Small decal guy, pricing first BIG job

[The Flaming Eyeball 4]

I've had my SC2 for 3 or 4 years now. I've been making decals for a specific group (per Mz. Skeeter, I found my niche in the recumbent cycling world)  I've done a couple big decal sets for a couple of trailers, but in all cases, these were customer installed. I only cut and mailed or delivered the decals. I've been happily making them and have had spurts of orders then not much, but this was a side/hobby job to begin with, not at all putting food on the table, just some thing to play with as I near retirement. I also use it in my powder coating business to make stencils.

I just got a call (from a previous $20 customer) for an order of door numbers for a warehouse. A lot of doors. In talking to the customer for the final bid, he asked if I could do double that work, and in two colors. Then he asked if I was sitting down (lol) and asked if I could do a warehouse with about 500 doors. We're talking 8 inch Helvetica numbers, so lots of vinyl for sure. 

I'm using the X plus Y divided by 2, plus 20% for my pricing (24 inches X 24 inches divided by 2, plus 20% = $28.80, for example) customer installed. Then he asked about how much I'd charge to install them.....

These are warehouse doors where semis back up to them, so installation would be with a step ladder, then a quick clean of the area, apply the numbers and move on...I'm being conservative with a 10-12 minute per door, including all the moving of the equipment, I think. We're talking a warehouse that is nearly 3/4 of a mile long, as well. 

 

First off, am I in the ballpark for my pricing to begin with?

Where would I even start to price labor for installation, especially in June/July in VA, and going up and down a ladder all the time to do it? All my previous work has been with the customer performing the installation.

I could also give the 'screw you' pricing, but if they accept that would be good I suppose. I do still have a full-time job that would get in the way...

How do you price this kind of work when you are asked to install the vinyl on site (travel)?

[kainth.c.s 53]

Obviously, you need to cover yourself up for some stuff ups as well. Please make sure that margin is included. If it is used up, you are covered, otherwise, you are more than free to either keep it with you as an extra margin for yourself or pass a bit of it to the customer in case you want to look after him because of he being with you for quite a while

[slice&dice 2,450]

12 minutes ea. x 500 doors is 100 hours of install time.

That would take me past July 4th if I started the work this coming Monday.

(and I don't have a full-time job that takes up most of my weekdays)

100 hours x $25/hr. seems reasonable (just for the application effort, not including the cost of the decals themselves)

[darcshadow 1,626]

$25 an hour sounds a little on the low side. I'd say $40 an hour, 15min per door, and $20 per number, and would look into hiring a day laborer, or maybe a high school kid or 2 to do/help with the install.

[slice&dice 2,450]

darcshadow, your figure of 15mins. per application comes out to 125 hours x $40 = $5,000.

and the $20 per number decal ( in two colors ) equals another $10,000, for a grand total of $15K.

My estimate is half that, at $7500.  (or, $15 per door) and I agree, it's too low for a two-color application.

It'll be interesting to see where this guy ends up, and how he manages to execute this job.