Temp Pole rate

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patricknola

Electrical contractor/Generac Dealer
Location
new orleans, La, United States
Occupation
Electrical contractor.
Hey guys, I live down in new orleans and I'm trying to get a rough estimate of what most contractors charge to make/install/permit a temp pole for new home construction. I'm charging 1500.00 and get the feeling my price might be high. Thanks
 

fuzzysparky

Member
Location
Ozarks
Occupation
elec-chicken
Hey guys, I live down in new orleans and I'm trying to get a rough estimate of what most contractors charge to make/install/permit a temp pole for new home construction. I'm charging 1500.00 and get the feeling my price might be high. Thanks
Have you called your competition and asked them?
 

Hv&Lv

Senior Member
Location
-
Occupation
Engineer/Technician
I have three built and ready. I don’t build and install them “for sale”.
although for $1500 apiece I absolutely would..
like RJ, I rent them, and get them back when the job is over.
I don’t do many jobs at all anymore, but I still have one temp service out now on a job. The HO is DIY a remodel and wants to do the electrical himself and needed a temporary service, so I rented it to him. He pays every month...

it doesn’t make sense, he is doing the electrical, yet couldn’t, or didn’t want to build a temp pole???
Whatever.. I don’t ask many questions anymore...
 

Coppersmith

Senior Member
Location
Tampa, FL, USA
Occupation
Electrical Contractor
I haven't done one is a while but I seem to remember charging a least $1200. $1500 is probably not out of line considering all the coordination you have to do with the POCO. I have considered renting them off-and-on. Never pulled the trigger on that.
 

Little Bill

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Tennessee NEC:2017
Occupation
Semi-Retired Electrician
If I'm wiring the house, I charge $300 for the temp pole & permit. If I were to just rent it, I would figure what it cost to build it, setting/removing it, permits, wear/tare, then add some profit. Either figure a price that would cover 6 months or a monthly price that would be more than what one month would be on a 6 month basis.
Example: $2000 for 6 months or $350 per month
 
Hey guys, I live down in new orleans and I'm trying to get a rough estimate of what most contractors charge to make/install/permit a temp pole for new home construction. I'm charging 1500.00 and get the feeling my price might be high. Thanks
I dont think that is high at all:

lumber: $100
meter main: $150
breakers/boxes/receps: $100
permit: $100
POCO fee: $200
wire/conduit/fittings/grounding: $150
labor: XXXX
hassle of dealing and coordinating with POCO - priceless.
 

Hv&Lv

Senior Member
Location
-
Occupation
Engineer/Technician
I dont think that is high at all:

lumber: $100
meter main: $150
breakers/boxes/receps: $100
permit: $100
POCO fee: $200
wire/conduit/fittings/grounding: $150
labor: XXXX
hassle of dealing and coordinating with POCO - priceless.
Wow... what kind of lumber they require you to use?
here for an overhead service it’s a 16’ 4X4
 

Hv&Lv

Senior Member
Location
-
Occupation
Engineer/Technician
Not arguing, just comparing... I realize costs are fixed by availability and location. There’s no way I could set a temp Pole in some locations in the country for $1500

they are $36 here at Lowe’s on east coast, even cheaper from the home builders lumber yard.
im also lucky enough to have a couple of sawmills close, and did some work for them off and on over the years.
that’s where I get mine. The last 4x6x16 I bought from them was $20.

now thats dried, but with no CCA or penta treatment at all.

also, we do not charge anything for a temp pole on the POCO side. The meter we set in the temp pole even goes in your house when the temp pole comes down. We don’t charge the higher tier demand rate for temp poles either.

Talk about easy... set your pole within 100’ of an existing pole, call in the application and inspection, we will be there within the week to get it connected.
 

growler

Senior Member
Location
Atlanta,GA
How many 4x6 post do you need? I will sell them to you for $40 and make money!

The real cost of something like a 4" X 6" X 16' post is getting it to the job site where needed.

If I were only doing one temp pole I sure would figure a pole being worth a heck of a lot more than I paid for it by the time I put it on the job site.
 

DBoone

Senior Member
Location
Mississippi
Occupation
General Contractor
Wow... what kind of lumber they require you to use?
here for an overhead service it’s a 16’ 4X4

6x6-16’ here.....4’ in the ground, WITH braces. So I think the 4’ requirement is ridiculous. Someone that doesn’t have to dig the holes came up with that rule I guess.
 

Hv&Lv

Senior Member
Location
-
Occupation
Engineer/Technician
Apparently... our guys set 30‘ area light poles 5.5’ deep with no braces And wire pulling off one side. They make it through hurricanes, ice storms, etc..
 

bkludecke

Senior Member
Location
Big Bear Lake, CA
Occupation
Retired Electrical Contractor
We only rent them. $375.00 to deliver, dig 4' hole, set pole, drive ground rod, and retrieve when finished; plus $40.00/month rental fee. We have had as many as >50 of them out there at one time but lately only about 10 or 12. In our area we have to use a 6" X 6" X 20' pressure treated pole in a 4' hole (16' proud) with the service and equipment mounted on that. Materials cost about $675.00 to put one together plus about 4 hours labor - we paint and stencil them for the better look and advertising value. The ones for underground feed are a little cheaper to build.
 

Coppersmith

Senior Member
Location
Tampa, FL, USA
Occupation
Electrical Contractor
We only rent them. $375.00 to deliver, dig 4' hole, set pole, drive ground rod, and retrieve when finished; plus $40.00/month rental fee. We have had as many as >50 of them out there at one time but lately only about 10 or 12. In our area we have to use a 6" X 6" X 20' pressure treated pole in a 4' hole (16' proud) with the service and equipment mounted on that. Materials cost about $675.00 to put one together plus about 4 hours labor - we paint and stencil them for the better look and advertising value. The ones for underground feed are a little cheaper to build.

Is calling up the POCO and arranging for an inspection and connection extra or included? What about calling up to get it disconnected?
 
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