What do Y'all charge ?

[paulsharvey]

So, one thing you do have to think about, atleast in FLa, and everywhere I've ever been; if you're excavating, you need to enter a dig ticket, with 811. That's not a big deal really, and takes about 15 minutes to enter, and 72 hour wait. Where the issue is, if they come back with a positive response of "must be white lined", that's a trip to white line and another 72 hours, before you ever start the job. Ideally, you would meet with customer, review job/scope of work, agree on a price, and whiteline while on site. I personally am dead set against accepting a job site unseen, and even at an hour total to review the job (drive each way, look at/walk/discuss scope), that's an unbillable hour, that needs to be added to the price per hour of the jobs.

The insurance thing is what made me want to mention that; a simple phone line could very easily run $5k; and it's not out of the question to do a $50k damage if you get into a medium sized ductbank placing a culvert or something.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

Just for me, I won't/can't do ANY excavation work. Nor do I want to. The additional insurance premium for even whispering the word "excavation" is BRISK.

So no excavator or backhoe in my future. At least not for hire/pay.

 

[ssgp2]

Just for me, I won't/can't do ANY excavation work. Nor do I want to. The additional insurance premium for even whispering the word "excavation" is BRISK.

So no excavator or backhoe in my future. At least not for hire/pay.

I don't do excavation. I will do gravel driveways and reconditioning though, so I typically only go down about 2 to 4 inches, if that. I did get into a customer laid gas line once while reconditioning a driveway. It was flex at about 1.5" below grade. He admitted to laying it and had the stuff to repair it. I helped him fix it, but still.

 

[spruce Deere]

811 is a national call before you dig number.

I did pre-works on all jobs, see if i could do the work or not, Give a ball park figger on said task or tasks.

Looking at everything now I was LEAN on my guessing earlier.

 

[Fixastuff]

Insurance is such a small part of my underground business expenses it’s almost not worth factoring in. That’s with 5mil liability, 1mil auto, 1mil umbrella, worksman comp and equipment insured.

 

[Fixastuff]

If you have a business and make $30/hr you don’t own a business you own a job.

 

[paulsharvey]

If you have a business and make $30/hr you don’t own a business you own a job.

That's a better way of saying what I was trying to say.

 

[two_bit_score]

Basically what I said. You might as well get a wages job for $30 an hour. You won't have all the risks and hassles of 'owning' that job. You just do your job and get paid.

Why not just get a wages job if you are only making $30/hour?

If you have a business and make $30/hr you don’t own a business you own a job.

That's a better way of saying what I was trying to say.

 

[masscity]

Off point a little, but here's my story. Around 2015 I needed to rent a dozer, no rentals anywhere near here, but a couple of contractors have some.

I called the first one and he said his dozer is tied up. I remembered the second guy and he said ok, not being used. I asked how much is this going to cost do I have to get a bank loan? He said not much.

He brings the dozer, can't remember the model, but similar to an old Cat D5. He said all I have to do is make sure I put some grease in the left tensioner and the fuel tank is on empty, put some fuel in it.

Up here they usually charge $75 for each pickup and delivery. I ended up having it for two days and maybe used it for 3 hours.
When he picked it up the fuel tank was full and cost me $95. I thanked him a few times.

Sad thing is that he died around 8 years later at the age of 46 leaving a wife and two kids.