Stone And Marble Restoration Break-Even: About $31K/Month

Fixed costs $23.2K/mo Launch overhead

Contribution margin 78% After variable cost

Break-even revenue $29.8K/mo Monthly target

Break-even timing Month 8 Model break-even

Break-even calculator

Test whether monthly revenue covers variable expenses and fixed costs for a stone and marble restoration business.

Lean Base Full

Monthly revenue Revenue is the cash in each month that pays variable and fixed costs. $ Lower sales Higher sales Variable expenses These rise with each job: materials, rentals, fuel, and permit costs. $ Lower costs Higher costs

Money available to cover fixed costs $48,918 $62,000 revenue - $13,082 variable expenses

Margin ratio

79%

Covers fixed costs

Yes

Fixed monthly costs These are monthly overhead costs the business pays even when jobs are slow. $ Light overhead Heavy overhead

Break-even chart Revenue Total costs

Which restoration expenses stay fixed, and which move with job volume?

Cost classification

Break-even lands in Month 8 only if fixed overhead, labor, and job-linked costs are sorted correctly. Treat direct materials at 12%, equipment rental at 3%, and fuel at 5% as volume-linked, or the model will overstate margin.

Expense	Cost	Break-Even Treatment	Common Mistake
Office/Workshop Rent	Fixed	Carry as $3,500 per month before job margin covers overhead.	Spreading rent by job too early and hiding idle capacity.
Utilities	Semi-variable	Model the $450 monthly base, then watch usage as shop work rises.	Treating the full bill as fixed when polishing work increases consumption.
Business Insurance	Fixed	Include $600 per month in fixed overhead for break-even coverage.	Leaving it below the line because it is not tied to one job.
CRM & Scheduling Software	Fixed	Include $250 per month as operating overhead needed to book and dispatch work.	Ignoring small subscriptions that stack into real monthly burn.
Owner and technician salaries	Fixed	Treat salaried crew payroll as fixed in this model until staffing levels change.	Treating salaried crew time as free because cash already left payroll.
Direct Materials	Variable	Apply 12% of revenue in the first year for sealants, abrasives, and job supplies.	Pricing from labor hours only and missing material drag on margin.
Project equipment rental	Variable	Apply 3% of revenue in the first year when special equipment is needed for jobs.	Booking rental as overhead instead of charging it to job economics.
Fuel and vehicle maintenance	Semi-variable	Use 5% of revenue in the first year while tracking route density by service area.	Assuming every added job has the same drive time and vehicle wear.

How does break-even shift across lean, base, and full plans in stone and marble restoration?

Scenario table

Here’s the quick math: higher fixed overhead lifts the break-even bar from about $30.7k to $41.9k a month, while the contribution margin improves from 78% to 80.5%. So the mix matters as much as the price.

Planning assumptions only; actual results will move with job mix, labor use, and price realization.

Scenario	Monthly Revenue	Variable Costs	Fixed Costs	CM Ratio	Operating Profit	Break-Even Signal
Lean launch mix	$30,673	$6,748	$23,925	78%	-$23,000	Closest to break-even; small dips hurt fast.
Base steady mix	$34,829	$7,279	$27,550	79.1%	$275,000	First clear cushion if the Year 2 mix holds.
Full crew-utilization mix	$41,936	$8,178	$33,758	80.5%	$564,000	Best cushion, but only if the crew stays busy.

What pushes stone and marble restoration below break-even?

Stress test

The plan breaks fast if booked revenue slips, travel gets longer, or overhead rises. Base break-even is about $30,673 a month, so a 10% revenue miss or a small margin squeeze turns into a real monthly gap.

Stress Case	Changed Assumption	Break-Even Revenue	Revenue Gap	Risk Signal
Current plan	No change.	$30,673	$0 gap	Close rate and route density need to hold.
Revenue shortfall	Revenue runs 10% below break-even.	$30,673	$2,400 gap	A small sales miss turns into a monthly loss.
Fixed-cost pressure	Fixed costs rise 10% to about $26,318 a month.	$33,741	$3,068 gap	Higher rent, payroll, or admin spend lifts the target.
Margin pressure	Variable expenses rise from 22% to 25% of revenue.	$31,900	$1,227 gap	More callbacks, fuel, or insurance eat the margin.
Combined pressure	Fixed costs rise 10% and variable expenses hit 25%.	$35,090	$4,417 gap	Price cuts plus overhead create the hardest break-even gap.

What should you verify before signing the workshop lease and buying the first vehicle?

Founder checklist

Before you lock in rent, vehicles, and hiring, make sure booked work, job pricing, crew capacity, and cash line up with the model. Break-even lands in Month 8, but cash bottoms in Month 9 at $761,000, so the ramp has to be real before you commit.

1Booked PipelineMonth 8

Verify you already have enough booked work to carry the $3,500 workshop rent and reach break-even on time.

2Job Margin78% CM

Check that a 12-hour restoration job at $95 per hour and a 4-hour repair job at $110 per hour still clear the 22% Year 1 variable load.

3Fixed Load$6.05K/mo

Make sure recurring work covers the full monthly fixed stack before you add more space or gear.

4Crew Capacity3.5 FTE

Confirm the Year 1 crew can cover restoration, repair, maintenance, and sealing without hiring ahead of utilization.

5Cash Cushion$761K

Hold enough cash to get through the Month 9 minimum cash point, because the equipment and vehicle spend hit before the ramp pays back.

6Launch Demand$12K / $200 CAC

At a $200 CAC, the Year 1 marketing budget only buys about 60 customers, so verify lead flow before you raise spend.