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sgroz

New Member
Hi Everyone - we are a sign shop in Florida and are increasingly having to price signage over 20' in height as development development ramps up here.
We had a software we were using to estimate steel and footers for us to be able to price projects before paying for official stamped engineering but it only works up to 20' height.
Does anyone have a software they use that they like for this? I've heard a bit about Murdoch Engineering - not sure if there are any others?

Thanks for the help!
 

kcollinsdesign

Old member
This book is not nearly as comprehensive, but will likely work for estimating (especially if you have a company like Murdoch do the actual engineering). It's been around a while, but the engineering principles haven't changed. Might be hard to find a printed version.

I don't think it is a good idea to rely on a spreadsheet or somebody's convenient program or app unless you have a basic understanding of the processes involved. I would get both books.
Back in the day, we would just use schedule 30 steel tubes and fill a huge hole with concrete (usually ending up paying for double the section modulus of steel and 2x – 3x the amount of concrete needed). Nobody asked for stamped drawings for anything under 65' or so. A lot of material was paid for and wasted. When I started, I studied the engineering in order to be more competitive. Today you will likely need stamped drawings. In most cases, my estimates were a bit over engineered, and the engineering is paid for (and then some) by the savings in material. (Note: Murdoch is a great company to work with; they know signs and will actively help you value-engineer your project).

But, in most cases, you don't want to pay for engineering until you have a contract. The books will help you with estimating.

 
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