Pricing custom cabinet work

[goodmund]

I'm curious how others price their cabinet work. I've bidding a job for some simple bath and kitchen cabinets and I've figured my cost for materials only to about $800. I'm not into trying to estimate my time because, frankly, I like to take my time to get it done right, plus I've never timed myself on any project so I can't even really guess. Also, I can't figure out my "overhead" because I own all the equipment and there's no extra insurance, labor, etc.

Should I go with the simple double the materials formula? Triple?

Thanks for your input!

[McRabbet]

I've done several commissioned projects and use detailed takeoffs from CAD or SketchUp drawings and time estimates in a work breakdown. When it is all said and done, I've found that my materials generally run about 1/3 of the total estimate. Scope and complexity has everything to do with changes in those numbers.

[DIYGUY]

I think most of the quotes I have received over the years for various jobs have used a formula similar to this:

- Meet the owner and evaluate his style (blue collar / white collar / business owner / smart / dumb / PITA)
- Drive around the neighborhood and check out the houses and cars (moderate / upscale / pricey)
- How much work do you currently have in the book (not enough / some / lots)
- Apply the formula as follows: materials x owner x neighborhood x book

So a typical contract might be this: Materials = $1000 x Owner (PITA=4) x N'bhood (pricey = 3) x Book (some = .5) or $1000 x 4 x 3 x 1/2 = $6000.

I could be off on the factors employed, but it seems to fit the pattern for quite a few of the contractors I have worked with. Have a good laugh on me ...

[dkeller_nc]

I mostly make furniture, which involves things like sawing out and fitting M&T joints, dovetailing drawers, etc..., so this might have limited applicability to your situation if you've got "standard" cabinet construction - pocket screws for the face frames, screwed-together plywood boxes for the cabinets themselves, lock-miter joints on the drawers, and metal drawer slides (so no fitting, mounting and screwing around with wooden drawer supports and slides).

Generally speaking, the materials cost about 1/5th to 1/8th of the final cost of the project. That's for standard, rectilinear designs with the usual molding, but no carving or parts that are curved other than cabriole legs. If substantial carving or a curved cabinet shape is part of it, generally materials run 1/10th to 1/20th of the final cost, depending on how much carving.

I suspect your challenge might be competing with the customer's expectations based on semi-custom factory made stuff. I often have to explain to folks that even making something as basic as an unadorned bookshelf is far costlier than something they could buy in the store, even something from the store that's reasonably high quality.

[adowden]

First of off, I am terrible at pricing. My last project I made $4/hr. I would strongly recommend at least 3 times material cost. That has worked pretty well for me (at least I have never lost money). I would also strongly recommend a 50% deposit upfront so that no matter what happens, you won't be in the hole. Make sure there are not any tools or accessories that you need - you may want to factor that in also. Where I have spent money that I didn't take into account are sample finishes to decided the right one, upgrading hardware because I didn't like the function of the original one, and consumables like glue, sandpaper, etc. Good luck!

Amy