Boss-people: Minutes per Hole?

[George Stolz]

I am curious. Of all the electrical contractors and master electricians here, how large a factor does your labor play in your business? I have come under fire from time to time regarding my minutes/opening efficiency numbers. Does everyone in a residential application shoot for 30 minutes per opening, service, rough, trim, etc, included?

What are the standards in your business?

 

[hasty]

Re: Boss-people: Minutes per Hole?

maybe Im way off here, but I've always figured 20 mins. A prgram I use to use called for that.Maybe I should raise my rate

 

[George Stolz]

Re: Boss-people: Minutes per Hole?

What's the profile of your shop? Do you have employees, or do you work alone?

I can wire houses at around 20 minutes per hole, given a familiar house and no trips for material. Add apprentices, an unfamiliar layout, and that number jumps quite a bit.

I just did a six-plex with a house panel, feeding a garage, 400 amp service and extras at 20 minutes for the rough, which

 

[chrsb]

Re: Boss-people: Minutes per Hole?

I know when used to bid houses, I did them at a "per opening" price. We still bid a few houses, but only when we are slow and usually around $30 a opening.

 

[jimwalker]

Re: Boss-people: Minutes per Hole?

Many factors apply.Is this a simple wood frame 8 foot ceilings ? 15 min rough 5 min trim if the guy is a fast journeyman.From there adjust for block walls, high ceilings,and the speed of the man.This also is based on the electrician designing his own circuits and not following a pre layed out print.

 

[hasty]

Re: Boss-people: Minutes per Hole?

I have myself and 2 really green guys.
Right now until they get 8 or 10 houses under their belt, I still do ALL the layout. We go in and box the unit out, then I go through with spray paint and put my circuit paths on the wall using white for 15A, yellow for 20A, and orange for 30A. Next to every swith box I write what switch is going there(single, 3-way etc..) at the moment its a little more time consuming, but I know everything will come out before they start drilling holes. And if I do need to run for parts, there is no question of what circuit goes where. It seems to work for now, and I spend very little time answering questions about how to run a circuit, which frees me up to work on what Im doing. Does anyone else have a method they use that might work better??
Jim

 

[jimwalker]

Re: Boss-people: Minutes per Hole?

I can't help but think that for the price of 2 greens you could hire a journeyman that could do the job himself.I have seen the speed of most greens.Most journeymen can do at least twice the work

 

[George Stolz]

Re: Boss-people: Minutes per Hole?

If I'm dealing with a really green guy I use marker, indicate where to pull the home run, then number from there. Spray paint's a pretty foolproof trick, though, hadn't tried that.

Is this a simple wood frame 8 foot ceilings? 15 min rough 5 min trim if the guy is a fast journeyman.

12 minutes total was expected of me in the ideal scenario you laid out. We did it in 20, like you projected. I didn't think I was that slow.

 

[hasty]

Re: Boss-people: Minutes per Hole?

The pproblem with that is (Im not joking a bit)most of so called electricians around here (because a license isnt required)are horrible. They are so set in their ways, their ways would absolutely floor most of you, and there is no changing them because "thats the way we been doing it for years". Atleast with the green guys I can try to instill good habits in them before one of these "locals" get to them.

 

[George Stolz]

Re: Boss-people: Minutes per Hole?

Trying to untrain bad habits in guys you otherwise like drives me nuts. I had a guy who refused to twist his wires, I found one of his boxes' neutral peeking out, and the point finally got across.

Had other guy who nearly flatly refused to leave even 6" of conductor in the box! I'm a long wire junkie!

 

[jimwalker]

Re: Boss-people: Minutes per Hole?

In the 22 years i been wiring i have came across many employers.Some wanted just fast get it done nobody will see it type work and others wanted neat squared off work.
I have finally found a company that takes pride in what we do.