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Understanding how different job conditions affect total labor hours on any project goes a long way when it comes to successful estimating.
In the article "Let Labor Hours Lead the Way," on page 32L of the June issue, we introduced you to the concept of figuring labor hours and their related costs by two different methods (personal experience or laborunits). Picking up where we left off, it's important to remember there is no specific labor-unit you can apply to every installation every time. So when you estimate labor hours on your next electrical wiring project, you must make adjustments to accommodate varying job conditions. That means taking all of the following job variables into consideration.
Building conditions. It takes much longer to run 100 ft of 3/4-in. EMT in a research laboratory than it does to run it down the wall of an unfinished office. Job complexity can cause confusion. The following examples demonstrate how other simple building characteristics can affect your estimate.
In some areas, an elevator is the only method you have to transport material from the ground floor to the work area. Sometimes, you can only use the elevator during certain hours of the day, or many trades may need to use it at once. If this happens, you must increase your labor-unit for material handling.
If the work area is littered with 4 x 4s, 2 x 4s, sheets of plywood, garbage, water, etc, who pays for cleanup? Find out ahead of time, and be sure your contract is clear on this before you begin work.
The height of a building can also have a significant impact on labor productivity. As the number of floors increases, you'll need to figure additional labor-hours to move equipment, material, tools, and personnel to the work area.
You'll also experience a slight decrease in productivity (increased labor unit) when you factor in the time workers will have to wait for lifts at the start of the day, end of the day, breaks, and at lunch. The rule of thumb for single floor adjustment is: If you are working above the third floor, add 1 % to the total labor for each floor. Here is an example: If you are remodeling an office building...