Cat 5e plenum price per drop 1

[Imstillhere]

Ive read alot of the threads but the ones i searched came up a little dated..so Id like to get a few recent ideas of what i should expect to be charged for about 200 drops..avg length 100' each drop would consist of 3 cables (2data 1 voice) all cate 5e plenum..no conduit, but overhead hooks, its a newly gutted office space with the old cable gone and ceiling open...Data cables will need to be certified. We are located in Richmond Va.
So if i could get a few ideas on the cost of a "drop" and does/should that cost include the jacks/faceplates/terminating/labeling ect ect and certifying?? Thank you !!

 

[Mountainbear]

I can only say what you could expect here in Canada. You can expect ANYTHING. I recently installed 15 dual drops less than 100' ea the cost ended up being around $60 each. The drops were not certified (since the tester is $10,000) but I would have no hesitation in saying they would pass.
From what you explained I would give an estimate of $75 ea including termination ,labling,faceplate and verifying (not certified)(not including the patch panel and associated work).
Since you will most likly have an electrician there as well, he will want to give an estimate. I would prefer to have a cabling specialist do the work NOT an electrician but that's just me. There are others who will do the work cheaper, especially in these ecconomic times. There are others who will charge a lot more.
I have no idea what certification will cost, You can rent a certification tester for around $500/week.

 

[phoneguy610]

we have testers that cost about $300 that do just fine. We are about the average in our area at $150 per cable (3 cables would be $450 per drop)

if i was to do it as a side project i would probably tell you $200 per drop.

 

[Mountainbear]

Phoneguy,
is that a certification tester? I do have a tester that checks for split pairs, opens, shorts etc. It does not give the frequency results, cross talk etc.
I would love to charge what you do. Unfortunately in this area cable guys have come out of the woodwork. I should clarify $75 ea is per cable. Here each cable is refered to as a drop, so the 2 data and 1 phone would be refered to as three drops per location.

 

[jeffmoss26]

I charge at least 100 a drop (one cable)

jeff moss

 

[phoneguy610]

hcaadmin... if you need an estimate i would be happy to take a look

973.335.8800 ask for dan

 

[Dexman]

Certification testers are expensive. Purchasing one makes sense if you do a lot of jobs with CAT5E or higher cables. Otherwise go the rental route.

I "FEATURE 00

 

[buitenhek]

My material cost is a little better than the average bear, so your pricing should reflect your quoted rates.
200-V2D average cost is $158/drop and sell average at $225/drop
60,000' CAT6 plenum cable, 600 CAT6 jacks, 80 hangers, 260 J-hooks, 200 faceplates/mudrings, 300 hours.
6-96 port CAT6 panels plus 1-24-port CAT6 panel (both voice & data landing on panels. Economies of scale.
Cost $38,000 Sell $52,000 27.7% GPM.

Regards
Peter Buitenhek
Director
BidQwik.com
ProfitDeveloper.com

"Never settle for a job well done...always look for cost cutting measures

 

[alamtnman]

another thing to consider/ clarify is what you/your customer expects especially in the closet.
for my day job I work for a large enduser/ corporation

For a job with 400 data drops I may require my contractor supply 1 or 2 seven ft racks and wire managemt and sometimes shelving plus patch cords for both ends plus a both a cd and hard copy of certification test. Is your voice going to be on 110,bix, or cat 5 patch panels too ( more wire managemnet, more testingetc etc) all that will run up your per drop average.

for my side job

I average about the same as what is reccomended here typicall around 100 per cable per drop but that will vary based on closet requirement and permiting etc etc.

I do differ from mountainbear in the fact I prefer electricians if they have a datacom division or do the cabling regularly. most data-com only companies usally expect the eletricain to provide a pathway and do not like to fish walls Plus electricians ussally get along with the GC and electrical inspectors alot better if its a new construction job but I come from an electrical background and I guess I am biased but I have seen both good and bad in both type's

T.R.
RCDD

there may not be any stupid questions
but their is a bunch of inquizative idiots
(myself included at times)

 

[phoneguy610]

most data-com only companies usally expect the eletricain to provide a pathway and do not like to fish walls"

i have worked for three "data-com" only companies and nothing could be further from the truth.

it is when electricians pull the low voltage with their wire, things end up not labeled correctly (if at all)

also i have never had any issues with GCs at jobsites

i mean i am sure there is the run of the mill guys that think they can run wires and do a crappy job, but any self respecting telecom guy will do a bang up job.

i would ask them to show you some pictures of previous work. I know i keep a ton of pictures on my phone. Anyone that does a nice job and is proud of their work usually takes a snapshot or two after a job, especially the multi-month long ones