[TowerTalk] Installing a New Tower - Trylon Titan T200-96'

[Paul]

Hiya Bob,
It's just as bad here in San Diego County. I actually abandoned the Trylon I bought from Champion and switched to a UST so I could use their CA- based engineer. I still don't have the permit after 8 visits to the county, and now a "review" is scheduled for July 6th. They tell me it is all due to the litigous society we live in. (Especially in CA)

For the guy in Snohomish county, when I put up my 170' Rohn 45 on the hill in Marysville back in 1990, it took 15 minutes to get the permit. God knows what it will take today. It's almost not worth it.

Good luck to all,

Paul
WY7I
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Bob Smith 
  To: towertalk at contesting.com 
  Sent: Sunday, June 26, 2005 6:28 PM
  Subject: [TowerTalk] Installing a New Tower - Trylon Titan T200-96'


  Hi All,

  After reading all the information about installing new towers I 
  thought I would give all of you the run-down on a 96' trylon
  tower I just finished up installing in Nothern California is Placer 
  County.  This project started in July 2004 with a client
  asking me to engineer and install a tower to enable him to mount a 
  Wireless Internet POP (point of presence) at
  100' agl to enable him to have high speed internet service  in his 
  'digital wilderness'.  So off we go,,

  Tower Cost Trylon T-200-96'         $2600.00 approx
  Champion Radio
  Locate and contract for engineering plans for building 
  permit             $400.00  (a deal anywhere, normally +$1000)
  Obtain building permit for private tower install - county of 
  Placer      $250.00
  Backhoe - dig required hole for foundation            $350.00  (a 
  deal in this part of the country)
  Re-bar for required foundation                  $145.00
  Torch rental for forming 1/2" vertical re-bar per plans           $  50.00
  Concrete block for use in tower foundation to support 
  tower,
  Lumber for forming base above ground, tie wire, 
  etc                            $150.00 
  Concrete Pour on Saturday (3000 psi concrete)        $850.00
             (10 miles from plant to hole)
  Concrete inspection & testing by 3rd party inspector        $400.00
  Concrete vibrator (required for pours exceeding 2' thick 
  (county)           $  45.00/day  (1 day)
  Crane to tip up the complete tower in one operation        $450.00
             (4hrs including travel time - he was 10 miles away)

  Total expenses (without Labor for install)              $5690.00

  my labor involved preparing and submitting building application, 
  forming re-bar and tying the re-bar foundation,
  pouring foundation, assembling the tower and mounting the tower on 
  the finished foundation.

  The Building Department pre-pour inspection was just for the 'hole' 
  because NO 110vAC or higher voltage will be
  used on the tower. (CAT5 POE is legal without an electrical clearance)

  The 3rd Party "On-Site Pour Inspection" was required by the Building 
  Department.   In some counties in California
  the building department takes the delivery slip for the concrete as 
  proof of any concrete delivered that is
  above normal concrete (ie:2500psi).  However, some counties require 
  ANY concrete poured in excess of 2' deep or
  any concrete in excess of 2500 PSI (ie foundations of any kind) to be 
  inspected ON-SITE at the pour.  This requires
  hiring an inspector, taking 3 samples, crushing one at 7days and 2 at 
  28 days to validate the concrete strength.
  We could have saved $400 by not having the 3000 psi noted on the 
  Trylon Plans, but ordering 3000 psi concrete
  ($3.50/yard more than normal) for the pour.  Maybe I'll figure out 
  how to do that next time?  Kinda of a
  'don't ask don't tell thing.

  We saved money on the backhoe portion by finding a local 
  'farmer-operator' that had a backhoe and was willing to
  dig the hole and not charge 'door-to-door' including travel time.

  We also saved by finding the P.E.   If anyone would like the name of 
  the California Cert'd P.E. I would be
  happy to supply this information, it's really hard to get plans 
  usable for submission to a Building Department
  in California drawn for less than $1500-$2000.  I'm using this same 
  P.E. for two tower installs I'm doing for the
  City Of Fort Bragg.  (he's cheaper than using the P.E. on the City 
  Payroll)  This P.E. is retiring from the State
  of California and will be available for private contract work.

  Now you can see what it takes to install a tower in an 'UN-IMPROVED" 
  farm community in Placer County, California
  would cost.  One expense that varies a whole lot is the 3rd party 
  inspection of the concrete pour.  In some counties
  So, after all of this , I hope this will be of use to anyone thinking 
  about a new tower,

  73

  Bob Smith
  NA6T
  Robert Smith Consulting
  707-964-4931
  Fort Bragg, California




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