How Much Construction Staking Survey Owners Make: $115k–$897k

Track Billable Time, Not Just Headcount

Measure billable hours against paid hours by crew, day, and job type. Use a short dispatch checklist: confirm plans, confirm site access, and group jobs by geography before the truck rolls. If the crew drives first and asks questions later, utilization drops and the day turns into paid overhead instead of revenue.

• Track billable versus paid hours daily.
• Cut travel between nearby sites.
• Confirm plans before dispatch.
• Flag weather and access delays early.

Here’s the quick math: when one billable day disappears, the business loses revenue at the same time it keeps paying wages, insurance, and vehicle costs. Better routing and tighter pre-job checks usually mean steadier EBITDA and fewer low-margin days.

Track cash before you add gear

Measure overhead per billable hour, equipment uptime, and the cash left after fixed costs. Here’s the quick math: every month, the first $91k goes to overhead, so new equipment should wait until booked work can keep it earning.

Match purchases to crew utilization, not wishful demand. Keep a cash buffer for repairs, insurance jumps, and slower payments, and separate debt service from operating cash so the owner can still draw pay when one crew is down.

Price Scope Changes Separately

Track revenue by job type, hourly rate, change orders, and rush fees. Also track estimated versus billed hours and the share of multi-phase contractor and developer work. That shows whether the business is selling plain staking or higher-value layout work.

• Document assumptions before dispatch.
• Price rush changes separately.
• Favor multi-phase contractor work.
• Review margin by scope.

If scope creep turns into unpaid revisits, the crew still burns hours but revenue does not rise. Separate original layout from re-stakes, and get written approval for changes. That protects gross margin, keeps cash flow cleaner, and helps the owner pull a steadier draw.

Control Rework Before It Eats Profit

Measure scope at the job level: original layout hours, re-stake hours, approved changes, and who caused the revisit. Here’s the quick math: every unpaid revisit uses crew capacity that should be billed, so even one extra trip can cut margin fast.

• Get written scope before dispatch.
• Record site conditions on arrival.
• Price re-stakes separately.
• Track unpaid revisit causes.

Use that data to push back on vague plans and late revisions. When scope is clear, approvals are written, and re-stakes are separated from original layout, you protect gross margin and reduce liability exposure.

Track Repeat Revenue by Client Type

Measure CAC, repeat revenue, aging receivables, and win rate by client type. If CAC drops from $450 to $350 and billable hours per active customer move from 125 to 205, your pipeline is doing real work for profit, not just filling the calendar. Track this by contractor, developer, civil engineer, and builder so you know which group pays best.

Use follow-up rules and payment terms to protect cash. If one client starts driving too much revenue, reset the mix before collections slip. Also, don’t bid low just to win volume; weak pricing can raise sales while cutting take-home income. Strong follow-up keeps crews busy and makes owner pay easier to forecast.

Improve Crew Labor Efficiency

Standardize field packets, measure hours by job type, and cut rework before you hire the next crew. Track billable hours, overtime, and CAD fixes by crew and project, then compare them to the wage load. That tells you whether each new role is creating margin or just adding cost.

• Track billable versus paid hours.
• Flag overtime by crew and job.
• Review rework before new hires.