How pricing works

Most welders in this town make you call to find out what anything costs. I'm not going to do that. Here's the model, here's the starting numbers, and here's where I have to quote it instead of list it — because throwing a flat price at a job I haven't seen is how a welder loses money or shorts a customer, and I'm not doing either.

The service-call model

Mobile welding service call — $225. That covers travel anywhere in the KC metro plus your first hour on-site. Most small repairs are done inside that first hour.

$125/hr after that. Straightforward — no surprise line items.

That hourly might look steep next to a shop rate. It isn't, for mobile — I own the truck, the trailer, the engine-driven welder, and I eat the drive time and the gas to get to you. The service call exists so a 20-minute weld doesn't cost me money, and so you know what you're walking into before I roll up.

Send photos and a lot of jobs don't need the open-ended clock at all — I can give you a flat price up front. More on that below.

Starting-at prices by job

These are starting points for the KC metro. Materials are extra unless we say otherwise. Aluminum and stainless run about 35% more than mild steel. After-hours, weekend, and emergency work is billed at 1.5×, $300 minimum. Travel beyond ~30 miles from base is $1.50/mile or quoted flat.

Job	Starting at	Notes
Mobile service call (travel + first hour)	$225	Most small repairs fit here
Each additional hour on-site	$125/hr
Gate / fence repair (hinge, sag, cracked post)	$175–$400	Flat-rated when I can see the scope
Trailer coupler / hitch / tongue repair	$200–$500	Flat-rated when scope is clear
Trailer frame rail / crossmember repair	$400–$900	Quoted — needs a look in person
Utility trailer floor / deck repair	$300–$1,200	Quoted — heavy rebuilds run higher
Railing / handrail repair (one section)	$250–$800	Flat-rated when I can see it
Exhaust / muffler weld (one cut, one weld)	$80–$200	Near-fixed for a simple job
Heavy / farm equipment repair (bucket, attachment, blade)	$300–$1,500	Quoted — access and damage vary wildly
Structural steel repair (beam, column, lintel)	$500–$2,500+	Quoted — site visit required
Aluminum repair (trailer, boat, equipment)	$150 minimum, then time + 35%	Quoted
Stainless / food-grade repair	Quote only	Finish requirements drive it
Handrail / railing fabricated & installed	starting at $85–$120 per linear ft installed	~$700 minimum; ornamental quoted
New staircase railing on-site	$900–$2,500	Quoted
Custom gate (simple)	starting at $550	Ornamental quoted on the design
Truck rack / headache rack / hitch receiver	$300–$1,200	Quoted on design and size
Bumpers, sliders, custom brackets, repair-fab	Quote	Depends on the piece
Ornamental / artistic / structural fabrication	Quote	Site visit or detailed photos + dimensions

What's flat vs. quote-only

Safe to quote near-fixed (small, visible, repeatable): exhaust and muffler welds, gate hinge repairs, simple coupler swaps, patio-furniture tacks, single-section railing repairs.

Always quoted, never flat-listed: anything structural, any cracked trailer or truck frame, any heavy-equipment repair, any fabrication (railings, gates, racks, custom steel), and all aluminum and stainless work. Crack propagation, rust extent, access, finish, design complexity, and steel prices ($44 to $125-plus per stick depending on the day) make a flat number on these a money-loser or a job done cheap. I'd rather see it — in photos or in person — and give you a number I'll stand behind.

Photos save us both a trip

For defined-scope work, send a few photos — the break, a wide shot, rough dimensions, where it is — and I'll give you a flat quote, usually same day. That's the standard way this trade works and it's how you avoid me eating a misjudged price or padding it to be safe. Bigger or open-ended jobs get the service call ($225) and a quote on-site.

Contractors, fleets & industrial — B2B pricing

If you run equipment for a living — a fleet, a fab shop, a construction outfit, a property-management portfolio, a facility — you self-select into a different conversation:

• Subcontract welding with rig: $95–$125/hr + ~$100/day rig charge, 4-hour minimum on dispatched days.
• Day rate (scheduled, booked-ahead): $900–$1,200/day.
• Net-30 for established accounts.
• Fully insured — I can send a COI before I'm on your property. {{CHRIS: confirm GL coverage + COI capability}}
• AWS-certified work available — {{CHRIS: AWS D1.1 status / timeline; until then this line stays a plan, not a claim}}

Recurring accounts get steadier pricing and priority scheduling. If you've got a yard full of trucks, a portfolio of buildings, or a jobsite that always needs something — let's set up a relationship instead of one-offs. Reach out.

Surface prep & finish (add-on)

• Wire-wheel + primer touch-up on a repair: +$50–$150
• Mobile sandblasting / rust removal: $3–$6 per sq ft, $450 half-day minimum — {{CHRIS: "Rust & Restore" is planned, not live yet; keep this teaser short}}
• Powder coat / 2-part epoxy: referral to a coating partner or shop-only

A few honest notes

• These are KC-metro starting prices. Outlying counties get mileage; emergencies get the 1.5× premium; aluminum and stainless get the 35%.
• Materials are extra unless I quote them in.
• A flat quote from photos is good for the scope in the photos — if I get there and the rust goes three feet past what I could see, we'll talk before I keep going. No surprise invoices.
• I stand behind my welds. {{CHRIS: confirm workmanship warranty terms}}

Get a real number

Text or upload photos of the job, where it is, and what you need. I'll quote it — usually same day for defined-scope work.

Send Photos, Get a Quote · {{CHRIS: phone number}}