Hi folks, over here from Cooks Talk. I want to put a couple of skylights in my kitchen. I will be using Velux. I have a couple of questions. I don’t want a “Tunnel” effect. Can you show me different ways to drywall the skylights? I should tell you that this is a cathedral ceiling with a VERY slight grade. Can’t tell you how high exactly. Not too. Second, I am buying the skylights for my contractor to save money. He is cool with that. I also have a couple of rental units that need replacement windows. I do have an L.L.C. How do I go about opening a trade account so I can get the skylights and windows for a contractor price? Thanks for your help. Pamilyn
The purpose of Art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls
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VELUX doesn't seem to offer much of a discount- I found HD had the best price, with no shipping charge if you pick up at the store...
Velux does not sell to the retail public so they do not offer any discount, nor do most door and window companies. It is the local retailer who is free to sell at what ever price they want to sell it at who can determine whether to offer her a discount from suggested list price or not.
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O.K. thanks, PamilynThe purpose of Art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls
Pamilyn,
Seems to me that FHB had an article within the last year about adding skylights and different ways to open up the ceiling. You could check the online search function. Or post a pic here of the kitchen and I'm sure others would offer advice.
On your second point, I don't think you will get much of a discount from a local lumberyard, even with an account.
Most yards want to establish a relationship with you and see you consistently order materials from them before they offer discounts.
As a smaller contractor, I don't recieve big discounts, but I do receive knowledge, information, and service from my suppliers. For me, the actual price of the material is secondary. Unless your contractor marks up both labor and materials using a uniform % markup, I wouldn't expect you to save much money on the materials. If he is using this method, I don't understand why he would give up this markup w/o making it up somewhere else.
My 2 cents.
He is really slow right now and he is a neighbor. He just really wants the work. He is doing it on a time and material basis. He also cut me a deal on the hourly rate. Sounds like not much of a discount in my future...PamilynThe purpose of Art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls
On the discount thing - I do business with three local lumberyards.
One bids each job separately. On larger orders they do me pretty good and prices are less than retail, but there is no set percentage. They know I do about ten grand a month in materials so they want more of my business, that gives them incentive to discount to me.
The one that gets most of my business does the discount on a sliding scale according to the volume. I used to get 5% of when I paid the bill before the tenth of the month. Now, my volume is large enough that I get 7%.
Another place where I don't really do that much business gives ten percent across the board to just about any body who walks in breathing if they establish an account there.
Funny thing is that the net price to me overall at all three places is about the same. On one job recently the first place came in about sixty bucks each on interior doors less than the other two, but the total package price for all lumber etc on the list was within a couple bucks of the others.
All that to say - that it all depends on each individual store and what policies they have. The markup from cost to retail list price suggested is about 40% so you should be able to negotiate ten off easy enough.
On the framing - any competent carpenter should be able to do that and you mention having a contractor so I am not sure why you are asking that one. I would need to know more about the structure first tho, like whether you have trusses and where you will locate the skylight relative to each framing member. A low pitch cathedral suggests to me either that this is a mobile/modular or that you have scissors trusses. You definitely do not want to cut into a truss.
I think I have seen you here or over at CT sometime. You are the cute one, right?
;)
welcome in
Welcome to the
Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
where ...
Excellence is its own reward!
LOL, yeah, I'm the cute one!! No, we will not be cutting into any trusses. Skylights will go inbetween them. What I am after is different ways to open up the sylight "tunnel" I don't want just straight sides. I will check my library for old Fine homebuilding. Someone said there was an article about skylights recently. Thanks, Pamilyn P.S. You guys are not as scary as the folks at Cooks Talk said you were :)The purpose of Art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls
Yeah, we're not so scarey. But that's only because you filled in your profile and didn't try to present yourself as a working pro.
Jim
Never underestimate the value of a sharp pencil or good light.
If you're putting them between trusses you probably want to buy the size that is specifically for this layout. You can't flare the sides that are parallel to the trusses, but you can flare the other two, and in fact you may need to if you install an operable unit with a screen. If your contractor can't handle this easily then he needs to go back to work at the box store.