Decorative street post production, removal and installation bid

[nolanola]

Hello.
We got invited to bid on producing and installing some street signs.
The requirements for the posts are:
"3”O.D. smooth round aluminum, powder coated in black, 10ft tall with 24”H Corinthian style base in matching material and color. Posts shall be direct buried in ground a minimum of 24” deep with concrete foundation."

What do you think is the smartest way to produce them? To order the aluminum pipe and have it powder coated and order the Corinthian style base separately or order the prefab posts altogether?

For removal and installation I quoted 10 man hours of labor per post (4 for removal, 6 for installation). Is it realistic? Am I missing something?

Thank you very much.

Danil

A funny picture is attached.

 

[visual800]

why would you want to produce something that others are already fabbing on a daily basis. Find you a reputable supplier for these, mark them up according to what you are offering to do on your end (install or sell) and be done with it. Hopefully other can offer suppliers for these I have never bid on street posts as I just wasnt innterested

 

[Billct2]

10 hours to pull out a post and put in a new one 24" deep?
That seems excessive.

 

[J Hill Designs]

I would go to ornamental post and panel (opptc.com)

edit: removal will give you the holes for putting in new, so why is it so much higher?

 

[nolanola]

Thank you for your replies!
10 man hours is 5 hours of a team of 2 installers. Driving time and old post disposal are included in that time.
I am afraid to underbid.

 

[J Hill Designs]

Thank you for your replies!
10 man hours is 5 hours of a team of 2 installers. Driving time and old post disposal are included in that time.
I am afraid to underbid.

hard to help on labor without seeing the locations. jackhammer needed? etc.
also, if its city work, make sure whether or not its a prevailing wage job. (not sure if they have that in LA, but they do here for most if not all gov't work)

 

[Gino]

Thank you for your replies!
10 man hours is 5 hours of a team of 2 installers. Driving time and old post disposal are included in that time.
I am afraid to underbid.

Seems like you ought to be afraid of OVERbidding. I hardly think anyone is gonna believe 4 man hours to remove a post out of the ground, even in cement, then another 6 to put a new one in. Perhaps, you might wanna re-think your methods of removal and installation. They have modern equipment to make these things go easier than regular pulling these thing out by hand with a shovel and digging bar.

 

[Jean Shimp]

Might want to give yourself some "wiggle" room since you really don't know what the old posts are buried in. Might be an excessive amount of concrete underground. Then you have the issue of re-filling a large hole. Or it could be the opposite where the existing holes are too shallow and then you have to dig deeper. It's really hard to quote a job with unforeseen circumstances. You don't want to bid too high but you don't want to loose your shirt either.

 

[CustomSigns&Mailbox]

Decorative Street Post

First find out what the Local ordinances are that will give you an idea how old post were installed , if they put them in with Break away system get ready to charge $$$$ , requires digging, Make a Field visit to see , 40 post removal, and 40 New installs with 2 guys will take 3 to 4 days (figure out what you want to pay your labor per day)(Florida $125.00 per day per person=$1000.00)
Factor cost for Cement on direct Burial(Home depot fast setting 40 bags=$200.00)+ Material cost, then add your mark up....

I do these all the time,

let me know if you need any more help

 

[johnwon]

We don't manufacture our own, we order them from Brandon Industries (www.brandonindustries.com). They sell direct burial posts and they are easy to install. Do yourself a favor and order the two piece bases if you can. We've given a customer the price to pull the old footings before and then a price to cut off below grade and install new signs just behind the existing footing and they almost always opt for that. Use a set of post hole diggers or a small auger, drop the pole in and level it, then fill with Quickrete and then install the base if a 2-piece. Double check your level to ensure that it's perfectly straight to avoid a costly replacement post since it's direct burial with concrete.

 

[CustomSigns&Mailbox]

Brandon Industries

2 piece bases will rust in a year or two, not good , I replace Brandon all the time in Florida, 1 piece bases is the way to go, Direct Burial , Post hole digger level , Do not cut off old post and leave in ground that is the wrong way to leave a job.

 

[Moze]

With the right setup, you can remove an existing post in about 5 minutes. The attached is what I use. Drill a hole in the post, run a bolt through it and the angle iron, and jack it out of the ground. Almost zero effort is required - the hardest part is carrying the removed post and base to your truck/trailer.

If the new post is going in the same spot, hopefully it's the right depth. If not, you have a pretty good start.

 

[Nuagedesigns]

I like that.....Work smarter not harder!!

 

[Billct2]

When I worked at a municipal sign shop we had something like that for pulling u channels. But how does it work on a 3' deep concreted base?

 

[Moze]

When I worked at a municipal sign shop we had something like that for pulling u channels. But how does it work on a 3' deep concreted base?

I've done a few and it's a piece of cake. Just need to set the jacks on a 2x10 chunk of wood or similar or they'll sink into the ground.

 

[Billct2]

I have a job coming up that I may just give it a shot, thanks

 

[Moze]

You bet. I got the jacks from Harbor Freight...they've held up pretty well.