What should I charge for resistograph (wood decay ) testing?

Originally Posted By: kshepard
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I have a resistograph, an instrument for documenting hidden wood decay in logs, timbers, trees and poles. I’m not sure what to charge for say, a log home in which age, visual and resonance testing indacate hidden decay. I use this instrument to test indicated areas and its perimeters.


This is a $4000.00 instrument and I believe I’m the only Home Inspector in Colorado who owns one. Maybe a per-hole charge with a minimum?


http://www.nachi.org/resistograph.htm shows Nick and me with one I borrowed last summer.

Fee suggestions please!


Kent


Originally Posted By: dspencer
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Residential $265.00


Commercial $365.00


2-3 test plugs included

$50 additional


Originally Posted By: kshepard
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Darren, do you mean 2-3 holes? This instrument leaves 1/16" holes and I drill a minimum of 10.


Originally Posted By: mboyett
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Kenton,


Just out of curiosity how could you spend $4,000 on an instrument and not know what the demand nor the price to charge would be? Didn’t you do a Return on Investment analysis for something that expensive? Wouldn’t you want to know before you bought it how long it would take to pay back the investment? Don’t mean to sound critical but I was just wondering.



Mike Boyett


Capital City Inspections


Austin, Tx


www.capcityinspections.com

Originally Posted By: jrivera
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mboyett wrote:
Kenton,
Just out of curiosity how could you spend $4,000 on an instrument and not know what the demand nor the price to charge would be? Didn't you do a Return on Investment analysis for something that expensive? Wouldn't you want to know before you bought it how long it would take to pay back the investment? Don't mean to sound critical but I was just wondering.


Kenton, Ihave to agree ???

Mic


Originally Posted By: dspencer
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I was setting an example of fee layout…You should have an idea on cost recovery.


Originally Posted By: kshepard
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I understand that my post made me sound a bit clueless but in the interest of brevity I did leave out a few things. In addition to documenting hidden decay, these instruments are used to aid in structural analysis and in tree work and I was in touch with people in those businesses before I decided to buy. I have an idea what to charge and can roughly forecast sales for it, but I’ve only had it a short time and thought I’d ask opinions from the forum. It’s such a specialized tool that people using them now are mostly structural enginers specializing in historic structures (as I do, although I’m not an engineer) or doing anaysis of wooden structures such as bridges, trestles, buildings, etc. and very few of them have one.


Since I'm in the process of getting ready for a big marketing push toward specializing in inspecting log homes it's also a marketing tool and I believe it will provide some additional credibility when I market that aspect of my business to new realtors/realtors I haven't worked with before. I offer dendroarchological dating of historic structures for the same reason (that doesn't cost me anything though).

It's about taking a gamble and filling a niche. Sort of like thermography in that respect, but way less money and less competition.

Kent


Originally Posted By: Jay Moge
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how about it’s use. do you have alot of experience with it. sound like a new toy to me that you “aquired” somehow. or calibration, accuracy.??seems fishy to me. icon_cool.gif


Originally Posted By: darnold1
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Now that you have this expensive equipment use it! I have not heard of that equipment at all. It sounds neat! To find rot inside timber I guess I’ll still be using a poker instead of a $4000.00 machine!!