Framing Contractor Floor By Floor Job Costing

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TL;DR: Framing job costing by floor reveals production variance that blended totals hide. The first floor of a wood frame building is the most labor-intensive - foundation sill plates, more openings per SF, tighter tolerances. Upper floors typically run faster. When floor 1 runs 20% over estimate blended job costing hides it in the overall average. SPM builds ControlQore cost codes by floor and framing phase at engagement start.

The Problem

Three Ways Framing Contractors Lose Margin

Blended Labor Cost Hides Floor-Level Variance

Total framing labor for the week divided by total SF installed gives a blended rate that looks acceptable. But floor 1 ran at $5.40 per SF and floors 2-4 ran at $4.10 per SF because floor 1 exterior walls had more openings, tighter tolerances at the foundation, and more interruptions per SF. The blended rate of $4.60 per SF does not trigger any action.

Lumber Escalation Not Tracked to Change Order

Lumber prices increased 14% between bid date and material purchase on a 5-month project. That variance is a $28,000 cost increase not in the original estimate. Most contracts have material escalation provisions that allow recovery when prices exceed a specified threshold. Most framing contractors absorb the variance silently because the purchase price was never compared to the bid price at time of purchase.

SOV Back-Loads First-Floor Structural Work

The first floor of a wood frame building represents 30-40% of total framing labor. A GC-drafted SOV assigns framing as a single line item billed at percentage of project completion. When the first floor is complete and the second floor is starting the SOV may show only 20-25% billed. You have funded 35-40% of your labor cost from operating cash.

The Fix

How SPM Builds the Job Costing System

ControlQore cost codes by floor and framing phase. Floor deck, exterior wall framing, interior wall framing, and roof framing each get their own cost code by floor. When floor 1 exterior walls are running at $5.40 per SF against a $4.20 per SF estimate in week two the cost code detail shows it. The cause - opening density, foundation conditions, or access constraints - is identifiable.

Lumber purchase price tracked against bid price at purchase. When lumber is purchased SPM compares the purchase price to the bid price for the same material category. When prices exceed the bid estimate by more than 5% a change order is evaluated for contracts with material escalation provisions. Most framing contractors never make this comparison at purchase.

SOV front-loaded for first-floor structural work. First-floor framing weighted at actual labor cost percentage in the SOV. If floor 1 represents 35% of total framing labor it should represent 35% of the framing SOV line. SPM reviews every framing SOV before signing and negotiates front-loading for the most labor-intensive floor.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

How should framing contractors set up job costing?

Job costing by floor and framing phase in ControlQore. Floor deck, exterior wall framing, interior wall framing, and roof framing each get their own cost code. Within each phase cost codes are split by floor. Foremen log actual crew hours by floor and phase daily. Weekly: actual labor cost per SF against estimated rate by floor.

What causes framing labor cost to vary by floor?

Three consistent causes: floor 1 has more openings per SF and tighter tolerances at the foundation than upper floors, MEP rough-in on lower floors creates more interruptions to framing production, and roof framing has different labor intensity than floor and wall framing and should be estimated and tracked separately.

How does lumber escalation affect framing job costing?

Lumber prices change between bid date and purchase date on projects longer than 60-90 days. A 14% lumber price increase on a $200,000 lumber package is a $28,000 cost increase not in the original estimate. Most contracts have material escalation provisions. Most framing contractors absorb the variance because they do not compare purchase price to bid price at the time of purchase.

What is a good labor cost per SF for framing?

Commercial wood frame framing runs $3.80-$5.50 per SF for labor including floor decking, exterior and interior wall framing, and roof framing. Floor 1 typically runs $4.50-$5.50 per SF. Upper floors typically run $3.80-$4.80 per SF. Roof framing runs $4.20-$6.00 per SF depending on complexity. The number that matters is your actual cost per SF against your estimated cost per SF on the same floor.

Floor-by-Floor Job Costing forFraming Contractors.