Hey guys , I do mostly site work but got asked to price some basement excavations for a builder. It is a 70 lot subdivision with a mix of townhouse blocks and 1400-2200 square foot homes. He is asking for excavation, backfill, water and sewer connections , and final grading/topsoil. I am curious if you guys charge out by the hour for these , lump sum etc?
I have always made more money on lump sum prices than hourly work, as I pad the numbers if I am taking the financial risk of completing the project. The townhouses should be straight forward to price as they're usually set as to the number of units per building and the size of the excavation shouldn't vary widely. The houses on the other hand will be dictated by sales and thus the size of the basement. How many plans does the builder offer on the single family? I would work up a price based on each house plan, so it's easier to price and bill since there is a wide range of SF offered. Can't help you on the sewer and water since one has to be a licensed plumber in my area to make those connections, once it leaves the ROW.
Hitachi225, I hope you haven't forgot about trucking away excess dirt, you will have plenty of dirt left over. Mudober
If it's a large enough development and has the space, see if you can waste it somewhere on site. Ultimately if you could set it up to dig a basement or basements and have another fill job elsewhere, get paid both ways.
I haven't come across a developer yet who wasn't able to find space on his development for excess dirt once you give him a number on what it is going to cost to haul it out. 8 times out of 10, the engineering company that did the site plan already has fill areas designated for excess fill. A subdivision is generally going to be cookie cutter, charge by the lot.