Changed my mind about flat-rate pricing after a bathroom reno last month

I used to think flat-rate was just a way to hide hourly bloat, but my neighbor had this tiny bathroom gut job in Austin where I bid $2,800 flat. Three days in, the wall tile cracked from a plumbing leak behind it and I had to rip out and re-do a whole section. Under hourly I would have been eating that time arguing, but my flat bid had a 10% cushion built in so I just handled it and the client was thrilled. Has anyone else found that flat-rate actually smooths over those nightmare surprises better than hourly?

2 comments

2 Comments

val97418h ago

Flat-rate just hides how much you overpay on easy jobs.

drews5520h ago

that wall tile crack from a plumbing leak" is exactly the kind of thing that makes flat-rate look genius. I did a similar master bath flip in Denver last year, bid $3,500 flat with a 12% cushion, and halfway through found the old subfloor was rotted under the shower pan. Had to rip it all out and replace it, cost me a full extra day and $200 in materials. Client never knew, just saw I was on time and under budget. Flat-rate absolutely makes those hidden headaches way easier to swallow.

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