Estimating, Etc., the "Difficulty Factor"

Some time back, looking in on the Painter’s Chat Room (I’m beginning to think that Web site is a great source of potential topics for this column), there was a question regarding factors or multiples, what they are and how they are used. It appeared that there was a bit of confusion about this, so once again, I thought this might be a good topic for discussion.

I suspect that there are many applications of factors or multiples, but, essentially, we can say there are two basic types of usage.

The first is what we refer to as a “difficulty factor.” This concept goes back to the 1930s and was evidently espoused and popularized by one John Ehrhardt. The premise established by Ehrhardt was that the easiest or most productive work process was painting flat surfaces (remember, at that time, the primary method of application was by a paintbrush), such as wall areas. Any surface or unit of work was graded by a difficulty factor relative to the flat wall surface and a multiple or factor was assigned to that item. For example, let’s say that one linear foot of base, which equates to one square foot for estimating purposes, is considered to be three times more difficult to paint than the wall area. Therefore, instead of having 100 square feet of base, you would have 300 square feet. Theoretically, you could have a pricing sheet consisting of one line item and one price.

I’m not sure how popular this concept was, but for some reason it seemed to be popular in Chicago. I can remember, as a young guy attending various workshops or meetings up there, hearing quite a bit about this. I’m sorry, but that concept didn’t make much sense to me then, and it makes even less now.

Another method of using a factor or multiplier is to develop a number or figure that might be used in lessening the time to do a take-off. I’m not a big believer in shortcuts, in general, but over the years I have developed several factors that I use from time to time. A case in point: In a recent article we discussed “developed areas” and used an exposed steel structure as an example. If you have some experience in taking off steel structures, you can over a period of time develop factors to deal with the various types of steel framing systems.

In the example I gave for a developed area, the total figure was 66,500 square feet. If you divide that by the flat roof structure or floor space, 16,000 square feet, you would have a figure of 4.16, which can be used as a factor on similar structures.

I’ve developed and used this type of factor or multiplier for other items that are somewhat time-consuming to take off, such as stairs and cabinets. A major warning, don’t try to use factors or multipliers as a shortcut to making take-offs. This technique should only be used when you are sufficiently experienced and feel comfortable with your numbers.

My thought in using factors, and as I said, I use them only in a very limited way, is not to be concerned with difficulty as a factor. I let my production rates deal with that, but use factors to arrive at numbers that accurately reflect the quantity of whatever work process it is that I have to price. That is why the terms “quantity take-off” or “quantity survey are used.”

If you have a specific question or problem area you would like to see discussed, contact Len Hijuelos at P.O. Box 2585, Gretna, LA 70054 or e-mail.