# Bidding on a comercial insatlation.



## Corndog (Apr 26, 2007)

As you may or may not know I'm a guitar builder. I have absolutely NO idea what I should charge for this. 1300 SQ' record store some existing racks...have to build more. I don't want to under sell myself but I REALLY wanna give the guy a deal as it's in a high traffic area and I could get more work out of it. 
Any starting hourly wage would help. He's already agreed to material costs.


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## PK. (Nov 12, 2007)

My shop rate starts at $75 per man hour for custom fabrication. The first rule is never cut your price to get work that "will" lead to more work. 

Having done retail display work, I think you might be surprised to find out how much that stuff costs. A decent cash wrap in the $7-10,000 range wouldn't be unusual. 

If you want, post some details and maybe it would be easier to give a decent price range.


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## Corndog (Apr 26, 2007)

:blink: Wow!!! That much huh??? We're gonna barter for some free shop space in the basement in exchange for labor.


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## woodman42 (Aug 6, 2007)

PK. said:


> My shop rate starts at $75 per man hour for custom fabrication. The first rule is never cut your price to get work that "will" lead to more work.
> 
> Having done retail display work, I think you might be surprised to find out how much that stuff costs. A decent cash wrap in the $7-10,000 range wouldn't be unusual.
> 
> If you want, post some details and maybe it would be easier to give a decent price range.


Damn, I ain't charging enough.:no:


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

Corndog said:


> As you may or may not know I'm a guitar builder. I have absolutely NO idea what I should charge for this. 1300 SQ' record store some existing racks...have to build more. I don't want to under sell myself but I REALLY wanna give the guy a deal as it's in a high traffic area and I could get more work out of it.
> Any starting hourly wage would help. He's already agreed to material costs.



Selling a custom made product is different than just charging for labor. If you are into barter, figure the cost of your product (labor, overhead, materials, profit), as your end of the deal. You can't produce a time sheet in the end to qualify your per hour charge, so figure out in advance about how long it's gonna take and multiply a fair per/hour amount. When considering how much to charge per hour, remember time out of your life is going into the project.


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## PK. (Nov 12, 2007)

Woodman, I was involved with an install at a Gap store. The cabinetry, a cash wrap with safe, maybe a dozen or so two and three tiered tables, several wall racks and shelving and some small nested display tables came to close to fifty grand. Some shop in Oregon built it. 

It was at that point that I decided I need a bigger shop and a cnc router.


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## Kingfisher (Oct 14, 2007)

While the rate sould not change it make a diiferance on your skills. The guy who make quick paint grade boxes and shelves would get $30 hour and the craftsman making higher grade cherry cabinets would get $70. The rate may stay the same for both and in thoery the caraftsman should be able to make the cheaper boxes faster to even it out. In the real world if I want cheap boxes I hire the cheap guy and pay the craftsman for the high end stuff only. Where do you fit in here? How custom is the work? Also all the numbers I used a guesses, it is to area specific. Good Luck:thumbsup:


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## Corndog (Apr 26, 2007)

Thanx guys. Yeah, they're just paint grade. The guy ONLY sells heavy metal so I assume that they'll be black.....:laughing:


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## Youngman (Dec 28, 2007)

Corndog said:


> Thanx guys. Yeah, they're just paint grade. The guy ONLY sells heavy metal so I assume that they'll be black.....:laughing:


If he sells only heavy metal, I would assume they would be rust....:laughing: in tone, or puttar or copper or......O.K. is was not that funny.:icon_smile:


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## BlockHead (Dec 28, 2007)

Corndog said:


> :blink: Wow!!! That much huh??? We're gonna barter for some free shop space in the basement in exchange for labor.


What would it cost to rent that shop space? That's how much you would be charging. Also, if the record store goes bust, there goe's your space. Just my nickel's worth.


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## Corndog (Apr 26, 2007)

That store has been around for quite a while so I ain't worried about that.

What I hate is deadlines and Mdf.


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## Youngman (Dec 28, 2007)

Corndog said:


> As you may or may not know I'm a guitar builder. I have absolutely NO idea what I should charge for this. 1300 SQ' record store some existing racks...have to build more. I don't want to under sell myself but I REALLY wanna give the guy a deal as it's in a high traffic area and I could get more work out of it.
> Any starting hourly wage would help. He's already agreed to material costs.


Corndog...building something as an art form and constructing in retail are two different animals. An artist doing construction is an event to say the least. And working for one is about the same. Up at noon two hour coffee breaks and shut down when the night life starts.:laughing: I assume we have a bit of artistry in our veins...no. You know what they say about artist, they die poor. Charge what you need to and add enough to build your buisness, what ever it is.


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## Corndog (Apr 26, 2007)

This is what he wanted...still gotta assemble the last 3.


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## aclose (Nov 11, 2007)

Geoff,

looks sharp. post a photo once they're painted and in the store.
i hope you get to move into your bigger shop soon so you can get back to your guitar tutorial. :yes: :thumbsup:


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## Corndog (Apr 26, 2007)

Thanx!!!!:thumbsup: This is the new place once I'm done with the racks...
cheap too!!!!


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## Corndog (Apr 26, 2007)

Well...we got 'em all done and on time but the last one...IS A DISASTER!!!
Nothing lined up and we just wanted to go home @ 1:30 in the morning.:thumbdown: 

He wanted it to open t'day but I'm gonna go down and knock it apart and re-assemble it t'night. It's embarrassing. :laughing:


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## Youngman (Dec 28, 2007)

Corndog said:


> Well...we got 'em all done and on time but the last one...IS A DISASTER!!!
> Nothing lined up and we just wanted to go home @ 1:30 in the morning.:thumbdown:
> 
> He wanted it to open t'day but I'm gonna go down and knock it apart and re-assemble it t'night. It's embarrassing. :laughing:


I bet your cheeks are nice and rosey from that MDF....1:30, your a rock star:thumbsup:


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## snowi (Mar 2, 2008)

As a general contractor on a small renovation, My client Paid $600.00 to have a MDG coat rack 12' long and 4 shelves built plus install 240 L feet of chair rail installed. The Client supplied the materials. The sub was done in 2 days.


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