Construction Labor Cost

Elmer Said:

what is the labor cost for one carpenter and a helper to do new construction work on a garage 40 x 80,walls 10

We Answered:

Depends on where you live- Good carpenter, will run 20 to 30 per hour, helper, 10 or 12 -

Keith Said:

If a total new construction home cost 350k to build - labor , materials and all finishings.?

We Answered:

There are too many variables to answer your question. The condition of any existing house is a big unknown. What you really want in a house is also unknown. Local labor and material costs can vary.

The cost of redoing any existing house is something that causes any contractor problems because even with a fairly new house there can be all kinds of hidden problems. The only sure thing can be said is there is less risk in a cost over run buiding a new house and even then cost over runs of 10 to 30% are not uncommon.

Harry Said:

Construction Labor Costs?

We Answered:

First, your numbers don't really add up. Going by your original numbers which are $4,200 for the job and $2,000 for materials, and three days to do the job, that means that $2,200 has to cover your husband, his helper for three days at 8 hours a day and haulage costs.

Assuming his assistant is semi-skilled, I would expect him to pay, say $15/hour for the 24 hours of help he will need, meaning he pays his assistant $360 - if this is under-the-table, no need to worry about employment taxes which means your husband has $1,840 left over to pay himself for running around, hauling the stuff away and doing the job. Even if dumping the stuff costs $900 total, that leaves your husband with $900 or $300 a day, which, if he could make that 5 days a week for a year comes to $75,000/annually.

Tyler Said:

what is the current status of construction labor cost?

We Answered:

As BLS data says it's $21.48 per hour in apr-2008.
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/realer.t…
http://www.bls.gov/bls/wages.htm

Ernest Said:

What happens to construction labor cost during a recession?

We Answered:

Well, given that construction starts are way down... I'm guessing the jobs are few and far between ! Journeyman type work is much harder to secure in a recession... try hooking up with a maintenance job for an apartment complex or big corporation in the slower periods !

Lori Said:

Is there a study that shows material and labor cost escalation due to Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf Coast area

We Answered:

Those are likely still ongoing, especially as the material costs are just now being affected (what was already in stock was pre-hurricane in many cases). Here's what's been done already:

Johnnie Said:

Is there any site which has program for estimating construction cost by taking input from us?

We Answered:

You can go to RS Means website www.rsmeans.com. They have a standard estimating tool where you input the type of construction (i.e. wood framed, struct. steel) the type of construction (residential) and the square footage and they will give you a basic cost estimate. For a small fee you can get a more detailed estimate utilizing specifics of your building. The costs they provide can vary depending on the part of the country you are in, but they are a good baseline to start with. RS Means also has an estimating handbook that provides comprehensive unit costs for virtually every aspect of building. Although nothing beats a site specific estimate from a qualified construction estimator, this can help you with building a realistic construction budget. You can also use timberline estimating software, but the software is expensive for a (1) time deal, and the unit cost database is set up to be changed by the user so the unit costs are relatively unreliable without research and historical data.

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