A gate I just finished (pics)

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It was a lot of work for a one man show. I had the help of a tow truck driver to lift the gates into position.I had a local metal fab shop roll the top tube. I then cut it in half and flipped one half upside down and welded it up to get the "bell curve".I did all the cutouts on my CNC plasma table. The posts are 4 inch sched 80 set in 3/4 yard of concrete.I charged $3500 for the gate.....installed. It took me a good 7 day week to complete, and an entire day to get installed. I'd be curious what you guys thought about the price. high, low, about right?Thanks!!Miller TrailBlazer 301Miller 12rc feederMiller ShopmasterMiller 22a feederPlasmaCam CNC TableHypertherm 45 cutterDrills, saws, blast cabinets etc.
Reply:ah crap, my pictures are not showing up......can anyone see what is wrong. The links are there.Miller TrailBlazer 301Miller 12rc feederMiller ShopmasterMiller 22a feederPlasmaCam CNC TableHypertherm 45 cutterDrills, saws, blast cabinets etc.
Reply:Originally Posted by whiskeyrichardIt was a lot of work for a one man show. I had the help of a tow truck driver to lift the gates into position.I had a local metal fab shop roll the top tube. I then cut it in half and flipped one half upside down and welded it up to get the "bell curve".I did all the cutouts on my CNC plasma table. The posts are 4 inch sched 80 set in 3/4 yard of concrete.I charged $3500 for the gate.....installed. It took me a good 7 day week to complete, and an entire day to get installed. I'd be curious what you guys thought about the price. high, low, about right?Thanks!!
Reply:Can't comment about prices since i'm overseas but I think it's a nice gate (here this would be a low price). What are the trees and sun made of ? Corten ? Will the posts get a finish ? Any change of some detail pics ?CheersLincoln Electric Invertec 170SLincoln Electric Powertec 350C PRO
Reply:That is beautiful.You definitely undercharged, were you doing it for a friend? that looks like a $5-6k gate to me, at least in my area.Miller Dynasty 300 DXMiller CST280Miller Maxstar 150 STH
Reply:The cutouts are made of 12 gauge steel, and I rusted them with some chemicals from steel-fx.The owner put the posts in and is also going to do the finish work around them,Materials was about $1300.00, and yes, the $3500 charge did include materials.This was not done for a friend, it was just a normal customer. I had not built a gate like this before and just underbid the job. I did not realize how long it was going to take to build.Because I was under the impression that I undercharged, I asked the land owner not to tell how much he paid for it because I am sure other people on that road are going to ask about it.Miller TrailBlazer 301Miller 12rc feederMiller ShopmasterMiller 22a feederPlasmaCam CNC TableHypertherm 45 cutterDrills, saws, blast cabinets etc.
Reply:I wouldnt sweat it, your price was low but you broke into the market with a great looking gate, I would be surprised if that didnj't lead to other jobs. take the experiance and build on it. good job
Reply:Outstanding!  But that doesn't seem to do it the justice it deserves.  Is there a more appropriate word?- MondoMember, AWSLincoln ProMIG 140Lincoln AC TombstoneCraftsman Lathe 12 x 24 c1935Atlas MFC Horizontal MillCraftsman Commercial Lathe 12 x 36 c1970- - - I'll just keep on keepin' on.
Reply:Originally Posted by MondoOutstanding!  But that doesn't seem to do it the justice it deserves.  Is there a more appropriate word?- Mondo
Reply:very nice work!! Thats a beautiful gate, are they going to put an electric opener on it or anything?MillerMatic 252Miller Dialarc 250Smith Oxy/acetlyne Cutting OutfitHossfeld BenderTubing Roller
Reply:Gate looks great and the price was OK.....this time. Always remember, an education costs money and what costs you money will always be remembered.
Reply:BEAUTIFUL! NICE WORK I hate being bi-polar it's awsomeMy Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys
Reply:Thanks for all the comments.Yeah, they are going to have me put an electric opener on it.Thanks again.Miller TrailBlazer 301Miller 12rc feederMiller ShopmasterMiller 22a feederPlasmaCam CNC TableHypertherm 45 cutterDrills, saws, blast cabinets etc.
Reply:Great work, man!-AaronJet 17.5" Drill Press1942 South Bend 16x84 Lathe1980s Miller 320A / BP --- 2013 Power Mig 2562012 Jet 7x12 Horizontal BandsawVictor O/A Setup
Reply:Gate looks great still profit less material is what about 330 a day, more than a shop will pay anywhere for production work and you got your foot in the door and will get jobs off thisLincoln 225 Tombstone,Miller Big 20,Hobart 180,150' Argon,A/D hobart hood 22 Ton Log splitter,79 F350 dump eats 4.75 TONS and still turns cutters,grinders,And a  Hypertherm POWERMAX 30
Reply:Phenominal job,  I always hate to see a craftsman short sell his skills and have them undervalued.    With that said around here that gate would be 2x what you charged.Vantage 500's LN-25's, VI-400's, cobramatics, Miller migs, synch 350 LX, Powcon inverters, XMT's, 250 Ton Acurrpress 12' brake, 1/4" 10' Atlantic shear,Koikie plasma table W/ esab plasmas. marvel & hyd-mech saws, pirrana & metal muncher punches.
Reply:Great work! You did a good job.  I would think $3500 without materials would b pretty good.  But I would definitely say you are going to get referrals from this job. http://www.philswelding.com
Reply:Fabricators make money, artists do not. Great job, you are both an artist and a fabber...you need to increase your rates considerablyThermal Arc Fabricator 2101970 Lincoln RedfaceMiller 150 STLStill need a Syncrowave and a plasma and a milling machine and a lathe and a bigger shop and a....
Reply:WR that is one beautiful set of gates. FWIW I'd have charged at least 1.5 X what you did, if not double. But we have to remember pricing is a very subjective. There's a guy named Micheal Stone who has a great book and blog on contractor pricing. http://www.markupandprofit.com/blog/When you get into the access controls be very careful. Good set ups are not anywhere close to cheap, and cheap set ups aren't anywhere close to good.It's also a good idea to make sure your contract has wording to cover you if the electronics fail (they will eventually) that the manufacturer is responsible for any warranty replacements, and related labor, caused by their equipment. You should only be responsible if something related to your installation labor goes awry.Another quick tip; make sure the ground circuit is bullet proof and some form of lightning protection is a good idea, too.Keep up the GREAT work!Brian LeonardAppalachian Ironworks L.L.C.434 Long Branch Rd, Marshall, NC 28753828 649 9966828 702 [email protected]
Reply:Originally Posted by 7A749Gonna have to disagree with that assessment. I do understand what you mean tho, so here's the flipside..... Don't know too many fabricators doing too well in the Midwest.Know a few "artists" (if you want to call them that) doing pretty well & not traveling, working overtime or laying in a muddy ditch 10+ hours a day either.I got out of the fabrication end of things years ago. Just too many hacks working for nothing around here. No way I can compete.The art thing is looking pretty promising tho  Easy money & I love doing it.IMHO of course