Estimating Framing and
Finish Carpentry
Nearly every residential
construction project
includes at least some
framing or finish carpentry.
There are more framers and
finish carpenters working in
construction than any other
construction trade. That
makes carpentry estimating
an important topic on nearly
every residential
construction project.
Most residential
construction starts with a
set of plans. The
estimator's task is to
develop a bid (an offer) to
complete work shown on those
plans. If that's your job,
this manual and the disk
inside the back cover will
become valuable tools of
your trade. We're going to
explain how to estimate
framing and finish carpentry
from A to Z, from the sill
plate to the ridge board.
When you're actually bidding
jobs, the disk in the back
of this book will speed and
simplify every step along
the way.
Bids for framing and finish
carpentry usually include
both carpentry labor and
material (lumber and panel
products). Experienced
carpentry estimators agree
that labor is the most
difficult part of the job to
figure with any precision.
Labor estimates can be
highly subjective,
especially for small, custom
jobs where there's no
opportunity for economies of
scale. Labor estimates
nearly always require at
least a few assumptions and
allowances (guesswork).
That's why estimates for
labor on framing and finish
carpentry jobs vary so much
from contractor to
contractor. The range
between hi and low bid can
be 25% or more. And both the
high and low bidders may be
exactly correct in their
labor cost projections, at
least for the companies
submitting those bids.
Material estimates should be
much more precise. If a
dozen estimators figure a
job, the variation in
material quantities and
costs should be less than
10%, maybe as little as 5%.
Estimating material
quantities for framing and
finish carpentry is not
subjective - at least it
shouldn't be. There are good
material estimates and bad
material estimates for
framing and finish
carpentry. You want only
good material estimates.
Unfortunately, that's seldom
easy. Estimating framing
quantities isn't like
estimating windows or doors,
simply a matter of accurate
counting. You have to
picture how the pieces go
together, how much waste is
expected and how coverage
loss will affect material
requirements.
How This Manual Will
Help
Most framing and finish
carpentry estimators wear
several hats. Many serve as
company manager, owner,
chief estimator, project
manager and field
superintendent. With roles
like that, there may be no
time to do a detailed labor
and material take-off for
every job that comes along.
Even a full-time estimator
may not have ample time to
do a detailed take-off on
every job.
If you're an experienced
framing and finish carpentry
estimator with too little
time to scope out the last
dime of cost in every job,
take heart. This book is for
you. I've done most of the
tedious work already. Use my
figures to save time, save
effort, and eliminate most
of the routine mistakes even
seasoned estimators make at
least occasionally.
If you've had years of
experience as a carpenter
but little or no estimating
experience, this book is
likely to be the best guide
you'll find anywhere.
Cost data in this manual was
compiled by a mathematician
with almost three decades of
estimating experience. Most
of the cost tables in this
manual are for complete
assemblies - such as studs,
plates, blocking and anchors
- all wrapped up into one
convenient package ready for
use. These assembly costs
give you extra time to
estimate more jobs, run
projects more effectively,
and be a better manager for
your business.
The chapters that follow
have detailed labor,
material and equipment costs
for nearly all common
framing and finish carpentry
work. Every chapter in this
book begins with an
explanation - what you need
to know to make accurate
estimates using the figures
that fill the remainder of
the chapter.
Throughout this book you'll
find pictures -and examples
that make your work easier.
It's nearly impossible to
estimate costs for work you
can't visualize and don't
understand.
Save Estimating Effort
Of course, the best
estimating reference for
your company would be a
catalog of actual costs on
jobs completed in the last
few months - work done with
materials from your dealers
and installed by your crews.
Since every contractor uses
different crews and
suppliers, every price book
would be different.
And, of course, prices in
your company price book
should be revised regularly
to reflect current labor and
material costs.
Having admitted that there's
no substitute for developing
your own price book, I'll
suggest that you not bother.
Most framing and finish
carpentry specialists don't
have the time or patience to
maintain current installed
prices for everything that
goes into their jobs. Even
if you had time to bum,
spending several hours a
month revising your company
price book would be a waste
of time.
Instead, I suggest that you
let this manual serve as
your company price book.
Using prices in this book
(and on the National
Estimator disk in the back
of this book) will eliminate
most of the common
estimating mistakes. If your
labor costs are higher or if
your crews aren't as skilled
as most tradesmen, you may
have to increase the prices
listed here to make a
reasonable profit. And, of
course, sometimes you're
going to have a job with
costs that exceed what any
reasonable estimate could
have predicted. This manual
isn't a substitute for good
judgment. That's always your
job.
This Book Works Two
Ways
The disk in the back of this
book has all the same
information that appears in
the printed book, but with
one advantage. The National
Estimator program makes it
easy to copy and paste these
costs into an estimate (or
bid) and then add whatever
markup you select. To get
started with the National
Estimator disk, insert it
into any computer that uses
Microsoft Windows. Then
follow instructions on the
screen.
|
If you have trouble
using National
Estimator, call
760-438-7828 8 a.m.
to 5 p.m. (Pacific),
Monday through
Friday. We'll be
glad to help. |
Before
installation is complete,
you'll have a chance to
watch ShowMe, an
interactive video guide to
the National Estimator
program. ShowMe is
designed to speed your
mastery of National
Estimator. You can also
start ShowMe at any
time while using National
Estimator. Click the
question mark button at the
right end of the toolbar.
Then click "ShowMe
Tutorial." The installation
disk has to be in your
computer when ShowMe
is running.
Once an estimate is finished
in the National Estimator
program and saved to disk,
press and hold the Ctrl
key on your keyboard and tap
the letter J to convert the
estimate into a proposal in
Job Cost Wizard. You can't
make changes in the Job Cost
Wizard screen. But it's easy
to toggle back to the
National Estimator program
(hold the Alt key
down and tap the Tab
key). Make the change. Then
press Ctrl-J once
again.
Job Cost Wizard
offers dozens of choices on
what you show and don't show
in written proposals. Your
bids can be long (full
description for everything
in the estimate) or short
(only a summary of each
category). You can show or
hide labor and material cost
details. You can show or
hide markup and profit.
Once work begins, you'll
want to monitor job expenses
to be sure actual costs
remain consistent with
estimated costs. If you use
QuickBooks Pro to pay bills
and figure payroll, let
QuickBooks Pro do the
comparisons for you. Job
Cost Wizard exports the
proposal to QuickBooks Pro,
where you can prepare
progress invoices and track
expenses against estimates.
 The
National Estimator program
lets you change anything in
the costbook or even add
your own estimated costs.
Let the National Framing
& Finish Carpentry Estimator
costbook become your
collection point for all
estimating and pricing
information. Anything you
add to the costbook shows up
in red and can be migrated
to later editions of this
manual when available. The
National Framing & Finish
Carpentry Estimator
costbook starts out as your
most useful estimating
reference. What you add to
that costbook will make it
even more valuable.
Material Costs in This
Book
Material costs for each item
are listed in the column
headed "Material." These are
neither retail nor wholesale
prices. They are estimates
of what most contractors who
buy in moderate volume will
pay suppliers as of
mid-200S. Discounts may be
available for purchases in
larger volumes.
Add Delivery Expense
to the material cost for
other than local delivery of
reasonably large quantities.
Cost of delivery varies with
the distance from source of
supply, method of
transportation, and quantity
to be delivered. But most
material dealers absorb the
delivery cost on local
delivery (5 to 15 miles) of
larger quantities to good
customers. Add the expense
of job site delivery when it
is a significant part of the
material cost.
Add Sales Tax when
sales tax will be charged to
the contractor buying the
materials. In some states,
contractors have to collect
sales tax based on the
contract price. No matter
what your state (or county)
requires, National Estimator
can handle the task. Click
Edit on the National
Estimator menu bar. Then
click Sales Tax.
Waste and Coverage
loss is included in the
installed material cost. The
cost of many materials per
unit after installation is
greater than the purchase
price for the same unit
because of waste, shrinkage
or coverage loss during
installation. For example,
.75 studs are needed to
frame each linear foot of
wall when studs are set on
16" centers. But it's good
estimating practice to order
about one stud per linear
foot of wall. Some lumber
won't be usable (waste).
Studs will be doubled at
each end of the wall
(shrinkage). And some studs
will have to be cut to fit
at corners, doors and
windows (coverage loss).
There is no coverage loss
with plywood. But sheets
will have to be cut to fit
and most of the cut panels
won't be usable elsewhere.
Costs in the "Material"
column of this book assume
normal waste and coverage
loss. Small and irregular
jobs may require a greater
waste allowance.
Materials priced without
installation (with no labor
cost) do not include an
allowance for waste and
coverage except as noted.
Labor Costs in This
Book
Labor costs for installing
the material or doing the
work described are listed in
the column headed "Labor."
The labor cost per unit is
the labor cost per hour
multiplied by the manhours
per unit shown after the@
sign in the "Craft@Hrs"
column. Labor cost includes
the basic wage, the
employer's contribution to
welfare, pension, vacation
and apprentice funds and all
tax and insurance charges
based on wages.
Supervision Expense
is not included in the labor
cost. The cost of
supervision and
non-productive labor varies
widely from job to job.
Calculate the cost of
supervision and
non-productive labor and add
this to the estimate.
Payroll Taxes and
Insurance are included
in the labor cost. See the
following section for more
on the "contractor's
burden."
Manhours per Unit and the
Craft performing the
work are listed in the
"Craft@Hrs" column. To find
the units of work done per
man in an 8-hour day, divide
8 by the manhours per unit.
To find the units done by a
crew in an 8-hour day,
multiply the units per man
per 8-hour day by the number
of crew members.
Manhours include all
productive labor normally
associated with installing
the materials described.
This will usually include
tasks such as:
Unloading and storing
materials, tools and
equipment on site.
Moving tools and equipment
from a storage area or truck
on site at the beginning of
the day.
Returning tools and
equipment to a storage area
or truck on site at the end
of the day.
Normal time lost for work
breaks.
Planning and discussing the
work to be performed.
Normal handling, measuring,
cutting and fitting.
Keeping a record of the time
spent and work done.
Regular cleanup of
construction debris.
Infrequent correction or
repairs required because of
faulty installation.
Adjust the Labor Cost
to the job you are figuring
when your actual hourly
labor cost is known or can
be estimated. The labor
costs listed in the
following section will apply
within a few percent on many
jobs. But labor costs may be
much higher or much lower on
the job you are estimating.
If the hourly wage rates
listed in the following
section are not accurate,
divide your known or
estimated cost per hour by
the listed cost per hour.
The result is your
adjustment for any figure in
the "Labor" column for that
craft.
Adjust for Unusual Labor
Productivity. Costs in
the labor column are for
normal conditions:
experienced carpenters
working on reasonably well-I?lanned
and managed framing and
finish carpentry projects
with fair to good
productivity and weather
conditions. Labor estimates
assume that materials are
standard grade, appropriate
tools are on hand, work done
by other crafts is adequate,
layout and installation are
relatively uncomplicated,
and working conditions don't
slow progress.
Working conditions at the
job site have a major effect
on labor cost. Estimating
experience and careful
analysis can help you
predict the effect of most
changes in working
conditions. Obviously, no
single adjustment will apply
on all jobs. But the
adjustments that follow
should help you produce more
accurate labor estimates.
More than one condition may
apply on a job.
Add
10% to 15% when working
temperatures are below 40
degrees or above 95 degrees.
Deduct 10% when the work is
in an open area with
excellent access and good
light.
Add
5% to 50% for tradesmen with
below-average skills. Deduct
5% to 25% for highly
motivated, highly skilled
tradesmen.
Deduct 10% to 20% when an
identical task is repeated
many times for several days
at the same site.
Add
20% to 50% on small jobs
where fitting and matching
of materials is required,
adjacent surfaces have to be
protected and the job site
is occupied during
construction.
Add
25% to 50% for work done
following a major flood,
fire, earthquake, hurricane
or tornado while skilled
tradesmen are not readily
available. Material costs
may also be higher after a
major disaster.
Add
10% to 35% for demanding
specs, rigid inspections,
unreliable suppliers, a
difficult owner or an
inexperienced architect.
This manual has been
compiled for framing and
finish carpentry estimators,
not engineers. Nothing in
this manual is intended to
suggest approved or
recommended engineering
practice. Only an engineer
licensed to practice in your
community can identify
materials and procedures
that meet code requirements
and accepted standards for
structural framing.
Use an Area Modification
Factor from pages 12
through 16 if your material,
hourly labor or equipment
costs are unknown and can't
be estimated.
Here's how: Use the labor
and material costs in this
manual without modification.
Then add or deduct the
percentages shown for labor,
material and equipment.
Equipment Costs for
small tools and expendable
supplies (such as hammers
and chalk line) are usually
considered overhead expense
and are covered by your
markup. Equipment costs for
larger equipment (such as a
forklift or pneumatic nailer)
should be based on the
rental rate for the period
needed.
Labor and Material Costs
Change. These costs were
compiled in the summer of
2007 and projected to
mid-2008 by adding a small
percentage. This projection
will be accurate for some
materials and inaccurate for
others. No one can predict
material price changes
accurately.
How Accurate Are These
Figures? As accurate as
possible considering that
the estimator who wrote this
book doesn't know your
material suppliers, hasn't
seen the plans or
specifications, doesn't know
what building code applies
or where the job is, had to
project material costs at
least six months into the
future, and had no record of
how much work your crews can
handle. You wouldn't bid a
job under those conditions.
And I don't claim that all
construction is done at
these prices.
Estimating Is an Art,
not a science. On many jobs
the range between high and
low bid will be 20% or more.
There's room for legitimate
disagreement on what the
correct costs are, even when
complete plans and
specifications are
available, the date and site
are established, and labor
and material costs are
identical for all bidders.
No cost fits all jobs. Good
estimates are custom made
for a particular project and
a single contractor through
judgment, analysis and
experience.
This book is not a
substitute for judgment,
analysis and sound
estimating practice. It's an
aid in developing an
informed opinion of cost. If
you're using this book as
your sole cost authority for
contract bids, you're
reading more into these
pages than the author
intends.
Use These Figures to
compile preliminary
estimates, to check your
costs and subcontract bids
and when no actual costs are
available. This book will
reduce the chance of error
or omission on bid
estimates, "speed & ball
park" estimates, and be a
good guide when there's no
time to get a quote.
Where Do These Figures
Come From? From the same
sources all professional
estimators use: material
suppliers, material price
services, analysis of plans,
specifications, estimates
and completed project costs.
Craft
Code |
Cost Per
Manhour |
Crew Composition |
|
B1 |
$30.35 |
1
laborer and 1
carpenter |
|
B2 |
$31.32 |
1
building laborer and
2 carpenters |
|
B6 |
$29.49 |
1
laborer, 1 cement
mason |
|
B9 |
$29.71 |
1
bricklayer, 1
bricklayer's helper |
|
BC |
$33.27 |
1
carpenter |
|
BL |
$27.43 |
1
building laborer |
|
V1 |
$32.81 |
2
carpenters, 1
building laborer, 1
operating engineer |
Figure 1-1 Crafts codes
used in this manual
Labor Costs and Crews
Throughout this manual
you'll see a column headed
Craft@Hrs. Letters and
numbers in this column show
our estimates of:
Who
will do the work (the craft
code) I
An @
symbol, which means "at"
How
long the work will take
(manhours).
For example, on page 63
you'll find estimates for
installing board subfloor
sheathing. The Craft@Hrs
column under 1 x 6's,
joists at 24" O.C.
and opposite "Hand nailed"
shows:
B1@.025
That means we estimate the
installation time for crew
B1 at .025 manhours per
square foot of sheathing.
That's the same as 25
manhours per 1000 square
feet.
The Craft Codes in Figure
1-1 define each of the craft
codes used in this book.
Notice that crew B1 is
composed of one carpenter
and one helper. To install
1000 square feet of board
subfloor sheathing would
require 25 manhours (12.5
hours for a crew of two).
Notice also in the table
that the cost per manhour
for crew B1 is listed as
$30.35. That's the average
for a carpenter (listed at
$33.27 per hour) and a
laborer (listed at $27.43
per hour). Add $33.27 and
$27.43 to get $60.70. Divide
by 2 to get $30.35, the
average cost per manhour for
crew B1.
Costs in the labor column of
this book are the product of
the installation time (in
manhours) multiplied by the
cost per manhour. For
example, on page 63 the
labor cost listed for 1 x 6
hand nailed board subfloor
sheathing over joists 24
inches on center is $.76 per
square foot. That's the
installed time (.025
manhours) multiplied by
$30.35, the average cost per
manhour for crew B1.
Components of Hourly
Labor Costs
Figure 1-2 shows hourly
labor cost components - base
wage, typical fringe
benefits, payroll taxes,
insurance, and the total
hourly cost.
The labor costs shown in
Column 6 were used to
compute the manhour costs
for crews in Figure 1-1 and
the figures in the "Labor"
column of this manual.
It's important that you
understand what's included
in the figures in each of
the six columns. Here's an
explanation:
Column 1, the base
wage per hour, is the
craftsman's hourly wage.
These figures are
representative of what many
contractors will be paying
craftsmen working on framing
and finish carpentry jobs in
2008.
Column 2, taxable
fringe benefits, includes
vacation pay, sick leave and
other taxable benefits.
These fringe benefits
average 5.15% of the base
wage for many construction
contractors. This benefit is
in addition to the base
wage.
Column 3, insurance
and employer taxes in
percent, shows the insurance
and tax rate for
construction trades. The
cost of insurance in this
column includes workers'
compensation and
contractor's casualty and
liability coverage.
Insurance rates vary widely
from state to state and
depend on a contractor's
loss experience. Note that
taxes and insurance increase
the hourly labor cost by 30
to 35% for most trades.
There is no legal way to
avoid these costs.
Column 4, insurance
and employer taxes in
dollars, shows the hourly
cost of taxes and insurance
for each construction trade.
Insurance and taxes are paid
on the costs in both columns
1 and 2.
|
Craft |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
Base wage
per hour |
Taxable
fringe
benefits
(5.15% of
base wage) |
Insurance
and
employer
taxes (%) |
Insurance
and
employer
taxes ($) |
Non-taxable
fringe
benefits
(4.55% of
base wage) |
Total hourly
cost used in
this book |
|
Bricklayer |
24.70 |
1.27 |
25.54% |
6.63 |
1.12 |
33.72 |
|
Bricklayer's Helper |
18.81 |
0.97 |
25.54% |
5.05 |
0.86 |
25.69 |
|
Building Laborer |
19.01 |
0.98 |
32.93% |
5.58 |
0.86 |
27.43 |
|
Carpenter |
23.23 |
1.20 |
31.83% |
7.78 |
1.06 |
33.27 |
|
Cement Mason |
23.49 |
1.21 |
23.35% |
5.77 |
1.07 |
31.54 |
|
Operating Engineer |
27.32 |
1.41 |
25.42% |
7.30 |
1.24 |
37.27 |
Figure 1-2 Hourly labor
costs
Column 5, non-taxable
fringe benefits, includes
employer paid non-taxable
benefits such as medical
coverage and tax-deferred
pension and profit sharing
plans. These fringe benefits
average 4.55% of the base
wage for many construction
contractors.
The employer pays no taxes
or insurance on these
benefits.
Column 6, the total
hourly cost in dollars, is
the sum of columns 1,2,4,
and 5.
These hourly labor costs
will apply within a few
percent on many jobs. But
wage rates may be much
higher or lower in the area
where you do business.
We recommend using your
actual labor cost rather
than national averages.
That's easy with the
National Estimator program.
When copying and pasting any
cost to your estimate,
adjust the assumed hourly
labor cost to your actual
cost. You need do this only
once for each trade. And you
can make this adjustment at
any time. Any change you
make is applied to that
trade throughout the
estimate.
Abbreviations Used in
Book
|
BF board foot |
OSB oriented
strand board |
|
BFPSF board
foot per square foot |
psi pounds
per square inch |
|
CSF hundred
square feet |
PVC polyvinyl
chloride |
|
CY cubic yard |
R thermal
resistance |
|
d penny |
S4S surfaced
4 sides |
|
Ea each |
SF square
foot |
|
lb(s) pound(s) |
SIP
structural insulated
panel |
|
LF linear
foot |
Sq square
(100 square feet) |
|
MBF thousand
board feet |
SY square
yard |
|
No. number |
T&G tongue &
groove edge |
|
O.C. on
center |
x by or times |
|
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