# Name the price for this set



## Loren (May 30, 2008)

I was asked to ballpark this today. Everything in plastic laminate. The center of the console is a big glowing light table. Everything but the chairs, the big TV and the paint job on the floor.

The guy didn't sound too pleased when I told him the figure. I thought I was being pretty reasonable, but I'd like to know how you would bid a job like this, if you sincerely wanted to do it, for money and/or the experience and portfolio shots.

And yes, the base of that console is compound curves on every side so it will need to be roughed out, smoothed with body filler, sanded and lacquered to look right.


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## Buckethead (Apr 14, 2013)

I'm looking at $28000.

Edit: that doesn't include lighting.


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

Good answer.


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## PLK (Feb 11, 2014)

I would be between 30-40k depending on the time frame. The time that they need it done in my mind speaks more to the price than the difficult techniques required to get the job done.

Personally, a set like this would take me 4-6 months to do not including design(If I had to do that, price would go up and an additional 2 weeks tacked on)

The 4-6months is a big ball park window without knowing more specifics, probably a bit longer than a production shop would take but I'm a one man show.

Paul


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

Ha. I said 20k. I know full well it's a 40k+ build from
a big outfit.

Maybe they'll come up with something less involved to execute.


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## cathode (May 18, 2014)

If you feel like they aren't going to give you the job at a level of compensation that you want, you might be able to keep them "happy" (happy customers are return customers) by suggesting that they look into having a plastic injection moulding outfit make most or all of those parts. It looks to be some type of stage or set for a recording studio so i doubt anything but the table will ever get touched except by a feather duster. Having everything cast out of ABS plastic or something may not be cheap but it might be more accurate considering the ridiculous shape.


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

We talked about that a bit… maybe vacu-forming or something,
but I don't know much about that tech. I did say
something like "yeah I can work with plastics but I'm
not set up to bend them into compound curves.
You'd have to ask the plastics guys."

I think it was just designed by somebody who didn't have
any realistic idea about what it costs to make curvy
stuff.


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## fge (Sep 8, 2008)

It looks cool. Make sure the PITA charge is applied…


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## InstantSiv (Jan 12, 2014)

KBS is a Korean broadcast service so that's most likely for a news or politics show.


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## DLCW (Feb 18, 2011)

Between $40K and $50K.


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## BinghamtonEd (Nov 30, 2011)

The guy didn't sound too pleased at $20k? What was he expecting???


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## NoThanks (Mar 19, 2014)

I'm surprised how many ball park prices have been given. 
I can't even tell how big it is, 
what the materials are, (plastic laminate could be 1.50 a ft -


> ?)
> What the whole scope of the job is.
> Where it's at, 2nd floor, stairs


Are those chrome strips on the curved corner walls, Stainless??
But what the hell…25,000 no wait, I'm high end, lets say 45,000….

*Regardless of the above*, I think 20 grand would have been low and don't think he will get it done any cheaper anywhere else.


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## ChrisK (Dec 18, 2009)

There are lots of small custom thermoforming shops around. You might be able to make the molds and save a few bucks. I am guessing $40K is going to be the real number.


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## Planeman40 (Nov 3, 2010)

Having been through this type of thing years back, it sounds to me like you are working with a designer who doesn't do much of this and isn't familiar with the costs. Those who have been at it a while have passed the "sticker shock" phase and are used to hearing the cost figures. It might be good to point him to a top end expensive shop and suggest he get a competitive bid. Yes you take a chance of losing him, but he is going to get another bid from somebody. At lease let him see the high end.

Planeman


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## huff (May 28, 2009)

Iwud4u + 1

I would need more info other than the one picture to even begin to figure a price.

I would never give a "ball park" guess on a project like that.l They would have to give me a "ball park" guess on their budget and nail down more details ( the overall size would be a good starting point, materials and finishes other than Plastic laminate and all the little details that can't be seen, but you can bet your butt they will add on before it's all said an done.

If they are really serious about having something like that built, they also have some sort of budget in mind.

Put the ball back in their court!


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

He was just finishing for a fantasy price I think. He's probably
already called around.

A couple years ago somebody asked me to bid a laminate
counter thing for a cell-phone store in the middle of a mall,
sort of like a cosmetics counter I suppose. It had curves.
So I gave him a reasonable bid at like $200/lf minus the glass
and never hear back.

Few months later I get a desperate call from the same
guy… he didn't say so but I recognized his voice or number.
The guys he hired were totally in over their heads and
were making a mess of it. He wanted me to rush down
there first thing in the morning to take a look…. I told
him I could do it at 10 and that's the last I heard.


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## BinghamtonEd (Nov 30, 2011)

Loren, that's a funny story about the cell phone counter. Your price was too high for him, so he went with someone else, and ended up in a bad situation. So he calls you, and now your time is too late. I wonder how things worked out after that. He doesn't want to pay, and doesn't want to wait, for a quality job. He probably ended up paying more than you $200/lf bid in the end.


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## JAAune (Jan 22, 2012)

On the other side, my former employer once got a call from a government contractor for a project bid. Once they got the price and lead time (six months) they called back (two years later) and said they needed it in three months. The owner informed them that the quote was dated and had been for a lead time of 3 months and the price would double if they wanted to go forward with a three month schedule.

They paid.


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## BinghamtonEd (Nov 30, 2011)

"On the other side, my former employer once got a call from a government contractor for a project bid. Once they got the price and lead time (six months) they called back (two years later) and said they needed it in three months."

Yep, sounds about par for the course for government contracting. Although, from my experience, that's probably the same response that the contractor got from the government, and just passed it on to you.


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