[TowerTalk] Tower Foundation (was Concrete Prices)

[Al Kozakiewicz]

The one thing I would point out is that while manual labor is cheap - maybe $10/hour - the contractors real costs to do your job are opportunity costs.  If the time required to dig your hole by hand means that he can only do one job in the time he might normally take to do 2 or 3, then the fair price for your job is the normal margin PLUS the net margin on the additional jobs he might have done instead.

That's, of course, assumg there is no great scarcity of work for masons in your area.

Al
AB2ZY

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From: TowerTalk [towertalk-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Marsh Stewart [marsh at ka5m.net]
Sent: Thursday, January 02, 2014 12:05 PM
To: towertalk at contesting.com
Subject: [TowerTalk] Tower Foundation (was Concrete Prices)

I live in NW Louisiana. I'm looking for a concrete contractor to install a
base per specs for a US Tower HDX-555. I need a hole 5' X 5' 7.25', rebar,
about 7 cubic yards of concrete, and 3 anchor bolts in the right place. I
have the anchor bolts and base. (If the layout of my lot, house, and pool
would allow it, I'd put up 60' of Rohn 45G, with 2 sets of guy wires.)

A major consideration is that access to my backyard is 42.5" wide through a
walk gate and between an A/C compressor and a brick wall. If the A/C
compressor were temporally removed the width of access would increase 4" to
46.5" - not wide enough I'm told for even the smallest of back hoes.
Removing a section of fence for better access is not an option.

Almost surely the hole will have to be dug by hand and the excavated dirt
moved by wheelbarrow to the front yard to be scoped up by a front-end
loader.

Bid #1: $6,880 - contractor never showed up. The one time I did run him down
to check with him he wanted to change the specs to a 6' X 6' X 6' hole.
Right or wrong, I'm going to go by US Tower's specs.

Bid #2: $9,000

Do those prices sound reasonable? They sounds high to me, but I have no
reference as to what concrete work should cost.

73,
Marsh, KA5M

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On 12/24/2013 9:29 AM, Mike Reublin NF4L wrote:

I want to see if I can get a reasonability check on the price to
pour the base for my HG-70HD. 4x4x7 1/2 feet. I'm getting the base
from HG.


Bid #1. Did hole by hand, bring concrete from street with a power
wagon. 3000# mix. $1500.00.

Bid #2. Dig hole with "trencher". pump concrete from street, 3000#
mix with fibers. $2500.00.

73 & Merry Christmas,
Mike NF4L

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