New to lighted box pricing question

[chasegraphics]

I have a customer that is looking for a lighted box to be installed on a existing pole. Below is a rundown of what I am charging him. Please let me know is this too much or too little.

4x8 box including lamps and ballast $ 1405.38
4x8 custom printed lexan face $ 897.00
Production - to assemble the box $ 390.00
Painting the box and pole $250.00
onsite installation - Subbed $400.00
TOTAL $3342.38

Thank you for your replies.

Charles

 

[skyhigh]

hey charles, If your cabinet was going on a wall, then I'd say you were in the ballpark. Given that its a pole mount (which type of mount), your definately low. Whats the depth of the cabinet? How high up is the cabinet going?

What are you doing for a UL stamp?

With install, I'd be around $4800 range. For a double face (I'm assuming your isn't), I've give them a deal at $5500

ps. existing poles usually come with an "existing" sign. You removing one also?

 

[chasegraphics]

hey charles, If your cabinet was going on a wall, then I'd say you were in the ballpark. Given that its a pole mount (which type of mount), your definately low. Whats the depth of the cabinet? How high up is the cabinet going?

What are you doing for a UL stamp?

With install, I'd be around $4800 range. For a double face (I'm assuming your isn't), I've give them a deal at $5500

ps. existing poles usually come with an "existing" sign. You removing one also?

The mount is in the center, the box is your typical Glantz Knockdown type 10 inches deep, the pole is 13 feet high.

There is no existing sign, just a pole with a plate on top with four holes.

 

[Shovelhead]

4' x 8' ...13' in the air...plate mounted?????
I wouldn't go there!

 

[Letterbox Mike]

Yeah, check the engineering on that pole, or check to see that the city will not require you to re-engineer the pole and footer to support a cabinet of that size, assuming the old cabinet was smaller. Plate-mounted 32 s.f. cabinet will work if the plate and pole are big enough, but there's some gray area with this one.

Also, are you required to UL list the cabinet? If so, are you capable of doing so? You might be better off buying a ready-to-install cabinet that is already wired and UL listed from someone, sliding in your face and installing.

Back to the pole, not knowing any more info on it, you may be better off extending the pole another 4-1/2' up and saddle-mounting the sign.

As-is, plate mounting the sign, I'd say you're about $1000-$1300 too low. Don't forget to figure in engineering and permitting if required, that might blow your budget right there.

 

[chasegraphics]

ok, as far as the pole goes....it is a 6 inch square tube with a 1/2 thick plate on the top the plate measures 8 inches by 12 inches with 1/2" holes in the corners. I plan on installing a matching plate and a 4 inch round pole on the inside of the cabnet. This too will be screwed to the top of the cabnet. I would never install a 4x8 cabnet with out a center steel pole in pennsylvania. I do not know of a ruling that i need to be UL licensed, I presonally know of a couple of companies in my area that do not use UL labels on any of there cabnets.

 

[gators2001]

I sell single face cab w/ panned formed faces between 55.00 & 65.00 a sq. ft. that includes the face. I would charge 500.00 to install. Where I live a 4" x 4" square tubing will be fine with that sign go about 5' deep. You cannot plate mount a knockdown kit without adding bracing on the inside and airplane cable is not bracing. I would cut two plate to go on the inside one on the top one on bottom add a piece of 3" x 3" weld the tubing off and bolt the plates to the cab. then when you mount that it will not blow over.

 

[Letterbox Mike]

Sounds like you've done your homework on mounting to the pole, and it sounds like the pole will work fine, as long as you have interior bracing as gators suggests it should hold up fine.

Do yourself a huge favor and double check with zoning in your area regarding any licenses you're required to have and if the sign is required to be UL listed. Just because a few other shops are installing them doesn't mean it's legal, and that can really come back to bite you in the ass hard if you install a non-listed sign when they're required. Check engineering as well, many places require an engineer to give their stamp of approval on an existing sign structure if the sign size is changing, this is because the windload on the footer changes as well and what the sign was originally designed and engineered to support may not apply to the new windload. A 6" pole will support that cabinet fine, but with electrical signs, jump through all the hoops or run the risk of losing alot of money, or worse.

 

[flyingsignmonkey]

an existing pipe that had a sign on it should have the original engineering on file showing the footer size and depth. you will definatly need to pull that to show your permiting dept.