# Handrail/ Newel Post LF installation price?



## cfullen (Apr 9, 2012)

Trimming out a job with about 250 LF of handrails that surround openings to the lower floor. The plan called for all iron railings but they have changed their mind for the 3rd time at least. I charge about $10/LF normally. Just wondering where everyone else is with their prices.


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## TimPa (Jan 27, 2010)

cfullen said:


> Trimming out a job with about 250 LF of handrails that surround openings to the lower floor. The plan called for all iron railings but they have changed their mind for the 3rd time at least. I charge about $10/LF normally. Just wondering where everyone else is with their prices.


about right, minus any other factors (difficulty/areas, finishing, new construction or rework, stability build-ins - extras)


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## Hammer1 (Aug 1, 2010)

I never use a square or lineal foot price for anything. It's always based on the particular circumstances for the job, since there can be so many different situations. Generally, for labor costs I'll price by the day, 2 days to do this, 4 days to do that. This will be based on previous experience but I may face specific situations that I haven't done before. I just try to account for all the things that may be part of, or impact what or how I have to do the job. By the foot pricing doesn't account for anything that may be unusual, it assumes that jobsite conditions, sources of supply, installation procedures, materials are all the same. 

A while back, I did some staircases that landed on three different balconies. What made the job unusual was that there were two mirrored stairs and the house was a timber frame. Open ceilings, floor joists were 12" x 18" beams. I chose to mount the balcony posts with 2 1/2" round tenons cut into the ends of the posts and sunk into the beams. I think I had to do this to 10 posts. Having to drill large holes in the ends of newel posts along with corresponding holes in the beams added an extra days work. There can be other issues, post to post vs over the post rails, easements, end treatments, turnouts, risers, other rail parts and attachments that vary from job to job. Attaching ballusters can vary from ones that fit in round holes to ones that have fillets between, top and bottom rails to top rail only, one piece rails to built up multi piece assemblies. 

250 lineal ft. of rail, posts and ballusters is a large job. If you figured 10 days to do it and it only took you 8, you're making money, if it takes you 12 or more, you aren't doing so well. Pricing at $10/LF is a total of $2500. @ $30/hr. you would have to install 25 LF per day. What's required for installing the materials can vary widely as mentioned above. I think you need to know all the circumstances regarding installation procedures and whether the time frame matches the work load. Since you haven't given any particulars, I'd be a little afraid of that price unless it was very simple. Of course, $10/hr. is a lot better than $0/hr. even though it's not what you may hope or need to make. These days, work is work and a lot of us are underemployed, one way or another. There is a lot more to think about when pricing jobs than just an LF number.


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## BigJim (Sep 2, 2008)

I must have been over charging back when I was working, I charged $20 a LF for the rails but I charged for each part, like a fitting was $35, setting a post was a different charge, I charged for each tread, a starter tread was one price where a regular tread was another. Over the post, was a charge for the post an additional cost for the fitting + LF charge for the rail. Anything out of the norm was charged and agreed on before work started. A bending rail was a different charge as was a hand made rail system.


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## cfullen (Apr 9, 2012)

I think the entire project should take around 5 days for myself and another carpenter. It is all post to post construction so we should roll on it once we get her laid out properly. at $10/LF that does not quite cover my cost here for 5 days of work. Going to charge somewhere in the 12.50/LF price range. Down here, everyone has a linear foot price for everything. My contractors always want to know unit pricing. Works good for the basics, but some projects demand circumstantial mark ups, which I always account for (or try to)


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## RobHamm (Apr 19, 2012)

I charge $35 a foot for level rail. Thats putting in skirts, balusters, newels, handrail, and trim.

Scot


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## cfullen (Apr 9, 2012)

Wow, that seems pretty high. There that much demand where you are?


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## BigJim (Sep 2, 2008)

cfullen said:


> Wow, that seems pretty high. There that much demand where you are?


I don't think that is too high, when you consider the way some of us set the post down through the flooring, underlayment, sub floor and fasten to the frame work and use rail bolts to fasten the rails plus the skirts and trim, that sounds like a good deal to me.


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## craftsman jay (Jun 26, 2010)

*$10/ft is too low!*

I stumbled onto this thread wondering how much others charge. For 250' of railing it might workout ok. But you have to take into account your time and the cost of replacing an "oops!". Doing a small job, say 25', if you charge $10/ft to do post, railing, and balusters, one miscut and you are working for free. 

I usually figure how long its taken me in the past, add any time consuming extras, what I need to make for a day, and a little extra for the possibility of an uh oh! (Not often, but they can happen).


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## Keith Mathewson (Sep 23, 2010)

Charging by the lf is like asking how much a car costs per pound.


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