CONSTRUCTION COST

[ThePoetSuede]

NO REAL ANSWERS REQUIRED BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE A WORLD OF INFO, BUT HERE GOES. I AM TRYING TO EVALUATE THE CONSTRUCTION COST ON A NEW MAT. I WILL BE LEASING 1800SQ FT IN MANHATTAN.

MY CONTRACTOR TOOK A LOOK AT THE GUUTED SPACE AND FIGURES 20 WASHERS AND 20 DRYERS.
HE MENTIONED $90,000 WOULD BE AN AVERAGE COST FOR CONTRUCTION BUT BECAUSE OF THE DIFFICULTY IN ROUTING THE VENTS FROM THE DRYERS TO THE BACK OF THE BUILDING AND UP THE (6) STORIES AND THE FACT THAT THE BOILER ROOM IS (3) ROOMS AWAY FROM THE STORE (MORE ROUTING OF PIPES, ETC) THAT THE COST WOULD BE MORE LIKE $110,000.

SO ANY WHERE FROM $50 TO $61 A SQ FT, SOUND IN LINE?
STORE IS GUTTED BUT A BIT BEAT UP.
I HAVE NO INFO REGARDING WATER LINES OR ELECTRIC LINES. CONTRACTOR' COMMENT TO ME FOCUSED ON THE DIFFICULTY OF VENTING THE DRYERS AND SECURING A BOILER LINE.

FEED BACK APPRECIATED.

[JamesWash]

If you don't have all the details discussed with your contractors in advance, then expect to pay more than $110,000 at the end. Contractors are just like car salesmen, they are out there to make money from you.

[Harv]

Wow! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif Things are sure different in the real world (anything outside of California)!

I live in an area where the average home is around $500K. Not fancy houses with acres of land, mind you -- just ordinary houses. I don't know much about costs in New York, but if you can build a mat for anywhere close to $100K, I am soooo jealous. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif For the mat we're starting to build, the impact fees alone are just about $100K. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

Our distributor initially gave us an estimate of $160 per square foot, which was to include the washers, dryers, utility hardware, paints, etc. For the 2500 square feet that we've leased, that's already $400K. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif Then we add in the impact fees, signage, card system, video surveillance, vending machines, bill changer, arcade games, laundry carts, scale, furniture, TV, cleaning supplies, grand opening budget and so on, well... it would have been a lot cheaper to buy one of them houses. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Please keep us informed on your venture.

(BTW -- the water company just called a couple of weeks ago to tell us they were in error when they told us about the service to the strip mall we're moving into. "Not to worry", they said. "We can run you a new line from the street for only $18,000 more." /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif )

[Howard]

Is it because of the "low" cost structure in CA. that I have heard you guys have 50 cent washes and 15 minutes of dry time for 25 cents ???

[Harv]

<font color="blue">I have heard you guys have 50 cent washes and 15 minutes of dry time for 25 cents ??? </font color>

Huh? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif

The lowest washer vend we've seen is $1.50 for top loads. Dryers average 10 minutes for a quarter. Now, we did see two different stores that offered free dry for wash customers. Both vend their top-loads and 18# fronts for about 50 cents more than the other mats. The bigger machines were about the same. We've done a lot of head-scratching trying to figure out if they can really make money that way.

The downside of free drying, at least by our own observation, includes the fact that nobody in either store was checking to make sure customers weren't bringing in wet laundry and drying for free. We witnessed one customer slip in with a wet bedspread and use a free dryer.

Downside #2 is that people seem to have no compunction about the number of cycles they use. Free is free.

Downside #3 (that we saw) comes from kids who figure out that all they have to do is close the door and push the buttion to start the dryer. Two li'l tykes were trying to see if they could get them all running at once. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

Oops! I've sorta gotten off the construction cost thing, haven't I? Sorry 'bout that. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif

[petefritz]

It was guestimated around $100 SQ ft with machines a year or so ago. From personal experiance on a project now, look for double the cost, three times the delay!~ maybe $150++ per SQ ft is in order for a finished mat now?
As for Harv? one has to ask why? You could not buy a existing store and remodel for a 500k note less?? Numbers can be numbing at times, then you get the 50 cent wash as Howard say.

[Howard]

I realize most are not vending that low, but I have heard of some that do. Its crazzzzzy!

The only way free dry can work is if it is based on a card system where you get a credit for each wash that gives you a set number of dry cycles per load. Then you control the number of cycles and limit it to only people that wash.

[Harv]

<font color="blue">You could not buy a existing store and remodel for a 500k note less?? </font color>

During our 5-month search, we were unable to find a suitable store. I'll be posting details a little later.

You're certainly right that it would be much cheaper to refurbish an existing store that at least had the impact fees and utilities taken care of. The only store we found that fit the bill was a lost lease situation. It turns out the landlord of that strip mall was looking to upgrade to a "better class" of tenants. I explained that our plan was to build a high-tech, upscale self-service laundry. She insisted that a laundromat, no matter how fancy, would continue to attract the wrong kind of people to her mall. I don't think she and I would have worked out anyway. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[petefritz]

"high-tech, upscale self-service laundry." and your customer base would be?? let's face it, maybe you do not know, the average customer is not high tech or upscale. In fact it is quite the opposite. You may want to research more, you may have been misled on what a good mat location is.

[laundryman]

Did your contractor say what the $110,000 included? Is that the 100% finished price. For example did he include a cement platform for the machines, new 3 phase electric, plumbing, water main, sheetrock, etc? Also an 1800 sqft store should be able to accommodate more than 20 washers, 20 dryers ( mines 1300 sqft and I have 24 washers 12 stack dryers) I would personally let my distributor handle the entire construction process, that worked well in my case. If you need a number for a good distributor in NYC let me know.

[ThePoetSuede]

Yes I would like that number

[laundryman]

You want to give chris at professional laundry systems a call, 631 495 8802 - his personal line, or the main office at 1888 637 0600.