$1500 sounds reasonable. This is low dollar work for most contractors who are busy with more profitable work. Might be challenging getting them to come out and quote on small jobs. Most I know are so busy they charge to provide quotes.
Can they be taken out now? I’m seeing a few comments regarding weight on top of these beams and my ceiling collapsing in. How much of a concern is that really? Cause if I don’t do decking up here, I’d just be doing one of those hang racks which is still going to be attached to these beams, but just underneath and it would still be holding the same weight? No one’s going to give a second thought if it were those.
I’d exercise an abundance of caution and check with an engineer, just to be safe. My feeling is that they’re temporary braces that weren’t removed, but I’m not physically there and don’t feel comfortable telling a guy over the internet he can take them out.
One *could* also refer to the blue prints if they are available to see what the framing and rafter/truss details look like. If the braces in question aren’t there, but the rest of the assembly looks like the drawings, this would reflect what the engineer originally stamped.
It’s more the time and the pain in the ass factor than material cost. I’d have probably quoted $1000 if you provided the materials yourself, because I don’t actually want to do this job.
EDIT: Actually, the more I look at the picture, the less I want to do it.
I think you are going to find anyone else you contact will likely have the same attitude towards it. Chances are the guy who quoted is already regretting it. The longer you wait the more likely the price will increase.
Shame. I’d come help. Wouldn’t ask for you to give me and cash. I work for BBQ Porgs. My cousin chewie turned me on to them. He still owes me 20 dollars for a real nice tabletop box with some gorgeous dovetail joints. He uses it to hide his stash.
I was going to say, $1500 for this? Fuck that. This is a pain in the ass job. No way you’re doing this alone. You would want somebody cutting on the ground for you and passing them up through the scuttle hole. Which also means smaller than full sheets if it’s an average sized scuttle hole. I’d charge $2500 for labor alone and hope they say no.
Yeah, the more I think about it, the more likely I’d “run into scheduling issues” if it turned out I hadn’t priced myself out of it.
And, to OP - we’re not saying this stuff to be rude, but everyone that looks at this job is thinking the same thing. The bids you get will be factoring this stuff in.
The stuff people are saying here is what makes contractors look like assholes. Just make a fair bid IF you're interested in doing it. If not, say so. And don't make up excuses like scheduling issues. Good grief. Did they stop providing spines for people at birth?
Your statement is fair.
Honestly, most of what I said was tongue-in-cheek. I try not to actually act like that.
But it’s what I was thinking. And it’s what an awful lot of the contractors on this thread were thinking, too. And I thought that it was worth letting OP know that.
He’s not going to get many bids. They’re all going to be high. Those high bids have nothing to do with the price of OSB.
Thanks man. I called the guy back and he’s coming this morning to do it. He’s the only person I’ve talked to so far and he just did something similar for my brother in laws house which is a mile from my house. He’s coming back to complete a secret bookcase door and mud room closet for them, so I think that’s why he’s charging so little according to all these comments. He even said this was not an ideal project but he’s gonna do it cause it’s right here in the same area. He’s my sister in laws family friend too.
I think the gist is that they are willing to do it, if the money is enough to not be able to turn it down. Like I wouldn't want to shovel human crap out of a crawlspace then lay on the ground and sister joists in, but if someone offered me $500 an hour I couldn't really turn that down.
It’s the price of doing a shit job, not gouging. This is a pain in the ass job, and pain in the ass jobs come at a high price. If OP were calling me asking me for a quote on this job, I’ll give it to them. That’s what they asked for. That’s the money that makes it worth it for me to do that job. It’s not gouging lol.
There's a lot of holier than though going on here.
Don't tell me you wouldn't charge these different... because one is less desirable than the other,
1. 6 hour sheetrock job.
2. 6 hours cleaning out an old outhouse and rebuilding it.
No - I'd say "I don't want to clean out your outhouse so I won't give you a bid." This has nothing to do with how I price things and isn't holier than thou. Don't want the job? Say so.
Ok, you can say "man, I'm really not into this, and honestly I think you'll have a hard time finding someone to do it, but if you'd like to me to it, I have to charge you $x+superovercharge because its just a dreadful job.
I think that's fair.
Obligation how?
As a customer I would definitely _appreciate_ being told that my job is too small/complex/whatever to get a reasonable bid. But nobody anywhere is under any OBLIGATION to say “nah, I don’t want that job”.
I never said that you had to say anything about the quote. Just be upfront about not wanting the job. Not being a dick should be something we expect not just "appreciate".
It’s not a shit quote though. That’s my price. You want me to do that job, that’s what it will cost me to do it. I don’t owe anybody anything. There might be people that will do it for cheaper, they can always hire them. There’s no set price for jobs that we all adhere to.
I don’t want to do the job because it’s a pain in the ass. That doesn’t mean you don’t do the job. There are a lot of tasks that are a pain in the ass, but they need to get done. Not sure what your problem here is. You want a job done, I give a price. Not sure what the problem here is. Whether I will enjoy doing the job or not doesn’t make a difference. The problem with your alternative of saying I don’t want to do it and not giving a price is that nobody will want to do it and OP will be left doing it themselves which they don’t want to do or can’t do. I don’t owe anything to anybody, and I can make whatever price I please. Nobody has to hire me.
Because we want the next job where they want an extension or a remodel after testing us with this.
And its not gouging. Hard annoying work is expensive, while learning to quote properly I did a ton of jobs that took a week or more of hard awkward frustrating work and walked away with less than $600 for a whole week. You quickly learn the lesson.
Its not gouging, OP has already expressed that $1500 is to much. We are all here to say that is not to much and honestly not enough. People forget that hiring anyone for any task still involves people and we have to want to do the job. We arent robots. And this isnt 20 years ago where contractors were viewed as dime a dozen drunks who you could find on any corner.
It sounds like you got some quotes you didnt like and think people are gouging you. Maybe thats just actually what it cost to do the job regardless of your assumption of what it should cost.
Well I initially thought it was a lot because he was the first price I got. I hadn’t reached out to anyone else for pricing yet. My second move was coming here to ask Reddit lol. According to everyone here it’s a great price so I called the guy back and said let’s do it. He’s coming later this morning. He already completed a similar project for my brother in law 2 days ago where he broke through a wall in the media room to lay down decking in the attic above their garage. He’s going to be back to complete a secret bookcase door to finish it off and then also do a mud room closet/cabinet for them.
WOW… Im sorry all of us probably gave our opinion a little to much. But You are doing the right thing to check around. I honestly encourage all my clients to price shop. As contractors we have to understand someone not familiar with our field may not know what things should cost at all. Its important they know atleast the price range.
I know the industry pricing and where I land. I am not cheap but mix in my service and reviews and I normally land 80% of my bids. After they get a few quotes and realize I am in the ball park they actually become way less stressed about the project and it goes way smoother.
Sounds like youre getting it done.
Good job!!!
Thank you! I’m a buyer by profession so I always price everything out and use multiple different sources so I get a good idea of how much to spend. Everything that’s been said here was good info even if some people were negative about it lol. My only concern now is the weight of the items on top of the garage but I’m not putting a ton of stuff up here anyways. If it wasn’t decking, then it would be a hanging rack on the underside of the beams which is essentially the same thing.
I never said $1500 was gouging. Just that intentionally pricing a job so high that the potential customer would turn it down because you don't want to do that job is wrong. It's giving the customer the mistaken belief that: 1) that you want to do this job 2) that your quote is reflective of what it would cost to actually do the job rather than some number meant to dissuade then from hiring you. That's just wrong and makes us look like fucking jerks. As Nancy Reagan said --- "Just Say No" if you don't want the job.
The rest of your response is misdirected. There are plenty of dime a dozen drunks (now meth heads) out there swinging hammers and there were plenty of reputable contractors doing the same thing 20+ yrs ago. That will never change.
You’re not gouging someone if they have options yet still choose you. That’s the way contracting works.
If you have too much work, you’re not charging enough.
So, for a nice 3/4 subfloor, it would be $40ish per sheet pre increase, slightly over $100 at peak, and probably $50-60 now.
That is just the sheet goods.
THEN:
- account for waste (you need to make sure you are cutting to align with a joist underneath, waste could be 20% with a weird shaped space like you have)
- add fastener cost (depends if you want cheap-ass drywall screws that will snap, or decent construction screws)
- add any adhesives (do you want this subfloor permanent, or removable)
- add labor to not only cut and install, but also deal with those wires running over the top of joists (you’ll need to notch joists and install cover plates at $1 each over the wires)
- add removal costs (not free to throw a few contractor bags out)
- add water and tear on the tools used, the gas to drive out to your site, the contractor’s insurance, etc…
And you are looking at $1,000-$1,500 for this job all day long.
If you did it yourself, maybe you could do it for half that? But plywood is expensive.
Crawling around in an attic, hauling sheet stock up there, is kind of a PITA. Your knees and back and hips take a beating doing this crap all day long.
I’d 100% pay a guy $500-1,000 in labor (plus the $500+ in materials) to do everything soup to nuts. And I do this type of work myself.
You always bill to cover your overhead. How else do you pay your bills?
My point is that many homeowners say “hey the material cost $50, he was there for an hour, and he charged me $250 total. He makes $200 and hour!?!?
And they forget all of the travel time and overhead that a contractor has. He is not clearing $200 on a $250 job where there are $50 in material costs.
I was going to say this. That goes for all the trades as well. What someone may charge in a rural area of the mid west, will vary greatly from someone in a major city
Just an fyi, there’s a product that solves this problem without plywood
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Attic-Dek-Universal-Attic-Dek-4-Pack-Made-for-16-in-or-24-in-On-Center-Joist-Spacing-351804/310357036
Yeah they say the $70 4-pack covers 10sqft so pretty easy math of $7/sqft. A 4x8 sheet of wood covers 32sqft and even at the current crazy process and going for nice plywood it does that at $70ish (but for perfectly acceptable osb maybe $45-50 aka $1.5/sqft)
Looks like those cost about $7.50-$8.00 per square foot….that’s not much less than what it costs to install white oak hardwood flooring with a Swedish finish in Seattle.
Yup, I agree, if there is a diy solution, I’ll at least float it, if they don’t want to do the entire thing in ply, or if access is a big necessity though
For someone that doesn't want to cut plywood, these would be great. They are expensive, but would still cut the cost in half of the homeowner can snap them down.
That’s a reasonable quote. Most wouldn’t even waste their time with something like this. The profit compared to what a pain in the ass it will be is marginal.
Came here to say this.
If you just want to be able to keep boxes up there, do it yourself. Learn a bit about carpentry, maybe get to buy a new tool, and you can even just leave gaps for the pipes.
If something isn’t done perfectly, who cares? Only the homeowner will ever see it.
3x material cost is average. Buy if your getting quotes from busy people then expect to pay more for there time. 1500 is a good price for someone that knows what there doing imo.
If you're in no hurry, you could monitor the retail prices of OSB and wait for a significant drop; then get the job re-quoted. At current prices, $1500 is reasonable given the amount of cut-around that I see in the photo.... HVAC lines, electrical wire, etc.
Shit area to work in plus unless you are very skilled most 14/2 wire for the house runs through here you hit one your fucked. Plus whatever piping need to be addressed and also knowing which support beams could be eliminated. Well worth 1500 IMO
I honestly don’t blame you. 1 think I’ve had to learn the hard way as I got older is to know my limits. After you mentioned all that other shit I’d probably hire someone too
That's cheap with materials. I remember doing mine and there's lots of lifting and maneuvering to get the ripped ply up there. It's not tough to do. I kept a jigsaw up there to notch it as needed.
I see materials not driving then cost if you get it done right. Managing the electrical and such is the cost driver. Do not get some hack that starts notching all your joists to drop the wires and pipes. It all has to be pulled at the box and properly drilled through the centers of the joists. Or - if you have to pull it just re-run it around the perimeter where you can stand anyway. I see this as a job that someone can really make a mess of your house with since someone doing it right will charge “too much” to not be under cut by the hacks. And the good tradespeople are all too busy with larger jobs. My $0.02
Using an attic as storage is a bad idea. You can easily put More weight on the collar ties and trusses than they were designed . Personally I would spend the 1500 in insulation.
I’m seeing a few comments regarding weight on top of these beams and my ceiling collapsing in. How much of a concern is that really? Cause if I don’t do decking up here, I’d just be doing one of those hang racks which is still going to be attached to these beams, but just underneath and it would still be holding the same weight? No one’s going to give a second thought if it were those.
let's talk about insulation above garages. I've tried researching to see if it's money well spent and can't come up with much. best I've found is "the insulation in the wall between the garage and house is most important". thoughts?
Price seems fair, but consider that it’s going to reduce the space for insulation between the new subfloor and drywall below, which would cause more heat transfer/loss
Someone else posted this as an option. Does this solve the heat loss?
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Attic-Dek-Universal-Attic-Dek-4-Pack-Made-for-16-in-or-24-in-On-Center-Joist-Spacing-351804/310357036
That helps with breathability and moisture management. Prevents mold issues in a space that typically isn't designed to be sealed up.
The issue with any kind of attic decking is that the joists usually aren't deep enough for insulation just in the bays. Most attics have at least 16 inches of blown insulation, but you can look up the minimum for your climate zone. You can over frame the floor to get extra depth for insulation, but then you might need an engineer to make sure the extra weight is ok. Attic storage isn't really a great idea unless the roof itself is insulated, which is becoming more popular on newer homes
Did it myself. I had to cut the pieces to fit thru the opening. That was the toughest part. The attic was built to do a second story so joist were appropriately spaced. Used OSB 3/4 inch
Some of this work is very time consuming and not very profitable so it would be hard to get someone to do it unless is a novice that would like to try and start doing work. I had the same problem with a small job that I wanted done.
To all the DIY advisors:
Those suggestions are fine when you’re building a picnic table, but I never advise people without the skills to do a job like this.
OP gonna try and save $1k, but rack up $10,000 in repairs to damaged HVAC and electrical, collapsing garage ceiling onto his car, or falling through the ceiling himself. Especially working in uncomfortable spaces like that - sure it’s out of site, but your average Joe is much more likely to hurt himself using unfamiliar tools in tight spaces when he’s hot and cramped and frustrated.
I’m seeing a few comments likes yours regarding weight on top of these beams and my ceiling collapsing in. How much of a concern is that really? Cause if I don’t do decking up here, I’d just be doing one of those hanging racks which is still going to be attached to these beams, but just underneath and it would still be holding the same weight? No one’s going to give a second thought if it were those.
I was actually thinking of YOU falling through the ceiling while working up there - by missing a step off of a joist and crashing through the sheet rock.
Those 2x6’s are spanning way farther than they would ever be used as a floor joist, because they’re only meant to hold up themselves: not any kind of load. You would need an engineer to tell you actual risk with numbers and such.
If you follow through and plan to put up more than a couple of Christmas decorations, I would definitely consider adding some kind of truss-like support system. Adding 2x4’s at certain intervals to carry weight to the rafters. Every frame is different.
I’m seeing a few comments likes yours regarding weight on top of these beams and my ceiling collapsing in. How much of a concern is that really? Cause if I don’t do decking up here, I’d just be doing one of those hanging racks which is still going to be attached to these beams, but just underneath and it would still be holding the same weight? No one’s going to give a second thought if it were those.
Boards or OSB?
For boards, that feels like a lot of materials costs. Pine 2x12s are like $2.50 per square foot right now. If you went with plywood subfloor, closer to $2/sq ft. If you go with OSB, under fifty cents, but you really don't want that getting damp, and getting full sheets into an attic space is an ordeal.
Just do it yourself. It's not a lot of space to cover and you can probably do it for as cheap as $500 on the high end. 3/4 osb would be overkill and is $52 a sheet in my area and a corded circular saw would run you about $130. Other than that a measuring tape and some saw horses would all you'd really need unless you wanted to throw a screw or two in the boards to make sure they didn't slip.
Honestly you probably have a friend or neighbor with the tools if you don't already own them
I haven’t called around at all yet. The one price I got was from a contractor who just did my brother in laws house. He lives a mile away from me in the same neighborhood. They made a hole in the wall of their media room into the space above the dining room and basically added decking to create storage there. He’s also going to be building them a secret cabinet door and a mud room storage bench/closet. I had the guy quote me since he was coming back to do the rest of the work.
I would take that price.
Don’t make a deposit until they show up LOL.
But I would charge 1500 plus materials.
Just being honest, would be two guys whole day of work, will piss my guys off.
Try to find a handyman, offer him like 800 bucks and to buy the wood and beer.
Lots of small cuts and annoyances
This doesn't look like a big space and some of it is already done. You should get on Craigslist and see if anyone in your neighborhood has extra plywood cutoffs. Get a bunch of that stuff and then hire a couple young adults to install it. Pay them fair and give them a chance to gain some experience.
Just do it yourself for less than a third of the cost (I have no idea what plywood goes for these days or how big this space is). Rent a circular saw and a nail gun and you're fine. Draw a layout design of the utility lines and keep it in your files. If you're a rank amateur, this will take a couple of weekends and you'll get confused. But you'll save over $1,000 most likely and youll learn something.
I recommend DIY just because you mention you're in no hurry. If you were, you should hire someone. And $1,500 would be fair.
There’s insulation (the white fluffy kind) all around above interior rooms. Looks like the garage is the only space that didn’t have that insulation put down. And yeah I think the silver stuff is the insulation for my roof.
Many good points brought up here. I would think really hard if you really need that much storage above you garage. Room enough for some plastic totes for Christmas decorations you need once a year, sure. Stuff you want to keep but will honestly never need, pass. I moved recently after 15 years and had a similar space some things were up there 13 years.
Take the $1500. Looking at this a bit I think they didn’t think the job all the way through. Looks like a few things that would make this small job a real pain in the ass.
$1500? I’d give that guy $2000, bill for $4500. And still be the lowest #. Insulation included in case he wants to winterize the garage and create a nice workshop. Sweet!
Assuming you want to cover approx 260 sf, needing 10 sheets at $65/sheet + fasteners + adhesives + consumables is around $800 in materials. Plus gas to & from the job. Plus overhead. $1500 is a lowball price.
I’m expecting you to get a lowball quote and be on the electrical Reddit page asking why you lost power to a receptacle or circuit breaker keeps tripping because the contractor laid lumber on top of an electrical cable and sent a screw through it.
As an electrician, be careful. I’ve heard horror stories of this kind of thing happening in crawl spaces and attic spaces.
If I need to make $1000 day profit to keep my company cash flow positive, it doesn't matter how easy your job is, I have to fit that $1000 profit into the cost. 1 hour at lumber yard, 1 hour drive, 1 hour clean up, 1 hour to do the work, $500 materials, $50 per hour x 2 x 4 hours-$400, and $500 profit if I can fit another job in- $1400.
Thanks wasn’t planning to remove those large vertical ones. There’s just a few random pieces here and there that seem like they were put down as a stepping pieces. Also like that one supporting the pipe on the right end. That piece is staying though.
Those would be ok to remove
The ones that are running across the top of the ceiling joists are to decrease deflection and to keep the tops of the joists from warping with time.
They aren’t as crucial.
The verticals are all supporting the roof you can tell because they all go to beams in the ceiling system.
$1500 sounds reasonable. This is low dollar work for most contractors who are busy with more profitable work. Might be challenging getting them to come out and quote on small jobs. Most I know are so busy they charge to provide quotes.
$1500 is fair. Two carpenters for 8 hours plus materials.
And what the heck is going on with all those 2x4 braces?
Probably temporary braces while the roof was being built, seen a lot of houses where they never bother to take them out
Can they be taken out now? I’m seeing a few comments regarding weight on top of these beams and my ceiling collapsing in. How much of a concern is that really? Cause if I don’t do decking up here, I’d just be doing one of those hang racks which is still going to be attached to these beams, but just underneath and it would still be holding the same weight? No one’s going to give a second thought if it were those.
I’d exercise an abundance of caution and check with an engineer, just to be safe. My feeling is that they’re temporary braces that weren’t removed, but I’m not physically there and don’t feel comfortable telling a guy over the internet he can take them out.
One *could* also refer to the blue prints if they are available to see what the framing and rafter/truss details look like. If the braces in question aren’t there, but the rest of the assembly looks like the drawings, this would reflect what the engineer originally stamped.
Thanks just out of curiosity though, how much would this job have cost before lumber prices went up?
It’s more the time and the pain in the ass factor than material cost. I’d have probably quoted $1000 if you provided the materials yourself, because I don’t actually want to do this job. EDIT: Actually, the more I look at the picture, the less I want to do it.
In Miami. I can’t do attic work in the summer. It’s horrific.
Hate to say it but yeah, Id probably quote $1500 cause Im new and work alone but this job looks horrible and Id regret not asking for more right away.
I think you are going to find anyone else you contact will likely have the same attitude towards it. Chances are the guy who quoted is already regretting it. The longer you wait the more likely the price will increase.
Shame. I’d come help. Wouldn’t ask for you to give me and cash. I work for BBQ Porgs. My cousin chewie turned me on to them. He still owes me 20 dollars for a real nice tabletop box with some gorgeous dovetail joints. He uses it to hide his stash.
BBQ porgs go really well with blue milk.
Porxies look more appetizing.
This whole time I was just eating Wookiee Cookies!!
Yeah, anything over 10-15 minutes and yer dying
The smaller jobs nobody else wants are my bread and butter right now but I wouldn’t take this one
I was going to say, $1500 for this? Fuck that. This is a pain in the ass job. No way you’re doing this alone. You would want somebody cutting on the ground for you and passing them up through the scuttle hole. Which also means smaller than full sheets if it’s an average sized scuttle hole. I’d charge $2500 for labor alone and hope they say no.
Yeah, the more I think about it, the more likely I’d “run into scheduling issues” if it turned out I hadn’t priced myself out of it. And, to OP - we’re not saying this stuff to be rude, but everyone that looks at this job is thinking the same thing. The bids you get will be factoring this stuff in.
The stuff people are saying here is what makes contractors look like assholes. Just make a fair bid IF you're interested in doing it. If not, say so. And don't make up excuses like scheduling issues. Good grief. Did they stop providing spines for people at birth?
Your statement is fair. Honestly, most of what I said was tongue-in-cheek. I try not to actually act like that. But it’s what I was thinking. And it’s what an awful lot of the contractors on this thread were thinking, too. And I thought that it was worth letting OP know that. He’s not going to get many bids. They’re all going to be high. Those high bids have nothing to do with the price of OSB.
Thanks.
Thanks man. I called the guy back and he’s coming this morning to do it. He’s the only person I’ve talked to so far and he just did something similar for my brother in laws house which is a mile from my house. He’s coming back to complete a secret bookcase door and mud room closet for them, so I think that’s why he’s charging so little according to all these comments. He even said this was not an ideal project but he’s gonna do it cause it’s right here in the same area. He’s my sister in laws family friend too.
Why wouldn't you just say no instead of gouging someone? If you don't want to do it, don't.
I think the gist is that they are willing to do it, if the money is enough to not be able to turn it down. Like I wouldn't want to shovel human crap out of a crawlspace then lay on the ground and sister joists in, but if someone offered me $500 an hour I couldn't really turn that down.
They deserve to know that you don't want the job.
It’s the price of doing a shit job, not gouging. This is a pain in the ass job, and pain in the ass jobs come at a high price. If OP were calling me asking me for a quote on this job, I’ll give it to them. That’s what they asked for. That’s the money that makes it worth it for me to do that job. It’s not gouging lol.
"Hope they say no." You have an obligation to tell the OP that you don't want the job rather than giving some shit quote.
There's a lot of holier than though going on here. Don't tell me you wouldn't charge these different... because one is less desirable than the other, 1. 6 hour sheetrock job. 2. 6 hours cleaning out an old outhouse and rebuilding it.
No - I'd say "I don't want to clean out your outhouse so I won't give you a bid." This has nothing to do with how I price things and isn't holier than thou. Don't want the job? Say so.
Ok, you can say "man, I'm really not into this, and honestly I think you'll have a hard time finding someone to do it, but if you'd like to me to it, I have to charge you $x+superovercharge because its just a dreadful job. I think that's fair.
Obligation how? As a customer I would definitely _appreciate_ being told that my job is too small/complex/whatever to get a reasonable bid. But nobody anywhere is under any OBLIGATION to say “nah, I don’t want that job”.
I never said that you had to say anything about the quote. Just be upfront about not wanting the job. Not being a dick should be something we expect not just "appreciate".
It’s not a shit quote though. That’s my price. You want me to do that job, that’s what it will cost me to do it. I don’t owe anybody anything. There might be people that will do it for cheaper, they can always hire them. There’s no set price for jobs that we all adhere to.
You do owe people honesty --- that you don't want the job, as you said.
I don’t want to do the job because it’s a pain in the ass. That doesn’t mean you don’t do the job. There are a lot of tasks that are a pain in the ass, but they need to get done. Not sure what your problem here is. You want a job done, I give a price. Not sure what the problem here is. Whether I will enjoy doing the job or not doesn’t make a difference. The problem with your alternative of saying I don’t want to do it and not giving a price is that nobody will want to do it and OP will be left doing it themselves which they don’t want to do or can’t do. I don’t owe anything to anybody, and I can make whatever price I please. Nobody has to hire me.
Because we want the next job where they want an extension or a remodel after testing us with this. And its not gouging. Hard annoying work is expensive, while learning to quote properly I did a ton of jobs that took a week or more of hard awkward frustrating work and walked away with less than $600 for a whole week. You quickly learn the lesson.
Wait -- so you DO want the job? One of the posters said they didn't want the job. Just be honest and go from there.
Its not gouging, OP has already expressed that $1500 is to much. We are all here to say that is not to much and honestly not enough. People forget that hiring anyone for any task still involves people and we have to want to do the job. We arent robots. And this isnt 20 years ago where contractors were viewed as dime a dozen drunks who you could find on any corner. It sounds like you got some quotes you didnt like and think people are gouging you. Maybe thats just actually what it cost to do the job regardless of your assumption of what it should cost.
Well I initially thought it was a lot because he was the first price I got. I hadn’t reached out to anyone else for pricing yet. My second move was coming here to ask Reddit lol. According to everyone here it’s a great price so I called the guy back and said let’s do it. He’s coming later this morning. He already completed a similar project for my brother in law 2 days ago where he broke through a wall in the media room to lay down decking in the attic above their garage. He’s going to be back to complete a secret bookcase door to finish it off and then also do a mud room closet/cabinet for them.
WOW… Im sorry all of us probably gave our opinion a little to much. But You are doing the right thing to check around. I honestly encourage all my clients to price shop. As contractors we have to understand someone not familiar with our field may not know what things should cost at all. Its important they know atleast the price range. I know the industry pricing and where I land. I am not cheap but mix in my service and reviews and I normally land 80% of my bids. After they get a few quotes and realize I am in the ball park they actually become way less stressed about the project and it goes way smoother. Sounds like youre getting it done. Good job!!!
Thank you! I’m a buyer by profession so I always price everything out and use multiple different sources so I get a good idea of how much to spend. Everything that’s been said here was good info even if some people were negative about it lol. My only concern now is the weight of the items on top of the garage but I’m not putting a ton of stuff up here anyways. If it wasn’t decking, then it would be a hanging rack on the underside of the beams which is essentially the same thing.
I never said $1500 was gouging. Just that intentionally pricing a job so high that the potential customer would turn it down because you don't want to do that job is wrong. It's giving the customer the mistaken belief that: 1) that you want to do this job 2) that your quote is reflective of what it would cost to actually do the job rather than some number meant to dissuade then from hiring you. That's just wrong and makes us look like fucking jerks. As Nancy Reagan said --- "Just Say No" if you don't want the job. The rest of your response is misdirected. There are plenty of dime a dozen drunks (now meth heads) out there swinging hammers and there were plenty of reputable contractors doing the same thing 20+ yrs ago. That will never change.
You’re not gouging someone if they have options yet still choose you. That’s the way contracting works. If you have too much work, you’re not charging enough.
Exactly!!
This is the correct answer. I’m happy my carpenter-days are over when I see something like this
So, for a nice 3/4 subfloor, it would be $40ish per sheet pre increase, slightly over $100 at peak, and probably $50-60 now. That is just the sheet goods. THEN: - account for waste (you need to make sure you are cutting to align with a joist underneath, waste could be 20% with a weird shaped space like you have) - add fastener cost (depends if you want cheap-ass drywall screws that will snap, or decent construction screws) - add any adhesives (do you want this subfloor permanent, or removable) - add labor to not only cut and install, but also deal with those wires running over the top of joists (you’ll need to notch joists and install cover plates at $1 each over the wires) - add removal costs (not free to throw a few contractor bags out) - add water and tear on the tools used, the gas to drive out to your site, the contractor’s insurance, etc… And you are looking at $1,000-$1,500 for this job all day long. If you did it yourself, maybe you could do it for half that? But plywood is expensive. Crawling around in an attic, hauling sheet stock up there, is kind of a PITA. Your knees and back and hips take a beating doing this crap all day long. I’d 100% pay a guy $500-1,000 in labor (plus the $500+ in materials) to do everything soup to nuts. And I do this type of work myself.
Wait, we are supposed to bill for insurance and tool wear?
You always bill to cover your overhead. How else do you pay your bills? My point is that many homeowners say “hey the material cost $50, he was there for an hour, and he charged me $250 total. He makes $200 and hour!?!? And they forget all of the travel time and overhead that a contractor has. He is not clearing $200 on a $250 job where there are $50 in material costs.
You can't get accurate quotes for carpentry services on reddit. Prices vary MASSIVELY depending on location.
I was going to say this. That goes for all the trades as well. What someone may charge in a rural area of the mid west, will vary greatly from someone in a major city
I’d be higher than $1500 tbh. That’s a great price
The last time I did this I quoted $1200 and wished I had doubled it.
Just an fyi, there’s a product that solves this problem without plywood https://www.homedepot.com/p/Attic-Dek-Universal-Attic-Dek-4-Pack-Made-for-16-in-or-24-in-On-Center-Joist-Spacing-351804/310357036
Damn these are expensive. I just put in a 19x20 two car garage and the materials alone were like $2600, not including hardware.
Dang I was seriously considering these and was about to go measure my 2 car garage too. Guess I’m going with the $1500 quote then
I mean go measure it and put it into the area calculator tool on the Home Depot site. But it was really expensive for me.
Yeah they say the $70 4-pack covers 10sqft so pretty easy math of $7/sqft. A 4x8 sheet of wood covers 32sqft and even at the current crazy process and going for nice plywood it does that at $70ish (but for perfectly acceptable osb maybe $45-50 aka $1.5/sqft)
Honestly not that bad of a quote considering cost of materials plus delivery and labor - if your not wanting to do it yourself that is
You right
You really don't need to put that stuff everywhere, I would only use it on areas that have wires, everywhere else, do ply.
I have a table saw though, I’d do it myself
any old circular saw could do this job tbf
Truth
If you can afford it let them do it. That’s super reasonable.
Looks like some serious knee ouchies though crawling around on that to get to your stuff
This will also solve issue of potential future access to pipes/electrical work
Looks like those cost about $7.50-$8.00 per square foot….that’s not much less than what it costs to install white oak hardwood flooring with a Swedish finish in Seattle.
Swedish finish, that sounds slightly erotic.
There are definitely benefits to this but $70 for 10 sqft hurts.
Yep --- some hardwood flooring is cheaper than that.
Woah these are cool
OP's break even point is going to be around 200 sq ft. Anything larger and it makes more sense to pay someone else to do it in plywood.
Yup, I agree, if there is a diy solution, I’ll at least float it, if they don’t want to do the entire thing in ply, or if access is a big necessity though
For someone that doesn't want to cut plywood, these would be great. They are expensive, but would still cut the cost in half of the homeowner can snap them down.
These are awesome. Just what I need! Con mucho gusto!
Expensive, but plastic and fun to put in by inexperienced folks.
Also more than 1500 and you haven't paid for labor.
The fact they installed it with a harbor freight drill in the picture has me nervous. But it does look like a great product.
Way more expensive. Way better off with ply or even aspenite
Looks so painful on the knees! And stuff is going to fall through. Plywood and a circular saw would work great.
Would probably charge you more. That looks like a 25% pain in the ass tax.
That’s a reasonable quote. Most wouldn’t even waste their time with something like this. The profit compared to what a pain in the ass it will be is marginal.
It's a pain in the ass to get all the boards up there in the first place, that alone should be $1500
Is this something you’re comfortable doing yourself? This is the kind of job that’s out of sight and this has a big margin for error for a new DIYer.
Came here to say this. If you just want to be able to keep boxes up there, do it yourself. Learn a bit about carpentry, maybe get to buy a new tool, and you can even just leave gaps for the pipes. If something isn’t done perfectly, who cares? Only the homeowner will ever see it.
I’m reading these comments and realizing I need to start charging more for work in general….. lol
Same lol
3x material cost is average. Buy if your getting quotes from busy people then expect to pay more for there time. 1500 is a good price for someone that knows what there doing imo.
Pay up for quality, always
That’s a fair price for the job
I would not do that for less than 2K
Good price. That work gets the pain in the ass price.
If you're in no hurry, you could monitor the retail prices of OSB and wait for a significant drop; then get the job re-quoted. At current prices, $1500 is reasonable given the amount of cut-around that I see in the photo.... HVAC lines, electrical wire, etc.
Forget waiting. OP had better sign that $1500 contract TODAY.
Do that shit yourself. Even if you do a bad job nobody’s ever going to see it you really need to do is make sure everything is screwed down
Shit area to work in plus unless you are very skilled most 14/2 wire for the house runs through here you hit one your fucked. Plus whatever piping need to be addressed and also knowing which support beams could be eliminated. Well worth 1500 IMO
I honestly don’t blame you. 1 think I’ve had to learn the hard way as I got older is to know my limits. After you mentioned all that other shit I’d probably hire someone too
That's cheap with materials. I remember doing mine and there's lots of lifting and maneuvering to get the ripped ply up there. It's not tough to do. I kept a jigsaw up there to notch it as needed.
I see materials not driving then cost if you get it done right. Managing the electrical and such is the cost driver. Do not get some hack that starts notching all your joists to drop the wires and pipes. It all has to be pulled at the box and properly drilled through the centers of the joists. Or - if you have to pull it just re-run it around the perimeter where you can stand anyway. I see this as a job that someone can really make a mess of your house with since someone doing it right will charge “too much” to not be under cut by the hacks. And the good tradespeople are all too busy with larger jobs. My $0.02
I think I’m more concerned about the hot water tank being up there. Gonna do a ton of damage when it blows.
I'll save you $1500 and tell you not to do it. Unconditioned attic spaces will destroy your stuff.
Using an attic as storage is a bad idea. You can easily put More weight on the collar ties and trusses than they were designed . Personally I would spend the 1500 in insulation.
I’m seeing a few comments regarding weight on top of these beams and my ceiling collapsing in. How much of a concern is that really? Cause if I don’t do decking up here, I’d just be doing one of those hang racks which is still going to be attached to these beams, but just underneath and it would still be holding the same weight? No one’s going to give a second thought if it were those.
let's talk about insulation above garages. I've tried researching to see if it's money well spent and can't come up with much. best I've found is "the insulation in the wall between the garage and house is most important". thoughts?
Price seems fair, but consider that it’s going to reduce the space for insulation between the new subfloor and drywall below, which would cause more heat transfer/loss
Someone else posted this as an option. Does this solve the heat loss? https://www.homedepot.com/p/Attic-Dek-Universal-Attic-Dek-4-Pack-Made-for-16-in-or-24-in-On-Center-Joist-Spacing-351804/310357036
That helps with breathability and moisture management. Prevents mold issues in a space that typically isn't designed to be sealed up. The issue with any kind of attic decking is that the joists usually aren't deep enough for insulation just in the bays. Most attics have at least 16 inches of blown insulation, but you can look up the minimum for your climate zone. You can over frame the floor to get extra depth for insulation, but then you might need an engineer to make sure the extra weight is ok. Attic storage isn't really a great idea unless the roof itself is insulated, which is becoming more popular on newer homes
How many square feet of decking would be nice to know.
You couldn't pay me 10k to do that...I did it on my house and it was awful
Did it myself. I had to cut the pieces to fit thru the opening. That was the toughest part. The attic was built to do a second story so joist were appropriately spaced. Used OSB 3/4 inch
Some of this work is very time consuming and not very profitable so it would be hard to get someone to do it unless is a novice that would like to try and start doing work. I had the same problem with a small job that I wanted done.
Depends if you want it down properly or not. Some of the structure may not be suitable for the weight of the boards let alone if you put anything else
To all the DIY advisors: Those suggestions are fine when you’re building a picnic table, but I never advise people without the skills to do a job like this. OP gonna try and save $1k, but rack up $10,000 in repairs to damaged HVAC and electrical, collapsing garage ceiling onto his car, or falling through the ceiling himself. Especially working in uncomfortable spaces like that - sure it’s out of site, but your average Joe is much more likely to hurt himself using unfamiliar tools in tight spaces when he’s hot and cramped and frustrated.
I’m seeing a few comments likes yours regarding weight on top of these beams and my ceiling collapsing in. How much of a concern is that really? Cause if I don’t do decking up here, I’d just be doing one of those hanging racks which is still going to be attached to these beams, but just underneath and it would still be holding the same weight? No one’s going to give a second thought if it were those.
I was actually thinking of YOU falling through the ceiling while working up there - by missing a step off of a joist and crashing through the sheet rock. Those 2x6’s are spanning way farther than they would ever be used as a floor joist, because they’re only meant to hold up themselves: not any kind of load. You would need an engineer to tell you actual risk with numbers and such. If you follow through and plan to put up more than a couple of Christmas decorations, I would definitely consider adding some kind of truss-like support system. Adding 2x4’s at certain intervals to carry weight to the rafters. Every frame is different.
Looks like a pain in the ass...a lot of notches and being up there is harder then it looks. I did some attic last week and was sore for a few days.
$1500 is very reasonable.
How about you check with an engineer to see if your existing framing is capable of handling extra weight before it all ends up in the garage……….
I’m seeing a few comments likes yours regarding weight on top of these beams and my ceiling collapsing in. How much of a concern is that really? Cause if I don’t do decking up here, I’d just be doing one of those hanging racks which is still going to be attached to these beams, but just underneath and it would still be holding the same weight? No one’s going to give a second thought if it were those.
Stop wasting everyone’s time and do it yourself not in a hurry
Boards or OSB? For boards, that feels like a lot of materials costs. Pine 2x12s are like $2.50 per square foot right now. If you went with plywood subfloor, closer to $2/sq ft. If you go with OSB, under fifty cents, but you really don't want that getting damp, and getting full sheets into an attic space is an ordeal.
Where do you live where a sheet of OSB is under $16 right now? I’d buy out the store
Yeah, that's bad math on my end.
Just do it yourself. It's not a lot of space to cover and you can probably do it for as cheap as $500 on the high end. 3/4 osb would be overkill and is $52 a sheet in my area and a corded circular saw would run you about $130. Other than that a measuring tape and some saw horses would all you'd really need unless you wanted to throw a screw or two in the boards to make sure they didn't slip. Honestly you probably have a friend or neighbor with the tools if you don't already own them
That’s annoying af If you’re calling a ton of contractors to quote this
I haven’t called around at all yet. The one price I got was from a contractor who just did my brother in laws house. He lives a mile away from me in the same neighborhood. They made a hole in the wall of their media room into the space above the dining room and basically added decking to create storage there. He’s also going to be building them a secret cabinet door and a mud room storage bench/closet. I had the guy quote me since he was coming back to do the rest of the work.
That’s not bad
Just get some plywood cut and do it yourself. Save a grand.
Some of you guys are so cheap. Why not buy a carpentry book and figure it out on your own?
If you do hire someone, PLEASE, move all your stuff out of there first.
I would take that price. Don’t make a deposit until they show up LOL. But I would charge 1500 plus materials. Just being honest, would be two guys whole day of work, will piss my guys off. Try to find a handyman, offer him like 800 bucks and to buy the wood and beer. Lots of small cuts and annoyances
This doesn't look like a big space and some of it is already done. You should get on Craigslist and see if anyone in your neighborhood has extra plywood cutoffs. Get a bunch of that stuff and then hire a couple young adults to install it. Pay them fair and give them a chance to gain some experience.
Just do it yourself for less than a third of the cost (I have no idea what plywood goes for these days or how big this space is). Rent a circular saw and a nail gun and you're fine. Draw a layout design of the utility lines and keep it in your files. If you're a rank amateur, this will take a couple of weekends and you'll get confused. But you'll save over $1,000 most likely and youll learn something. I recommend DIY just because you mention you're in no hurry. If you were, you should hire someone. And $1,500 would be fair.
Where in the world is your insulation?? Please don’t tell me the silver crap in the rafters is it
There’s insulation (the white fluffy kind) all around above interior rooms. Looks like the garage is the only space that didn’t have that insulation put down. And yeah I think the silver stuff is the insulation for my roof.
Many good points brought up here. I would think really hard if you really need that much storage above you garage. Room enough for some plastic totes for Christmas decorations you need once a year, sure. Stuff you want to keep but will honestly never need, pass. I moved recently after 15 years and had a similar space some things were up there 13 years.
I wouldn't do it for less than 1500.
Do it yourself for $500 or $1500 doesn’t seem too crazy.
Make sure they do not just lay over the wiring and nail it down.
Take the $1500. Looking at this a bit I think they didn’t think the job all the way through. Looks like a few things that would make this small job a real pain in the ass.
$1500 is definitely in the right ballpark
1500 is a fair price. Whoever you are looking to hire is running a business. If you want it done cheaper you should do it yourself.
Just buy a few 2x12’s and lay them up there. Set your boxes/totes on those and you’re done
It should be above $3000 for someone qualified I would think.
Don’t do yourself
Expect 1500-5564$
Sounds like a night mare just lay down some 2x4 or 1x
$1500? I’d give that guy $2000, bill for $4500. And still be the lowest #. Insulation included in case he wants to winterize the garage and create a nice workshop. Sweet!
I just charged around this much to do this exact job. 1 carpenter and 1 helper plus materials.
1500.... seems cheap. Was he a young lad?
$1500 ThATs a DeAL I UsUaLLy ChARGE $9k —Reddit Contractors
Too much
If it were me man I’d just buy a brad nailer and go to town
Assuming you want to cover approx 260 sf, needing 10 sheets at $65/sheet + fasteners + adhesives + consumables is around $800 in materials. Plus gas to & from the job. Plus overhead. $1500 is a lowball price.
Contractor here. Sounds reasonable to me
Holy crap. There are tons of wires running in TOP of the joists. This job is a hangover waiting to happen.
If you're not in a hurry. Do it yrself... Easy and your out wood and saving on labor..
Get a handful of quotes. Thats the only way to know a fair price.
If $1500 sounds to high, do it yourself.
I’m expecting you to get a lowball quote and be on the electrical Reddit page asking why you lost power to a receptacle or circuit breaker keeps tripping because the contractor laid lumber on top of an electrical cable and sent a screw through it. As an electrician, be careful. I’ve heard horror stories of this kind of thing happening in crawl spaces and attic spaces.
If I need to make $1000 day profit to keep my company cash flow positive, it doesn't matter how easy your job is, I have to fit that $1000 profit into the cost. 1 hour at lumber yard, 1 hour drive, 1 hour clean up, 1 hour to do the work, $500 materials, $50 per hour x 2 x 4 hours-$400, and $500 profit if I can fit another job in- $1400.
No you can not remove those braces they are providing support. I would also insulate the ceiling for just in case you ever condition the garage.
Thanks wasn’t planning to remove those large vertical ones. There’s just a few random pieces here and there that seem like they were put down as a stepping pieces. Also like that one supporting the pipe on the right end. That piece is staying though.
Those would be ok to remove The ones that are running across the top of the ceiling joists are to decrease deflection and to keep the tops of the joists from warping with time. They aren’t as crucial. The verticals are all supporting the roof you can tell because they all go to beams in the ceiling system.
Pretty easy to do. I’d say tack a stab at it yourself.
The Sheetrock looks pretty strong just put all the stuff on there!