Another post got me wodering

Status
Not open for further replies.
bikeindy

bikeindy

Senior Member
Location
Indianapolis IN
How much do you guys charge to go into a home and add a ceiling fan in a bedroom. involved would be running 14-3 in the wall to the existing switch location cutting that open to a 2 gang, installing whatever brace and box you prefer and assembly of the fan.
 
bikeindy said:
How much do you guys charge to go into a home and add a ceiling fan in a bedroom. involved would be running 14-3 in the wall to the existing switch location cutting that open to a 2 gang, installing whatever brace and box you prefer and assembly of the fan.
Click to expand...
With ready access from above, probably in the $250-300 range. If I have to feed into a ceiling with a room above, double that.

I have gotten a cable from a wall switch box to the center of a downstairs ceiling without having to make any access openings.
 
LarryFine said:
I have gotten a cable from a wall switch box to the center of a downstairs ceiling without having to make any access openings.
Click to expand...

Were you extreamly lucky or just THAT GOOD?

And I am low then, since I charge $185.00 But when I have done these I most often do at least 2 rooms and can be done pretty quick. and that is my price for attic access installs. I charge T&M for no access ceilings and make no promises on drywall damage just that I will keep it to a bare minimum.
 
bikeindy said:
And I am low then, since I charge $185.00 But when I have done these I most often do at least 2 rooms and can be done pretty quick. and that is my price for attic access installs. I charge T&M for no access ceilings and make no promises on drywall damage just that I will keep it to a bare minimum.
Click to expand...

So you are talking attic access? I'd be around $300.
 
If a fan is done on T&M then the price is normally cheaper than flat rate ( if everything goes well ). If the customer wants an up front price then I am the one taking the chance so it's going to be $250 to $300. If they have 3 or 4 then I come down a little because it's more efficient to work at one place than to drive to a seperate job. I try to price by using actual cost. If you drive 20 miles to do one fan then it's going to cost more.
 
If you are making good money at $185 why charge more? Just because you can? I've been in this business long enough to have seen a number of economic cycles. When we are all busy, prices go up and some of us will get greedy (and get away with it for awhile). Then the economy slows down and the phone stops ringing; except for the guy who has been fair and honest all along. He/she has a good reputation and the customers refer work to him. My point is that finding a pricing structure that pays the bills, pays the wages (yours or your employees), and makes you a decent profit is the right one for the long haul.
 
bikeindy said:
Were you extreamly lucky or just THAT GOOD?
Click to expand...
Honestly, I'm that good. As long as I have a wall opening in a bay that is lined up with the ceiling bay, I can use a long flex-bit with aiming handle to penetrate the top plate. Then thread a fishtape through that hole, with the end gently curved in the right direction.

I have a flexible flashlight that hangs inside the wall and points up, and a mirror on another flex handle, making it easier to get the fishtape through the hole. I put some white tape on the fishtape to make it easier to see where the tip is.

Let's say I have a livingroom off the foyer, with a second doorway to the dining room. There is a switch by the first doorway, but it's on the 'wrong' wall. I add one, often placed next to the second doorway, and convert the original switch into a 3-way pair.

Now, if the house has vinyl siding, everything is easier. I have been known (don't tell anyone; it may not be compliant) to run UF behind siding, out through the band joist, up the wall, and back in, penetrating the ceiling bay from the outside.

Of course, I seal the holes with caulk or expanding foam. The toughest fan box I did happened to have a bay window with copper roofing in line with the ceiling bay, so I had to get really creative. I suggested adding a recessed light in the top of the bay-window ceiling. They liked it, so...

I drilled into the bay window's "attic" space from the fan box's 4" hole, and working through the recessed light's 4" hole, managed to run the 14-3 from the room's ceiling box, through the hollow area over the window, into the wall beside the window, down into an old-work box, where I fed the new switches from a receptacle below.

No access holes (other than the recessed light), no patching, and it looks like it was built that way. On the rare occasion I do have to make holes, I take care of it myself. I've done plenty of drywall work, from repairs to entire rooms, so it's a handy skill. In fact, three years ago, we built an entire addition. We're licensed for home and commercial improvement, too.
 
I rarely ever have the switch and the ceiling outlet in the same bay. Even if I did, I'd bet that most of the time there would be some hidden obstacle in the wall or ceiling that the fish tape wouldn't be able to get past. Most of the houses I work on are pre-WWII, so if nothing else, the fish tape gets caught in the lath. Then there's the problem of tying into the existing ancient boxes and wiring...

Most of the time I tell people in these houses that a new fan outlet and switch is possible, but it will require some demo and repair. That usually gets them to back off. If I have attic access from above, that makes the job a lot more doable.

I never do drywall repair, as I'm conveniently not licensed to do it. I also hate doing it, and my hands are dry and cracked enough as it is. For the times when I do break open the walls, I call my trusty plaster/drywall repair guy (who is licensed to do it), and he puts me at the top of his list.

I agree with the pricing the others have said. About $300 for a job with attic access is plenty reasonable.
 
$450 - access or not (usually NOT).

Why?
Attics are hot, dirty, full of itchy "stuff", etc...a PITA

No access ....installing a bar from below is a PITA too :D
 
"$450 - access or not "

That is more then a good deal, did you mean $450 plus permit fee, or $450 with permit fee? You will most likely spend at min a half day there, plus material, plus profit.
 
To make it even more fun, imagine your doing the job in CA. I used to like giving an "estimate" but do the job T&M which could go higher or lower depending on what actually happens once we get going. Not anymore. The new law is that you must give a "not to exceed" price which can only be raised with a written change order. This takes all the flexibility away from estimating and makes every job a BID unless one feels like giving the HO a break if things go easy. I know a permit is required, but when we fish everything what does the inspector actually inspect?
 
satcom said:
"$450 - access or not "

That is more then a good deal, did you mean $450 plus permit fee, or $450 with permit fee? You will most likely spend at min a half day there, plus material, plus profit.
Click to expand...


I don't wait for a permit more than 10 minutes..if they can't do it, I'll be back - here's my paperwork, adios.

$450 is w/o ANY taxes, tags, licensing or registration fees...just like a car ;)


How much is the material?
40' - 14/3: $27.60
CF brace/box: $12.98
Cut-in box: $1.49
Single pole switch (anything else is extra) and plastic plate: $1.54
Misc. hardware: $4.00
TOTAL: $47.61
$402.39 for labor and O&P
 
bkludecke said:
The new law is that you must give a "not to exceed" price which can only be raised with a written change order.
Click to expand...

Is that the same toothless law about the certifications?
 
I don't intend to raise my price I was just curious what other are charging. Most of these that I do are in homes that are 10 years old or less, have great attic space, and we can do 2 fans in about 2 hours from pull up to drive off, giving time for BSing with the homeowner. there is one subdivision of about 200 homes that we have been in about 75 of doing this type work. I don't think these folks are interested in paying much more than I am charging and I have 125 homes left in that division to get into. My customers love me and we do pretty well. I keep my overhead down and have workers who care about costs.
 
Nothing wrong with that bikeindy.

Where I am - EVERYTHING is expensive ~ NJ is #1 in auto insurance, taxes, blah, blah, blah ;)
 
"At least $450.00 i would not get out of bed for $185.00"


I took a look at some of the recent fan jobs we did this year, and ran a profit loss on 3 of them, one of intrest, was a job done almost as described in this thread, less permit fee, it was $462, took 3.75 hours from shop to return, the total profit was a $17 loss, our overhead is pretty lean, but as noted here in jersey, costs of doing business are up there, it may be he is located in a depressed area, and costs for everything are much lower, and the area wages are also low, but even in a depressed area, it is more important to maintain profits, for the long haul, we have customers complain, they can't get a fan assy and hung for $150, and he is doing wiring, installing boxes, and support, for just $35 more? My bet is, he never did a break even cost on his business, and might not even added in planned budget items needed to stay in business for the long term, like asset replacement costs, and employee actuals.

"I don't think these folks are interested in paying much more than I am charging and I have 125 homes left in that division to get into."

It's not what they are willing to pay, it's what you need to charge to run your business pay all your expenses and make a small profit to enable you to continue in business.
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top