If you bid on jobs simply by taking all
your materials, adding up your subs and
labor and tacking on 15 percent to cover
your overhead and profit, you aren't bidding
your jobs right—and you probably
aren't making any money, either.
Take another look at your tax return—
and don't be surprised if you find that
you paid your foreman twice as much an
hour as you actually ended up paying
yourself. (The foreman, meanwhile, leaves
at the end of the day, while you spend
three more hours doing bids, the books
and the working drawings!)
Part of the problem is that most contractors
and remodelers are basically
honest and caring folks, and the help and
the