50 cans

[Chargd-up]

Residential is not my field of expertice... so I need input. (And I don't have time to do it myself right now, anyway.)

We're doing a light remodel of our house. The decorator (wife's idea) has a general contractor she uses. Most of his bids/estimates seemed reasonable, (windows, doors, etc.) but the electrical portion .... well, you tell me. Please!

Wifey wants recessed lighting. 8 rooms, 50 cans, plus replace fan/lights in the 2 bathrooms. Adding 4 circuits to panel. Accessing the panel will involve a bit of woodworking (2 hours?) but there's plenty of attic access. Contractor's bid is $7500 P&L. Seems high to me! I want to support my brothers, but... is this as far out of line as it seems?

Dave

 

[infinity]

That number seems pretty fair. I came up with $7300. You didn't mention anything about switching these 50 lights on and off.

 

[nhfire77]

Its a good price if it's all brand new and very little if no fishing to the panel.

We get $250 per can for retrofit here.

You're getting $150/can new. As infinity said does that include switch legs switches/dimmers?

 

[growler]

The decorator (wife's idea) has a general contractor she uses. Most of his bids/estimates seemed reasonable, (windows, doors, etc.) but the electrical portion .... well, you tell me. Please!

Wifey wants recessed lighting. 8 rooms, 50 cans, plus replace fan/lights in the 2 bathrooms. Adding 4 circuits to panel. Accessing the panel will involve a bit of woodworking (2 hours?) but there's plenty of attic access. Contractor's bid is $7500 P&L. but... is this as far out of line as it seems?

OK $7500 P&L or parts and labor. First, is that $7500 before or after the GC gets his mark up on the parts and labor.

When you are paying for 50 can lights, what kind of cans, baffels, trims and lamps are you getting? If it's the cheapest I can get then the materials for each fixture would run about $25 ea. But with a designer involved you normally don't end up intalling the cheapest fixture ever made. So what are you getting????

Next we are getting 2 ea bath fans. Is this a fan/light combo or a nice quiet fan and a good quality bar light????

Eight rooms problably means eight switches fished and then either a switch or a dimmer so what are you getting there???

Now is this GC permitting this job or is he getting some jack leg to install these fixtures under the table???

For an electrical contractor to install these fixtures and if this price includes the GCs mark-up then it's pretty darn cheap.

Don't just look at the "price" look to see what you are getting for your money. Look over the materials list and see what they plan to install.

 

[480sparky]

That number seems pretty fair. I came up with $7300. You didn't mention anything about switching these 50 lights on and off.

Wanting dimmers for all those will certainly be more $$$. Wanting a dimmer will be even more.

 

[ceb58]

Its a good price if it's all brand new and very little if no fishing to the panel.

We get $250 per can for retrofit here.

You're getting $150/can new. As infinity said does that include switch legs switches/dimmers?

That $7500.00 is just in the cans at $150.00 ea for remodel work and the bath fans haven't been replaced yet.
If you want to get an idea of what it takes compare the # of people and hours spent on the job doing the elect. work verses the # of people and hours doing window and door replacement. You are getting a good price.

 

[nhfire77]

That $7500.00 is just in the cans at $150.00 ea for remodel work and the bath fans haven't been replaced yet.
If you want to get an idea of what it takes compare the # of people and hours spent on the job doing the elect. work verses the # of people and hours doing window and door replacement. You are getting a good price.

Yea, I meant that about cans only, I missed the bath fans.

Again, its a good price

 

[Chargd-up]

Thanks, people!

Thanks, people!

OK- so I guess he's giving a good price!

Yes, there are dimmers for each room.

The bath fan/lights are the single-unit type.

His estimate specified only the size of the cans: 4", 5" etc., but not brand. I will do research and ask.

He mentioned permits on some other aspects, so I assume he'll pull permits for the electric. Again, I'll make sure.

And, from what I can see, the $7500 includes his markup.

We meet with him Tuesday to go over the details.

Again, thank you all.

Dave

 

[nyerinfl]

OK- so I guess he's giving a good price!

Yes, there are dimmers for each room.

The bath fan/lights are the single-unit type.

His estimate specified only the size of the cans: 4", 5" etc., but not brand. I will do research and ask.

He mentioned permits on some other aspects, so I assume he'll pull permits for the electric. Again, I'll make sure.

And, from what I can see, the $7500 includes his markup.

We meet with him Tuesday to go over the details.

Again, thank you all.

Dave

At $7,500 for anything be it Electrical, A/C, windows, whatever, I would definetly get multiple quotes. Make sure the proposal spells out that dimmers (new switch locations if applicable) and your permit fee is included, assume nothing.

 

[electricmanscott]

Contractor's bid is $7500 P&L. Seems high to me! I want to support my brothers, but... is this as far out of line as it seems?

Dave

I guess the question has to be asked. Why does it "seem high"? What you think it should be and why?

I hear "that seems high" all the time so it is a particular sore spot for me.


Last time I heard it my reply was exactly what I wrote above. Oddly enough I never heard from the customer again.

 

[B4T]

I guess the question has to be asked. Why does it "seem high"? What you think it should be and why?

I hear "that seems high" all the time so it is a particular sore spot for me.


Last time I heard it my reply was exactly what I wrote above. Oddly enough I never heard from the customer again.

It seems high because the customer took a ride to HD and talked to the lighting "expert".. salesman.

People see a complete fixture costing less than $35.00 and expect it to be installed for the same amount... :roll:

 

[ceb58]

At $7,500 for anything be it Electrical, A/C, windows, whatever, I would definetly get multiple quotes. Make sure the proposal spells out that dimmers (new switch locations if applicable) and your permit fee is included, assume nothing.

OK, My bid is $9075.00. 50 cans w/ baffle trim, 2 fans, 8 dimmers. Permit fee not included. And I would be lower than at lot here.

I guess the question has to be asked. Why does it "seem high"? What you think it should be and why?

I hear "that seems high" all the time so it is a particular sore spot for me.


Last time I heard it my reply was exactly what I wrote above. Oddly enough I never heard from the customer again.

Maybe the OP could give us a bid to rewire a locomotive. Shouldn't take over 4-5 hrs and cost around $3000.00.

 

[nyerinfl]

OK, My bid is $9075.00. 50 cans w/ baffle trim, 2 fans, 8 dimmers. Permit fee not included. And I would be lower than at lot here.

Another bid from a local contractor that would actually be the one performing the work. I'm not arguing that the price might be a good one, but it also might not. If the check was being written from my bank account I would do my due dilligence, especially since the estimates won't cost him anything.

 

[bradleyelectric]

Another bid from a local contractor that would actually be the one performing the work. I'm not arguing that the price might be a good one, but it also might not. If the check was being written from my bank account I would do my due dilligence, especially since the estimates won't cost him anything.

It would seem the project is part of a package through a trusted source. That may preclude competitive bids through unknown sources.

Do you enjoy working for free?

 

[nyerinfl]

It would seem the project is part of a package through a trusted source. That may preclude competitive bids through unknown sources.

Do you enjoy working for free?

Whose to say working for free? How many times I've heard about location, individual business overhead, etc., and now less than $7,500 is working for free? How do you know I couldn't make the same profit doing this for $6,000 with the same quality workmanship and materials? Maybe you know something I don't that locks in $7,500 for this project as the end all be all of competitve prices.

He obviously doesn't trust the guy that much considering he sign up to Mike Holt's site to post a question to find out if he's getting ripped off.

 

[LarryFine]

. . . rewire a locomotive.

Now, that sounds like a fun job.

 

[bradleyelectric]

since the estimates won't cost him anything.

So if he calls you to be a price check and isn't really intending to use you, you just worked for free, not for $7500.

 

[growler]

especially since the estimates won't cost him anything.

So if he calls you to be a price check and isn't really intending to use you, you just worked for free, not for $7500.

When I get people calling up just for a price check ( and I call tell, some of the time ) I allways give a real high quote just to help out the original contractor (bidder).

On a job like this I would probably give a phone quote of about $15K just to here them hit the floor if I knew they were just checking prices.

 

[nyerinfl]

So if he calls you to be a price check and isn't really intending to use you, you just worked for free, not for $7500.

I do agree though that price checks with no intention of using me as the contractor is a waste of my time, resources and patience. But if I was on the recieving end of a call to install 50 recessed lights, then that is a large enough job that I would actively try to take it from the other guy.

My main point here is that if I was personally writing a check for someone to work on my house, and the quote given was $7,500, then I would get another quote, and I'm pretty sure 90% of the people reading this would too, especially if you had doubts on the price.

 

[macmikeman]

50 cans in new work , not remodel, and 7500 might be ok. But the op stated remodel from the attic. For me, that by itself just drove up the price a whole bunch.