Some commercial and residential customers occasionally want extra projects done and I was wondering what some of you might be charging and what you base your fee upon. I am currently charging a hourly rate of $40.00 Is this to high or to low? Maybe it depends on what part of the country you are in.
It also depends on what you are doing. I never charge a customer on an hourly basis. It opens up too much controversy. I give them a price for the entire job.
It's good to decide what you want to charge by the hour for a particular job so you, figuring how long it wil take you, can come up with a estimate to quote a price for a JOB (as mentioned a post or two ago). I agree that letting the customer know you are chargning by the hour just opens up a weakness for them to pick at. After all, they don't know what your expenses are, only you do and only you know what it takes to break even and then earn a profit. I guess it boils down to the delicate balance of: what you can do it for and make the profit you desire, competition, and what it is worth to the customer to not have to bust their butt in 100 degree heat for 4 x the amount of time one of us can do it for (for a small fee, of course ). But remember, McDonald's doesn't tell you how much it costs them to build your cheeseburger, and you don't have to explain why you charge what you charge either .
Agree with all of the above comments. I would not charge an hourly rate for additional jobs just as I would not charge an hourly rate to cut their grass. Gravely_Man
