General Home Automation Structured (low voltage) wiring installation estimates

I am currently in the middle of a remodel and I am adding a lot of low
voltage wiring. I, roughly, plan on having the following installed:

 29 speaker drops
 11 audio control drops
 23 cat5 or cat6 drops
 12 Bundle (2cat5/2RG6) drops
 15 component (3 RG6) drops

I recently received a bid, but I am not sure what the normal cost of
installation is therefore I cannot validate whether I am getting a
resonable estimate. I understand that I can contact a few other
installers to get bids, but I am running out of time before the sheet
rock goes up, therefore is anyone aware of any resources which can help
me to semi-accurately determine if the quote I am receiving is fair?

Thanks in advance for any help.

Why not just DIY and save a few thousand dollars?  This stuff is not rocket
science.  You and a helper (perhaps your SO) could probably prewire the
whole job in one weekend.  Cable is relatively inexpensive and readily
available.  Hardware, including speakers and controls can usually be
purchased online for a small fraction of the price an integrator may need to
charge.

--

Regards,
Robert L Bass

=============================>
Bass Home Electronics
2291 Pine View Circle
Sarasota � Florida � 34231
877-722-8900 Sales & Tech Support
http://www.bassburglaralarms.com
=============================>

Robert L Bass wrote:

He is looking at 90 drops. More than a weekend project for DIY.

Two people could still do it in a weekend.  The trick is to plan everything
out before starting.  Pull multiple runs together wherever possible.  Mark
both ends of every cable as you go.  I like to bring a checklist showing
every drop for each room and mark them off as I go.

--

Regards,
Robert L Bass

=============================>
Bass Home Electronics
2291 Pine View Circle
Sarasota � Florida � 34231
877-722-8900 Sales & Tech Support
http://www.bassburglaralarms.com
=============================>

Robert L Bass wrote:

Even with planning it would be a killer weekend. Without planning it
would be a disaster.

90 drops X 20 minutes per drop = 30 hours

20 minutes per drop is quite fast (even for pros) since for each drop
you need to:

1. Locate and mount a box or mud ring (for speakers 3 wire end points).

2. Drill holes. At this speed spade bits and consumer drills won't cut
it. You need auger or self-feed bits, a stout drill and heavy duty
extension cord.

3. Pull and label cables.

4. Fasten cable bundles so the won't be damaged by other trades.

Not included in the above 30 hours is time to set up and get out twice
since you can't do all the work in one day. Getting all the cable and
tools in and out will eat up at least 1 hour per day. So you are looking
at two 16 hour days. My guess is that few DIYs are able to pull off such
a feat. I cannot think of any I have met that could do it in two 16 hour
days.

I just reviewed a actual time spreadsheet from a job where everything
went well. There were 55 drops which took 18 hours - 19.6 minutes per
drop. This was with a crew of three. For the actual pull one man was on
the spools, one man on the end of the wire and one man in the middle to
make corners. This was as fast as I have ever wired a traditional solid
beam two story house with basement. We were rolling.

In construction with open wood trusses the only drilling is to penetrate
floors. In one of these I used three cable joes (but no helper) and I
ran 21 drops in 10 hours which is 28.6 minutes per drop. Not bad...


 > Mark both ends of every cable as you go.

You really don't need to mark BOTH ends if you have as list or drawing
identifying the non wiring closet endpoints. If you mark the wiring
closet ends that is sufficient to maintain order.