How to bid an HVAC job

mlite13

I am an electrician and am interested in starting an HVAC business. I have no idea how to bid the job. I can bid an electrical job all day. If someone can help I would really appreciate it.

refermadness

depends if you are doing the work yourself or hiring someone or subing.

FloridaHVAC

Get an iPhone... There's an App for that..

marksac

whats the name of the app

FloridaHVAC

It is called Quote Express. It was like $100 back in the day... It is great and makes giving an estimate a lot easier! All my guys who give estimates have it in the field.

catmanacman

i dont know if you have any feild experiance in hvac work. when bidding hvac work better put on plenty of money for warranty work especially if your hiring subs to do the work

refermadness

warrany work? wow

jpplumbing

man theres an app for everything

REP

Computer apps are great but I'm sure you have to plug in some numbers in order for it to work.
You really have to know what it costs you to wake up each morning.
For instance all your insurance costs stay the same if you work or sleep in.
You have wear and tear on your truck and you need gas .You have to take into consideration the wear and tear on your tools especially the test meters vacuum pump,micron gauge stuff like that.
When you bid a job all that and a ton more has to come out of that bid,plus you add your labor.Are you a hard working honest contractor ? well believe it or not that is worth something as it will build your reputation and lead to business in the future.
Its not a simple issue if you intend to be around for a while.
What you need to do is schedule an appointment with a CPA that has experience in the HVAC industry to figure out what it costs you to get up in the morning.Then you can bid a job.

beenthere

Are you going to do resi, commercial, or industrial HVAC?

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moshei

I agree with what you said, successful HVAC bidding requires a higher level of experience and technical knowledge than that required for other trades, Also with a bit of experience in the mechanical industry, however, it is possible to bid on HVAC contracts accurately.

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rmihvacr

Hire an HVACR mechanic for starters

jpplumbing

wow Quote Express for only $39.99. Thats alot cheaper then what i paid for my estimating software lol

Spyke45

I have never used an app to work up a bid and I would not trust it.

It sounds really basic but work up your equipment prices, tax, labor costs and everything else you need to physically bid that job. Then divide that number by the percentage of profit you want to make on the job. 30% is a good target in my area.

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BarrieFurnaceRepair

LOL....that's awesome. You should try bidding plumbing too....throw in window washing and the homeowner will love you. You can give an all inclusive price.

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Kirwinjd

Go to work for an HVAC contractor for about 5 years before deciding to go into the business. Nothing replaces hands on experience (not even an app)
You need the privilege to screw up many times at someone else's expense and hopefully learn from those screw ups. In California, you can't even qualify for a license until you've worked for someone at least 4 years.

The HVAC trade is vastly different from all other trades. You'll be swamped with calls when its hot. You'll be swamped with calls when it's cold. In between you'll be sitting at home watching old reruns of "leave it to beaver" while waiting for the phone to ring and worrying about paying the bills. Sorry I rambled. It's a good trade if you work hard at it. Best wishes

jmyhvac

I agree with Kirwinjd, I started my own business without working for someone else and he is right you need a back up and be ready for call backs that can be expensive and will eat up all your profit. I have done very well keeping my head above water but it has not been easy and I have a long road to travel still.

independent

An app wont work for hvac sales, it just gives a prompt to enter info your expected to know ! HVAC sales requires experience in the industry and I wouldnt recommend trying it without it ! You have to know the product your selling And what the market will bear in your area also .

jmyhvac

I have done well with goodman up hear, most everyone hear is fine with whatever you push very easygoing customers which makes it nice. Still have a long way to go but this spring looks full and busy.

Acrepairexpertsmiami

you should have some expertience in the trade before you bid on HVAC work.. or hire someone or maybe get a parner with experience.. you guys could do well with your electrical background and his hvac knowledge.. they go hand in hand.

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