Summer can be a beautiful thing. Long days, big jobs, checks coming in… life should be good.
But here’s the dirty little secret:
☀️ Summer jobs can also wreck your profits if you’re not on top of your costs.
Between brutal heat, crew fatigue, schedule delays, and price hikes on materials, it’s way too easy to think you’re making money — when you’re actually bleeding cash.
Let’s fix that.
Here’s how to keep your profits from melting in the summer heat.
1. The Heat is Real. And It Costs You.
When it’s 95 degrees and humid, everything slows down. Crews take longer breaks (and they should), productivity dips, and equipment doesn’t always behave.
But if your bid was based on a perfect spring day? You’re already behind.
👉 Tip: Factor in heat-related slowdowns when you’re bidding summer jobs. Pad the schedule. Pad the labor. It’s not weakness — it’s smart planning.
2. Track Labor DAILY, Not After the Job Ends
Summer jobs tend to stretch longer. Maybe it rains. Maybe you can’t pour until evening. Maybe your best guy just called in sick because his A/C went out at home.
If you’re not tracking daily labor costs, you’ll miss the warning signs until it’s too late.
👉 Tip: Use a tool (like ProfitDig 👋) to log labor hours and cost codes every day. Real-time info = real-time decisions.
3. Watch for Supply Swings
Lumber, concrete, asphalt — prices move fast, and in summer, demand is nuts.
A price you pulled from two months ago might already be outdated. That’s how you lose thousands without even realizing it.
👉 Tip: Before finalizing a bid, verify current prices. Build in a little buffer when you can. And keep an eye on supplier emails — they often warn about upcoming changes.
4. Change Orders Are Your Friend (If You Actually Track Them)
Summer is full of surprises:
- “Can you add a patio?”
- “We decided to extend the driveway.”
- “Oops, we forgot about that retaining wall.”
These changes are fine — as long as you document and price them.
👉 Tip: Don’t be afraid to stop and issue a change order. That five-minute conversation protects your margin. ProfitDig lets you add those items fast and clean, so you never forget.
5. Hydration and Profit Go Hand-in-Hand
Sounds silly, but hear us out.
A dehydrated crew is a slow crew. Accidents happen. Work slows down. Guys leave early. That all hits your labor costs hard.
👉 Tip: A couple cases of Gatorade might save you thousands. Take care of the crew = better performance = tighter job costs.
6. Evaluate Every Job Weekly
Don’t wait till the end of the job to realize it was a money pit. That’s what rookies do.
Instead, set up a 15-minute check-in every week:
- Are we on track with labor?
- Are we under or over on materials?
- Are we hitting the timeline?
👉 Tip: With ProfitDig, you can see this data at a glance. No spreadsheets. No guesswork.
7. Use the Heat to Your Advantage
Here’s the thing — most small contractors are winging it. They’re guessing at costs. Guessing at profits. Just hoping they come out ahead.
If you take the time to run smart, tight numbers this summer, you’ll crush the competition.
While they’re sweating their margins, you’ll be stacking wins.
The summer sun is a double-edged sword. It brings work. It brings money. But if you’re not careful, it also brings blown budgets and busted margins.
Run smart. Track everything. Bid with real numbers — not gut feelings.
Let ProfitDig help you keep your profits cool this summer.
💥 Ready to start tracking job costs like a pro?
👉 Sign up for ProfitDig today and get 50% off your first 3 months with code V3LAUNCH