.

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laurag646mo ago

Just multiply your normal rate by how many times you've said "solar panel" this week. You'll at least afford a trip to Hawaii after this job.

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the_xena6mo ago

Feel your pain on the pricing struggle. Casey342 has the right idea just adding zeros, my normal rate is probably too low for that Hawaii trip.

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