Plumbing Bids
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...
Forum Discussion
You’re not bad at bidding — you’re bad at predicting behavior.
And that’s most new contractors' problem. It’s not your math — it’s your assumptions.
Let’s break this down clearly:
1. You’re not underbidding — you’re underestimating friction.
It’s not just “how long does this take?”
It’s:
How many trips to the truck?
What’s in the way?
Is the drywall open or closed?
Am I alone or with help?
What will I uncover that wasn’t in the walkthrough?
You need to start adding friction time as a line item in your head.
Every bid should include a “Murphy’s Law” buffer — 20–30% minimum if you’re still new. That’s not fluff. That’s real-world time.
2. Track. Every. Hour.
If you're consistently over — what phase is burning you?
Demo?
Layout?
Parts runs?
Finish work?
Get militant about time tracking.
You can't fix what you don't measure.
Start building your own “production rates” based on what you actually produce. That becomes your future bid logic.
3. You’re not slow — you’re learning under pressure.
Right now you're:
Doing the job,
Managing the customer,
Watching the budget,
And second-guessing your numbers.
That’s not inefficiency. That’s the cost of leveling up.
It’ll feel slow until your brain catches up to the role you’re in now.
4. Mark-up is good. Now fix change orders.
You already know free labor kills businesses. So stop doing it.
Every bid should have a line that says:
“Any work not explicitly listed is not included and will be priced separately. Change orders must be approved in writing.”
Then practice saying this out loud until it’s second nature:
“That’s outside our original scope. I can get you a change order for it.”
No guilt. No flinching. Just business.
5. Want to master bidding? Don’t just take a course. Build a template.
There are courses out there, sure — but what you really need is:
A scope checklist
A friction-time calculator
A standardized format for presenting options
And a change order template you can send in 2 minutes or less
I’ve helped contractors build these from scratch. I can show you how to structure one if you want.
Final thought:
You’re not falling behind — you’re waking up.
The trades don’t just reward skill. They reward the guys who build systems around that skill.