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Pricing CAD Drawings


Skilla

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depends on what it is. i suppose you're wanting to do freelance? sometimes i've heard of people doing $50 or $75 a sheet. sometimes, they bid "hours" for a set of drawings, so no matter how quick or slow they go, it's all the same, based on $30/hr or something similar. just depends on the extent of the project.

 

i've seen guys charge $3,000 for a full set of shop drawings, plotted and all, about 30 sheets worth. but these guys know what they're doing, and it's 100% right the first time.

 

What kinda project do you have on the table? or what type of work are you looking to do?

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I'm waiting for the client to send the project that I can look at it and then go from there. It's plans of some storage areas.

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just do this... tell them you're labor is $40/hr. but give them a "bid price". tell them the hours it will take to do it, and that's what you can go by to give them a price. for example, if you look at it, and you think you can do it in 10 hours, then tell them 10. now if you did it in 6 hours, well then good, you came out ahead. but if it took you 15 hours, then well, you misjudged the project. but no client wants to be in the dark about a project that doesn't have a completion date @ a high labor rate. hope this helps :)

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Something to consider............

 

Many of my new customers come to me because their current draftsman cannot meet their deadline. If this is your case and you have a deadline that you have to complete labeled ASAP give yourself some buffer. Most projects that are fast-track are handled poorly and you could complete a set of prints and have them come back with change after change after change.

 

Let your customer know up front that errors you make you'll fix for free but any errors by them or changes by them will be billed on an hourly basis.

 

As far as rate goes, that is something you have to decide what you feel you are worth and of course what market will bear. DO NOT SELL YOURSELF SHORT, you are taking on alot of responsibility and you need to make it worthwhile. This is obviously a new territory for you and you are anxious to get the work but many people in your situation in any business convince themselves that price is a major selling point, it's not, quality and reliability is worth gold.

 

I personally charge $75 per sheet. My sheet price is derived from my experience as I have over a thousand completed projects under my belt. For the record, it takes me an hour a sheet as well as I bill at $75 per hour for changes made after the prints but to be honest that does not happen often. For the record again, I am a full-time self-employed draftsman.

 

troutspinner

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I usually have a pretty good idea how long its going to take me to do a project.......if you can estimate your time and how much you want to make per hour (like 30$)....just figure that cost and add 20-25%.....that 20-25% accounts for anything the client left out (typical) which will cost you more time.....and if they dont throw you through any hoops then that extra amount you tacked on is just money in your pocket

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Another quick note. I see people saying around $30-$40 an hour. If this is something you are doing on the side and the money is not going to be reported to the IRS then that is great but if things are staying on the up and up, break down how little you will actually net.

 

I am in the 25% tax bracket and then I get to pay double on SS as I am self employed. Close to 15%. Add in state, 1% and local 1/2% it all adds up to roughly 41%. So I get to realize 59 cents for every dollar I bill, ouch!

 

troutspinner

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True troutspinner, it all depends on if this is your actual job or if its just something you do on the side.....i have a full time job and do this on the side so its money that i dont report to the IRS.......

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i have a full time job and do this on the side so its money that i dont report to the IRS.......

 

I don't think I would admit to things like that on a public forum. You never know who's listening. :)

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agreed. the two side jobs i ever did, one of them i claimed as income because it was a fairly large amount, the other i didn't, and they both were non-personal checks. sometimes you do, sometimes you can get away with it. :)

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lol...i suggest they go after someone that they will actually get something out of instead of busting lil ole me.....

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Bid the job "lump sum". Hit them with an hourly rate for revisions that go above and beyond what was initially called for.

 

Both you and the client should know what is being negotiated. Anything not spoken of up front can always come back and haunt you later.

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excelent movie by the way...never saw the original..but I watched the new one on my 22nd birthday....strangely while walking out of the movie theatre that night there were police sirens and cops everywhere around the building....i thought the movie became reality.......

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True troutspinner, it all depends on if this is your actual job or if its just something you do on the side.....i have a full time job and do this on the side so its money that i dont report to the IRS.......

 

 

Thank you for this information. I will contact you for some back tax owed as we will assess your income for the last 5 years as being ----- your ip number is-----------

 

Lesson learned

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