Masonry Magazine April 2010 Page. 20
Staying Afloat in 2010
By Justin Breithaupt, Jr.
"I've never seen it like this."
"We've cut everything to the bone."
"We're bidding 25 jobs just to get one."
THAT'S WHAT WE HEARD DURING WORLD OF CONCRETE 2010 IN FEBRUARY. We probably talked to 200 masonry contractors this year, and they are all working as hard as they ever have. So why were they taking time off from work and spending their hard-earned dollars to come attend World of Concrete?
"I'm here to get an edge on my competition. I'm going to survive this thing." This was the way a mason contractor from Iowa put it. Without exception, the men we talked to are digging in and willing to do whatever it takes to keep afloat during this downturn, and come out stronger when it's over. None of them is giving in. They are all searching for ways to get the job done at a lower cost.
Another contractor from Kentucky said it best: "Right now, the company with the lowest labor cost wins, period. And, the only way you get there is by putting more brick in the wall cheaper than the other guy."
Understanding costs is the key
NEITHER YOU NOR YOUR COMPETITORS can cut any materials out of the job. You both pay about the same. The only job cost you really have any control over is labor. The first step is to know your bricklayer cost. Hourly cost varies widely from $29 an hour in Texas and the Carolinas, to $57 an hour in the Northeast and parts of California (that's your cost, not his net pay). Based on a 160-hour month, it costs you $4,640 to $9,120 per month to put one mason on the wall. That works out to $55,680 to $109,440 per year. The next step is to get maximum efficiency from your existing crew.
Straight Wall: Towers move from wall to wall at the rate of 10 minutes each. This scaffold was moved to this wall and decked and stocked in less than 2 hours.
Photo courtesy of Non-Stop Scaffolding
18 MASONRY
April 2010 www.masoncontractors.org
The Voice of the Masonry Industry