Pricing
Almost nobody in this trade publishes a price. That is a decision made for the seller, not the buyer. Here is what work like this actually costs, and what moves a project to the top or the bottom of each range.
Ranges
Figures are for southeastern Pennsylvania and assume a single mechanism or a single opening. They include my labour, the millwork and the finish work where it meets the building.
You supply the mechanism and the millwork. I set it, shim it, wire it, commission it and make good where it meets the building.
Pushes it up
Ceiling work, cross-joist framing, a second story, a mechanism I have not worked with before, or a finished room that has to be protected and reinstated.
Keeps it down
Ground floor, open framing, a mechanism from a manufacturer I know, and a cabinet built to the dimensions I asked for.
Shop-built cabinet, console or ceiling closure with the mechanism supplied, fitted, wired and finished on site. The most common whole-scope job.
Pushes it up
Veneer or a matched stain, a mechanism above about 150 lb capacity, a lid that has to move on the same cycle, stone or a specialty top, and any ceiling installation.
Keeps it down
Paint grade, a straightforward column lift, a cabinet against a wall rather than freestanding, and an install during construction rather than after it.
Structural leaf, pivot or concealed hinge hardware, latching, casework, and an even reveal on all four sides — including the adjustment visit after the first heating season.
Pushes it up
A loaded bookcase over about 350 lb, a leaf that has to carry stone or glass, matching an existing panelled wall, an opening that was framed to the wrong dimension, and any electric release.
Keeps it down
A flush painted panel rather than a bookcase, a plumb and square rough opening built to my dimension, and a wall finish that is being applied after I am done.
Drivers, back-boxing, isolation detailing, skim coat and level-5 finish. Priced as an add-on because it is far cheaper while a wall is already open.
Pushes it up
More than four drivers, a ceiling rather than a wall, an occupied and finished room, a flat paint that will show everything, and subwoofer integration.
Keeps it down
Two drivers, walls already open, and finishing done in the same visit as other work in the room.
Diagnosis, adjustment, repair and re-commissioning — on my work or on somebody else’s, including mechanisms installed by a contractor who is no longer around.
Pushes it up
An unknown mechanism with no documentation, a cavity that has to be opened to reach anything, and travel beyond the core service area.
Keeps it down
A mechanism I installed, anything still under manufacturer warranty, and adjustments bundled into a visit I am making anyway.
Not in the number
Stated here rather than discovered later. Any of these can be coordinated; none of them are inside the figures above.
Questions
Because almost nobody in this niche does, and the silence is not protecting the client. A homeowner who wants to know whether a hidden bookcase door is a $3,000 idea or a $30,000 idea currently has to sit through two showroom appointments to find out. Publishing the range means the people who call are the people the range suits.
No. It is what similar work costs, honestly stated, so you can decide whether to keep reading. An actual quote follows a measurement, names the mechanism and the model number, and holds for 30 days.
Then I will say so early and tell you why. Larger millwork packages, multi-room scopes and anything involving structural change are quoted individually — the ranges above describe single mechanisms and single openings.
No, within the core service area, for a visit that is about a real project with a real timeline. Beyond that, or for a measured survey of an existing installation that somebody else built, the hourly service rate applies and I will say so before I drive out.
Homeowners: fifty percent at order to cover the mechanism and materials, the balance on completion. Trade accounts: fifty percent at order, net 15 on the balance. Install-only subcontracts are invoiced on completion at net 30.
Manufacturer warranty on the mechanism, passed through in full with the paperwork. Two years on my labour, the millwork and the finish work. The adjustment visit after the first heating season is part of the price, not a warranty claim.
Next step
Measured, mechanism named, model number given, held for 30 days. If your project does not suit the ranges on this page, that answer comes back just as fast.
spec@invisiblefunction.com · (717) 555-0142 · Ephrata, PA