Page 16 - 2018 National Home Improvement

2018 National Home Improvement Estimator, All Rights Reserved Page 12

Labor Costs for installing the material or doing the work described are listed in the column headed
Labor. The labor cost per unit is the labor cost per hour multiplied by the manhours per unit shown after
the @ sign in the Craft@Hrs column. Labor cost includes the basic wage, the employer's contribution to
welfare, pension, vacation and apprentice funds, and all tax and insurance charges based on wages.

Supervision Expense to the general contractor isn't included in the labor cost. The cost of supervision
and non-productive labor varies widely from job to job. Calculate the cost of supervision and
non-productive labor and add this to the estimate.

Payroll Taxes and Insurance are included in the labor cost. See the following section for more on the
"contractor's burden."

Manhours per Unit and the Craft performing the work are listed in the Craft@Hrs column. To find the
units of work done per worker in an 8-hour day, divide 8 by the manhours per unit. To find the units done
by a crew in an 8-hour day, multiply the units per worker per 8-hour day by the number of crew
members.

Manhours include all productive labor normally associated with installing the materials described. This
will usually include tasks such as:

• Unloading and storing construction materials, tools and equipment on site.
• Moving tools and equipment from a storage area or truck on site at the beginning of the day.
• Returning tools and equipment to a storage area or truck on site at the end of the day.
• Normal time lost for work breaks.
• Planning and discussing the work to be performed.
• Normal handling, measuring, cutting and fitting.
• Keeping a record of the time spent and work done.
• Regular cleanup of construction debris.
• Infrequent correction or repairs required because of faulty installation.

Adjust the Labor Cost to the job you're figuring when your actual hourly labor cost is known or can be
estimated. The labor costs listed in Figure 1-5 will apply within a few percent on many jobs. But labor
costs may be much higher or much lower on the job you're estimating.

If the hourly wage rates listed in Figure 1-5 aren't accurate, divide your known or estimated cost per hour
by the listed cost per hour. The result is your adjustment for any figure in the Labor column for that craft.