Paul Shuley of Shuley Contracting Ltd. is serious when he says that “we take a lot of care and pride in making sure we give the customer what they want”. Many hours are spent putting together a budget proposal and project plan, which is definitely one of the most difficult, yet important aspects of the building procedure.
The first thing that I do is I gather as much detail as possible to work with in order to provide the customer with the most accurate projection of costs. I have outlined the procedure I go through to come up with a working budget:
Once I have received all the documents relating to the design of the project (site and floor plans, Interior design plans and specification sheets), I send the pertinent specifications to my regular sub-trades for preliminary estimating.
Aspects of the project that are sent to sub-trades are as follows;
●excavation contractors who may also offer archaeological services
●reinforcing steel contractors
●foundation waterproofing contractors
●electrical systems contractors, including security
●heating system contractors, including gas requirements
●plumbing system contractors, including gas requirement
●insulation and vapor-barrier contractors
●dry-wall contractors
●flooring contractors
●tile contractors
●cabinet suppliers/installers
●countertop suppliers/fabricators
●roofing contractors
●painting contractors
●siding contractors (other than wood/hardi-board finishes, i.e stucco)
While awaiting responses from sub-contractors, I study the plans in detail to audit the materials required for;
●concrete formwork (many of the formwork materials can be used in the framing process)
●concrete, including pump charges and delivery
●perimeter drainage
●framing
●exterior finishing, including siding, fascia, soffits and window details
●interior finishing, including casing and baseboard, specialty moldings, window finishes, railings, etc.
●windows
●doors, including door hardware
●plumbing fixtures (i.e. shower hardware, faucets, tubs, sinks)
●appliances
●electrical fixtures, other than those required at “rough-in” stage, (i.e. potlights, low-voltage transformers, receptacles and switches
Shuley Contracting Ltd. takes care of all aspects of the actual construction of the building, including the formwork and framing carpentry, placement of perimeter drainage system, siding, soffit and exterior finishing details and all interior finishing work not covered by specialized sub-contractors (i.e. cabinetry and flooring).
To work out the estimated cost of these carpentry services, I estimate the man-hours required based on the duration of the job.
Once all the figures have come in from the sub-contractors and suppliers, I provide a spreadsheet showing where all the expenses will occur.
At this point, I work with my customer and the designers to fine-tune the budget to fit with the customer’s requirements and financial capabilities. In many cases the customer will make choices based on the proposed budget that allows them to save money in one area of the project and place that in a more important budget item.
Contact us today for more information.
References provided upon request.