Carpet Productivity Slump and Unpriced Substrate Repair
Your company won a tenant-improvement package: 18,000 sf of carpet tile at $1.85/sf labor and 4,000 sf of LVT at $2.40/sf labor. The estimate assumed a three-person crew installing carpet tile at 400 sy per day and LVT at 250 sy per day, with a loaded crew cost of $6,660 per day. At the end of the second week, the crew has logged seven crew-days and installed 12,600 sf of carpet tile. The LVT has not started. The superintendent also reports 1,800 sf of slab that needs self-leveling underlayment, which was not in the estimate; the flooring spec shows a 1/8-inch allowable slab tolerance but no repair allowance. The project manager wants to add weekend overtime and 'push through' the carpet before the owner's furniture delivery in ten working days. The owner's representative says the slab 'looked fine at walkthrough.'
1. Calculate the labor variance on carpet tile to date and explain what it does and does not prove.
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Calculation. 18,000 sf / 9 = 2,000 sy. At the estimate of 400 sy/day, carpet should take 5 crew-days; at $6,660 per crew-day the labor budget is $33,300, or $1.85/sf. Actual: 12,600 sf / 9 = 1,400 sy over 7 crew-days = 200 sy/day, half the estimate. Actual labor to date = 7 x $6,660 = $46,620. Earned labor = 12,600 sf x $1.85 = $23,310. The overrun is $23,310. Remaining carpet is 600 sy; at the actual rate it needs 3 more crew-days, so carpet alone projects to 10 crew-days and about $66,600, double the estimate.
What it proves. It proves a productivity and cost problem; it does not prove the cause. Possible causes include slab repair, layout complexity, poor material staging, crew skill, access, or overtime. Separate the 1,800 sf underlayment, which is a scope/quantity issue, from the carpet productivity issue. Do not use the variance alone to blame the crew or promise recovery; measure the next two days after correcting staging and access.
2. What should the project manager do this week about the underlayment and the weekend overtime?
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Underlayment. Document the slab with straightedge readings, photos, locations, and the 1,800 sf quantity. Send an RFI and a written change order request pricing labor, material, and time; do not bury the repair in the carpet bid. If the superintendent gives a verbal direction, confirm it in writing the same day and proceed under reservation of rights only if instructed. Re-sequence so underlayment cures before LVT; keep carpet crews in unaffected areas.
Overtime. Weekend overtime is not automatically the right recovery. Calculate the premium and the realistic production gain; a tired crew producing 200 sy/day is unlikely to reach 400 sy/day. Use overtime only if the furniture date is a contract milestone or the owner accepts the cost. Update the labor forecast and tell the GC now, not at closeout. Track underlayment labor separately so the claim is defensible.
3. The owner refuses the underlayment change, arguing the bid included all substrate preparation. How do you evaluate and respond?
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Evaluate the contract basis. Read the bid form, exclusions, site-visit notes, and specification. If the flooring contractor was made responsible for substrate preparation, the cost may be yours. If not, the 1/8-inch tolerance does not create a free repair obligation; the substrate must still meet the flooring manufacturer's flatness requirement. The owner's statement that the slab 'looked fine' is not a waiver of a measurable defect.
Respond in writing. State that you are proceeding only under protest if directed to do so, record the repair daily, and reserve the right to seek a change order. Do not install flooring over a substrate that fails the manufacturer's requirement; that jeopardizes the warranty. If the owner refuses, request a written direction and issue a non-conformance letter. Keep the schedule moving in other areas so you do not create a separate delay claim against yourself.