Installation Estimate

[Juanvald]

Hey everyone. I am hoping to have DTV installed tomorrow. I used to have DTV at my old house, but when I moved the technician could not get a clear line of sight because of trees. The only place he could put it was directly in my front yard and we were not going to do that. But I am miserable with our local cable company so I have DTV coming out for a 2nd opinion tomorrow. I have a couple of questions.

1. Will they install the DTV dish on the other side of my driveway? I casually mentioned it the first time and the guy wouldn't do it because they can't cross over the driveway. But the way my driveway is set up, they just have to run cable a bit farther to get around the driveway.

2. If they are willing to install on the other side of the driveway, how much should I expect them to charge me for a custom installation? I am sure that they will need to run over 100 feet of wire from the dish to the house. Is there a limit to how far they will run the wire?

I honestly have no problems whatsoever with having to pay extra for this installation if it means I can get DTV back. I am just hoping to get an idea of what a fair price is in case the tech tries to jerk me around since he is the one that would set the price.

Thanks!

 

[nstraughn@yahoo.com]

It really depends on how long and how time it takes to do the install.
Is the drive a pavement or gravel?
If your not satisfied with what the tech charges then get a second opinion.
You need to remember about the burying the wire takes time so some techs charge differently. I normally charge a little less if the customer helps out. But normally I would charge a $1.00 a Foot or if I need to go threw a gravel driveway
then the price goes up a little maybe $3 or $4. It depends on the difficulty.
I hope this helps out.

 

[Zynergi]

I would definitely pick up some 1 1/4 conduit if you plan to cross the driveway. and definitely expect a charge for the pole/driveway crossing/per foot. Unless the customer has conduit I will not direct bury even flooded cable under a gravel path.

 

[Juanvald]

Its a paved driveway. Thanks for the feedback.

 

[Zynergi]

If its paved then I seriously doubt any tech is going under it. What you may want to do is grab a shovel and start a trench around it. Keeping in mind that after 150' of cable you may run into signal issues.

 

[Juanvald]

I knew they wouldn't be able to go under it. I just hope the distance isn't an issue if they go around. Thanks for the tip about 150 feet. Its good to know.

 

[Joe Diamond]

I knew they wouldn't be able to go under it. I just hope the distance isn't an issue if they go around. Thanks for the tip about 150 feet. Its good to know.

The way under the driveway is to call the local cable company or a few electricians and ask for a referral to an underground contractor. They do driveway "bores"
all day......the eq is expensive but that is how it is done. They can come right up to your building. Just mark where the cable should go.

OR you could dig a hole on each side of the driveway and pound a steel pipe through... then fish the cable through.

The trench around the drive may be easier........it doesn't have to be deep or wide.

Joe