Labor costs for a full build

[Rainbowfarmbus]

I’m looking to have someone build out a full conversion for me because I’m not capable of doing so myself. There’s obviously parts, materials, and appliances to content with. But labor costs I’m not sure how to go about this yet. How much would you pay someone to do the labor on your bus? And would you pay them per the job or by the hour?

My friend says to pay them their labor by the job like a regular construction job and pay them in installments throughout the job. My other friend says to pay them by the hour.

 

[fo4imtippin]

So far in my life, I have done all the construction work myself. I typically spent half of the lowest bid. So for a roof, I spent around 4k on materials, and my bid was new roof for 8k.


The buses selling for 80k might have 40k of hard parts..


Hard to say on a bus, but if I was charging l, I would do hourly rate plus material and then ask what level of detail on each major piece. That is the most likely for both parties to be satisfied.


High level of perfection on electric and plumbing.. low level of perfection on carpentry and finish, etc.

 

[TheHubbardBus]

I'd think the people doing the work for you would be the ones determining how much and in what manner they'd expect to be paid.

I would never pay someone to convert a bus. Either the quality of the work would be sub par, the cost would be exorbitant, or both. Just my opinion.

 

[DeMac]

Who Chooses My Pay?

I’m looking to have someone build out a full conversion for me because I’m not capable of doing so myself. There’s obviously parts, materials, and appliances to content with. But labor costs I’m not sure how to go about this yet. How much would you pay someone to do the labor on your bus? And would you pay them per the job or by the hour?

My friend says to pay them their labor by the job like a regular construction job and pay them in installments throughout the job. My other friend says to pay them by the hour.

------------------------

Welcome to skoolie.net.
What type of bus do you own?

Depends if its a union state, or Mexico or Georgia... labor rates are not flat geographically. In the south, Plumbers & Electricians charge $100-250/hr.

We can advertise an offer of money for work, but the craftsman must decide to show up (repeatedly).

Right now, any reputable pro can choose where he works. Construction jobs are plentiful & the pay rates are skyrocketing. Overtime & sign on bonuses are being offered everywhere.

If you intend to hire a company (& can convince them to do it) plan to pay a significant portion upfront, then time & materials, thereafter. Most builders stay booked, many are scheduling for next year, already.

Have you read about
Lone Star Skoolies in Texas?

 

[rossvtaylor]

Having done full conversions, for some deep-pocket clients, I will readily admit that I didn't charge enough for the level of detail required to do a full build. And going forward, I'll not do those again. I much prefer to do the difficult or technical "infrastructure" bits, like the electrical or plumbing or physical/mechanical (roof raise, hitches, weldy things), and even insulation...but not the interior cabinets and trim, which I'd rather leave to the client. My wife calls it making the bus "IKEA ready".

You'll pay for expertise and skill...and for some parts (like those listed above) I think it's worth paying for that, so you know they're done right. But once you get to the part of trim work and fine detail, you're paying a lot for stuff you could do yourself (to your own level of satisfaction). I find that I have (had) a hard time charging what it really costs to do that final detail stuff.

 

[Rucker]

<snip> I find that I have (had) a hard time charging what it really costs to do that final detail stuff.

Or is it that there are just very few people willing to pay for a full and complete job?

I'm just spitballing, but let's say the DIY version of a well-built rig costs 30-40K in materials and the full-on version costs 100K, which includes reasonable profit for the builder (not just labor). In my opinion very, very few will sign up for the full treatment.

The most common skoolie is self-built, and sometimes really poorly, because either the owner went into the gig thinking it could be cheap (and learned it is neither cheap nor easy).

Less common, the owner takes the path of Knowledge and learns as they go. Longer road, but in the end a better product and, I would argue, person, for all the knowledge they gained along the way.

The middle road is to pay for a partially built rig (to take care of things where the learning curve is arguably the steepest), and I think that is a promising niche. If buyers can find a reputable builder to take care of the chassis mechanical and some of the construction (e.g. roof raise, tow hitch etc) and maybe some of the electrical infrastructure like solar and batteries, and gray tanks they would have much less trouble picking up the skills to make the bus their own.

Ikea-ready. I like that term!

 

[peteg59]

There is no way to give a price to do a conversion.

There are too many variables involved, and quality construction is costly both in material and labor form.

Thats why you see many folks on here bailing on a regular basis on their unfinished projects after they realize the actual costs involved.

Good luck, and hope you can get something going whenever you are ready...

 

[Iceni John]

Why do you want a skoolie? I'm just curious what is the underlying reason that you want one!

John

 

[turf]

the self build camps seem to charge a weekly/monthly rent, plus an hourly wage when you get help.

i;d think it'd have to be at least in the neigborhood of 200/week and 50/hr.

 

[cadillackid]

------------------------

Welcome to skoolie.net.
What type of bus do you own?

Depends if its a union state, or Mexico or Georgia... labor rates are not flat geographically. In the south, Plumbers & Electricians charge $100-250/hr.

We can advertise an offer of money for work, but the craftsman must decide to show up (repeatedly).

Right now, any reputable pro can choose where he works. Construction jobs are plentiful & the pay rates are skyrocketing. Overtime & sign on bonuses are being offered everywhere.

If you intend to hire a company (& can convince them to do it) plan to pay a significant portion upfront, then time & materials, thereafter. Most builders stay booked, many are scheduling for next year, already.

Have you read about
Lone Star Skoolies in Texas?

**THIS**


just to get 2 new doors put in my house is scheduling out into next year.. (sure i can go to a big box store and get a crappy contractor to put in a POS plastic (vinyl) door) but to get a good quality Andersen or Pella door set put in is pricey and take a good while..



we have all seen the videos of various "skoolie converters" that totally jacked their customers and ruined the busses in the process..


has the OP ever had a house built? if not then they have LOTS to learn.. I had my house built.. there was a GC and a lot of subs (and me).. it was a multi-hour per day job to make sure my house got built right and didnt have too many budget overruns



(OK I over ran the budget myself as anytime something wasnt available I upgraded to a higher level item)..


the GC and subs used were used ot building houses.. they had all done it for years.. it was their wheelhouse..



I know and am certtified in Low voltage so I ran all my own network, thermostat, speaker, alarm, doorbell, Camera, Phone cabling.. saved myself a few grand there as I knew even in 2004 I wanted *LOTS* of drops..



unless these subs you use to build your bus are experienced in mobile installations you will have a tough road ahead.. do they know how to run wire to be mobile-friendly? will the electrician know how to install your RV electrical panel to support whatever you need?



will your A/C guy know to rubber-wrap the minisplit A/C lines everyplace they touch a frame member or go through a hole? (something not needed in a home install).



will your plumber know about properly venting fresh and waste tanks? properly securing and supporting them? pipe runs to support a vehicle that may be parked a couple degrees off-level ? (remember a house doesnt move more than a few inches in decades)..



will your solar guy know to secure panels properly to the roof for 95 MPH winds? (yep if ypou drive 70 into a 25 mPH headwind its the same as 95 MPH wind hitting a house)...


and on and on goes the list..



theres a reason that custom-built high-end Bus-based motorhomes sell for well north of a million bucks.. not saying your skoolie will cost anywhere near that but saying that its not going to likely be.. buy a bus.. drive it someplace and 3 months later you pick up your new motorhome...



perhaps if you had someone that truly knows his stuff like Ross build it (if he even does it for hire).. but otherwise its still going to be a project.


-Christopher

 

[sportyrick]

seems to me that you will need a company that does this for a living. Just getting say one or two people to just do nothing but your bus seems unobtainable in this current labor environment. Unless they are unemployed and just want to "make some money" then you are in for a test of your patience. There is a place near me that adds living quarters to horse trailers, a bus isn't much different. Try calling a couple places and see of they would tackle your project, maybe with the electrical, pluming and HVAC already done.

 

[TheHubbardBus]

seems to me that you will need a company that does this for a living. Just getting say one or two people to just do nothing but your bus seems unobtainable in this current labor environment. Unless they are unemployed and just want to "make some money" then you are in for a test of your patience. There is a place near me that adds living quarters to horse trailers, a bus isn't much different. Try calling a couple places and see of they would tackle your project, maybe with the electrical, pluming and HVAC already done.

IMO, the only people who have the potential ability to even come close to accurately estimating the time required (and thus labor costs), material costs, etc are what you suggest... Businesses that specialize in this sort of work, and have enough experience under their belt to at least partially account for the endless variance between the buses themselves, as well as customer requirements. You can't just pull a handyman off the street and expect it to not end up being a nightmare. Your average construction professional knows how to do one thing well... In the context of conventional construction. No doubt they probably know more about most aspects than your average Joe, even those outside their specialty, but its still not going to translate over enough to not be paying them to learn on the job, assuming anyone worth their salt would take on the job in the first place (which they won't, as DeMac pointed out). Even a GP has no experience with vehicles. If they're willing to take on a job like this it means two things: there's something wrong with them, and the customer will almost certainly be very disappointed in the end (assuming there ever is an end).

So yeah, it's likely doable if you have a LOT of money, a LOT of time, and are lucky enough to find a business that actually isn't a clown act (which almost surely would mean a large backlog). But pulling people in who for some reason can't find traditional work in this market? That's asking for nothing but problems.

Nobody understands the challenges involved until they've gone down this road. You're not just a builder... You're a designer, engineer, accountant, contractor, purchase agent, mechanic, electrician, plumber, woodworker, framer, floorer, painter, OSHA (lol), metal worker, etc, etc, etc.

 

[peteg59]

/\...Spot on.

If you're not discouraged yet, good.
It always helps to have another first-time builder on the board...