With a contractor what are you really paying for ?

[Matthew Paul]

I had a customer ask  " Why so much ? " when I quoted a job that was about 30 days  to complete .   So heres what I came up with .

Paying for materials , permits , and the time and expertise of 2 men .  But you are basically paying for ........  My tools , my house payment , my gasoline for the month , my electric bill , my health insurance , my truck payment , my insurance payment , my telephone bill , my food and the food for my family , my cable and internet service , my health insurance ,  basically 1/12th of my yearly expenses , the cost of the employee , federal and state taxes  PLUS a profit on top all that .  ( and this isnt all inclusive)  

Now the customer I told this to is a regular customer , he sat there for a minute and realized that the price has to cover quite a bit .  Basically supporting me , my family , and my employee for 30 days . 

[Jason D.]

I was expecting a different answer than that. Those things are where my money goes. What you are paying for, and why I hire a GC, is the expertise, management skills, network of subs, accountability if something goes wrong, and single point of contact for communication.