What’s it cost to produce this PVC monument sign?

Our local E-911 office was in need of a custom sign for their new office location. We were contracted to provide a cost estimate with options for four price ranges depending on size, materials and construction.

Normally we get a deposit before creating drawings for bids, but we’ve worked with this department on several projects in the past. We knew we would be paid for our design time even if the signs were produced elsewhere.

Potential customers sometimes ask for layouts without expecting to pay for them. Years ago, I placed placards on my desk and the office wall that say, “Estimates are FREE, sketches are not!” This stopped the requests without having to explain that we don’t give away the most valuable part of our signs.

The first sign in the bid proposal was a plain post-and-panel sign, mounted on PVC posts with an aluminum composite (ACM) panel framed with aluminum tube and decorated with cut vinyl letters and graphics.

Our next suggestion was basically the same type of sign, but with a dimensional logo of the Carroll County E-911 District emblem routed in PVC and attached to the ACM faces.

Our third option was for a fully dimensional sign constructed of PVC with custom-built fluted posts and shaped panels. The fourth version was basically the same as the third, but we added a base for the sign.

We presented the bid proposals with sketches, material samples and photos of similarly constructed signs, and answered questions about the techniques that we had planned for each type of sign. The board chose the top end version because it would last the longest with the least amount of maintenance.

The dimensionally carved and routed PVC will not deteriorate and holds paint extremely well. Finished with acrylic latex, it will hold color for several years before needing to be refinished. And when that time comes, the sign will be as good as new with just a fresh coat of paint.

Putting it together

While we waited for material, we completed the layout files to scale and created the CNC tooling files. We use CorelDraw for most of our design work; I started with version 1 in 1988.

Layout files for the 911 sign were exported from CorelDraw X5 as PDFs and imported into Vectric’s Aspire 2.5 software for creating the tool paths. Although Aspire has some very sophisticated drawing tools itself, I generally use Corel since I am so familiar with it.

Once my PDF files are in Aspire, I sometimes use its tools to tweak something rather than having to open it in Corel and export it again. Aspire is easy to use for offsets and contours when deciding your best tool sizes for the project.

With all my tool paths created and parts nested onto my sheet sizes for minimal waste, we were ready to start production. We loaded the ¾-in. PVC onto the CNC router. While the router was doing its thing, the straight-cut pieces were cut on the table saw. We started sanding and priming parts as they came off the router table.

Once all the pieces were processed, it was time to assemble the fluted posts and the box that made up the base. The shaped faces were framed with some of the straight-cut pieces, and we used a router-cut arched molding for the top. Router-cut parts fit perfectly, so the shaped panel and the arched moldings went together very quickly.

The E-911 emblem assemblies were the last pieces to come off the router. We primed them, then finished and screwed them together with stainless steel deck screws.

Ready to install

We never dig without having the area checked for buried utilities first. It’s a free service that keeps you out of trouble. Severing telephone cables can cost thousands of dollars. Even digging up a water line can cost a few hundred dollars—and sets the installation back.

We loaded our trailer for the trip to the site. My wife, Kay, and one part-time helper, Copperhead, was along for the install. (No, he’s not mean as a snake—he just had auburn hair as a kid and the nickname stuck.) We unloaded, punched a couple holes with a gas auger, then set the first treated 6-by-6-in. post in dry concrete mix, plumbed it and packed it tight.

The next post was set loose in the hole and the base was lowered over the posts. Cross members in the base were fastened to the posts; it actually hangs on the posts a couple inches off the ground. Once the base was leveled and attached to the second post, the hole was packed with dry cement. Both footings were watered down and allowed to set up for a few minutes.

The cap for the base was then lowered over the posts and fastened with stainless screws. Then the fluted post covers were installed and the sign face set in place and fastened. Part of the molding for the face frame had been pre-assembled to the posts at the shop to facilitate an easier install onsite. The rest of the molding had been attached to the faces, which helped us line up the face and made fastening it easy.

Finally, the routed emblems were installed, a temporary metal panel for the Sheriff’s Office was installed and posts caps were then screwed in place. After touching up the screw heads we were ready to load up, clean up and head back to the shop.

Larry Elliott’s shop, Elliott Sign & Design, is in McLemoresville, Tennessee.

 This article appeared in the May/June 2013 issue of SignCraft. While the prices have been adjusted for inflation, they may not accurately reflect current pricing for such signage.

Create layout and CNC tooling files: 1.5 hours

Here’s a screen shot of the scaled layout. You can see the placement of the pieces, nested onto 4×8 sheets for best use of the materials.

This screen shot from Vectric Aspire CNC software shows the toolpaths that the router will use.

Make sign panels: 21 hours

The faces were machined from ¾-in. PVC. The white copy and borders are raised ¼-in. The center panel is also ¾-in. PVC with a beveled edge, and 911 is raised ¼-in. We designed this logo a few years back. If not, the design cost would have added $500, or approximately five hours.

Installation: 7.5 hours

The fluted post covers were constructed of ¾-in. PVC, glued, screwed and finished just like the base.