Fantastic job Sparky. I can tell you have a real passion for you work. With the quality of work you do, don't sell yourself short when you bid the work. Just tell the customer what I say "The bitterness of poor quality lingers long after the cheap price is forgotten" A more clever way of saying "You get what you pay for" By what I can tell, you shouldn't have any trouble getting a top price. Great job.

Sparky,
   Took the slide show and wow!! Nice photos but real beauty is in your woodwork. Every piece is a fabulous work of art.

Beautiful work.

Don't intend to hijack the thread, but the design of the tub seems like a serious injury waiting to happen with the sharp edges located near a very high step and faucet and handles at the entry point.

Yeah, I've never understood why this builder always has his tubs with the faucet on the entrance side.  I have worked on 4 houses for him, and they are all the same.  Actually, there are quite a few things that this builder does that drives me nuts, but that is an entirely different topic and I don't need to get my blood pressure up today. 

I have between 500 and 600 hours into this, that includes installation.  Being that it was my first full house cabinet project, that number is probably skewed by time thinking about how to do things.    Hopefully the next project will be quicker.  Of course, I never fell like I get things done quickly enough.  Its that constant struggle between efficiency and utmost quality.  I want to get things done quickly, but not at the risk of quality.

Right now, its just me, no helpers.  I need to fix that if things get busy.  I should have had helpers on that job, but that is another long story that I won't get into.

This house, the only time I had tools there was during installation.  I had my MFT3 and my Bosch miter saw.  Other projects that are on my Flickr page, yes, I did do everything on site.  No problems with power, as my table saw is only 1.75 hp.  I didn't wire it for 220 just so I could take it to the jobsite.  That was because I was trimming the houses too at that time, so I had to do everything there.  This house I posted here, everything was built at my shop. 

I didn't do any of the finishing.  I have a friend who also did the painting on most of the jobs shown on my flickr page who does my finishing.  His name is Rolly Wilcox, and he does an amazing job of making my work look good!  He has a couple different sprayers.  I know he just got a new Graco HVLP sprayer that is amazing.  Not sure of the model number or anything.
I believe the bookshelf you are talking about is the black built-in units beside the stone fireplace?  It was finished on site.  The copper accent/distressing was applied after the fact, freehand, by Rolly.  It looks stunning in person.  When he sprayed the units, he basically built a plastic room around them to control dust.

I am very ready to do it again.  I am currently working on a website that I'm hoping will really help get my name out there, and I'm trying to get other builders to take a look.  Unfortunately, the economy here in Michigan is HORRENDOUS and work is kinda slow at the moment.  Waiting to hear back about another cabinet job, but budget may price me out of that one.  We will see.

Sparky,

A lot of the work looks really good.  Congrat's on getting the business kicked off and getting a pay check.  You're going to do great.  I for one like how there are different finishes.  We are not big fans of having all the cabinets in the house matching with the same wood/finish.  Did all the flooring go in first or something in the kitchen?  I don't see any qtr rnd or shoe at the bottom of the kitchen cabinets.  Again great job and you should be really proud of what you've done.   





Constructive Feedback...  Read it only if you really want to...

Kitchen
      Of course you're at the Mercy of the customer and if they don't give the freedom, then what the heck.  When I look at the cabinets around the window they just look too crowded.  The kitchen cabinets are too close to the window.  The window trim and cabinets and trim are very near each other.  Try to leave 3"-4" around obstacles such as this.  The upper cabinets to the right of the window should be the same size.  See how one door is bigger than the other (should be more balanced)?  My opinion is the island should not have had a toe space.  Especially with the over hang you have for the bar side.  It looks more like furniture if you flush it out and install a nice base molding around it.  Those separate toe spaces are just hard to clean and easily trap debris.  What height is everything set at?  Looks like the uppers are higher than 54".  Of course I can't tell in the photo's but you need to be careful with reach there.  I know you didn't have anything to do with it, but I would want to shoot the electrician that would put so many boxes in the back splash of such a nice house.  What a cluttered mess with all those single boxes.  Sure you want things to be handy and you have to meet code but that's silly.  But I would never install a freestanding range in a house like that either.


Master Bath 
      Doing a full height door at a sink is up to you.  Most people would rather not open a cabinet and see the bottom side of a sink but in most cases that's ok.  That door is way too wide though.  You can't even stand there and open it.  If the size of the sink requires that large of a sink base, ok, but they should have been butt doors.  You really have to think through "drawer" to "full height door" to "door and drawer combo" applications.  Things need to look appealing and the whole scenery needs to have a flow to it.  Again something the customer must dictate, but you can suggest.  The drawers look too crowded at the tub.  They probably still open ok but you've got a pinch point there.   


Shared Bath
Where's the drawer bases?  Where's a girl or young woman to keep their blow dryer or or curling iron.  I don't quite understand the handle placement on the drawers or why those huge doors line up in the center of the sink false front.  It's a very confusing cabinet to look at.  I don't know what went into design so who knows.



     A lot of people can build stuff.  It's a lot more work to design something that is functional as well as good looking and long lasting.  We aren't perfect either but you really have to work with the customer on each job to ensure their needs are being met (short and long term).  We don't like when people get a year or two down the road and go, " Oh, I didn't realize that was like that", or " I wonder why they did it that way".  You can't make everyone happy, but if you go over enough about how things can be done and more importantly WHY they are done that way you'll get much referral work.  We have so many customers that just go on and on thanking us for telling them NOT (talking them out of it) to do something they were thinking about doing and the reason/s behind it. 

Chris...

     

Mirko,
You know I respect you a great deal. I think you are being a little harsh with Chris. I know compliments and edification are great and I enjoy giving them and receiving them. But if all we say, when someone posts some work,"Great job, looks great!, and BTW what finish did you use?" We do all a dis-service. You cant learn from compliments. They feel good but that is about it. I want to hear how I could do it better the next time around. I ask for constructive comments on my threads and feel that if we cant post constructive comments than what is the point.

Eiji

Chris,

You could have been a little gentler with your comments.

Eiji

Mirko,

I see your point, but I think it is much faster if you can put the pride aside and learn on someone elses time. I think a PM would save the pride for one but would not help anyone else. This is a forum where we all come to learn.  Constructive comments, critical or not, help everyone that should read them more than the attaboys.

I hope you give me some good ones.

Eiji

A+ for possitive constructive feedback.

I know,  It's all those years spent working in a corporate world where everyone's an .  All I did was go around finding problems and getting people to deal with them or dealing with them myself.  I put all my own work through the same scrutiny.  It doesn't make for many peaceful and relaxing days I tell you. 

I tried to make it evident by the feedback that I wasn't saying Sparky did the design.  There are however a lot of design issue that could be addressed.  Since this was his first job I didn't know if he was thinking that much about it or just nervous as heck.  We take pictures of a lot of stuff like this and we learn from it, and also review with designers.  We want everyone to learn.  We are in our local phone book under cabinet repairs so we get called out to try and remedy peoples unfortunate situations.  We've had our, "let's don't do that again moments", and it doesn't feel good. 

Mirko,

I'll work on a softer approach but I was trying to be helpful.  It's hard to sit and type so much when you just worked 13 hours and it's hotter than heck out. 

Sparky you did wonderful on the cabinet job. 

Chris...

Sparky,

I dig your work.  As a cabinet guy myself ( just installs, no fabrication) I've worked with designers and builders you described, but I sure hope this builder here doesn't read the FOG .  (especially if you want to work for him again)

Nice work, Dan

PS.  Great idea getting pros to shoot the pics.

I second that Greg....and Chris good job with the courage to post your experience with design.  Those are the kind of answers we all look for so that we can all improve!

Sparky, I think you did a great job on this project... way out of my league for sure and Chris I learned a lot from your critique,  things that I didn't notice when I first looked at the pics.  I am self taught and appreciate learning from others and not always learning on the job where it cost more.  thanks to both of you!

wayne