FAQs
- What should the customer know about your pricing (e.g., discounts, fees)?
Depends on the type of job, size of a project, material used, etc. I try to be as fair as I can without selling myself short. Quotes can be negotiable.
- What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
Building trust and rapport is #1. I like to meet with said customer in person. Ask the appropriate questions to get an idea of their needs and gather any pictures or drawings they might have regarding their request(s). If the customer is open to it, I’ll often times offer suggestions to size, design, finish, etc, depending on the size of the area I’m working with. I’ll also work up a quote for the customer with some wiggle room for a little negotiation on the price. I like to be fair to customers but at the same time, get paid for my time and labor. Once a design, finish, price and time frame are agreed upon, I’ll start the project.
- How did you get started doing this type of work?
My wife wanted a kitchen island for Valentine’s Day, 2016. So I bought a few 2 x 4’s and cedar boards and began to explore different designs but decided to keep it simple. This was my first “real” project aside from tinkering around in my garage so I wanted it to be perfect. I bought a small table top jointer, a dewalt planer, and several hand tools just for this one project. In the middle of planing and jointing the 2x4’s to achieve as square of a board as I could, thinking I was about to turn off my jointer, not paying attention I put my left hand on the bed of the jointer and the rotating blades took a good portion of my left index finger. Needless to say the project was put on hold for several months before I finally was able to finish it. After that, i just developed a strong interest in woodworking.