Coasters: Heights and Prices

I was just wondering a few things today, and was hoping some of you can help.
First thing: When lengths of the track are measured, does it include the lift hills/station/brake runs, or just what happens after the lift hill.
Second Thing: Does the price of a roller coaster include the design and the construction/landscaping(basically the entire construction process) or what?
I'll appreciate any answers: thank you!!

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A New World. A New Technology. One Last Hope for Salvation. Neon Genesis Evangelion *** This post was edited by Coastercraver on 5/10/2001. ***

Well I am not sure but I think the length is for the whole coaster including the lift, station, and course of the ride.

Second I don't think construction and landscaping is included in the price of the coaster. I remember hearing SFMM Goliath was 12 million for the coaster only, it was rumored that after construction and landscaping the total project costed 17 million. I don't know how true this is I am not saying that it's fact but it's just something I heard.

I doubt that the price would include landscaping. Its the parks job to hire someone to do that, not the coaster designer.
Also, I would think that the length would include everything, or else it wouldnt be total length.
Just my 2 cents.

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Do the coaster companies design where the que entrances and exits are, or is it up to the park, or is thier input from both? Anyone know?

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My best guess is that the coaster companies who design the coaster design & factor in the whole enchlata...

Why?
It's part of the themeing. It's part of the ride. It's part of the experience. When a Amusement Park turns to a coaster company to design a rollercoaster, they usually come up with an architect's sketch of the coaster which usually includes the queue, landscaping, & themeing. This is now-a-days inputted into the computer for a computer rendering & animation how it will look like.

They have to factor in the trees, the queue, and themeing around the coaster as part of the coaster's final look. If that isn't done, chaos envokes and things can be messy (because if a park decides what goes where after a custom coaster is designed, it most likely won't look right).

When a park says it has "Invested 12 million on it's new super coaster"...
That means that they invested 12 million on everything there... the concrete, the pavement, the trees, dirt, water... etc. As well as the rollercoaster itself (as for labor costs, I am not sure).

Of course, this is just a hypothesis... but my hypothesis' tend to be right 51% of the time

The price reported for a coaster includes whatever the park or coaster company wants to include. There are no laws regulating what is included.

Sometimes the themeing is done by the ooaster company and sometimes it is not. Many aspects of coaster construction are handled by subcontractors who may be contracted by the park or the coaster manufacurer depending on how the main contract is set up.

The theming is done by a coaster company if it has to do with the construction itself. If they are going to have a drop into a tunnel and something on top of the tunnel then the company will more than likely do it theirself. But everything else like landscaping is done by the park, Unless it has something to do with the way the coaster functions or rides. The parks usually does all the theming on their own.

I really don't know much about how much coasters cost, but I do know this. If you want a top-grade, high quality coaster, then you're gonna have to pay the price. And most of the time, the price is steep. For example, Six Flags buys a lot of their coasters from Intamin and B&M. Just look at what Six Flags Great Adventure has done. About, I'd say, 5 years ago, SFGAdv had nothing. Now, in the past 2-3 years they have brought 3 top-grade coasters of Batman, Medusa, and Nitro. SFGAdv probably spent over $50 million just for these three great coasters.