Average Cost of Installation Labor: a CFI Survey

I'm skeptical, retailers do not want to pay fair price.
I would like to know the differences from a big city verse a small town verse region.
Why can't they sweep through a region and pick up prices , they've spoken to thousands of installers, why not ask then? Who is going to volunteer the prices, most are not CFI , not on these awesome sites for learning and info etc.
I appreciate what CFI does , that should have been done since inception on a yearly basis,how do you value your impact?

 

That chart is cracking me up as far as contract labor goes. The difference in pay between a guy that's been walking on carpet for 6 months vs one installing it for 30 years? Nada. Not for shops anyway.

 

That chart seems way out of whack to me and confusing. And as far as the tile section goes it's a joke. The form was obviously not designed by anyone that knows anything about tile installations.

 

This is how I read it,how many yrs exp,what is your pay. They are trying to get an overall average wage per region.

 

Look at the chart. All that is being done is getting a round about genral price from one area to another. You see they are not asking anything about extra's that are being charged.
They are not trying to get all your pricing, or even your price, just what you know ( if you do ) that the avearge installer get's in your area foe basic install.
Who else has tried to do anything to help bring pricing up? Has to start some where.

 

I don't mind giving the #'s, I don't think it can be accurate , I've looked up some #'s about general prices on some websites and they're off a bit.
How can you compile data when who knows how many will respond, my "area" is not listed, I'm west central, small town, do I get lumped into Tampa, shouldn't bigger cities get paid higher due to cost of living and getting 2 miles in one hour verse me getting 40? Yet there might be too much competition in a big city and lifestyle plummets. I think someone ought to tell me what we should be making, I guarantee it's a lot higher than the real world.

 

I find that if I work close to home 20-30 miles I make less then if I drive one way at 75 miles

I bid them as I read the prints a job that's big and open is going to go less then a job that's a few 100sf and cut up well at lest for me it is.

What I see a lot of is the big carpet places around here and Jax and Orlando do this for good money but pay the installers very little as in lets say tile
the carpet place gets 4-5 sf on labor to install and only pay the poor installers
75-1.25sf If these guys would stand up and get a back bone it would not go this way. I am a fair guy but man come on. And yes I know the carpet places have rent and stuff to pay but heck don't we all.

Been doing this for myself for over 24 years I just ask for a fair pay for a day's work.

Ron.

 

I think we get 2.60-3.00 yd and carpet installers are screaming a raise. I charge sometimes over 5$, just depends on situation.
So how do you get an average .75-6$ that's an 80 mile radius. I'd lock my truck door and not get out anything under 2.50$ a yd. attitude starts to go away at 4$, have a nice day at 5$, how've you been?at 6$

 

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I'm.............flabbergasted.

History of Labor Unions

 

Yea I hear you get a few calls a month can you beat this price and when they start to name the place I am like I can give you a price not beat it
If i had the time and knowledge I would push for a flooring union here in Fl. I fell we need it. Or something to get this in line.

 

(Incog),Yes we know unions have done a good job, but I think your a low percentage of total installers.

 

Yea you take away the guy's that live 10 to a house and I bet prices go back up If you know what I am saying

 

I'm not going to install in Florida....

 

I don't know the answer, prices are too low on some material to even bother installing, we're lucky to get 1.65 to install hardwood, you have to kill yourself physically to make money, it's sad.

 

The question I read was:

"Who else has tried to do anything to help bring pricing up? Has to start some where"

Love the union, hate the union......good luck and God bless. But if you want to discuss this issue Mike and you're skipping CENTURIES of economics and world history I have to start to question the.......motivation, competence, integrity of the discussion.

This discussion has to start with unions, collective bargaining and national and global economic forces over the last 10-25 generations. Joe Blow's Carpet Rack on the corner of 1rst and Main that hires Mike or Incognito to stretch in a bedroom of carpet is ANECDOTAL information as far as the labor price.

There's PLENTY of serious professional research out there that the industry collects. It's for sale

IBISWorld Cart

https://www.google.com/search?q=flo...la:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&channel=sb

 

You know I agree with that 100%. But that's not going to happen in our lifetime.

Let's start working on Plan #B.

 

I don't even try to bid with these jokers I give my price and that's it.
Very lucky been here for 48 years so I get a lot of jobs just from guys we worked for befor. Have two GCs that we have been doing tile & epoxy for over 23 years that's a good run for my little bit we do.

Also Mike and I do a lot of demo ripping this junk out that maybe last hmmm a year or less

 

That whole swatch of border states----Florida to California NEVER firmly established strong union workforces comparable to the Northern cities BECAUSE it's so damn easy to swamp ANY shop, job site or industry with scabs when the SHTF. To WIN the battle you need both "grass roots" support for union labor and the political power through government.

That means the workers have to vote in unions and the voters have to support union friendly politicians.

I don't know of anywhere in the South that unions have EVER really found that kind of general support------for whatever reasons.