# roofing



## 1031fan

ok - so this year im pretty sure im going to be doing a haunted house at my local park on their large tennis courts - and of course as we all know, tennis courts dont have any sort of protection from the elements - which a haunted house DOES need - 

so i was wondering what anyone else has done in the past - i have before built my own roofing out of conduit pipe and tarps, but that was only like 16x40 and this year the haunt will bascially be a "pro" haunt with an admission price, advertising, and all the trimmings - so its going to have to be a nice big haunt - meaning a nice big roof - nothing less than 2000 sqft - and hopefully more along the lines of 3000 - even still - thats not that big - roughly 30x100 or any other configuration - with that said - its a pretty big area to cover with a roof - ive been looking at large outdoor tents and OMG - $$$$$! although we will be charging an admission - some of the money - 1$ of every ticket sales - will go to the park - and i really dont have a budget - whatever goes into it comes from the pocket - just hoping that it will be made back - i do have supplies from previous years so its not like im starting from scratch - but still - this will be a huge money investment - - - - but with that said - i dont want to skimp so much that i loose any quality or have to be constantly repairing - PA as im sure many other states - is known to have some WINDY octobers, so black plastic over PVC is NOT an option

anyway - just figured id throw this up here - thanks for any help guys - riley


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## slightlymad

Thats funny I was wondering where you were as most courts in my area surrounded by atleast eight foot fence. This leading to the thought that pvc poles in the middle weighted (think tent) and then using true rubber bunjie cords for tension at the fence. This however is based on my experience and may not aplly to you. I am in south eastern pa if I can be of any help Pm me.
An hours drive is no sweat. No promises though I am trying to change jobs right now.


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## Hellrazor

There is a haunt out there that I saw recently that did their haunted house on a Tennis Court. I think the planner is around here (meaning haunt forum) somewhere. If I remember the website, I will pass it along. Im sure someone will remember. There is a good "how to" for setting it up... wish I could remember right now.


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## 1031fan

where do you live? thats pretty close to me - im in shippensburg - which is close to chambersburg and about 40 min south of harrisburg

good thinking with using the existing fence - i think ours is 10 ft - not sure - i think your pole idea would work, but i dont know about the bunjies to the fence - im guessing you were thinking of putting a tarp type things across it? - last year my haunt was only a fraction of this - i had actual braces like youd see for housing and the weight of rain actually bent the metal rods a bit and made a puddle - im thinking the bunjies would probably sag as well - i dunno though - i could be wrong - any one do this sort of thing before?
















heres some progress pics of last year - it help up ok - but the tarp was a PITA to keep taunt so that wind didn't get under it - and it even came off one day - much to my frustration - grrrr - but yeah - im just thinking if something this small was hard to controll - something on a larger scale would be incredibly unruly and almost impossible with just a frame and a makeshift tarp - is there anyway to make a "hard" type of roof without spendin an art and a leg?? i think this will be my bigges challenge - once the roof is taken care of the haunt will be a sinch - in comparison at least - thanks for all the help - keep those ideas comin - slightlymad - once construction starts your ALWAYs welcome to come lend a hand!! - riley


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## Frighteners Entertainment

At 30" wide, I would almost think that renting a tent would serve the purpose.
It would give you plenty of pitch on the roof for rain run off and more open plan for your interior.


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## 1031fan

i agree that the tent would be the best bet- as long as im not charged like 3000 for it - i was looking on the web for some ideas of what pricing is - anyone ever buy/rent one? at a decent price? - thanks - riley


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## Frighteners Entertainment

Can't say that I have.
Just a thought, be sure to budget (the more the better) advertising $$.
Without that, you'll have almost no chance to make it worth your time.


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## 1031fan

definitely agreed - i think if i advertise right - i can do pretty good - there is a large town about 10 miles from me - that has a haunt - its the closest around - and IMO it blows - so hopefully those people if i get the word out up at that town would drive to a haunt that is hopefully going to be better and half the price - theres is 10 - im thinkin five for mine - its our first pro year - is that a good price or should it be 6? anyone can chime in here - hopefully it will be 15-20 min long - riley


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## Frighteners Entertainment

If you price too cheap, most folks will think it isn't worth it.

But from all the seminars I've been to, I think the going rate you need to be at is $15 @ head. But, you'll be having a smaller venue.
Another thought is to set up a sales stand, glow items do very well, of course if you buy right.


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## 1031fan

good call with the glow items - would be very proffitable - just buy bulk and you can make a good price - 

good point about pricing too cheap - but would people be willing to pay say 7-8 dollars (i do want to keep it less than the haunt that is close to me which is 10) for a new haunt that no one has seen before? - now i do have an ace in pocket - for the past 2 years ive done a "donations accepted haunt" that was a huge hit in my town - and said was better than the pro one i spoke of before - but you know what i mean? are people curious enough to risk the 8 bucks on a new haunt? i am confident that if they do "risk" it they wont be dissapointed, but they have to get in there first - i was thinking about opening it up to the press for a tour a week in advance of opening day so people know its lagit once it hits the newspapers - i dunno - all this stuff is new to me and adds a whole new element to the game - im confident in my haunting abilities - just not my marketing and all that jazz - riley


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## Frighteners Entertainment

Well, long story short...
You can have a bad haunt and make lots of money ,it's all in advertising.
I think, if I remember right, 1/3rd of your budget should go for marketing.

Since you are going pro, a business plan would worth the effort.


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## 1031fan

buisness plan????? i know basically what you mean - but what EXACTLY are the technicalities of this? - see THIS kinda stuff is scarier to me than any freakin haunted house! - riley


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## Frighteners Entertainment

business plan :In a nutshell, the business plan should clearly explain the what, why, when, who and how of the project. It should be a comprehensive explanation of the opportunity, the people involved, the money required to implement the plan, where it will come from and what financial results the opportunity is likely to produce.

Here's a link: http://www.sba.gov/smallbusinessplanner/plan/getready/index.html


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## Spartan005

This year we're charging $5 to go through our haunt which will probably be about 20 minutes total, but then again this all goes to charity so if they want to donate more, than thats fine. I honestly think that $15 is pushing it for the first year of a pro haunted house. If you go to a haunt like the North Babylon Fire Dept one, you'll see that every wall is covered with corpses, and theres easily over a hundred thousand dollars put into animatronics and other props/effects. I'd say anywhere from $5 to $10 would be reasonable.... and your haunt video from last year was very good so bumping up the price a bit couldn't hurt


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## Spartan005

wow that was a late post lol


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## 1031fan

very good posts guys - so is the purpose of this "plan" of sorts basically for me so that i know what all i need to take care of - what i need to alot money to ect.? bascially to keep me organized and honest to myself in what i can and cannot do? is that basically the main purpose - as of now im basically in this myself - a one man show as of now - i have some friends that want to help but we all know how that goes - no one is ever as dedicated as we are and therefor dont take it as seriously ect ect...i do want to right this up now - this plan - so i can just give myself an outline of sorts - FE - you seem to know a good amount about this - are you experienced? - 

spartan - where will your haunt be held? like inside - outside ect

riley


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## Spartan005

My haunt runs around the side of my house, through the backyard, across the deck and inside the first floor. We tried to get a building last year (like we did way back in 7th grade) but unfortunately the town association didn't let us and it was pretty small anyway. Plus since its at home I don't have to worry about lugging the ten thousand pounds of props and costumes etc. 

Anyway, good luck with your haunt... unfortunately I can't really help you out on how to make a roof since last year mine too got destroyed (long story) but I hope everything turns out great


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## skeletonowl

All I can say is advertise advertise and open for the press! Good publicity for the park too so maybe you can work some stuff out with the park people too! I go up to a campground in PA that maybe I can coax my buddies to go to your haunt...depending how close you are...I'll PM you about that...

Also, a little pro haunt by me by a Pizza Place lost buisness because of no advertising and a $15 price. They did have a nifty strobe light to catch attention and fog...try a big sign at the park with a skeleton near! (Hint: Terror Syndicate)


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## Brckee1

Hey Riley,

Be sure to find out what type of code enforcement you will be subject too. Do this before you buy anything. A guy near me decided to put up a small tent haunt for small kids and families at his sportsplex business. next thing you know he had to buy a sprinkler system for it which cost many thousands. The tent may have to have a specific fire rating. 

Here are a bunch of questions you won't like :>)
Are you using wood walls? How are you getting power out there? will you need to rent a generator? Do you know how much power you will need? Will you need theatrical cable electrical cords? Do you have a secure ticket booth? You can't just have a table out in the open. Who will collect the money, you or the park? Do you have liability insurance? do you have a business license? Do you have workers compensation insurance? Are you hiring actors or using volunteers? How long do you have for set up and break down? You will need to be insured for that too.

As for advertising. This is indeed a major part of the budget. You should expect to spend $3.00 for each person you need to attract. Is the park helping to promote this? can they get the local news media out there? They are making money even if you lose your shirt so find out what they are going to do for you. If the park takes a dollar and marketing costs 3 dollars, that is 4 dollars you are not getting per ticket. You can expect to attract one to two percent of your population. So if you are drawing from a million people, you hope to eventually attract 10 to 20 thousand customers. This would be for a well established attraction. If your population is small, don't expect those numbers. For a new attraction, it just isn't going to happen. Grass roots type stuff like fliers posters and coupons are great but they cost money too and are very very time consuming to do it effectively.

If you are thinking of investing in tents, maybe you should consider trailers. You would have instant storage, it would be mobile, you could move it to different locations each year and even use it in local fairs in the summer. Plus, it could be worked on year round. These are the realities of running a pro attraction :>) 
Email me offlist if you want.
Later!


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## Frighteners Entertainment

Thanks Jim, better elaboration on cost per ticket sales.

Another thought on fund raising is bring on the humane society, red cross ...
they can help generate free radio and tv ads.


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## buggybuilder

Man. we are doing almost the exact same thing, but we have secured a Large 30x60 pavilion that has a 24x24 attachment on it. It is enclosed on 2 sides and had a roof of course. We plan to close it in using wood walls but we are currently undecided about the wall construction. Lumber is very expensive and so is painting and flame proofing. I definlety agree with what has been said thus far...lots to consider. The Business Plan is the first thing that we completed. Followed by a Sponsorship Proposal and we went straight to our local radio stations. We are spending almost 2,000.00 in advertising and thats just what we can afford. Then to the Fire Chief and the building Inspector. There are alot of codes to consider as well as Fire prevention, emergency plans, emergency lighting, and depending on local laws you may be required to have a sprinkler system, we also had to apply for a Temp Change of Use(65 dollars) to be permitted to close in the pavilion! Then we have a 2,000,000. insurance policy which isn't cheap. Now we are looking into the Workers Comp insurance as its required here in Virginia. The cost to get our business license is almost 200.00 and we still need to register our Business as an LLC or a Partnership which is almost another 200.00. Almost overwhelming. Let me know if I can help you with anything as far as the business plan or advertising.....


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## 1031fan

very very nice posts - especially jim and buggybuilder - great info

UPDATE - thats hilarious that you said about a pavillian - cause the day that you posted that - before i read ur post i was at my park looking around and saw a nice big pavilian - close to 45x95 of usable space - no closed in walls, but the roof is the important part - (i was looking for tents and the cheapest i could find was over 5000 - CRAZZZY) now i will just have to convinve the park manager that no one will want to picknick in sept and oct - ha - i think they actually rent it out so it might be a problem - well see - there are 2 other small ones so maybe they can just use for their picknicking

what type of advertising did you do BB? fliers, posters, i know you said radio - what all did that entail?

what are you planning on charging since you are a relatively new haunt? (or im guessing you are)

when you went to see about the codes - did you just go to your local fire dept. or what? just wondering who you actually contacted - did they give you a list of parameters to follow?

as for your insurance policy - i know you said it wasn't cheap, but how much was it? 

i know - tons of questions - its just great that we are somewhat on the same page here with new haunters to the pro world - although it does sound like your several steps ahead of me

overwhelming is a great word - i just wunna build a freakin haunted house for cryin out loud! haha

riley


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## Frighteners Entertainment

I think special event policies run between $900 - $1,500 for a 1 mil policy?
Here's a possibility, check with your local insurance agent to see if they offer special event policies. You may need to ask for the business insurance agent?
And from most of the Pro Haunters I have spoken with tell me that radio advertising has been what has worked best for them.


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## 1031fan

thanks FE - i know NOTHING about radio advertising - but i know its a good outlet - so i want to do it - anysuggestions there? do i just write up a little blurg and pay them X amount of dollars to say it X amount of times? any elaboration or possible amounts for the X values would be helpful - thanks! - riley


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## Frighteners Entertainment

You need to figure out what market you want to sell to, which makes a difference what stations you'll advertise on and what times, how many times per day to play the ad.
You need to think what would sell you to go to a haunt that heard advertised on the radio.
You could contact Michael Hedstorm [email protected]
He has put together some radio ads a few years ago.
BTW, some great Haunt music.

If you decide to contact him, just mention that I referred you to him.


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## 1031fan

thanks for the contact - i will mostly likely at least contact him at least to ask a few questions and make sure that i say you sent me - how much would an ad generally run? on a local station?


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## Frighteners Entertainment

Wish I could help with that.

Truthfully, most of the research sound have been done back at the first of the year. This will put a rush (stress) on you to get all your ducks in a row asap.
If you not real organized and assertive form here on out, you'll be setting yourself for the dreaded disappointment, when it's all said and done.

1st things 1st, get hold of you township to find out what hoops they want you to jump through. Than go from there.


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## 1031fan

i totally agree - im definitely behind the 8 ball - this was a last minute developement and figured if i didn't try to take advantage of it id be kicking myself even though im putting huge amounts of stress on myself to do so - and your right - i do need to be assertive - so thats why i may seem annoying with some of my posts here with all the Q's - haha - just yell at me and ill shut up - maybe for a day - hah - but seriously - thanks for all you guys' help - riley


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## Frighteners Entertainment

Tough thing about your situation is "it's a 1 man show"
The pitfalls I've gone through in the last 4 yrs, just doing a home haunt, 1200sq ft, plywood building (from scratch), haunt lighting, safety lighting, safety exits, planning through put...blah blah blah....any given yr to run 1500-2000 people through and oh yeah, 1 man show, except for having some family come over for helping to scare. It's tough.
And with this being a home haunt, no inspections.
So, you'll have to ad that in.

so, what are you doing here, make your phone call to the township, step one.

Good luck and be sure to post how it went


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## 1031fan

sounds just like me last year - im tellin ya - if i didn't love this stuff to death - it wouldnt be worth the work put into it - but no matter how much headaches we go through - just to see someone scared ****less or saying how awesome it was makes it all worth it

i would call, but im at work now - haha - i can get away with the internet - not sure about phone calls  that might have to wait till im out of the office - ha - so like what do i say? umm - im doing a haunted house...what do i need to do so i dont get busted - and just follow their directions from there? or should i try and get my buisness license before i go to the township....


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## Frighteners Entertainment

If your license isn't expensive, it's no big deal to have it first.
But, the township could make or break it for you.

You could talk to the owners of the other haunt?
They may help guide you to how they approached them??

Noticed that you had posted this on methodz forum, strange you didn't get any replies?


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## Revenant

You'll also want to set up a good website for the haunt if you want people who don't know you to take it seriously. Have a catchy name for the haunt that is also the domain name or no one will make the connection and remember where to find it online. Add pictures of some of your props and setups from your home haunt, but preferably close-up because the change in location will obviously give a different looking overall setup. RedCrow Designs and Sinister Visions are two top-notch web designers that make dark-themed websites.

MySpace is also an internet area that the pro haunters have been exploring, building large friend lists and so on, though there's some dissenting opinion on how much of an effect it really has. From a lot of the commentary on pro-haunt forums I'm really thinking that the majority of them are just doing MyS[pace because everyone else is and they don't want to be the exception that doesn't. It strikes me as being a trendy hoop that people feel they have to jump through; YMMV.

Please don't take me wrong here, and forgive me for playing devil's advocate/voice o' doom... I mean, who the hell am I, absolutely nobody in the haunt world, but... With all of the major concerns and finances that go with running a pro haunt, mid-June seems a scarily late date to declare the intent to do so... and that's for someone who already has the understanding and info and just needs to get the particulars in order and get to work. For someone who's just now finding out what's involved... damn. I don't mean to cast doubts on your aspirations; you're very talented, more so than I, and you definitely have the passion, I'm sure you'd make an excellent haunt that's worth the admission price. But... it's mid-June already... Are you absolutely SURE you wanna try to get this together in _4 months_ time? A lot of pros who've done this for years would blanch at the thought. The physical building of the haunt is only the visible tip of the iceberg. Seems to me (and once again, just my personal opinion, whatever that's worth), a healthy expenditure of money into a home haunt with the intent of getting it ready for the Big Time next year (allowing a full year to work on web-presence marketing and getting all legal, financial, and insurance ducks in a row) would be a shrewd investment... You're young, and time is on your side in an overall sort of way... but it's definitely ticking against you in a this-year sort of way... I wish you the best in whatever you decide! Whatever you do, I think we'd all agree that it'll look damned good!


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## 1031fan

good thinking about other local haunts - but there really isn't any - theres one within like a 50 mile radius of me and its a reletively bigger name type people - and its in a bigger town than me - so i dont know if that would help or not

my town is really small and not that up to code itself
i mean - supposedly this park had a hayride that charged an admission last year and no one said anything - the town knows me - i know the police chief and were friends - if they know its me doin it and its goign to help the community out as well so im sure theyd be fine as long as its safe....im just worried about someone from out of town having a problem - or even the only other haunt that is 10 miles away - i can see them getting pissed cause im going to advertise in the town that they are in - and if they got word everything wasn't up to par - theyd prolly have no problem taking me out - 

and - its just good in general to be "by the book" to cover all your bases - its just such a pain in the butt! - haha


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## Frighteners Entertainment

If they let you fly by, I would take it.
Just be insured.
Now lets look farther ahead, everything is good to go....
By now you should have the $ amount it's going to take to open the doors.
At this point you'll need a number of attendees that it will take to break even. Now your haunt is a little less about the show and a little more about the money, designing you haunt for through put. How many hauntees can you put through @ hour?

Ok, lets say out of pocket to get things going.
License & Fees $
Insurance $
Structure $
Interior Structure $
Props $
Misc hardware $
Utilities $
Advertising $
Food for volunteers $

I'll just shoot a very low $ amount of 7,000 invested.
At $7 a ticket you would need 1000 hauntees to pay, to break even, I'm figuring low on initial funds to start.

_

_


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## 1031fan

i must have posted right after you rev - let me say thank you to you for a great post - very good points very true as well - it is very late to be doing anything

heres my line of thinking...last year i had a home haunt - i built the freestanding structure on uneaven ground - it was a nightmare setting up and tearing down - i swore i wouldnt do it again - i spent more time worrying about the damn roof than i did making sets ect

so i was looking for places to do a haunt...just thinking it would be another donations accepted one - with a $3 dollar suggested donations sign (last year i actually got just over 1000 in "suggested donations only" this is basically no advertising - basically no press - I have just kind of established myself as the guy who does cool stuff for ahlloween - so it was basically all word of mouth advertising after the first weekend)

then this whole park thing came about - wanting to know if id help with a fundraiser - so since i didn't already have a secured location - i said yeah - fully thinking it would just be a "donations" type thing

so basically my main goal this year isn't to go super pro and try to make a buck - i just want to do a nice sized "pro caliber" haunt and if i get my money back ill be happy - however - when the lady said that she thought i was going to charge cause they did before - it got me thinkin - if the possibility is there to charge - and the show will be worth their money (btw - thanks for the many compliments)why not? with all this jazz of technical stuff aside - i would be bold enough to say that im pretty confident that if i charged only 5 bucks (not sayin i am) i could make back 10,000 - last year with zero advertising i had over 1000 people come through - its just, like you said, that i have to jump through all these hoops to get where i need to be - even if i dont charge - i will still do it as a donations haunt and just not go as big as i would if im getting ticket sales - so im already in the process of mkain walls and sets and props - thats not the problem - i just have to get this neverending trail of crap done while i am building so that i can see how much further i can push my budget and go in debt - haha - 

but seriously - excellent post - and yes - thats the reality of it - its gonna be a huge HUGE undertaking (ha - hows that for a self advertising crappy pun) to say the least

bottom line - im not ready to be considered pro - i just want to make enough money back to support this obsession - and if i can legally charge an admission since im already going to do the haunt then ill give it my best shot - i guess thats what im tryin to do - cover my butt so that someone cant shut me down - not tryin to be east costs #1 haunted attraction - that will be next year  - dont i wish!

btw - how much would it be - for everything - web space ect - and for red crow to design it? just wondering a ballpark figure? thanks! looking forward to more posts in the future

nice price breakdown FE - i will definitely be doing lots of figuring to make sure i can put that last extra room in without blowing the budget! ha

riley


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## Brckee1

Hey Riley,

Let me try to catch up with all of these posts and your questions. I like the pavilion much better than the tennis courts. One thing for you and Buggybuilder to consider is security when you are not open. You need to be able to secure the haunt when no one is there or you risk vandalism. 

I think Jeff is pretty close on the cost of insurance. You might get it a little cheaper. Is there any way you can find out who inspects other haunts in your area? My earlier years, when I first started, I used to go through the town. One day the state showed up. Turns out that in NY haunts are regulated by the state labor dept. same as carnivals. That cost me one day of business and $2500.00 of updates to satisfy them. The town had no idea. Just don't want you to go through that.

Radio is still king in haunt marketing but you should consider billboards too. As far as cost, this varies greatly depending on your market. Radio in Chicago or NY City is going to be vastly more expensive than it is in a smaller market. My haunt is between the Buffalo and Rochester, NY markets. The rates in Buffalo are nearly twice as much as Rochester. If you're in a really small town you might be able to get a descent campaign for 1, 2 or 3K. I bet for 5K you could own a station. I couldn't own one here for 3 times that. Radio stations will produce a commercial for you if you buy advertising with them. They will make it to your specifications. You should use one commercial for all stations if you use more than one. I think if you have a limited budget for radio, you are better off with a lot of ads on one or two stations than you are with a few ads on a lot of stations. Make sure you know when your ads will run. Don't buy overnights, they usually give them away anyway. Also consider having your ads run only Thursdays thru Sundays (maybe Wed.). Concentrate them for when you are Open. I don't think an ad Mon. or Tues. is going to help.
So which station should you buy? An interesting point from my exit polling as well as other local haunts here. We see that 60% of our customers are female. Only 40% male. So a top 40/pop station might be better than a harder edged station. Buy from the top stations. More expensive but more worth the money.

Website...Very important. 95% of all coupons I get back are printed from my website. As far as cost, it depends. Do you need a logo designed? Your poster/flier and lots of artwork too? All that with a website is likely to be 1000 to 1500 from the more well known companies in my experience.
Myspace is fine, I do it. Too early to tell if it's worthwhile but it only costs time. Having several thousand "friends" is like having a mailing list to contact people directly. You don't want to abuse that though. I only message to offer something extra like a coupon only available to Myspace friends worth a dollar more than my regular coupon.

You should open up communications with the other haunt in your area. Ask if they would be willing to hand out your coupons if you hand out theirs. You might find out who enforces the regulations too. 

Looking through Jeff's checklist, seems pretty complete assuming you are not paying any staff, either to run the show or to set it up and break it down. (will the park provide security?)
The only other thing I might add is equipment rental. Unless there is adequate power you will need to rent a good sized generator. Unless you can borrow a few smaller ones. 

I think in your specific case, there is plenty of time to pull this off. The haunt is largely done, you may need some more effects and wall panels but not a whole haunt. Marketing takes more money than time, insurance takes little time. You have a location. It's going to be the hardest thing you have ever done but it is far from impossible. How long do you have for setup? how long to take it down?

You had over a thousand people at your home haunt last year? That's pretty good! Is that a hard count? because estimations are horribly inaccurate. Unless you counted everyone as they went through or had numbered tickets, it's hard to really know for sure. Also hard to know how many repeats you had that might not have repeated unless it was free. 

How many nights are you running? 

I would charge 7 or 8. 5 is too cheap. Everyone will think it sucks if it's too cheap. Is the park helping to promote this in any way?

Lot's of people would love to have this opportunity to start a pro haunt. I would go for it, no guts no glory. Be aware though that you might lose money. If you can't lose the money don't do it. Pro haunting is an entirely different animal than you are used to. The attitude of the customer is 100% different once you start charging admission.


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## buggybuilder

Man, lots of good info...........1031fan.....if you want some more info, feel free to send me an e-mail to:

[email protected]

and I will send you my phone number and I can share with you all of the stuff we've been through and also some secrets we learned along the way. We are FAR from being ready but we are in the opposite boat that you are. We have spent soooo much time working the business end of the deal that we are just now starting the actual build this month....that includes props/walls/props and more walls.............its definetly been an experience. Lots of work and we atill need to find a reliable staff......we have a 2 million dollar policy, 60-80 radio ads on 2 different FM stations and 50 on an AM station as well as one full week of commercial air time. We have the option to use the radio stations studio to produce our own ad that will be played for one week 3 times per day, the week before Halloween. This cost us 750.00 plus we have live coverage at the event for 2 of the weekends which cost an additional 400.00........Like I said, feel free to send me an e-mail and I can help you with whatever I can.........


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## 1031fan

MADNESS??? THIS IS SPARTAAAAAA!!!! - ok - got that out of my system - just felt it was appropriate -ha

great posts guys - ill see if i can go through paragraph by paragraph

security has been a big concern for me - seeing that for some reason there is a lot of punks who find joy in breaking/stealing/just being pricks around my town - as im sure there are in other towns - - - i was thinking of having the outer walls be a full 8 ft high - and the door will obviously have a padlock on it as well as any emergency exits - what other precations should i take? i know that if someone wanted to they could get over an 8 ft wall with reletive ease - the pavilion has something like a 12 ft ceiling - should i try to connect the outer walls at the top to the ceiling? or is that overboard

damn the state and their money costing regulations!! ha - yeah - i will try to contact fright night and see who inspects them - im guessing they can give me a list of guidelines so that nothing comes as a surprise when they come in for their inspection - now i know from talking to you jim that haunts arent the friendliest to other haunts - and the only other one close to me - fright night http://www.fright-nights.com/boo/ - is well established (dont mean its good) and have had the luxury of reeling in EVERYONE from not only their town - but mine as well - - - so my question is - you think they will be responsive to helping me out in a sort of way? or will they be kinda pissed/scared theyll lose patrons - i would totally be willing to share info with them cause i feel if people are into haunted houses - theyd prolly go to both ---but they might feel differently and i just dont want to make anyone an enemy per se - i already have enough workin against me! ha

bilboards are definitly an option for me - the location of this park is great - its right by the main road rt 11 that runs through both our town AND the other town with the haunt - i have friends/aqaintances that would probably let me put up nice big 8x16 signs right along the road - and this would be cheap - only costing me the money for materials and time into painting them - also - the middle school and highschool are right smack beside this which would definitely be a nice hangout/evening event type thing for them -

radio might be a stretch for me for this year - i dont know EXACTLY what the budget is considering im kinda just seeing what all needs to be done - but id like to TRY and keep it under the 10K if at all possible - knowing that i can probably easily make that back

i can definitely do myspace asap once i know things are set in stone - but as far as a website for this year i dont really forsee that helping much for this year- or am i wrong in assuming that? - as far as posters and coupons or whatever i decide on, i can do the artwork for them with no problem and turn out a pretty profeesional looking piece - as long as the print shop can use the formats - im guessing if i saved it as a tiff or a jpeg theyd be able to work with that if i have everything the way i want it ready to go

im pretty sure that the park has outlets that can be used without having to get generators - im positive that there are electric lines around because the pavilion already has overhead lights that could easily be used as emergency lights/work lights for the long nights

as far as how many nights...heres what i was tentitively thinking...opening night should be the 5th then 6,7 12-14, 19-21, 26-31 and possibly nov 2,3 (im not sure if the november would be a good idea or not - i know several people showed up after halloween last year at my home haunt) so that would give me at least 15 nights - that sound reasonable?

so lets say i gain 6$ from every ticket sale - since the park will be taking a dollar - and lets say i put 10K into everything - - - to make my money back i will need to sell roughly 1666 tickets - round to 1700 - thats only a little over 100 people a night to get to that amount - now i know some will be slow nights and some will be buisier - but that seems very doable to me - what you think? - - - -also for reference - i know i told you jim - but i only spent 1K on my home haunt for last year - so i do know how to use my materials wisely ans skimp where it is possible without sacraficing quality and safety - of course this year will be at least 4 times as large and there will be plenty more costs to make it up to code

buggy builder - thanks for the great offer of you knowledge and assistance - i will be emailing you and we can talk about what you went through and such - same goes for me with willing to help you - im no pro haunter like jim, but i did have a fairly successful year last year with good turnout - so i know somewhat about what scares and what doesn't and what people notice and what they dont - feel free to ask me anything you want about that - too bad we cant combine haunts - i think we'd be about set already by now - haha

anyway - more to come and i will keep everyone updated as to where i am at - thanks all!

riley


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## Brckee1

Riley,
I would do whatever it takes to secure the haunt. If it gets trashed, you are out of business. Also, unless you close in the pavilion entirely, you will have a huge problem with sunlight in your haunt.

I checked out the FRIGHT NIGHTS website. It seems like they are well established and have a lot of experience. Seems like $10 is a cheap ticket price for a haunt that requires a 20,000 sq.ft. building. I wonder why they don't charge more? Has it always been $10? I notice that they are not open any weekdays. Most haunts I have seen open Thursdays as well as Columbus day, and the weekdays for the last week of Oct. leading up to Halloween. It must not be worth opening on those days in their experience.

I don't think you will make any enemies just talking and asking for information. It's true that some haunt owners are not very friendly to other haunts in thier market but some are very friendly and helpful. I think bad behaviour stems from insecurity. My thinking is that if someone opens a crappy haunt and people feel ripped off, they will avoid other haunts but if they go and have fun, they are more likely to visit other haunts. So a bad haunt hurts all haunts. This is why a lot of haunt owners will try to help out.

Is there a reason you are not opened on Sundays? These are usually worthwhile. Saturdays are the busiest and Fridays are also very good.

Signs are a good idea. Make sure you are allowed to put them up because this is usually regulated. Being near the school is really good. Be sure to find a way to market to the school.

A website is important. People will find your website to find you. If you don't have a site, they might not find you. No one will remember the info. on fliers and posters. They might remember the website or the name of the haunt, or more likely, do a search for local attractions and find your site. They will use it to find out when you're open, ticket price, directions. etc. Don't you know someone that can put up a simple page?

If you charge $7 and the park takes $1, that only leaves you $6 if the person does not have a coupon. Since your only marketing is signs and fliers/posters with coupons, you should expect a high percentage of coupons. Even at 50% you will need to sell an additional 120 tickets or so to make your money back.

The park has outlets? I would be amazed if these are adequate for a haunt. Your air compressor alone might be too much. You better find out how much you can run from these outlets because if you start popping breakers you're screwed. This is no small matter. Most likely everything will be fine until your first really busy night and then you won't be able to keep the power on. 

Taking in 10K sounds reasonable. But remember, it's not a sure thing. You are not really doing much marketing. The bigger problem is getting away with that small of a budget. 
Your area is a little over 4000 sq.ft. What was your haunt last year? 1000 or so? If you need to build 3000 sq.ft. of haunt I don't think you stand a chance of keeping this under 10K. You will likely need to use wood wall panels, fireproofed and painted, set pieces, props and decorations. at 10K, that comes out to $3.33 pr sq. ft of haunt. As a reference. If you were to buy a 3000 sq.ft haunt from a professional company, with highly detailed walls, animated props and everything you need, you would pay up to $125 pr sq. ft.! Obviously you can do it way cheaper than that but consider this. What does a wall panel cost? sheet of plywood is about $12.00 if you find a really good price. framed with 1 x 3's some paint and fire proofing some bracing, nails or screws. probably over $20 for a wall panel, at least $35 for double sided panels. A haunt that big would use about 200 panels. You will need 100 sheets of plywood just to secure the pavillion. You might spend 6K to 8K just in lumber, more if your exsisting haunt does not have wall panels. You will want a facade. Probably be required to have an emergency lighting system of some kind, lighted or glowing EXIT signs and smoke detectors. Doors and hardware, lights, sound equipment, props, decorations etc. If they require a sprinkler system, that's going to be at least 2K alone.
Good quality posters and coupons will run over $1000 (Guessing on your quantities) a 8 x 16 sign would cost at least $80. That's your only marketing unless the park helps to market.

You are breaking a cardinal rule by skimping on the marketing. Any seminar or book on haunt marketing I have seen has indicated that you need to spend a large part of your budget marketing. If you need 2000 costumers, you would likely need to spend $6000 in marketing. (As a rule)
I am not suggesting you spend that much!!! I am saying that fliers, coupons and signs are not going to be super effective on their own. If you somehow only spend 10K I think you will do great because my feeling is you could get 3500 people. Maybe more, but maybe you won't. You never know. It's a huge risk. Most haunts lose money until at least year 3. 

I don't want to be mr. negative but you need to nail down all these costs.


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## 1031fan

again jim - thanks for another wonderful post - your definitely not mr negative - your mr realistic - which is what i need now - i dont know if you saw my post the other day under the thread "cheap head" but i was basically sayin i want posts like yours - and several others that have been on this thread - i dont need someone sayin yay for you its gonna be sweet - i need someone givin me hard facts - which your very capable and good at doing - thank you

i agree - i will take every measure to secure the pavilion - only way those bastards are gettin in is if they bring a cordless circular saw along - o gosh - hopefully no one reads this - cause that might very well happen 

good point about talkin with the other haunts and them being helpful - i will try and open a line of communication - im thinking an email might work best? just explaining my situation a bit ect ect and simply askin about who checks their codes - if they seem friendly, i will ask them in another one if theyd be interested in handin out my fliers and vice versa - i would def go for that - cheap advertisement - so long as they hold up on their end of the deal

maybe i wrote wrong dates or looked at a bad calendar - i am planning on bein open fri - sun starting first week in oct and running the weekdays up to halloween the last week - that is what i did last year and it seemed to work well - hopefully the coupons will help the painfully slow nights and take some pressure off the rediculously busy ones

i will def market the schools hard - i have many friends that are teachers and contacts ect - shouldnt be a problem to get a mass campain there - possibly even taking a prop in and setting up a ministand for a day at the lunch line? hand out coupons and such - - - also - the university that i go to is in the same town as well - thats a huge number of people who have nothing better to do with their time - and the profs in the art dept like me so i could possibly even get some help from them as to what to do - there is a school radio station that i could prolly get free adds on and the school newspaper - and even discounts for large school groups?

im sure i can throw a webpage up - like even one of those free web hostings things on the net - and definitely myspace - but if you have the sight on your fliers and everyone goes to it - sees that its relatively crappily put together aka - not professionally done - will that reflect my haunt at all? i know i can do a cool myspace page that will look nice - as long as you think thats appropriate and sufficient as my only sight

good call about the exrta sales needed cause of the coupons - i didn't figure that

you are very true about the whole blowing fuses and crap happening - i found out the hard way on my first homehaunt night - - - however - the reason i say this is - right beside the pavilion is a pretty large sized 50x80 (ballpark) pool that has a HUUUGGGGEEEEE ass pump for it that must eat electricity like a fat man with a bag of cheetos - im talkin huge - the facility would have to have wayyyy more power potential than my house which handled the home haunt with no problem - full well knowing this will take lots more - it is a very good point though - without the proper power i might as well burn the whole thing to the ground - i will def look into that to make sure i do or dont need a generator

your right about the 10K being a stretch as far as budget and esp. wood - i might have to go over the 10K with all the extra safety measures that ive never dealt with before - however - as an ace up my sleeve (or at least i think so - maybe this is a huge no no for haunters) ive been using 3/8 OSB instead of the plywood - its strong (i make the highschool sets out of it as well as all last years wall panels) and the best part - i can get - or at least could back in march - a 4x8 sheet for 5 bucks - 4.99 to be exact - that price is unheard of - as long as osb is acceptable as a lumber - 2x4 on the vericle edges to connect with and 2x3 as horrizontal bracing on the top middle and bottom - - - if these are acceptable and will meet codes - that basically cuts your lumber cost at elast in half - *crosses fingers and hopes osb is ok*

your right - i am breaking the rules of advertising big time - as far as the money goes that is - but somehow i did manage to get 900-1100 guests last year ( i re looked at the counts - we had figure there was DEFINITELY no less than 900 even with repeats and possibly up to 1100 - but most likey in the 100 range) with virtually only the money in gas it spent to take fliers around - i did them myself on photoshop - printed them at work - o well i guess we did buy paper - but they actually looked rather professional - not the best - but good enough for free - - - and i think the reason why i did get those numbers is we actually did do a lot of marketing - just not stuff that costs money - the local papers all did a story for me - from being an artist and a baseball "star" i have a lot of contacts with papers - even larger ones that are based out of harrisburg that i will hopefully get to do an article for me - - the local halloween parade we went and handed out fliers only to get home to find there was already a line waiting for us to get back - and although this is technically my first big year - we are well known and are basically expected to do something for halloween - word of mouth is very powerful in a small town - - so, not going against what you say about marketing, cause i know how huge of a part it is - it just happens that i am fortunate enough to have many outlets that are somewhat on the cheaper side of things if not free - - - with that said though - i will take that to heart about what you said - i want to market the hell out of that town that has the other haunt - and they arent familiar with me and my work so it will take some money to do that unfortunately

this is great - brings back great memories when you were there for me buildin my bed thrasher (which i still need a freakin vid to show you guys - maybe ill build that room first in modular pieces so you can finally see what it turned out like) - that was also a stretch to finish and get to where i needed to be - considering i had to learn things as i was going - hopefully this will turn out with as much sucess as the bed did - i dont know - but for what its worth - even though i was pumped about the bed project - im 10 times more psyched and ready to pull as many all nighters as i need to to get this show runnin

before i go - a few more words about fright night - now dont get me wrong - im not sayin there bad just to tear them down to make myself feel better - ive asked many people - most of which dont even know i do haunt stuff what they thought of it - they usually throw there hands up and say mehhh - its ok - but its somethin to do - - which is basically the truth - - - - you are right in saying they are very experienced - but the experience is all in marketing - not putting on a good show - but it doesn't matter - cause for only 10 bucks itss still worth it since there are NO other haunts around and its more fun than a movie you can watch anytime of the year - - - dont let the 20,000 sq ft misguide you - the walkthrough only took about 12 min - 15 at most - and thats pushing it - now im not sayin there lyin - im sure there is 20,000 in there somewhere - its a huge old lowes building - but they dont utalize space at all - for most of the haunt - walkways are like 10 ft wide and rooms bigger than my living room - and their docoration of choice??? glow in the dark spider webbing - you cant go one foot without seeing tons of it on EVERYTHINGGG - - - im sure there budget is huge too - too many actors that just jump out and boo - and last year i counted over 10 props from companies i knew that were well over 2-3 a pop - thats some serious money
but heres the thing - as bad as i think it is - ill prolly still go if i have a free hour one night if there open and im not - cause even a poor haunt is still fun - and thats what they bank on - - - anywayy...

hopefully things will start to materialize - and keep those posts coming! i need to be on my toes at alll times!!

thanks so much - riley


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## buggybuilder

Its funny that Jim said something about signs being regulated.......we are required to have all signs approved by the zoning dept here before we ever build one..never saw that one coming. We also were informed by the Building Inspector that were were required to have a minimum of 36" walkways and doors to accommodate wheel chair patrons as well as Emergency Lighting that came on if the power went out......as far as the sprinkler system goes, we think that we can get around it but we have to submit an Exception to the building inspector to allow us to use ABC Fire extinguishers instead. This idea was actually given to us by the Building Inspector. Thats why its imperative to get in with these guys ASAP! Man lots of good info.........I could really use some of your prop building insight 1031fan and if you would e-mail me, I could help you out with some good info.......


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## Brckee1

Riley,

I had typed a long post and then my computer crashed just as I was submitting it!!!
Two points real quick before I go to work.
OSB is very flammable, and also has other problems.
Call the other haunt, don't email.

BuggyBuilder. Start a thread on the prop thread or join up over at Methodz for any help you need with animation or other props. Lots of very helpful people will answer all your questions. You can email me too if you like.
OK gotta work!


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## 1031fan

oh man jim - that sucks big time - as great as technology is at times, it really SUCKS other times

im sure you had elaborated a lot more on the OSB in ur longer post, and hopefully youll get a chance to retype it when ur not too busy (pshhh - like that ever happens right?) - - just some innitial thoughts though - i would have to fireproof the plywood anyway wouldnt I? and yes, there are other problems as you said - it warps quicker, soaks up water and expands, isn't quite as sturdy, and has a tendancy to flake - - however, its going to be backed with at least2x3 on every side and one going accross the middle - - and i think my next closest choice is 11-12 bucks like you said - - 6-7 dollars difference is a big difference for single and 12-14 $ for a double and this will be a very serious decision for which i go with - - - i respect ur opinion highly jim, so what do you think - if you were in my shoes and had a choice which would you pick - does the saving of possibly close to 3K outweigh the downsides to the osb? does any other haunt that you know use them?

buggy - hope you got my email - jim makes a great point about the methodz forum - there are many helpful people there who know a ton of info - they walked me through my first big project very well

hope your computer doesn't act up on you again jim!

-riley


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## Brckee1

OK more on the OSB, the thing about it is that all the strands are held together with glue. The glue has a flame rating similar to kerosene. I use OSB to start fires at work just by breaking off a piece and holding a match to it. I doubt it can be adequately fireproofed. I would ask specifically if you can use it.
Other problems as you noted are the swelling and flaking. warping is not a problem. It doesn't warp. The flakes can be a problem in the form of splinters. People will run their hands along the walls. Especially in dark hallways. It does not take paint well. You will spend way more time and money painting them. They are really heavy too.

Actually I have seen it used in haunts though. I had some panels in my old home haun that I transfered over to my pro haunt. I still have a few left but I use them where nobody is anywhere near them, like the outdoor swamp/cemetery scene.

If I were you, I would use them if you are allowed to only if it means you can't afford to do the haunt without it. Be aware as a small first time haunt, and being involved with a town park, you may get away with more than you otherwise would. But, if you move somewhere else next year, you may not be allowed the OSB panels and all that money will be wasted. Not to mention the time. You will hate the OSB panels and will replace them anyway if you continue your haunt.

Website....if you just do the myspacace page. then use that as your official website and put the url on all posters fliers and coupons. Make your coupons so that they are "NOT VALID ON SATURDAYS". Print this clearly on the front. If people want to save the buck, they can come on a slower night.

The grass roots marketing you are doing with the schools and all is great. I think it could work, especially if you get good word of mouth early in the season. If you needed 10 or 20 thousand tickets sold. I would say you have no chance. But for a couple thousand, it could work. But remember, you are competing in a whole new realm now. So you can't say for sure.

I am not sure what format you need to use for print material. I think there are some professional formats not on the average computer like addressable PDF or Vector or something. You better check before you spend a lot of time.

Also remember what Jeff said about designing for throughput. You can't have lines that are too long. Forget about doing a 20 or 30 second room in the middle of your haunt. The minimum recommended throughput for a pro haunt is 750 an hour. I think you would be safe at 150 to 200 pr hour this year.
You should try to design so that people exit faster than they enter to avoid backups. Backups will ruin the haunt.

So have you called the other haunt yet? did you find out about code enforcement? You still haven't talked about your plans for actors and other staff. (security, box office)


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## buggybuilder

Unfortunately, we also will be using OSB this year. They do make Flame Retardant that will work with OSB (http://painttoprotect.com/html/faq_.html) and at half the price of Plytanium, its the only choice for us this year. I realize the pitfalls of using OSB and will switch to regular ply eventually, but we have got to get this first year under our belts. I appreciate the links to the other sites, I will be frequenting them soon.....


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## buggybuilder

Brckee1 said:


> BuggyBuilder. Start a thread on the prop thread or join up over at Methodz for any help you need with animation or other props. Lots of very helpful people will answer all your questions. You can email me too if you like.
> OK gotta work!


What is the www for the Methodz site?


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## 1031fan

www.methodzofmadness.org

come join! its great - and we have some intense prop discussions

riley

ill post more in a bit - doin some dumb work right now


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## Brckee1

Have you guys priced Lluan plywood? I use it and love it. It does require a center stud but it is light, fairly durable and paints really nice. Maybe you could consider it for your high detail rooms anyway.

Riley, while I am thinking of it, weather is a huge concern for you. Bad weather will kill your business since you will have an outdoor que. Maybe you should consider renting a party tent for the que to be under. At least it will keep the rain off them.


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## buggybuilder

Brckee1 said:


> Have you guys priced Lluan plywood? I use it and love it. It does require a center stud but it is light, fairly durable and paints really nice. Maybe you could consider it for your high detail rooms anyway.
> 
> Riley, while I am thinking of it, weather is a huge concern for you. Bad weather will kill your business since you will have an outdoor que. Maybe you should consider renting a party tent for the que to be under. At least it will keep the rain off them.


Thats a good idea.......We haven't decided about our que line rain protection plan.......I guess if its in the budget we will shop for a tent. ANy other ideas on rain protection for a que line? I have been to MANY Haunted Attractions that provided NO cover from the elements. I would like to avoid the possiblity of losing money due to the elements though.....:jol:


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## BudMan

Wow, what a great thread, been a while since I've been here and kinda speed read thru. Riley, if you have any large commercial construction sites near you (you may have to go into the nearest city), check them out for building materials. You would be amazed at how much stuff winds up in the dumpster! Plywood galore, especially towards the end of a project. Slightly used 2x4's, pipe, wiring, etc. In hi rise construction, it seems that it is cheaper to throw it away than to sift thru what's good and bad. Talk to the laborers, they handle the garbage.
For insurance, chack out IAAPA, do a search and when you get their site, they'll have insurance advertisers. You should be able to get special event insurance.
As discussed, I would def have a press event. Can you get a live radio nite? Maybe donate that nites proceeds or a portion to a charity and the radio station will donate some advertising.
As for securing the top portion of the exterior, in the interest of saving money, maybe heavy gauge poultry fencing?
Can you get the school shop class to help paint the wall boards?
As for the que line tent, formerly in the party rental business, we used to rent out a 20x20 tent for $150-200. That was on Long Island and was for a "pole less" tent. You should be able to rent a 20x30 pole tent pretty cheap by you. You could easily snake 75 people under one of that size.
Lastly, I didn't see anything about concessions, hot dogs, soda and the like. Big money, minimal investment!
And souveniers! Every kid wants something, even if its just a glow necklace!
Just my 2 cents.


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## buggybuilder

Man, not to hi-jack your thread Riley, but we just ran into an issue that we hadn't REALLY planned for until after the Haunt. I have got a single car garage and a small shed out back. We went and picked up half of the material for our walls which consisted of 40 sheets of OSB and 120 2x3's....... holy cow! Once these are built, they are going to be a storage nightmare.... I think I'm going to run out of room to store these things, let alone the props and the other 59 sheets of OSB and 150 more 2x3's! I'm thinking that once they are painted, they might survive outside up off of the ground under a few tarps for a month or so. We plan to rent a storage unit after the event to keep everything semi usable for next year......just wanted to throw the storage issue out there, hopefully you have better storage plans than we do.


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## Sickie Ickie

I have a much smaller problem here, but the same. heh No basement, n attic, no garage and a two room house- yet still building props much to the nightmare of my wife.


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## 1031fan

ha - nice to hear that you have started buyin some supplies! - unfortunately yeah, i believe were gonna have to go the tarped route as well - we have even less space to put new materials since our shed is filled with everything from the other haunst stuff - one thing to make sure of - when the wood is sitting outside, it should have several inches under it where its not touching the ground to keep mosture from seeping up into the wood - just screw some of your 2x3 together and lay them down underneath - - i really do think this project is gonna be huuuuuge for the both of us - this is just the first unplanned "problem" that has c rept up on us - im sure there are many other unforseens in store - but im sure you, just like me, wont let anything short of a natural disaster get in our way. keep us updated on your build progress - take some pics! im gonna have a flat delivered of osb and 2x3 as well so im right behind ya! i think im going to make the facade out of luan actually - i need to build it modularly, but the pieces will be relatively large so i want to keep the weight down - speaking of facades, how all out are you going with yours? - riley


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## buggybuilder

Ya it felt good to have something tangible.....we have been working on the business plan and the sponsorship promo's and the emergency plans, marketing etc...etc...etc.....all business up to this point. Now its time to have fun and just flat out GO FOR IT!:googly: 

I will have to send you a copy of our Backstory for our Haunt. It would explain alot about what we are doing. The way that we have it, we won't need a facade. The "House" is the facade. We have a 200 yard trail that leads to a 50 yard walk into the woods that falls into a clearing and all that is visible is the "House". We are trying to capture the feeling that you are walking deep into the forest where there is this "DEN" all by itself in the woods. We walked it last night at about 11:00 PM to finalize our lighting plans for the trails and its gonna be pretty creepy.......I am pleased. 

I really want to see pics of your facade though. What are you planning for your facade? 
Have you found any decent place to buy Black Latex paint in large quantity? We are really looking and are having a heck of a time......


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## buggybuilder

Brckee1 said:


> Riley,
> 
> I had typed a long post and then my computer crashed just as I was submitting it!!!
> Two points real quick before I go to work.
> OSB is very flammable, and also has other problems.
> Call the other haunt, don't email.
> 
> BuggyBuilder. Start a thread on the prop thread or join up over at Methodz for any help you need with animation or other props. Lots of very helpful people will answer all your questions. You can email me too if you like.
> OK gotta work!


Hey, I signed up over there at Methodz, but the "Administrator" has not sent my acceptance e-mail back to me and its been over a week! Any ideas?


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## Frighteners Entertainment

buggybuilder said:


> Hey, I signed up over there at Methodz, but the "Administrator" has not sent my acceptance e-mail back to me and its been over a week! Any ideas?


It's nothing like it used to be, that's for sure!


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## Brckee1

Seems like the all Methodz forums are suffering from neglect. Although the .org version has been fairly strong. A lot of the major contributors from the original Methodz aren't members there  

Strange how it seems to be the nature of haunt forums that eventually, there is a dispersal of members to other forums.

Yeah the storage issue. I was going to bring that up earlier but I thought I had caused you guys enough headaches for one week! Buggybuilder, have you priced storage units? Haunts typically buy or rent tractor trailers for storage because they are mobile. The last thing you want to do is handle your haunt 4 times a season when you can do it twice.

I put roller tracks in two of my trailers to roll wall panels on. I rent a forklift and stack the panels on the end of the truck, and just roll them to the front. I have 2, 48' trailers of wall panels and I can load them all in a couple hours. Unloading is almost as fast.

If you hand load your wall panels onto a trailer, haul them somewhere, and hand load them into the storage unit, you are going to hate your life and no one will ever help you again.


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## Front Yard Fright

We store our haunt in a mini storage shed just down the road...
The owners of the place are one of our sponsors so we get a good deal every year...
Something to look into...
.


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## dave the dead

Brkee1....That makes SO much sense! What a great tip. Trailers as a storage unit......awesome!


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## buggybuilder

Hey, All, just wanted to share a few update pics on the wall building...I finished 10 walls today in about 3 hours......not to bad...only 90 left.







.

I also hit the jackpot on some midnight dumpster diving last night......I found these 12"x12"x24" Blocks of foam......50 of them......we are going to use them to build a huge block "cemetery" entrance to our trail leading to the House..........









Then here's a overall pic of my garage mess........running out of room quick!


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## 1031fan

lucky! you beat me to it so far - im ordering 2 skids of osb tomarrow and either 1 or 2 of the 2x3 as well - those flats look great! just something to mention here - not sure if anyone else does this - jim you can chime in here - but im making my walls like this - at least the ones for long hallways where many will need to be connected and the outside walls that will enclose the pavilion - this will make it easy to assemble and dissassemble- i think at least

the diagram pretty much explains itself, but basically its just offsetting the 2x3 so they fit together like a puzzle and can be easily screwed together









just something to think about

so do you have all your rooms planned out? im just finalizing my floor layout as of tonight - i know i know - its late and times ticking!!!


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## buggybuilder

That seems like a really good idea.....We aren't using 2 sided walls for the outside perimeter and the pavilion has got a 12"x12" post every 12 feet in which we will attach a 2x4x12' at the top and one at the bottom and attach the walls to these as well as screwing them together where the 2x3's meet.....should work out alright.
Our floor plan is indeed laid out and forwarded to the fire chief as well as the building inspector.......I'm sure yours will be more complex, as far as props go, we will rely more on actors to take the place of some of the props.... Did you ever complete your facade ideas? 

We are going to pick up our business license tomorrow and then we have the whole day to work on these walls.....man these are going to really be a pain to paint. In your experience, is it more cost effective to spray them or to roll them?


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## Brckee1

Riley,

I made wall panels with the offset plywood when I first started. Truthfully, it's more of a pain than it's worth. screwing them together that way isn't real strong. It makes them bigger than 4 feet for storage. It sucks when making corners to have that hollow spot, and they only fit together one way which is tough when you redesign the haunt every year.
Just make them flush and tow screw them or use clips to attach them. Then top brace them really well.

double sided OSB panels will be heavy  Also, I am sure you know that OSB has a smooth side and a rough side, the smooth side is way easier to paint and uses much less paint, so remember, smooth side out.

I usually roll wall panels but sometimes I spray too. For new panels, it's probably quicker to roll them, you can cover them in one coat that way.


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