A 15 minute chat with a plumber changed my whole approach to estimates

I was bidding out a bathroom remodel last week and struggling to make the numbers work. Ran into a guy named Rick at the supply house who told me he always adds a buffer for "fixture grief" after he got burned on a toilet that took 3 trips to fix. That simple line made me realize I was pricing jobs too tight and not accounting for all the little delays. Anyone else had a random conversation that shifted how you bid your work?

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caseys305mo ago

The "fixture grief" line is good but it barely scratches the surface. The real problem is that most guys add a flat percentage like 10% and call it a day. That's not how delays work in practice. You have to break out your estimate by each phase and add separate padding for material delays, customer change orders, and subcontractor no-shows. A toilet that takes three trips is one thing, but what about the tile that's backordered six weeks or the homeowner who wants to move a light switch after the drywall is up? Rick's advice is a start, but you need a whole system for the unknown stuff.

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margaretrivera5mo ago

Started adding separate delay buffers after a floor tile took eight weeks to arrive.

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