There are a LOT of brick steps in my neighborhood that need repointing. I think that this is a GREAT ancillary service for our industry, because this service requires just a little skill and is definitely needed to polish off an older property that has newly cleaned roof, siding, and driveway.
My question is this: can anyone give a fair price for a 550 brick staircase? I don’t wish to overcharge, but I estimate that this will require 3-4 days of grinding and chiseling before replacing the old mortar. I’ve quoted $1500. Comments?
Good advice, for certain. However, I already have the color matched, and a lead man with more experience than I to do it this weekend. I am most concerned about value, and I just got an estimate from a company that is booked until next year at $4.50 per brick, with 550 bricks to point. I’m coming in at under $3. I feel good about the value I’m delivering. I’ll let you know how it goes.
BTW, mastering masonry repair is much easier than mastering most of the stuff we do. Just sayin’
Nicely done my friend. I called a local mason, Sprinkle Masonry, who quoted
me market price of just under $4.50 per brick, I quoted just under $3. My
customer IS getting a really good deal. THAT was my primary objective.
Thanks and best regards,
George
You asked for comments, here are mine:
Chiseling and grinding are MUCH harder work than power washing, and 3-4 days powerwashing should gross you $6-8k. If you don’t have that much work on hand your time may be better spent networking, door knocking, website tweaking, etc. Or, offer to do the job for $4500.
(I’m not trying to be sarcastic, and I know that when you’re new you gotta do what you gotta do, but you have to value your time or no one else will)
One more thing: your customer doesn’t care about you, your family, your bills, etc. If they are being cheap, they will NEVER be loyal to you, unless you are always the cheapest guy in town, in which case you’ll soon be out of business and they won’t care about you then, either. Leave the cheapskates to the desperadoes, and don’t be a desperado…be a businessman.
(In other words, the customer getting TOP-NOTCH SERVICE should be your objective…if the customer getting a “good deal” - i.e. dirt cheap price - is your primary objective, show them how to use Craigslist…A TRULY good deal is good work at a FAIR price)
BINGO! That’s the Big Rock Candy Mountain of business right there. You can burn out doing a $99 house wash everyday when the $99 house wash customer is never going to call you back next year or you can do one $329-$499 house wash or $1200-$4800 commercial job and take the rest of the week/month off if you want to while $99 house wash guy is also trying to stain their fence and re point their stairs and yada yada yada. AND you’re the go to guy when they need you back.
No one ever says… hey you know that cheap jack of all trades that’s average at everything? Let’s give him a call.
I bookmarked your comments. I couldn’t love them any more. Whenever similar questions or new folks pop up talking about not getting enough work despite being the least inexpensive on the block I’m sending them right back to those two comments.
Thanks for the inspirational pep talk and subsequent kick in the pants.
This elderly customer is also a neighbor who cares for her husband who has
survived Alzheimer’s for seven years but is now a virtual vegetable. She’ll
be a customer for life. I can afford to invest this weekend fixing her
steps at a REALLY good price. Nonetheless, I value and respect your advice
and admonition. Thank you.
@Atlas1, I’m very protective of the elderly. Although this is far from charity, my work is certainly intended as a good deed. This is why I wanted an industry standard price. Because, while she can afford to pay and would pay whatever I ask, I want to make certain that she is getting a good deal. BTW, she has never haggled or balked at any price I’ve ever given her, and she would probably pay the $2500 that a mason would charge.
As for building a price-driven business, I must concur with you and Brodie that value, not price, is the key to business. I have no interest in undercutting my competition, but in adding value to the services I deliver.Brodie taught me to ALWAYS do something I wasn’t paid to do or didn’t include in my estimate. Just something small but meaningful to my customer. @squidskc Brodie put it best in a post when he said, and I paraphrase, I’m one of the most expensive in my market, but it’s not the things I’m paid to do that count, but all the things that I do extra that make my customers happy.
