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I purchased a home last year & we’ve been doing alot of updates to it since. I have always loved round-top and arch-top doors. I went on a search to find the perfect door. Of course I found one that I fell in love with but simply could not justify the cost. It was a beautiful round-top with glass sidelites on both sides and around the top (see picture). Does anyone know someone who may be able to build such a thing in the NH area?
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Replies
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If price is your primary concern, I'd suggest buying the door you've already found. From the picture, it appears to be a mass-produced item whose manufacturer has already benefited from economies of scale and figured that into the cost to the buyer.
Generally, asking a craftsman to produce a one-off, custom-made piece automatically increases the price relative to a mass-produced item of similar quality and materials. As one of my woodworking instructors used to say to people who'd bring a photo in and ask if he could make it cheaper: "Ever heard of Oak Express?"
I don't mean to sound snotty, and think it's great that you're working on improving your home. And I'm certainly not going to discourage anyone from bidding on the project who might be interested. I'm just trying to prepare you for what might be an unpleasant surprise, when it comes to cost. It's just economics.
David
*Try this web site.http://www.doorsandaccessories.comTheir mahogany doors start at about $1500. One like in your pic, but all mahogany would probably be around $3000.
*Just went back and looked at your pic again. Might be in the neighborhood of $4000-$5000.
*Steve, yes you did and that was cool. Probably would have been best to stop there! Cynister, understand you're talking to people who not only take their woodworking (be it a hobby or a profession) very seriously but also have good reason to believe their work is worth every penny.Tim
*That was Steve! Not me!Tim
*OK, now I have to go and delete mine...sheesh guys, I'm trying to get out of here! LOL. BTW folks, I'll be out of town on business through the weekend, you behave yourselves, you hear? SYSOP will be available if you need any help. Have a good one!Tim
*Yes that's true Dano! I'M A BELIEVER!Tim
*Right on fellas! Will do. Going to the woodworking show in Atlanta. If any of you who post on the board are in Atlanta, feel free to stop by the The Woodworking Show at the Gwinnet Center and say hello. Will have a camera and will post some pics when I get back.Tim
*Steve,BTW, you might want to make your point to Cynister since now he/she is likely confused reading this myriad of deleted posts! I think it's a good one to make, just "beside the horse", not on top of it. Tim
*Dano, like I said, "Start Here". ROFLMAO.. Sorry Tim couldn't resist.Steve
*You guys! If I were Cynister, I think I would delete the bookmark to this site. Gees, the guy asked a honest question and is actually looking for someone to do some custom woodwork! tsk, tsk!Spotting deer in a caddy? Must live in Texas! When i drove back and forth between Houston and Tulsa (twice a month for a year) I entertained myself by counting caddys. That would quit when I crossed the Red River into OK. Only in Texas do they still put any credance in a Cadillac. Says something about Texicans, huh?
*Once again, you have appointed yourself arbiter of what is appropriate on this board? Do you gain pleasure from being rude to people? I'm sorry to see this trend continuing. I'm particularly bothered to see you and Mr Schefer reinforcing each others behavior: if this were a classroom I would expect the teacher to separate you.
*Now people, I don't understand. This person asked us a simple question and got dumped on. A simple suggestion to look else where would have been all that was needed. From time to time I do work like this for what ever reason. If I lived anywhere near this person I would have talked to them about it.Scott
*a jepson,Sorry to be the reality check here my friend, but you're about as wrong as you could be about this forum. All people are welcome here, period. Your impression of people mooching off of you is a bad sign of a big head. Posts like yours sends a collective shudder around all of Taunton that reinforces the constant criticism we get of these forums that newcomers (especially non-skilled ones) are not welcome. Fortunately we have many people (including all who have posted in this message and I would have thought you too until now) who are more than willing share without wondering when they'll get something back.Cynister didn't say cheap. Don't put words in his/her mouth.Tim
*thanks, tim...
*Dano,You're right that this is not the place for bids. But cynister's asking about contacts, if you don't have any nor have any educational advice for cynister then there's nothing more to contribute. Tim
*Dano!Oh I'm still in CT but you'd have to wonder, wouldn't you! My comment was not meant to make you the bad guy. Tim
*Yea, had to get home to pack. Fly out tomorrow. The beer's better here anyway. :-)Tim
*Hey, Tim, the guy asked a simple question and now has 36 messages of garbage to look through without a single useful answer. is there some way to simply delete it all and let him start again?Cynister, it seems unlikely that you'll find a custom builder who can build that for less money than the production shop who makes it in the first place, but he might be able to suggest ways to make it more attractive to you, more custom to your home, which, in the end, might just make the price justified...SB
*Scott,I thought Dave's reply was (is) useful, said pretty much the same thing you just did only with more detail...guess you missed that one, it's the first reply.By all means Tim, start yanking postings...DanoYou happy now, Mr. Braun? Feel free to e-mail me to let me know of any other postings of mine you don't care for.
*cynister, I've been working late on one thing or another, so I'm kind of late checking out this forum today, a fairly regular haunt of mine. You did get a lot of verbal flatulance and sarcastic jeering from the sidelines. But there is much truth in the general tone coming across that you will not get b that exact door and framework custom made as a 'one-off' by a craftsman for less than a mass or batch produced item, assuming that door is a mass or batch produced piece that is: it will in all normal circumstances cost more, quite a bit more probably. However, perhaps you were looking for a door roughly of that type, but really, truly, peerlessly special, and that you are in fact cognisant of the likely costs involved, and more than willing to pay the going rate?Now, can anybody answer the original question? Does anybody know someone in the New Hampshire area that can handle a commission of that nature? If so, put up the name or contact cynister off-forum (assuming cynister has posted an email address.) Let the maker and cynister discuss prices. Any craftsperson worth their salt will, in a matter of minutes over the phone, or by email, establish whether or not cynister is a serious lead or not. Nothing else is relevant, and will everybody please stop acting like you all just spat your dummies into the dirt over the side of your pram. Slainte, RJ.
*Sgian: >>stop acting like you all just spat your dummies into the dirt over the side of your pram. . .ROTFLMAO, Love it! Sgian, that's one bit of vernacular I gotta write that down and save!
*One of the reasons an item may be too expensive is the shipping charge. Perhaps this is why Cynister is looking for a local artisan.Cynister, the round-top door is pretty routine and almost any shop should be able to turn it out, but the curved sash is time-consuming and takes special cutters. Also, the lights add enough height that they could interfere with the header above the door, necessitating a lot more demo and construction than you are bargaining for. If you replaced the present door with a round-top door, it might be enough of the look you're after without all the hassle and expense. Don't forget to add in the cost of the new trim around the door, too.
*Wow -- post a simple note one afternoon, come back the next morning and... 43 replies!!!Mike, Sgian, splintergroupie... thanks for adding some better ideas to my quickie response. I'm sure there were other good thoughts buried in this thread, but most of them were deleted!By the way, splintergroupie, I initially misread the name of the person who said/wrote the quote under your name in post #43. I thought it was "Dorothy Parker" -- which temporarily changed the way I read the quote, at least in my mind, to something a bit more "blue." Then I reread it, and the name, and stood corrected. (Wait a minute... did I just hint at something inappropriate?)David
*cynister, have you thought about making something similar yourself if cost is a concern? Others have beat this point to death, but this forum is not the place commission someone to do work. i think you would find us more than willing to give advice if you were to take on a task like this. after jumping on the bandwagon with others and getting all up in arms about this, i think it is important that i should be more constructive. custom woodwork is expensive, and the way around it is to build things yourself.
*Well this has been a very entertaining thread. I hate it when posts get deleted, it is like missing an episode of a great miniseries. I'm sure the deletes are probably the most entertaining.Cynister, I'm sure you didn't mean to cause the offence that has been taken -- good luck with your project. By the way, another area that is taboo here is defending Norm. If you don't have thick skin then what ever you do DON'T DEFEND NORM in here.All right boys, have at me. ;-)Will
*I'm tempted to build cynister one for the cost of materials for the hell of it.
*Chas-I'll send you a check for the finishing materials if you're serious. What a snotty bunch of answers he got to a well-meant question.
*I have read through all the responses on this post and it makes me sick. Here is someone posting a question (whether he is legit or not I do not know) and all the arrogant #%&@$# instead of answering politely give him the riot act. No wonder some craftsman have a hard time making a living, posts like this give the rest a bad rap.Cynister,As someone else mentioned the cost you found on the door you saw maybe your best price. If you commission a local custom shop the price will probably be much higher, especially if it is something which they do not do on a regular basis. The upside of having a custom built piece is that it will be (at least if designed correctly by an Architect or a reputable shop) both pleasing aesthetically and functionally. It will be scaled overall according to its surroundings (sized to match the house and adjacent features) and the details will then be sized to match the whole. That is where the price is worth it vs a mass produced piece. Of course if you the time, patience and tools you do it yourself.Good Luck,Paul
*I wish I had the time, but I don't. I'm not so sure that somebody just starting out in the New England area wouldn't be interested in doing this for cost.It would be a great addition to a portfolio. It's quite a striking door.
*cynister Well if Sgian has been busy I have been buried :-) I haven't had time to even look at this page because I have been pre hanging arch top doors for a client for the past week. I have done about 4 of the units you show in you picture over the past few years and even though we have really a handle on how to build them effenciently the best we have done one in was 63 man hours of which 43 hours were spent in prehanging. That includes the time spent building and bending the frame parts and actual assembly of the unit. I would be remiss to say that these are easy- they are not. If you have any kind of access to a commercially built unit I would suggest that you check their prices. I believe the last one we did cost over $5000 and we did not ship it. I do not live in NH so I cannot be of any assistance in this case. If you want more info I will keep an eye on this thread Good luck Joe
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