Is the Temporary Power Pole still installed for free ?!?

[Buck Parrish]

Is the Temp Pole still installed for free? Most new house permit fees include it.
Remember the good old days, when you knew every body..
Is any body still giving away a temporary service for free? I can see it if the GC and you are on a good relationship.
But even years ago I can remember wiring homes that another electrician did the saw service.
I can remember seeing an electric contractor at the supply house and him saying, thats my temp pole on the house you're wiring. And I know I have done the same thing.
What are y'all doing now. I just installed one for $600. and they get $200 back when I get the pole back. But even then, that's not enough unless you get the job.

What are most of you all doing?

 

[brantmacga]

The cost of setting the pole and wear & tear on the devices is included as part of my bid. I’m doing commercial though and charge on average $800 for temp service pole depending on how far we have to drive to set it. I get about 3 jobs out of a pole before the devices and in-use covers have to be replaced.

I did have a guy call a couple of years ago asking me to bid wiring his house, but he needed a pole that week to start framing. I invoiced him $300 for using the pole and told him I’d credit it against the cost of wiring the house (he picked up the pole and set it himself), and made it clear I would not be the low bid. He went with someone else, and was extremely angry about having to pay for the pole, saying repeatedly “but I will bring it back to you!” First and last time I’ve ever done that. I only agreed to start with because he was a friend of a friend. I have loaned temp poles to close friends with no intention of wiring their house.


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[acin]

Portable toilets also come with overhead temp service , set up when it is delivered

 

[Little Bill]

I figure it in the bid/estimate. I have rented them out a few times but I don't really like that. I had one that had been out a year. I needed one right away but they had an RV hooked to it. I ended up just giving them a price to buy it, which they did. I tried to stop renting them, but had to a couple of times. I did raise my price and gave them 4 months time limit or they have to pay for another 4 months.
No time limit if I wired the house.

 

[Buck Parrish]

I had the oppurtunity to review several GC contracts for a residential building of a house. Both charged the customer for the temp pole $700. - $950 for the other.

 

[petersonra]

nothing is "free". it might be included in the price you pay for something else but no one does anything for free.

 

[Little Bill]

I based my charge on what it cost me to build the temp. That is materials, labor for install and removal, plus permit fee. That way if the temp was damaged, stolen, etc. the first charge would cover enough to build a new one if needed. If several uses could be had from it, then it keeps paying for itself.