chandelier bid

[vbabilonia]

bid on a chandelier with a light lift hoist.
they wanted a dimmer and a medallion also
installed.this is a cathedral type ceiling and is about 15 feet high
i ask for $850
i was told that is to high
was is the average price for this job

[tx2step]

What were they providing and what were you to provide?

Were you providing the light lift in your bid? If so, what price did you include in your bid to purchase it?

[vbabilonia]

customer supply the lift and chandelier
this is just labor charge

[hardworkingstiff]

Originally posted by vbabilonia:
bid on a chandelier with a light lift hoist.
they wanted a dimmer and a medallion also
installed.this is a cathedral type ceiling and is about 15 feet high
i ask for $850
i was told that is to high
was is the average price for this job My response to the customer would be "Thank you for the opportunity to serve you, I hope this goes well for you. If you get into a jam, call me. I hope you will give me an opportunity on your next project, good luck."

[GG]

Originally posted by vbabilonia:
customer supply the lift and chandelier
this is just labor charge $850 sounds a little high just for labor. How much do you charge by the hour for your T&M jobs?

[hardworkingstiff]

GG,

I think it may be on the high end, but not high. Here is why.

Probably a fairly large chandelier. Will probably require some assembly. Unusual working conditions. Support requirement met? It may not take up the whole day, but it will eat up most of the day. It could possibly go into tomorrow.

Maybe he should have quoted an hourly price (plus a mobilization charge) and given a range of hours he thought it would take?

[hardworkingstiff]

vbabilonia,

Did you ask him what he thought it should be?

Anytime a customer says you are high, I ask a couple of questions.

1) Compare to what (if another quote, apples to apples, or are we talking about apples and fruit loops)?

2) How much do you think it should be and why?

[vbabilonia]

can anyone tell me how much they charge for installing a chandelier
note: lift motor requires a dedicated circuit
to the panel box. plus conection of the key switch

[hardworkingstiff]

Originally posted by vbabilonia:
can anyone tell me how much they charge for installing a chandelier
note: lift motor requires a dedicated circuit
to the panel box. plus conection of the key switch Well, 1st, who is "they"?

"They" probably charge anywhere from $500 - $5,000+

How big is the chandelier? Is assembly required? Lots of tear drops? How much is it worth in case it get damaged?

You are not giving enough info.

[vbabilonia]

chandelier is 72"high needs to be assembled
has a lot of glass pieces is worth $810

[hardworkingstiff]

What does it weigh? Is the support existing and adequate, or does it need to be modified/installed.

Like I said earlier, I think $850 is not unreasonable. If you really wanted the work, you should have bid lower, but it's not worth spending this much time on it.

Bidding is an art as well as a science. Size of job, work load, difficulty (access as well as work conditions), customer personality, your mood, etc. all come in to play after you figure how much material and time it takes.

Personally, I'm in business to make money. I won't get rich, but I'm not running a business to work for wages. $850 makes money on a small job that should probably go for $850. You had the number, somebody else probably had nothing to do and bid it to keep busy. (Now if you were not busy and needed the work... well... ).

[jimwalker]

"this is a cathedral type ceiling and is about 15 feet high"

About is the key word here.I see it as two 12 foot ladders if you have 6 foot men to install it.Now if that height is any more than that then troubles set in.Next one must allow assembly time.Perhaps assembly will be after its hung.Then as mentioned there is liability if they drop it.Not only its cost but what else might get damaged in the fall.I see this as 2 men half day even if it goes smooth,and things seldom go easy.
Considering everything that could happen your within the right price range.Tell them to get a handyman with no insurance ;) .Really would pass this job up unless you need the money badly.They can afford a $800 chandalier then why can't they afford to hang it ? :mad:

[stars13bars2]

Wouldn't it be easier to just use the hoist, than two 12' ladders? The hoist will go in the attic area, will it not? Run it down and hook chandelier up at floor level. I do not see $850 as being high, but I know whats involved in the job. Most of the time a homeowner will try to break your price down into your hourly rate, and compare it to what they make per hour. They don't realize that when it's time to pay the companies overhead that the boss doesn't come to them for the money to pay insurance, vehicle insurance and maintenance, business licence, workers comp, phone, water, electricity, etc. etc. etc..

[ July 24, 2005, 11:09 AM: Message edited by: stars13bars2 ]

[patrick]

Four years ago I did a lot of work for a lighting store,casblanca fans,light fixtures,aladin light lift or wilshire,medallions.I don't miss going into attics for couple hours at a clip,and now in the summer with this heat its like suicide.Is 850 a lot of money to install a light lift with a chandlier with crystals plus put those gaudy medallions in.I was getting that back then when gas was $1.00 a gallon.Those crystal chandlier are time consuming "Shoenbak or whatever the correct spelling is, are a pain and don't drop any.I remember a hand painted medallion by an artist,I'm glad I didn't drop it.Most of the people had a few bucks and just wanted it installed as soon as possible,whoever could do it first, did the job.It didn't really matter to them that I was 200.00 more,as long as I could do it that week.I had a reputation of neat installs and did a lot of them and walked away from jobs to.I like to make money on jobs ans there is always some dirtbag willing to whore themselves out for nothing.I don't think 850 is to much but if your are in Greenbo,Alabama it could be,they charge a hundred dollars plus lunch,like a mexican day laborer in NJ.

[GG]

Originally posted by vbabilonia:
lift motor requires a dedicated circuit
to the panel box. plus connection of the key switch Now Im starting to think that $850.00 is not enough. You left the part about a ded. ckt. out of your original question. My new price is $1500.00. I dont want the job, but if I get it, it will at least be worth my time. :D