Unified-Inch Quoting Practice?

14 years ago

I just had one contractor come out and supply a quote for Simonton windows and he let me know that his approach for quoting was to compute "unified inches" (sum of all heights and widths) and multiply by a "dollar per inch" factor to come up with the quote.

I was a little surprised that it didn't matter if I wanted double hung or sliders or..., though I can see that the basis is directly related to inches of frame that need to be prepped and sealed.

Is this a usual practice in the industry?

Should this be raising red flags for me?

Comments (6)

from_a_buick_8
14 years ago
I am pretty sure both the vinyl companies we received a quote from used a method like that.
skydawggy
14 years ago
Most windows are priced that way. In Simontons case they have a range. AS an example, all double hungs up to 70 UI are the same price. So a window 18x28 will cost the same as a window 28x32. The next range is 71 UI to 81 UI etc. The only time the rule changes is when you get to over 101 UI. at that point, the internal structure of the window changes to accommodate the additional weight so the price per UI goes up too. In addition, most dealers add on an extra labor charge over 101 UI. Not much, bit usually an additional 10%-20%.

Slider, picture, casements, and awnings all have a different cost per UI than double hungs. Grids are usually a flat rate and don't change as the size increases.
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afsa
14 years ago
it is actually United Inch, and it includes one side and either the top or the bottom.Pretty much every replacement vinyl company I have scene does it this way.
awsdan
14 years ago
How common is it to establish a complete quote from United Inch pricing? Clearly windows are priced by U.I. but I am not certain many installers rely on that for their quote. A lot more usually goes into a window installation project.

Example: slider window 60 U.I. vs. 120 U.I.

Are you really going to bid using list price for both when they show up on the same job? I am not familiar with this approach. Seems like something might be missing. I imagine the contractor has developed his own numbers and does not use the manufacturers pricing tables as his guide.

Any thoughts on this?
skydawggy
14 years ago
Some do establish a complete quote using UI only. It just depends on the installer. Some companies use a UI factor that includes labor, materials and grids. Others prefer to calculate the window using UI and then charge seperately for labor under 101 UI or over 101 UI and then add in a fixed cost for options like grids. Sometimes it can vary depending on whether they have their own employees doing the installation or whether they are using sub-contractors. It also depends on what method the factory uses to establish the wholesale price.
awsdan
14 years ago
I do a fair amount of selling and installing. My jobs are so varied that to use formula pricing by size alone, I would be way too high on some jobs and lose my shirt on the more complicated ones. Maybe some folks only accept the cookie cutter easy stuff and can make a simple approach work. I rarely take the easiest and quickest path to completing a window job, prefer to do what is necessary and price my labor according to doing things correctly. Thanks for your thoughts Sky, always helpful.