Making an offer to replace any construction is always more complicated than making an offer on new construction? Keeping the process of removing the old deck and preparing the independent site for new construction in the initial stages of your offer can help you to make accurate time, material estimates and supplies. Make sure you have an accurate understanding of what the customer expects. This includes not only the materials and design details but also any special requirements you have for moving and storing materials, work schedules and anything else that may conflict with work.

Instructions:

Cover removal costs

• Estimate the cost to remove cover and clean the site. Start with the number of hours that the work will take to complete.
• Be sure to estimate the time in full days. They include taxes, insurance and any other labor-related expenses.
• Calculate space trash container, trailer or truck rental and unload rates. Add together to get the cost of removing the old cover. Add 15% to labor costs to cover any excess.
• Material estimation
• Estimate the cost of materials. They will need concrete posts for shoes and 2 for 6 wood for framing treated. They are beam suspensions for each end of each post. Calculate the number of treated screws and the bolts are needed to construct the frame. Add these elements together as a frame.
• Decide on a decking material. The three most common options are treated 5/4 terraces, cedar and redwood 5/4 decks and 5/4 composite decking. They include enough treated screws to secure their decking.
• Calculate the number of square feet you need. Add the cost of the railing. Posts, balusters and railings are needed. Calculate the cost of step materials you need. Deck ladders are typically made up of shanks and rungs.
• Add the price of all materials together. Add 20% of waste and calculation errors. Include delivery charges.

Calculate labor and total labor costs

• Calculate the cost of labor for deck installation. An expert carpenter can complete an 8 by 8 platform in a day and a half. Here again, they include insurance, taxes, and other labor costs.
• Average your hourly rates for all workers who will be at work, add taxes and other costs and calculate the average hourly cost of your work. Multiply by the number of days from eight to 10 hours that it takes to complete the construction. Calculate overtime if necessary.

Add your rips, materials and construction costs to get the base price. Add 15 percent of excesses and unknown expenses. This is the estimate for your customer. Write an exact description of the work to be done and the materials and process to be used. Try to include as much detail as possible to avoid confusion. Include a clause in your offer to cover unexpected additional materials and work and outline your change management policy and cost to the client.

Tips & Warnings

• Once the process is complete, you can divide the price by the square footage of the deck. Use this price per square foot to bid on future projects. Update material costs in your estimate if it has been more than three months since your last offer.
• Outlining the project is essential. Use as much detail in the description of the work to be done, materials and methods as possible to avoid conflicts.