Plumbing Bids

Question

I just started a plumbing business and I get the concept of bidding but somehow always end up under estimating. I even doubled my last bid and still somehow ended up an impactful amount of hours over. I don't know if I visualize my objective wrong or I'm really that much slower than I anticipate (If that makes sense). The materials I buy are marked price + 30% and hourly is pretty straightforward, I charge from the moment I leave the office to the moment I return. Change orders are a weak point for me and I know the consequences of doing free labor. Is there any special courses to perfect bidding?

mdrmainservices · Answer

it's almost always that you estimate a job to be 5hrs (for example) and then once you get into it, all of the unseen variables start to pop out. I feel like the hourly rate is ok, but the same 5hrs with a lot of effort and pain, might seem to tip the scale a bit no? At least that's how it is for me. I try to use hourly rate as only the baseline, with each obstacle or variable that makes the job harder, to be accounted for.