regional piece work rate survey

Just checking around the country/comparing current asphalt shingling piece work labor rates. (Now remember; These are direct labor rates....NOT the suedo-sub crap)

Sample/control roof; 5/12 2-story....Existing; 3-tab.

Demo/dry-in; Tear-off, drip edge, 72" ice and water at eaves & 36" at valleys; Synthetic underlay balance.

Shingle: 50yr/Lifetime dimensionals

What's the going rates in your neck-o-the-woods?

Colorado Mtns. $30/sq. to demo/dry-in....$25/sq. to shingle High desert, California, $25/sq. demo/dry-in....$18/sq to shingle.

(Note; Generally, the guys in Calif are half again faster than the typical shinglers in Co....So, even though the pc rate is lower in Ca., they generally make a lot more money) Also; The guys in Colo. are completely spoiled; A lot of the roofing contractors provide all the tools, while in Calif. the piece workers are expected to provide thier own.

What's the going rates in your neck-O-the-woods?

Thanks in advance for the survey participation

Well, Tom, I imagine we have a bit in common. I would imagine that we have a middling amount of #1, a small amount of #3, and virtually none of #2. Therefore I conclude that against a great current running against us we have accomplished quite a lot. Nothing to brag about, mind you, but I've noticed that bragging is a lot like getting drunk. Not much of value in it. At least we own the ladders. At least we can stop, look around, and think. I think life is its own reward and we have a lot to be grateful for. Stupid will always be there. We just have to do everything humanly possible to work with it or to get around it. It's the human condition. It's definitely not going away any time soon. Here's to the good fight going forward...

I honestly don't know who Big Brother is anymore. Part "Daddy" and part jailor I would imagine. I used to think I knew. Part of the human mind probably, likely originating in the brain stem that controls "fight or flight" impulses. I have observed that what you could call the arms and legs of Big Brother go home at night, get all confused and frustrated at times, get angry and kick the dog, make grammatical mistakes, and I assume they try like hell to justify their actions. Big Brother can't keep it all together but tries to pretend that it can. Big Brother can't balance the checkbook or the promises. Big Brother has never really made viable decisions about relative values Big Brother can't get a grip on his population explosion that is now eating the world alive. Big Brother woke up one morning and looked in the mirror and saw a lemming. No wonder he kicks the dog.

Wy; Kinda like the illegal workforce, eh? Big Bro walks different than it talks :( :silly:

Egg; Encouraging words....However, I dunno....I was thumbing through some old publicized articles/letters I wrote, (in 1992), when I first arrived here in Colorado....Nothing's changed....The "sub-game" & employing of illegals is just as rampant....I maintained membership in the local roofing contrractor's accoc. until I couldn'r stand it any longer; Felt like I was stepping into a cess-pool everytime I attended a meeting....

Out in the west, the big cheat has always been CASH. Then there were the guys years ago who would have their guys give them fake invoices for "materials." Then there have always been guys who hope their 1099's will escape notice. Cocktails of all three. Half-time, overtime. Hours based on piece. 2% shareholders in corporations. All of the ways around the system have been effectively closed off, though people still try. I assume they still try. Everything needs to be documented if you plan to push any envelope. No fun looking over your shoulder all the time imo. Treat people fairly. Demand to be treated fairly in return. Any funny business you just pull the plug and move on. Like renters and insurance scammers, a lot of people now know how to cheat the employer. Pendulum is going to swing back any time now because the system is breaking down on a wholesale scale.

Robby & Lanny.... Exactly. What's curious is that the 'sub-game" isn't played-out in the west...However, is more common than not once you cross the continental divide....Another curious corelation, is state licensing; i.e., Californis, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Oregon, Washington, New Mexico all have state licensing & the "sub-game" is unheard of to my knowledge. Please enlighten me if I'm mistaken.

Holy Crap! I thought I read these prices wrong so I re-read them. How on Earth would you be able to 1. Make a living 2. Pay your insurances 3. Pay your workers Compensation 4. Have any kind of benefits 5. Keep anybody that's decent

I backed my bids out and the labor burden alone comes out to $150 a Square With our materials, overhead, profit, and commision for our estimator we are above $150. That would put my square price over $300 for a ranch 1 layer. I asked around to some of my friends that do the Sub game with some major players in our area and they are getting $85.00 per square for one layer walkable $90 for chimney flashing $1.00 per ft. for Ridge Vent $2.00 per ft. for Smart Vent $20.00 for plywood removal and re-install $10.00 per square for haul away He stated that his prices go up for every layer by $10.00 and his steep charge starts at additional $25.00 per layer. He doesn't pay any workers compensation on the guys and 1099's them at the end of the year. That's the rate in Ohio.

JSC,

Thanks for the input....I still keep in touch with a couple of former employees, in Ca. that are contractors now.

The tear-off though....I pay a premium for that here in Colo....$25/sq. direct labor...That puts me at apex. $36/sq w/direct labor burden....The tear-off companies don't ever last out here.....Same with tile loading.

TomB: I've been out of it for about four years now, but last prices paid according to your criteria were:

Tearoff: (subbed to legit TO Co.) $30. first roof, 25 each addnl/thereafter. Felt, metal, lay 50 yr: $19.00

Very little I&W used here.

twill59 Said: Used to be a bout $300 a sq. here craftsmen. Until the price of materials shot up. Then the locals went down to about $250.

Now that inflation has caught onto everything, they dropped to about $220. With another material price increase coming up, that should put them at about $210. If gas hits $5 a gallon, they will sink below $200...

I'm still laughing about this, Twill. It's what I observed for years, especially in the residential end of the biz. Too true. :laugh:

Robby, I think legitimate pc. wk. wages are limitted to the west. When one starts moving east, where states w/o licensing are more prevelant, pc. wk. is associated with the suedo-sub game.

We've always paid pc. wk. for sloped, (shingles & tile), unless the project was unnusually complicated/difficult; Then we pay hourly, of course.

i must be blessed. i do not do piece work but i am getting $250 a sq for my re-roofing jobs here in w. pa. that is my total price for everything except ridge vent-$3.00 a ft more. 2nd layer $20.00 per sq extra .

Wow!.....I remeber putting on 3-tab for $7/sq. in San Diego....circa 1982...and it had to be hand-nailed!

Va. $80/sq. to demo/dry-in....$75/sq. to shingle

Must be.....I can't be any clearer.

I'm asking what the particular going rates are in your area....ya know, like prevailing wages differ from county to county, etc....Whereas a roofer in a Tex. county may be $14//hr. and in a Calif. coastasl County, may be $48/hr. Has nothing to do w/proprietary info.