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What NOT to do when Selling a 4x8 sign and installing it....

Locals Find!

New Member
1. Don't think you won't need to survey the site
2. Don't Improperly engineer the sign based on your lack of a site survey.
3. Don't assume the ground won't have boulders the size of VW Beetles buried 6 inches under the soil.
4. Don't assume your post hole diggers are adequate tools
5. Don't forget you loaned your cordless drill, and your cordless driver to a friend
6. Don't assume you will be done in 1 hour and everything will go as planned
7. Don't assume you won't need your work gloves because, this is going to be easy
8. Don't price the sign before you do the site survey (see #1 again)
9. Don't ever promise a client their rush is no problem
10. Don't price the sign where you can't afford to rent an auger, backhoe and other necessary tools for the site. (See #1 again)
11. Don't forget the explosives
12. Never ever do any of the Above while attempting to install a sign on a Sunday in the Heart of the Southern Baptist Bible belt and not think you won't get a sermon for all the cursing you are doing cause you violated Rule #1.

Lesson Learned - Always, Always, charge for and insist on a Site survey before quoting or planning a job.

Back to beating my head against that wall for this cock up. :banghead: Luckily I was fortunate enough to have the clients brother (very nice guy) willing to let me borrow the necessary tools without telling his Sister what a cock up this was. Thank Goodness for the Good Ole Boy network. Saved my hide from a very embarrassing situation. The sign finally went up without a hitch 5 hours after I should have been done.
 
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Trip59

New Member
Seems like some pretty obvious mistakes there for anyone who has ever done any kind of install...
 

Locals Find!

New Member
Seems like some pretty obvious mistakes there for anyone who has ever done any kind of install...

I got cocky trying to install this sign in Alva as it was the second sign on the same property. Site #1 went smooth as silk. Soil was soft and rich and was simple and easy. Site #2 on the front part of the plantation was a whole other story. I now know why Site #1 went so smooth they must have dragged all the rocks over to the other side of the property 40 years ago.
 

Techman

New Member
Don't price the sign where you can't afford to rent an auger, backhoe and other necessary tools for the site.

Do not be quoting out sign installs unless you are qualified enough, and astute, enough to know you have to add in those obviously important costs.
 

Moze

Active Member
How do you survey for buried rock? Buried rock is just one of the unfortunate hiccups you might encounter when digging. That's why that kind of work can be quoted but with a clause included that such hiccups (rock, broken sprinkler lines, etc) will be dealt with on a T&M basis.
 

Marlene

New Member
Do not be quoting out sign installs unless you are qualified enough, and astute, enough to know you have to add in those obviously important costs.

+1
no real sign person would make any of the mistakes on your list, but gee thanks for reminding the rest of us just how important it is to know what you are doing

did you call the local TV station with breaking news?
 

Locals Find!

New Member
How do you survey for buried rock? Buried rock is just one of the unfortunate hiccups you might encounter when digging. That's why that kind of work can be quoted but with a clause included that such hiccups (rock, broken sprinkler lines, etc) will be dealt with on a T&M basis.

Usually I check for buried rock with a 4 foot piece of rebarb with a sharpened tip I pound 2 feet of it down into where I wanna dig and see if it suddenly stops. If it does well I know I got a rock in my way and relocate. This time I didn't since the other part of the plantation was so smooth.

As, for the person asking about permits they aren't required for "For Sale" signs in the Unincorporated parts of the County.

As, for the people insulting me well. I only posted this so someone else down the road will read this and not make my same mistakes.
 

signage

New Member
Usually I check for buried rock with a 4 foot piece of rebarb with a sharpened tip I pound 2 feet of it down into where I wanna dig and see if it suddenly stops. If it does well I know I got a rock in my way and relocate. This time I didn't since the other part of the plantation was so smooth.

As, for the person asking about permits they aren't required for "For Sale" signs in the Unincorporated parts of the County.

As, for the people insulting me well. I only posted this so someone else down the road will read this and not make my same mistakes.

How do you know that an electrical line isn't at the location you pound the rebar into the ground?

I hope you call "one call" first, and if electrical line exist that they locate them correctly!

What you are doing just seems like a waste of time, something more like a real estate salesman would do, not a signman!
 
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