$5k for wirring my new house ??? Should I sign the contract ??? Please advice quickly!!!

[azev]

Well just got a quote from the only contractor authorized to do low voltage wiring in my house.

Link to the Contract quote.

I wonder if this is even remotely close to being resonably priced ??

They are the only company authorized by my builder to do any work in the house. So either I go with them or no go at all and there are no other choices.

I have never work with Low Voltage contractor and I dont know if this price is about right ??

Will this increase to the price of my house if one day I decided to sell it ?

I have to sign this contract by tomorrow, please advice...!!!

Thank you so much.,....

 

[IceNineJon]

You have to give us more detail than that . Wiring your house with what kind of wiring? What are you going to be using it for?

 

[azev]

Sorry I clicked enter before typing anything.... I edit my post already.

 

[spidey07]

seems a little high

Also are they running fiber to each and every media outlet? Seems like they are.

They're providing the whole deal - rack, labor, materials, cable, video amplifier.

And no, you don't have to sign the contract by tomorrow - it is your money you know. I'd get another bid or two.

 

[azev]

And no, you don't have to sign the contract by tomorrow - it is your money you know. I'd get another bid or two.

Spidey07, my builder has a contract with genesis (the wiring contractor) and they only allows them to do the data wiring in my house. So I cannot get any other quote from different company. Its sucks I know, but I have argued with my house builder about this and they basically said take it or leave it.

and No, the fiber on the quote was only to tell me how much would it cost to pull one fiber connection per outlet unterminated.

Since you think that is a little much with the fiber, and now knowing that the fiber is out, would this make it very high ??

Thanks

 

[spidey07]

Its tough to tell.

100 bucks per cable run/termination on both ends parts and labor is usually 100-120 bucks for cat5e. Should be the same for the RG6.

The rack could be anywhere from 200-1500 bucks.
Video amp - 150-1000 bucks

There's a lot of extras in there other than "patch panel, cable, jacks, labor". Ask for itemized materials if you need to see a break down. It would help.

Add up each and every cat5e drop/RG6 drop and multiply by 100 for a low mark on the cabling alone and see where you wind up. Then try to add the rack and video amp. 150 each drop for a high mark.

-ps- I HATE dealing with housing contrators. There is no detail what so ever. Also the whole - take it or leave it you must sign tomorrow sounds like they're trying to strong arm you. If this is the only installer the general contractor uses then I smell serious kickbacks.

 

[azev]

The reason why I have to sign this as quickly as possible is because the house builder is ready to put up the dry wall. The wiring need be done before then so I have to sign this contract as soon as possible so they can start working on the wiring. I dont want my closing date to be delayed because of this and if I keep delaying this they'll blame me on it.

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: azev
The reason why I have to sign this as quickly as possible is because the house builder is ready to put up the dry wall. The wiring need be done before then so I have to sign this contract as soon as possible so they can start working on the wiring. I dont want my closing date to be delayed because of this and if I keep delaying this they'll blame me on it.

If you're rolling it into the mortgage then sign it and be done. It doesn't sound like you have much of a choice.

 

[azev]

If you're rolling it into the mortgage then sign it and be done. It doesn't sound like you have much of a choice.

Unfortunately This wasnt planned when I apply for the mortgage, So I will have to pay them out of my own pocket somehow. I am affraid it all comes down to just sign it and deal with it because I dont have any choice at all.... Well, I guess thats what I am going to do.

Anyway, do you know if this stuff will increase the price of the house when I decided to sell them in the future ?

Thanks for all your insight.

 

[jonmullen]

well it for sure wont hurt the price of the house. I think the value is sort of in the eye of the beholder. And eldery couple with no computer would not care...other might.

 

[Macro2]

After brief review...
If you want all that capability, it doesn't look like you have a choice. You could skip the wired ethernet and go wireless but at you stage in construction I would wire that too.

Is it worth it? To me it would be. Will you get all that out of the house when you sell? Likely not. It may help sell the home though.

Mac

 

[amdskip]

That contractor sucks big balls because you know that he is surely getting a kickback if he sells the other companies install so it's free money for him. I'd tell him it's my house and my money and if I want to run the cables I'm gonna do it. I'm stubborn like that and I'd probably get in a big fight and tell him off. I'd go in at night and run the cables myself. Looks like you are stuck though so you might as well get it done.

 

[Stealth1024]

As part of my job I run fiber, CAT5, coax, etc. including termination, patch panels, etc.

That might be reasonable for a bid, however you could do it for MUCH MUCH less yourself. If that price included network switches, digital phone equipment, video distribution, etc. I would say you were getting a good deal, but just for running some wire and crimping on some ends, heck I'll do it for $1800 Of course the rack and fiber termination is going to be the biggest pain and expense but....

 

[HappyPuppy]

Actually, the only thing you need to have done right now is to have the CAT5 run. It doesn't even have to be terminated. You can have all that done later, after your asshole contractor has left.

Just my opinion, I hate being pressured.

 

[cmetz]

azev, everything that I have ever seen is that the companies who specialize in wiring homes for builders are idiots. Huge idiots. I have many stories. The short of it is that builders don't know anything about technology and thus don't know the difference between a good wiring job and a bad wiring job, but they do know the cost difference.

See if you can talk them into running conduit instead. Long shot but what the heck.

Fiber is unlikely to be worth the cost.

Insist that the sub put language in their quote/contract to the effect of that it meets all EIA/TIA category 5e standards and every drop will be tested to conform to said standards. That way when they cut corners you have something to come back to them on.

Alternately, see if your foreman's reasonable. A bottle of whiskey can go a long way.

 

[Yo2]

Originally posted by: HappyPuppy
Actually, the only thing you need to have done right now is to have the CAT5 run. It doesn't even have to be terminated. You can have all that done later, after your asshole contractor has left.

Just my opinion, I hate being pressured.

This is great advice - at least if your contractor does not budge make it known that you would have someone - possibly just a friend or the electrician run just the wires cat 5 and RG6 from the distribution panel into each room. They can be terminated later. At least this will buy you time...

Yo

 

[azev]

Well, thank you so much for the input guys, I appreciate it. But unfortunately I have signed the contract yesterday and they will start pulling wires today. I am going to find some times to check on them though. I know a lot about wiring, I've done it many times, but I am just to lazy to do it my self. But I will make sure that they do a good job or else. They will only pull all the wires today and tomorrow, they will continue terminating them when t he builder finished putting up all the dry wall and painting them. Supposedly they are pretty good so I am crossing my finger here.

As part of my job I run fiber, CAT5, coax, etc. including termination, patch panels, etc.

That might be reasonable for a bid, however you could do it for MUCH MUCH less yourself. If that price included network switches, digital phone equipment, video distribution, etc. I would say you were getting a good deal, but just for running some wire and crimping on some ends, heck I'll do it for $1800 Of course the rack and fiber termination is going to be the biggest pain and expense but....
.

Well the setup doest include any digital phone equipment, and this is actually one of the biggest concern that I have right now. Allthough I am thinking of getting something like This; I dont think I can afford it right now.

They told me that they will wire all the phone jack (6 of them) with CAT5E cables and terminate them with a combo RJ11/RJ45 jacks and a patch panel on the server room end.

Now I wonder, can I just the phone to a regular data switch and at least get it working until I can afford some sort of pbx system ??

Thanks

 

[martind1]

You know, you could get a quote from another contractor. Just to see if the other one is in the ballpark. The builder doesn't need to know about the quote.

kind of sneaky and not really fair for the 2nd contractor to waste his time for a job he cant get. But while you ahve him there, ask him how much to do after the house is finished.

 

[ScottMac]

NO, actually, you wouldn't be able to get a quote from another (reputable) contractor.

He would not be allowed on the job site, and has no legal reason to be there. Any contractor that'll look at someone else's quote and bid without seeing the site or (at least) the plans is not someone you'd want to deal with.

The quote is at least a little high, but it's what you have, and it MUST come with a warranty ... since it's the General's (or builder's) chosen installer. You have legal recourse if the cabling is not to spec, doesn't perform, or is otherwise unsuitable.

You DO NOT want to run your own cable in a new construction house (unless they allow you to pull your own before the drywall goes up. Same deal ... you mess with the drywall, wiring, framing (drilling holes) .... anything ... and the warranty for that goes right out the window (not to mention you assume all liabillity for damages).

It's be nice if you could talk the electricians or cable installer into conduit ... don't hold your breath - they have a project schedule to keep. Conduit would add at least another day, and probably $1-2K to the job.

As mentioned, you may be able to reduce the cost by not having the cabling terminated, and either do it yourself (punching is much easier to accomplish to spec than crimping), or using your own Rack & actives. IF you go that route, then the cabling contractor is released from all warranty except damaged in-wall / invisible cabling.

All-in-all, IMHO, your best course is to let them do the job according to bid, then hold their feet to the fire for spec compliance. Make sure your lawyer makes / confirms provisions in the closing documents that permits you to do so.

FWIW

Scott

 

[azev]

Thank you ScottMac, your .02 actually release some pressure that I got from friends and THE WIFE!!!
Well they told me that they will do a great job, and that everything is warrantied for 1 year. If I go with their custom USTEC series they said that it would be warrantied for 15 years, but for god sake I dont think I am going to stay there from that long. Normally though, when everything is done and things are working, I am quite sure that there shouldnt be any problem unless I have some infestation in the house . Since all the wired are invinsible user errors is practically eliminated (such as stepping on loose wire, etc). Now I just have to start planning on how to setup the main panel

Btw they started late afternoon today, and got some of the room done. Here is some Pictures I took tonight. Those of you who dealt with wiring for their work, please comment on the workmanship these guys did.

Thanks

 

[cmetz]

azev, ask two pointed questions of the installers:

1. Why are they running communication cables at near-perpendicular angles (neither actually perpendicular nor parallel, so you get uneven coupling) nearby current-carrying wires? (this could cause interference) It's unavoidable in most homes, but they don't seem to be doing a good job of trying to separate power and communication. This is the biggest problem I see.

2. Have they measured their bends for conformance with cat5e minimum bend radius? A few bends look non-conformant, but not terribly and this one you can get away with a lot on in practice.

Also, check that the cable ties are not tight. Tight actually does bad things to the twists and isn't really necessary, you just need 'em to hold bunches together.

Don't freak, they're doing okay. I've seen a whole lot worse. As a very general rule of thumb, look for neatness as a clue to whether the installer is good or not. See how most electricians run current carrying wire every which way without a care in the world? If your communication cable guys did that, that would be a very bad sign. Neat bundles in mostly perpendicular directions referenced to the stud (that is, they go up/down, or left/right) is generally a good sign.

 

[ScottMac]

I believe I saw some cables stapled (!) to a backing board. If they are "cable staples," it probably not a big deal, if they are traditional "flat top" staples, it could be a bad thing ... not necessarily a killer, but definately out of spec.

Cable staples are arched so that the staple doesn't actually compress the jacket of the cabling (the spec says "no compression of the jacket" - in many UTP cables, that interferes with the lay of the pair within the jacket and reduces (to some degree) the anti-crosstalk / noise rejection properties, and may cause an "impedence lump" (and area of radically different impedence -which is the resistance a cable presents at a given frequency- which can degrade the signal). Staples also make it difficult to replace a cable if it's found to be fubar after the walls are up.

As Cmetz mentioned, overall, it's not a bad job. Most of the better cable offer a little headroom (performance above spec is what I mean) that gives the installer some latitude from a "perfect" install. Try to get a certification scan on paper from the installers, make copies, and keep it in/on/near the panel. Someday when you want to sell the place, you can show the prospective buyers that the cabling was professionally installed, and that it meets a certification spec.

If the installer can't / won't do a scan, then bring in an outside data-cable installer that will, get it on paper, and if the cable doesn't meet cat5e spec (as presented on the quote), then get it fixed (the installer should pick up the cost), or get a refund.

Congrats! "real" cabling give you many options beyond connecting computers. There are adapters for transmitting video, audio, serial ... almost any kind of signalling.

FWIW

Scott

 

[lbmcleod]

Tell them to leave spaces (conduits) in the walls to put cables and then do it yourself later