Hi BMN - If its uneasy for you to set a rate then perhaps this is not the biz for you. One mistake is to start something in the hope it will work out. They rarely do. Firstly on a job like this you settle on a hourly rate to cost out the job or a fixed price to cost it out and make recommendations. I wouldn't "physically" do anything until an agreed budget and a costing is done, many times projects will end there. It will turn out to be uneconomical unless you work for peanuts. Maybe better to search for newer second hand machine or even a new chinese machine will work out better.

Second rule is don't work for cheap arsed customers. Walk away, find a better customer, better for you and your biz. And when you do figure out your rate x1.5 just to be safe...Peter

You don't have to "justify" your time or expertise to a customer. If you do then they are the wrong customer. You set a rate and an agreed project scope. You do the job, done. If they do not accept the scope and costs then onto the next one. Another trap is to spend your own money on parts, instal them etc and then the client doesn't pay. Hard to get that stuff back. So send the customer a shopping list and they pay for parts and outgoings or they pay a lump to you that is the value of the parts so you are not out of pocket. It's about making money in the end and you have to focus on the money...