How much is that going to cost?

[Doorman63]

Currently one of the bigger projects around here is a data center……a ten year project with a 9 billion dollar price tag…….

Our company (industrial doors) is a small part of it. Our total contract for the 2 phases that are complete and in process so far are north of a million dollars.

The GC built a 100x100 pole building on-site as temp offices with bathrooms/kitchen/etc to be demolished in about 2 years.

The amount of paperwork/emails/safety/certifications are mind boggling.

1200 tradesman are on-site daily.

All this for “data”……..

 

[Straightgrain3016]

My first lesson as a small time general contractor...

Never...never put a business card on the bulletin board at the local senior center.

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

My first lesson as a small time general contractor...

Never...never put a business card on the bulletin board at the local senior center.

You definitely have that right!

 

[MAX-24-Dean]

In 2006 I did an estimated for a large underground project, the general contractor sent it back to me saying the dollar amount was to high and they had rejected it. They wanted me to adjust the numbers to get the job. They also added two natural gas lines to the joint trench utility. They said to not send them an estimate, but to bid the project.
So I added a little over a million dollars to the original and sent it in as a bid as requested. One backfill spec change added over a million dollars.
Then, I was told to sharpen my pencil and re-bid. I don't like bid shoppers, so I added a couple hundred thousand dollars to it. Waited a day to appear I was reviewing the estimate, then sent the higher dollar bid in.
Found out later I was the only contractor bidding the project.

 

[Doorman63]

That happens in our industry as well.
“Budget” shopping……sometimes it pays off.

We’ve been told to add more money for BS/crap location/off hours work.

In the beginning stages of a job on the 11th floor of a high rise downtown Chicago.

Small airplane hangar style doors.


Similar to this one I did a few years ago

 

[Jstpssng]

^^^^
You just made me realize how the other half lives. Some people think they're getting ahead when the pallets come OUT of the house.

 

[Doorman63]

That’s an office for a major soft drink manufacturer

 

[ponytug]

That’s an office for a major soft drink manufacturer

Wow, love the door on the conference room! Great way to have multiple uses for the same space, but it can't have been cheap.

All the best,

Peter

 

[m1garand762]

My first lesson as a small time general contractor...

Never...never put a business card on the bulletin board at the local senior center.

Or in the bank lobby and dentist offices

 

[civilian]

Currently one of the bigger projects around here is a data center……a ten year project with a 9 billion dollar price tag…….

Our company (industrial doors) is a small part of it. Our total contract for the 2 phases that are complete and in process so far are north of a million dollars.

The GC built a 100x100 pole building on-site as temp offices with bathrooms/kitchen/etc to be demolished in about 2 years.

The amount of paperwork/emails/safety/certifications are mind boggling.

1200 tradesman are on-site daily.

All this for “data”……..

Safety meetings for 1200 tradesmen would have been a paper trail nighmare. Jon

 

[civilian]

On a smaller scale, when buiding our home of 1800sf, and trying to keep costs down, we have a simple single ridge roofline. When we see these huge homes with multiple peaks, ridges, dormers, etc, we can't even guess what those trusses cost, know what we paid for ours. Even the cost to reshingle them down the road. Jon

 

[/pine]

On a smaller scale, when buiding our home of 1800sf, and trying to keep costs down, we have a simple single ridge roofline. When we see these huge homes with multiple peaks, ridges, dormers, etc, we can't even guess what those trusses cost, know what we paid for ours. Even the cost to reshingle them down the road. Jon

It used to be all those valleys etc. were often poorly flashed and sealed...new materials and techniques have made residential roofing a good thing...applications like Zip systems and flashing tape etc...much better than tar that dries out and cracks...
The new stuff may cost more but it's worth it IMO...

 

[Dftodd]

Safety meetings for 1200 tradesmen would have been a paper trail nighmare. Jon

I was involved with a large-scale project like that for a couple of weeks. Had to do their safety training before I was allowed on site. Took about 5 hours.

Their morning site safety briefings took place in the parking lot with a bull horn. Sign in was taken care of by scanning a QR code that supplied a link to a website. The website handled the roster for the daily safety briefing, simplifying the compliance paperwork tremendously. Each person signed in daily through that website using their phone, adding their name to the daily roster.

 

[Doorman63]

I was involved with a large-scale project like that for a couple of weeks. Had to do their safety training before I was allowed on site. Took about 5 hours.

Their morning site safety briefings took place in the parking lot with a bull horn. Sign in was taken care of by scanning a QR code that supplied a link to a website. The website handled the roster for the daily safety briefing, simplifying the compliance paperwork tremendously. Each person signed in daily through that website using their phone, adding their name to the daily roster.

Similar safety protocols on this site.

All employees do between 2-4hrs for initial orientations/job specific hazard training (LOTO/etc). We are issued an ID badge that’s scanned upon entry to the site.

They do a daily morning huddle/stretch and flex split between multiple temporary vinyl Quonset buildings.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Some people don't understand the concept of "bearing walls"... apparently thinking that the roof is supported by magic.

And fairy dust. Never forget the fairy dust.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

On a smaller scale, when buiding our home of 1800sf, and trying to keep costs down, we have a simple single ridge roofline. When we see these huge homes with multiple peaks, ridges, dormers, etc, we can't even guess what those trusses cost, know what we paid for ours. Even the cost to reshingle them down the road. Jon

That’s what I think of when I see them. $$$$

 

[4570Man]

It used to be all those valleys etc. were often poorly flashed and sealed...new materials and techniques have made residential roofing a good thing...applications like Zip systems and flashing tape etc...much better than tar that dries out and cracks...
The new stuff may cost more but it's worth it IMO...

I don’t see much trouble with valleys. Building 2 parallel slopes with one higher than the other with a short wall in between is problematic in my experience. Skylights and chimneys are problematic. Vent stacks are problematic. There’s other preventative measures you can use but most people don’t and the rubber vent boots don’t last very being unprotected. I despise a metal roof. Any flashing on a metal roof has always been problematic, and vent stacks are even worse. The screw washers only last 7-10 years and require replacement is another problem.

 

[jigs_n_fixtures]

On a smaller scale, when buiding our home of 1800sf, and trying to keep costs down, we have a simple single ridge roofline. When we see these huge homes with multiple peaks, ridges, dormers, etc, we can't even guess what those trusses cost, know what we paid for ours. Even the cost to reshingle them down the road. Jon

The County Assessor here bases you tax rate on how many square feet you have, and the number of ridges and valleys. I’m designing a retirement home for my Sister. It will have one simple ridge.

 

[Cougsfan]

I spent most of my work career estimating the cost of construction projects, getting them approved then having to do them for what was estimated. Sticker shock for the customer was a given. Identifying and defining the scope of the job in great detail was the single most difficult and important task in correctly estimating job costs. In addition it was a good means of explaining to the customer exactly what they were getting, and to make it very clear to the contractor(s) what they were or weren't expected to do. Without that detailed scope you could expect having cost over-runs. The biggest variable in project cost was always labor. The labor cost for doing the same job in two different parts of the country could vary drastically. Material and equipment cost were far more consistent and predictable.

Since I have retired, I have bought and developed two separate acreages from empty parcels to our finished rural residence and have found that clearly defining the work scope to still be the most important task in staying within my budget and in avoiding surprises, whether I am doing the work myself or hiring the work done.

 

[bcp]

On a smaller scale, when buiding our home of 1800sf, and trying to keep costs down, we have a simple single ridge roofline. When we see these huge homes with multiple peaks, ridges, dormers, etc, we can't even guess what those trusses cost, know what we paid for ours. Even the cost to reshingle them down the road. Jon

Here's one I saw on Google aerial the other day.

Bruce