Trim Carpentry

Q. If you were a customer, what do you wish you knew about your trade? Any inside secrets to share?

A. It is always nice to know that you are dealing with an honest business person that you can trust to keep their word. Trust is something that you earn and is as satisfying to a client as quality work. Always keep the clients trust by keeping your word and doing quality work because a good reference is as good as gold.

Q. Why does your work stand out from others who do what you do?

A. My objective is to supply the customer with a reasonable product at a reasonable price that is as fair to everyone as possible. Besides doing quality work it is my goal to satisfy the customer and allow for a reasonable profit margin by improving their property and therefore; its value. Being successful at this should leave me with a good reference.

Q. What do you like most about your job?

A. It is very satisfying to be able to address a problem that a customer might have and solve it. I can't tell you how many surprised and happy clients I have had seeing a problem finally solved. Simple things sometimes like a stuck garbage disposer or a broken doorknob that they may have had to contend with for quite some time and are sometimes amazed that there really is a practical solution.

Q. What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

A. Obviously the most common question I am asked is "how much is this going to cost?". I have no "carved in stone rule for pricing". I work by the hour or bid. My hourly rate is $25 and I try to bid jobs the same. I try to estimate the amount of time it will take me to complete the job. There are some moldings I calculate by the linear foot and some jobs by the square foot but my aim is always $25 an hour. Keep in mind that these are billing hours and I spend a lot of time traveling, doing bids, estimates, takeoffs and paperwork along with computer time and billing etc... that are unpaid hours. Internet search engines, digital photos and documents, email and the co-operation of service providers like thumbtack have been a real benefit to keeping these costs down and streamlining the business.

Q. Do you have a favorite story from your work?

A. I don't really have a favorite story but I do have a favorite scenario. I have worked for customers who were very intelligent and helpful who make the job a lot easier with their intelligence and understanding and in that way save cost to themselves on the job. They are usually very decisive and have a clear list of priorities.

Q. What do you wish customers knew about you or your profession?

A. What someone else may make look easy may not actually be as easy as it looks. Pro golfers are a good example of this. I know that I assumed I could par the course after watching them do it but the reality is that I still can't. I wish they knew when to appreciate a skilled craftsman who's talents have been honed with experience.