Costly Fire Alarm System for Center

[ljohnson81]

Hi everyone!

I'm in the process of finding a location to open a center. I had a company come out and give me an estimate on installing the fire alarm system at my proposed location. The estimate was almost $6000!! I was expecting maybe around 2000-2500! Has anyone else been given extreme estimates? Do to regulations centers are required to have the system. Any advice?

[e.j.]

I ran your question past my son who works as a cost estimator for a fire sprinkler installation company. While his job is focused on sprinkler systems vs. fire alarm systems, he's got some knowledge of that area, too. He said a $6000 quote wouldn't surprise him, depending on the size of your building, building codes, what kind of building it is, etc. He said not only are you paying for materials - fire alarms, control panel (this alone can cost anywhere from a couple of hundred dollars to $1000), wiring, etc..., but you're paying for labor which can include the installers and designers who come up with the blue prints that installers follow. If you have more than one fire alarm company in your area, your best bet would be to ask competitors for estimates to see if anyone comes in with a better price. Also, would you be eligible for grant money or maybe a small business loan to help pay for this kind of expense?

[ljohnson81]

Thanks for your reply. Sprinkler systems are not required, but fire alarm systems are. The company also told me the system would have to be designed by a professional engineer. I live in a rural area so the competition is very limited here. The building was a former doctor's clinic.

[ljohnson81]

I'm sorry ignore my comment about the sprinkler system. I read the reply wrong.

[heyhun77]

I opened a non-residential childcare this summer and was required to install a fire alarm system as well. Mine cost $7500 and was an unexpected cost in the process of opening as the architect didn't anticipate the system being required, either. I would say if you can get a second estimate, do it. That said, I got two other estimates and they were actually more expensive because I had a good relationship with the electrical contractor who gave me a discount on their hourly rate because of the nature of my new business. The one thing that would have increased the cost would be the fact that the electricians needed the building plans to scale which would have required an architect to measure and draft the plans. I already had to do that in order to get my certificate of occupancy from the city so I just had a copy sent over to the electrical contractor. If not, I would have had another $1000 bill (again, this was received at a discounted rate due to the nature of the business because other architects tried to tell me they needed a $2000-5000 retainer just to get started).

Good luck with your start up. I don't know if I would do it again after all the issues we had.

[ljohnson81]

Wow...7500! I'm really excited about opening a daycare and it has been a passion of mines for years. It can be a bit overwhelming when costs are factored. The good thing is I have daycare experience and several years of Head Start experience in which I was a former director a few months ago. So I'm familiar with the regulations and procedures. I have hopes of operating similar to the Head Start so I can become accredited. Congrats on your opening this Summer! Although you're in a different state please share any additional info that might be helpful while I'm in the process of opening. Thanks for the reply!