Labor hour cost

[Predgw]

A painting crew consist of the follwoing

1 super @ $29/hr

3 painters @ $21/hr

1laborer @ $16/hr

Crew productivity is 200ft^2 /LH

The labor cost for painting a total surface area of 5,000ft^2 is

A. $540

B. $1080

C. $1880

D. $2700

I know how to calculate labor hour cost, so I come up with $21.60/LH

However, I guess I'm a little hung up on the terms used. The answer ask for the labor cost to paint the surface. The correct answer is given as A. 5000/200 * 21.6

I thought 21.60 represented the labor hour cost, and to find the total cost to complete the project you needed to use the crew cost.

Say the wall is 500' long by 10' high. The labor cost to paint this is $540???

Thanks

 

[Dexman PE PMP]

$2700.

You did the initial calculation correctly. You don't really need to find the LH rate, but it makes the math cleaner. The average hourly rate of the crew is $21.60, times the area, divided by the productivity rate = $540, but then you have to mulitiply by the amount of guys working.

 

[Predgw]

I talked to the super on my project. He said the key is that the productivity is given as 200ft^2/lh so with 5 crew members, the job is complete in 5 hours. So, 5 hours x 5@ $21.60 is $540.00 Ans A.

Correct?

 

[Dexman PE PMP]

Makes sense.

 

[Predgw]

Most of the examples that are supposed to be equal to what I will see in the am, this should not be a question. I'm doing the transportation in the PM. I just wanted to figure it out before hand. I'm at that stage in the game right now where any lingering " gray " areas I want worked out.

Thanks

 

[Dexman PE PMP]

Good call. This is the type of question that may showup in the AM because it's a basic enough construction thing, but because of the non-typical labor hour twist it may be more of a PM question. Either way, it's a good one to know.

 

[ptatohed]

I would have answered $2,700. So, I must not know the meaning of "Labor Cost". By reading this thread, it sounds like Labor Cost means something like 'the average cost per crew member for a given job'. $2,700 would be the total project cost and $540 would be the "Labor Cost"? Labor Cost x # of crew members = $540/member x 5 members = $2,700 total job cost? Am I close?

I thought Labor Cost meant labor cost, as in, vs. material cost.

 

[desantmf]

I think the problem is wrong(or just worded poorly). The answer should be $2700. The question states that the whole crew is needed for that production rate. So the crew cost is $108/CLH and you need 25 hours to complete the job(5000sf/200(sf/LH)). So it really is that simple and the Labor cost is equal to $2700. Of course with no overhead or profit added in.

When you are working crew production hours do not average the LH, unless the problem specifically states for you to do something like that.

 

[bclines1]

Seems like it depends on how the productivity rate is defined.

I would have said the answer is $2,700 for the reasons given by posters above.

But then I saw a similar problem here that comes to the alternate conclusion: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PW5PFR9EfE&list=PLpA54wtDMrA25iU_UqzaMf2rjYr-BcmjV&index=6&t=4s

A bit frustrating as this should be an "easy" problem, but seems to come down to unclear definitions?

 

[youngmotivatedengineer]

Does anybody have this question and explanation on a NCEES practice exam? I've come across a few variations of this problem and they each seem to switch back and forth in the way to solve it? What are the key points that we need to identify to know when to do total costs vs average labor cost. This seems like too easy of a problem to lose points on due to confusion of which method is used.

 

[ptatohed]

I forgot about this problem. 

Does anybody have this question and explanation on a NCEES practice exam? I've come across a few variations of this problem and they each seem to switch back and forth in the way to solve it? What are the key points that we need to identify to know when to do total costs vs average labor cost. This seems like too easy of a problem to lose points on due to confusion of which method is used.

Did bclines1's video help?

 

[youngmotivatedengineer]

His video follows the steps to come up with the $540 solution to the above example. The video doesn't go into detail about why he divided the total rates by the number of crew members. One of my reference books seems to follow along with the approach above to get the $2,700 out come which seems to make logical sense. When you think about it logically, this is 5 guys each working 25 hours for a combined total of 125 hours with a labor cost of $540. 

 

[ptatohed]

His video follows the steps to come up with the $540 solution to the above example. The video doesn't go into detail about why he divided the total rates by the number of crew members. One of my reference books seems to follow along with the approach above to get the $2,700 out come which seems to make logical sense. When you think about it logically, this is 5 guys each working 25 hours for a combined total of 125 hours with a labor cost of $540. 

I am probably wrong but when I think about it logically, I feel $540 is too little.  I still get (5000/200)(1x29 + 3x21 + 1x16) = $2700.  I 

 

[youngmotivatedengineer]

I am probably wrong but when I think about it logically, I feel $540 is too little.  I still get (5000/200)(1x29 + 3x21 + 1x16) = $2700.  I 

That's what I think also.  But if you look at the problem in the video,  there is no option for the full price,  you have to use the average rate. I understand the reason for labor hours ( to evaluate pricing on a standard scale that doesn't take into account all the fringe benefitsand higher expense 1 employee can make. However it doesn't make sense that the labor cost only accounts for 1 employee ( that is paid the average salary of all crew members). 

 

[bryaanash]

Simple problem:

Find number of LH by diving the surface area by the crew productivity

5000ft^2/200ft^2/LH=25LH

Find total labor cost per hour:

1x$29/hr +3x$21/hr +1x$16/hr = $108/hr

Total cost for the painting:

$108/hr x 25 hr= $2,700.00

You guys get it already 

 

[Badger]

Hi,

This is becoming interesting problem. I noticed when I studied these take off problems it was always easy make a mistake.

I not sure, since I have not seen the original problem, but I think when it says the crew's productivity "Crew productivity is 200ft^2 /LH", it means that the five man crew will paint 200 square feet per labor hour. Which means the crew working together will paint 1000 ft^2 per crew hour. Hence 5 crew hours at $108/hr = $540, or 25 LH (man hour) at $21.60/hr = $540.

So I vote for the answer $540.

I think the problem was poorly worded, but another way to think about it is how long does it take to paint an 8' by 25' wall? With 3 people painting, a help and supervisor setting thing up, in 8 hours I think they can paint 8000 ft^2, at least if there was no chipping and it was only one coat, it can be done I think. I really don't miss my short time as a house and fence painter, and even less painting steel bridges, although that paid well, but I only lasted a month or so.

Just my two bits worth

 

[ptatohed]

Hi,

This is becoming interesting problem. I noticed when I studied these take off problems it was always easy make a mistake.

I not sure, since I have not seen the original problem, but I think when it says the crew's productivity "Crew productivity is 200ft^2 /LH", it means that the five man crew will paint 200 square feet per labor hour. Which means the crew working together will paint 1000 ft^2 per crew hour. Hence 5 crew hours at $108/hr = $540, or 25 LH (man hour) at $21.60/hr = $540.

So I vote for the answer $540.

I think the problem was poorly worded, but another way to think about it is how long does it take to paint an 8' by 25' wall? With 3 people painting, a help and supervisor setting thing up, in 8 hours I think they can paint 8000 ft^2, at least if there was no chipping and it was only one coat, it can be done I think. I really don't miss my short time as a house and fence painter, and even less painting steel bridges, although that paid well, but I only lasted a month or so.

Just my two bits worth

Well said Badger.  I need to digest your explanation a little longer but I think it is almost making sense to me.