Word of the day: No
No is a word you can use.

English:
No;
1 ( P ) Pronunciation Key (n)
adv.
1: Used to express refusal, denial, disbelief, emphasis, or disagreement: No, I'm not going. No, you're wrong.
Not at all; not by any degree.
2: Often used with the comparative: no better; no more.
Not: whether or no.

im guessing that this includes speakers and keypad?are you selling this direct to builder, or just on new construction when working direct for home owner?

TCA, do a search as this has been talked about in the past. Personally on a new construction prewire, I charge per drop. The per drop charge includes wall plates, plugs, connectors ect... Does not include the structured wiring box or phone/network modules.
The price you charge is going to depend on your particular area, and what the going rate is.
Your first few jobs, you may not make much as it's going to take you some time.
It's like anything else, he more you do it, the faster you get, the more money you make.
The most important thing is to understand what your customer wants/needs.
And for god's sake don't forget to run something:) Wall fishing sucks when your not getting paid to do it, because you screwed up.
You already understand that everything should be homerun.
To define per drop: If I run a tel, a catv, and a data to the same plate/box I am going to charge whatever my per drop rate is X 3 lines.
Keep in mind the size of the structured wiring box that you are going to use.
14X18 or 14X36.
I prefer to use a 14X36 box as power is run to the box for routers, switches, ect... (the electrician will do that, unless you are one)
If it is a small job, or even on larger jobs, some installers like to terminate to the electrical backboard.
I do this on small jobs myself. Some customers just don't want to spend the $$$ on a box, and modules...
I can't stress enough the importance of going over the job on paper. Bring the drawing with you to the site so that nothing is missed.
Hope this helps....

This is priced to the homeowner. The volume control is the Russound VC, and Jamo contractor series. This is just our entry level. We also have a per room price for the A2 jamo inwalls and Stealth acoustics. The prices also include the rough in kits. Most of the $450 go to the people who do not want to spend money of course. I think we have only sold a 12 or so pairs of the contractor series speakers. in the last couple years. Most people go with the A2 and the Stealth line is really picking up.

Mike

Instalz and everyone else,

Everything you all say helps, even the tough stuff. We all have to start somewhere. I'm blessed to have such a great outlet to learn from. Thanks.

We do everything T&M. We charge by the foot for all wire that goes into the house, and we charge per item for every item that goes in (except staples, zipties, and back boxes). We also charge per hour per man for every manhour spent in the house. Hope that's clear enough. My rates probably won't mean anything to you, as we are in a strange part of the world (NY metro area), and if you are around here, I won't give you a leg up by telling you what we charge. The one thing you don't want to do is end up working for free because you over-promised or forgot things.

Good luck

Norm

I sure hope you are not in Florida or one of the other states that require an electrical contractors license and workers comp certificate. In Florida doing this "job" may cost you 5k+ without the proper license.
Not trying to poop in your popcorn but you probably ought to call you states' Dept. of Prof. Regulation. You may want to call from a payphone if you are paranoid.

I still get stuck doing stuff for free!!!

Let' say your wire costs $100
Sell it for $300

Break down your time since you are learning to 1/2 increments... i.e. I'm going to work on this for half a day... (3 -4 hours)... (a pro would charge $300)... for now I'll charge $150 to $300 for a full day...
Provided you are not sleeping in the crawl space, that is fair to you and them... don't obsess with breaking it out hourly for now... just round it off to half or whole days... This will make it easier to do estimates for upcoming jobs... Once you feel like you are picking up speed, go the hourly route...
Also, when giving an estimate of how long it will take you... give it your best guess, then double-it... It always takes longer than you would think... Years ago a guy from Sonance told me that, and I thought he was nuts.... But he was right on. If you finish earlier, everybody is happy... If you underestimate you're bummed and so are they!

Mr. Stanley,

That is a good idea. I am going to give it a try. Maybe after several jobs when I am comfortable I can charge hourly like you mentioned.

Not to knock you but If you can't answer that one..............You charge at least 100 per hour or by cable run. I charge on price for a run under 75 feet and a different one for longer runs. What is your background? You must know what you are worth. IF you do not you will get burned.

I do not do this for a living. I have only done it for family and friends. I love it. It is my hobby. When people see my work, and there faces drop, and they ask me to do it for them, and they are not family, I cannot do it for free, as much as I enjoy it. How am I supposed to know what to charge without asking you guys who are pros? I would never in a million years think that the wallports I installed in 6 rooms of my brother in laws house (2 in each room) consisting of 2 runs rg6 and 2 runs cat 5 could cost $600 each! Not to mention the cameras at the front, back ,deck and babies room all modulated into the tv system (can be seen on every tv in the house including the bathroom tv) and recorded 24 hours per day and viewable via the internet. And the home theater, with 5 tvs built into the false wall (to watch football), and the main sony hdtv in the center, with the pronto tsu3000 programmed to change the channels for each game on any tv just by pressing a team helmet. It took forever to program the remote. Everyone loves it and is amazed, but no one knows how hard you have to work to do things. The house is controlled by homeseer, and I am testing out voice control right now, and it actually works pretty well. I created an x10 relay that opens and closes the awning on the deck at certain times of day, and it closed if it gets too windy. Every window and door is hard wired for the alarm, with a keypad at every door and in the master bedroom. Whole house audio in every room including the deck and the backyard. I love to do this stuff, but I never knew what it was worth. I really appreciate all of you helping me out with the pricing.

TCA,

What you have just described in your last post touches on many of the things I would like to do in my own home. I am technically inclined but have no official training. Do you mind if I ask how you learned the procedures necessary to develop and install these whole house control systems.

I am in the process of adding on to my home by enclosing my back porch. I believe this may be a perfect place to begin a long term whole house control system. The room is not drywalled yet and is directly adjacent to my 200 amp breaker box. If I start with this room and establish my control center here, I can later branch out to the other rooms in the house. This will be a long term project that I will work on as my time and budget permit.

Sorry I can't help with your question about what to charge...

Sincerely,
Bonz

Bonz,

I am a geek when it comes to this stuff. I love it. I read constantly. I learned almost everything from reading. Alarms, cctv, home theater, home automation, whole house audio, you name it. The only thing I learned by watching is electric. I watched a friend of mine who is an electrician for about a month, and then I gutted and rewired my summer house, and installed a new breaker panel. He was pretty impressed. Some people learn in different ways. I know if you enjoy something, you will learn it. Regarding your situation, it's always best to have a main command center for everything. Usually the basement is the best place. Everything branches out from there: electric, phone, alarm, audio, video, cctv, etc, but in your case the porch will be your best option. Are you going to open the other walls? If everything is open, it's so much easier. You can branch out later, but once walls are closed it becomes a nightmare especially if you have to run a lot of wires. If you have any specific questions, let me know.

TCA,

Thanks for the quick reply.

I am a big fan of doing things myself when it comes to A/V and have also learned most of it by reading. I have designed and built my own high end speakers, modified and repaired many speakers, amps, cd players, etc myself and learned it all from reading about it (along with a few years of electronics classes many years ago).

I didn't know how to enclose my back porch a year ago. But, as you said, if you enjoy something, you will learn it... After a lot of reading, some help from good friends, and hard work - my porch is all but drywalled (construction and electric complete) and it passed inspection the first time.

I know it will take a lot of research to build my own whole house control system, but there is no feeling like finishing something you enjoy, and knowing you did it yourself - for some of us anyway...lol

At this point, I guess what I am looking for is a starting point on where to begin my research. Kind of a DIY "basic whole house control systems" informational book, magazine, website, etc to learn the basics on which to build from...


Thanks again for the help.

Sincerely,
Bonz

Geez, get a room.