There are four basic ways to charge for your construction related services. These are fixed fee or lump sum pricing, Time & Material pricing, Cost Plus, and using an hourly rate.
Many contractors use a variation on one or more of these methods. Im going to look at charging by the hour and its impact on your business.
There are good and bad sides to using an hourly rate. If you are doing small jobs, it normally allows them to bill more hours per week. It is also an easy way to calculate a sales price if you are not good at estimating. Some who use this method claim it is more "fair" to the customer to bill by the hour rather than a lump sum contract. It also gives the guy in the field the ability to price out his work on the spot for small jobs or change work orders.
But there are also downsides. One is the perception by the customer that they will get all non-labor expenses at the contractors cost, similar to Cost Plus contracting. This can be a problem if the contractor doesnt do a good job of defining exactly what is included in the rate per hour and how materials, subs and other costs will be billed to the customer.
Another problem with this method is that it shifts the entire overhead burden of the company onto the labor rate. If you or one of your employees gets sick, or if incoming jobs slow down and you dont work the required number of hours, you will end up "cash poor" very quickly.
If you charge for your work or service by the hour, it is critical that you use the correct rate. The correct rate will provide enough to pay all job costs, overhead and make an 8% net profit. If you dont use the correct rate, you will not make a profit and often not be able to cover your overhead. It is just that simple.
The biggest mistake is basing your rate on the perceived "going rate" for the same work. If you dont take the time, or dont know how to calculate actual costs, your company can lose money quickly. The hourly rate should be based on your companys numbers and not be influenced by anything outside your company. This applies especially to your "competitors" pricing. Most contractors price jobs incorrectly. If you model your numbers after theirs, what does that make your numbers?