Morning to All ,
Just wanted to share this , I am on the last leg of a good sized Cherry kitchen , when I’m done it will be close to 90 days from start to finish . I set the contract up so as to be able to get a few draws over the course of the job to pay bills and live on ( real world ).
I am a few days from finishing the doors to go to the finisher the rest of the job is installed all cabinets are in just some trim left and hardware then hang doors .
I asked my client for a draw splitting the balance in half to be paid upon door install and completion , he said sure stop by his office it will be there for me .
My wife was out and stopped by his office and picked up the check , she called me to tell me the amount was different then what I told her to expect .
The client made the check for $250 more and called it a gratuity and thanked me for all my help and guidance ( he has by default been his own contractor )
I was shocked and I want to see if adoption is out of the question , oh yeah his ladywyfe asked if I wouldn’t mind building another small but nice piece for them.
you never know dusty
Replies
morning dusty,
did what you're doing for ten years. rare, few and far-between!!
eef
Congrats Dusty,
May be time to redistribute the wealth at your local Woodcrafters or Rockler!
OldGreen
Hi Old green ,
Thank goodness there are no such outlets in So. Oregon .
dusty
Dusty,You can always send the money up north here and I'd be more than happy to "redistribute" it for you.OldGreen
You must be doing something right. Bring them a bottle of wine when you finish the kitchen.
David Ring
http://www.touchwood.co.il/?id=1&lang=e
Hi David , Yup , I will do something , perhaps the aquarium stand they want will be an opportunity .
Hows things your way ?
The general feeling and economy here is impending doom .
something usually comes in at the right time
fares to Israel have gone down
do you like face frames ?
regards dusty
Hi Dusty,
Things here are just a tad slow. Stock market is way down of course, but I think it's mostly a mentality thing. People see a great storm across the ocean and just hunker down waiting for it to hit us here. The fact that oil prices have dropped a lot is quite convenient for the start of the winter heating season! Face frames? I love 'em. We don't do cabinets any other way. Of course, after some 300 kitchens we have a system of our own. I could do a book (another one that'll never really get written) on how a small shop can turn out face-frame custom kitchens efficiently. A typical kitchen takes us some 150-200 hours from start to finish. Actually I'm looking around for a new project for myself. I need one more big project to help me change gears into retirement mode. Any ideas?regards,David Ring
http://www.touchwood.co.il/?id=1&lang=e
Now that's a tip! Speaks volumes about your customer service. That's the type of customer that will likely send 3 or 4 more your way over the course of a few years (maybe more).
Don't forget to post some pics of that kitchen when it's done.
Lee
Lee ,
I try hard , a one person shed can only put out so much work .
This particular job had quite a few variables and I was able to help and make sure no mistakes were made , they bought and wanted to use a gas cooktop with a downdraft in an island base cabinet , the factory tech support said that's a no no .
I think these folks will give referrals but honestly most wealthy people don't talk about the folks that work for them much .
I will get pictures but it may be a while until the back splashes are in .
There is a curved wall that has a bar on top and the base butts to the inside of the curve , the granite guy said the one biggest slab will weigh near 1000 lbs , I'll be on site to help as I have a vested interest .
dusty
I think these folks will give referrals but honestly most wealthy people don't talk about the folks that work for them much .
My Father-In-Law had more money that he could ever spend.. I got none but my Sister got it all. She is actually my sister-in-law (his daughter) but I consider her a sister..
He would ALWAYS talk about 'us common folks' that did a good job for him.. I am sure he NEVER gave out extra cash... Orphan from Germany raised in the depression.. But if asked or the subject came up he would give a reference to a person he had a well done job.
I have heard him do that many times.. He just loved good work!
EDIT: Hell, he ever gave me a few references!
Edited 11/13/2008 10:03 pm by WillGeorge
"I think these folks will give referrals but honestly most wealthy people don't talk about the folks that work for them much ."
I don't think that is universally true. I am fortunate to live in an area that is loaded with high net worth people. At every get together it seems that there are discussions about service people, from landscapes, painters, architects, and contractors. I know a guy who started out as a handyman and now has a substantial business with more work than he can handle.
His main focus has been customer service, and he has a great reputation. I know that he took some silly jobs to keep people happy by feeding cats, and driving kids to/from the airport but he has never placed an ad of any type... all of his jobs have been referrals from a fairly small group of friends.
Dusty,
Now that's a good story I like to hear. Reading that, I was waiting to hear that they backed out or couldn't pay you or ran away. But it never came.
Those are the clients you want to have and keep. Like David suggested, bring them a bottle of ($250?) wine when the job's done. You're lucky to have such grateful clients.
Chris @ www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com
- Success is not the key to happines. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
Chris , Yes , very lucky to have such wonderful clients . The funny thing is these folks are very easy to please and don't nit pick or sweat the little stuff .
The clients can make the job more rewarding , or not .
regards dusty
Sounds like you've got it good, provided they keep asking more from you. I have a friend who also has it good. He's doing trim carpentry right now for an insurance claim. The previous trim carpenter was supposed to have it done X number of months ago, but didn't. He's gone now, and the owner of the house has been told to get it done, and the insurance company will pay whatever it takes. So my friend's charging $50/hour, guilt free, to install moldings etc.Chris @ http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com
- Success is not the key to happines. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
Chris ,
I know you are just starting your serious wwing ( career ) and there is a sort of a romantic er emotional thang to it as well in some cases .
I have been at it here for over 27 years , in a formerly small timber town economy times have run the full range . The last 10 years have been the best until 06 then it slowed a tad and these following 2 years have been so far about 25- 30 % down in general , that meant the difference of making ten grand or breaking even so to speak , not good .
There is only a thin line between making it and going broke it seems .
Being a great maker is not enough in todays world and market conditions . You need to be a smart operator and business wise . Are there courses you can take from community college ? Just to get some mentorship and advice .
Luck has some to do with it , it took perhaps 5 years to start to get referrals and they go on and on thank goodness . But this coming winter is certainly going to be challenging , I have a family to feed and all the payments to go along with .
I can see it now :
" Nice shop fully equipped , good house lovely wife and son take over payments "
cheers dusty
"So my friend's charging $50/hour, guilt free, to install moldings etc."
Chris,
Why would/should he feel guilty for charging $50 an hour? I would say that for a good, self-employed trim carpenter that is cheap.
Rob
You are exactly right. In order to pay self employment tax, etc., $50 per hour may net about half that--if you are working steadily and don't have insurance premiums to pay as well. Folks don't understand the overhead costs we face.
To All , Regardless of how much you are worth , you can usually only charge what the market will allow. In Chicago a top finish carpenter type may fetch $75 per hour but in a lesser locality $25 may be what all the others work for.
When in Rome ,
dusty
My contractor son-in-law moved from Indiana to Texas where his labor costs are almost exactly half what they were. Of course there are regional differences as well as cultural differences as far as what one may expect to receive for their services.
The point I was making is more of economics. In order for a contractor to obtain the proper licenses and bonds and healthcare insurance and life insurance, your "break even" price goes up just like any business overhead.
Heart ,
Yup , I have been a self employed contractor for over 25 years , lic,bond,ins, the whole enchilada . Our expenses have gone up about 50 % per month from 5 years ago in all . We have been paying our own health insurance for ever , no paid vacations and no sick days , not to mention a grumpy old man without bearded sawdust in the pants for a boss .
You are so right about the overhead costs that come each month whether you do any business or not the bills need to be paid .
a dusty curmudgeon
Rob,
I guess that's more than he normally charges for simple trim work. But you're right. He shouldn't feel guilty giving the insurance company a deal.Chris @ http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com
- Success is not the key to happines. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
Congratulations, brother! My experiences have been all over the map, from a big job requiring two helpers that was rewarded with a bounced check to a short, half day job that paid an unexpected $850 to just about everything in between.
When your good service meets with appreciative clients, be very thankful!
Now that must have been a surprise. I've gotten some nice letters/notes of appreciation, but never a money tip. You should feel quite proud. There's nothing better than found money. Use the extra for a dinner out.
As far as trying to reciprocate through the gifting of a bottle of wine or the like... I'd take a pass on that. It is HIS place to choose to give YOU the bonus. If you returned the gesture that may tend to diminish his effort a bit. It's sort of like you'd be saying, "...thanks, but I don't really need the money." Better, I think, to give him an "extra" on the next project. Maybe a nice turned bowl, or a secret drawer he didn't expect. Give him back "the work/the service" that he wants. The client is very capable of buying his own wine. (assuming he drinks at all)
Hi Sapwood ,
You make a strong point , but there is a tad more to this story .
I was working in one of the other rooms I filled with cabinets (pantry and laundry room ) installing wall cabinets when one of the screws didn't feel right so I backed it out and angled over a bit a tried it again .Well this time I pulled it out again and heard a sissss then drip drip drip noise .
Yup , I hit a copper water line that had been recently placed to add service to the new laundry room , only problem was the plumbers cut a stud out part way and put the copper line in line with the old stud that was still in line across the top where I located it.
The homeowners were out of state (of course ) at the time , talk about panic you should have seen this old guy scrambling around , found the water shut off and the breaker box to turn the water heater off in a matter of a few minutes.
I was able to reach the HO by cell and found out which plumber they use , called them and he came out later that day and fixed the pipe . The new drywall needless to say was missing a section so I called in my own drywall repair guru I've known for many years , he was there the next morning and within about a day and a half I rolled paint on the repaired area and a few hours later re-installed the wall cabinet. The pipe was like 55" up off the floor.
The HO called a few days later and asked about calling his drywall man , I let him know it was already taken care of and the painter was on the cabinets as planned but a day or so later. I called the plumbers office and told the lady to send me the bill . The HO heard about that from the office and said no way , he would not let me pay for it . I am the first to admit when I screw up and I am a firm believer in being accountable and owning our own problems and such .
I was also about 2 weeks late on delivery of the kitchen cabinets but still this HO is what we call a Mench , a true gentleman and a kind soul .
As far as giving extra , it's what I do as a standard mode of operation I always go beyond the scope of their expectations .
Oddly enough they do love wine and there is an under counter wine cooler in this kitchen , now I need to see what wine they like .
regards dusty
FWIW, you did not screw up (no pun intended), the plumber did by: a) cutting a stud and b) not properly installing nail plates in front of the pipe, which is not code compliant, BTW.
Me, I'da sent the plumber a bill for the extra.
Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PA
Mike , That's an interesting view , I've hit a few wires in 30 years but that's the first water pipe penetration that I know of .
Even if I used a stud finder it would most likely indicate on the pipe.
dusty
" how good we are is how good we fix our mistakes "
Oddly enough they do love wine and there is an under counter wine cooler in this kitchen , now I need to see what wine they like ..
Great story. I loved it.. With what YOU did for them I'd ask THEM for THEIR best bottle of wine to relax with!
Will , Glad you liked the story , but I only did my job , I did what I am payed to do as a professional . If I had not put a screw in a pipe there would have been no problem .Kind a hard to blame that one on others . It's Saturday morning and I'm heading to the job site soon to finish up so as to be ready for the granite tops that come Tuesday . I'll bring the donuts .
dusty
That's very cool, Dusty. Great choice of clients. (I'm assuming you turn away the penny-pincher types, of course. ;-) )
Ralph ,
You can't always choose who you work
for but you can usually decide who you won't work for.
I have been lucky to have great clients
regards d
Congrats dusty,
In 30-some odd years of doing "bidness", I've gotten maybe two or three gratuities, and one or two letters of thanks (nobody but nobody writes a letter any more). Maybe that many invites to dinner from the client, as a part of the delivery. And an additional order placed during the delivery, I always take as a compliment on the workmanship.
You done good.
Ray
Injun rider ,
Like you a handful of thank you cards and quite a few phone calls , just to say they really like it or maybe we went to 8 or 10 dinners but heard there would be more that never happened . By the time the HOs got all the crew out of the house they didn't want them back.
One old Sourdough I worked for gave me a locket full of Gold Nuggets (small nuggets) but real Gold from the Klondike up in Alaska .He showed me more Gold bars then I'd ever seen in my life .This old feller taught me about things that were " Skookem "
I made quite a bit of furniture for the local county elementary school starting in the library and then where needed . I have several shopping bags full of thank you cards from all the students , several times .
But on one of those cards this little boy said he really loved the feel of the Maple wood book case I made and would love to have something that smooth and beautiful in his room at home , darn keyboard gets wet again .
d
Edited 11/15/2008 1:32 am ET by oldusty
dusty,
Hey man, great job.
Now don't you worry about making it through these lean times and unfortunately I think they're just beginning. People with a work ethic like yours WILL be ok and move on to better times. Your creative mind ain't doin ye any harm either!
Ye know that Gump fella had it right; 'bout life, chocolates and all.
The ebb will end and life flow again,
Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
When we needed a new roof on the house, we called one roofer because one day when my wife was trying to get out into traffic, one of his trucks stopped to let her out. Turns out one of the other guys we called was the first party's brother - pretty funny. They work together.
So, a random act of kindness got them a pretty nice job.
"You never know."
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