Warning: I was undercharging by $15/hr for 2 years because I didn't factor in 'shop time'

I do small woodworking gigs on the side, repairs and custom shelves mostly. For like 2 years I'd quote people based on how long the actual cutting and sanding took. Then I had this job in Austin last month where I had to drive 40 minutes to get a specific type of oak. While I was sitting in traffic I realized I never count the time spent driving to the lumber yard, going through the scrap pile, even sweeping up sawdust after. I timed a typical small job and it added 1.5 hours I was giving away for free. Anyone else forget to charge for the boring prep and cleanup stuff?

3 comments

3 Comments

ryan_hart3816d ago

Yeah man that shop time sneaks up on you bad. I started tracking everything with a simple stopwatch app on my phone, even the 5 minutes wiping down tools adds up fast. Your mileage may vary but rounding up by 20% on your labor rate usually covers the hidden stuff pretty well.

michael_williams16d ago

Dude yes the 20% rounding trick is money lol. I started doing something similar after I realized how much time I was losing just walking back and forth to get parts or waiting for paint to dry. The stopwatch thing is a game changer too, I do the same but I just use the timer on my phone for each job and add up the minutes afterwards. Actually found out I was spending like 45 minutes a week just cleaning up drips and spills I could've avoided with better prep work. Now I factor in that cleanup time into my base rate and suddenly the job feels way less stressed. It's wild how those little 5 minute chunks turn into real money when you actually look at them.

oliver_baker4916d ago

The lumber yard thing is a killer. I started noting how much extra time I spent just waiting in line at the counter. Three trips to the lumber yard a week at 15 minutes of waiting adds up to 45 minutes. I bet @ryan_hart38 would agree that rounding up his labor rate covers it, but I think the real trick is combining that with strict batch ordering. Instead of running out for one board, I keep a list on my phone and only go when I have three or four items to grab. That cuts the trips in half. Also, I sweep my floor once at the end of the day instead of between every little thing, which saved me a solid 20 minutes per job. It's all the boring invisible waste that hits you hardest.