I teach graphic design at a local two-year college and I always tell my students that customers aren't going to just knock on your door. This time I was wrong.
A neighbor a few houses away knocked on my door a month ago and asked if I build furniture. I told him I did and invited him in. I had seen his trailer with a granite counter top logo on it several times in front of his house, so I was fairly sure he was a contractor. He had noticed my garage door open last summer and recognized good quality tools. We visited for awhile and I showed him around my house pointing out things I have built and a bathroom I remodeled on the tour.
He asked if I was willing to build a 32" vanity for a remodel he was going to be doing. I agreed with a loose price of $175 for the cabinet with drawer boxes and glides installed, but no doors or drawer fronts, that was his idea. I was willing to build the entire piece from the beginning, but he was planning to buy doors and drawer fronts from a local supplier. I got the cabinet done a little over a week ago and he asked me to make the drawer fronts and doors too, but we didn't discuss a price.
The project was fairly easy, and I tried to do my best work as I always do including sanding it to 220 grit on his request using my RO125 (I don't know how stain is ever going to penetrate it, it's like glass).
My question is what is this job worth? I paid for all of the materials red oak plywood and solids, but I have no idea what to charge. The box is cabinet-grade red oak plywood with red oak solids for the face frame, doors and drawer fronts. The drawer boxes are Baltic birch 1/2" plywood.
I have a strong feeling based on a few comments he's made that he's pretty tight with a buck. He's waved the carrot of doing future jobs, but to be honest, I'm not starving to death (wife earns a good income, not me) so I don't want to build cabinets for him unless I'm making a little money at it to pay for my Festool/Mustang/Nikon habits.
Thanks for the input and I will post the final price when he picks it up.
A neighbor a few houses away knocked on my door a month ago and asked if I build furniture. I told him I did and invited him in. I had seen his trailer with a granite counter top logo on it several times in front of his house, so I was fairly sure he was a contractor. He had noticed my garage door open last summer and recognized good quality tools. We visited for awhile and I showed him around my house pointing out things I have built and a bathroom I remodeled on the tour.
He asked if I was willing to build a 32" vanity for a remodel he was going to be doing. I agreed with a loose price of $175 for the cabinet with drawer boxes and glides installed, but no doors or drawer fronts, that was his idea. I was willing to build the entire piece from the beginning, but he was planning to buy doors and drawer fronts from a local supplier. I got the cabinet done a little over a week ago and he asked me to make the drawer fronts and doors too, but we didn't discuss a price.
The project was fairly easy, and I tried to do my best work as I always do including sanding it to 220 grit on his request using my RO125 (I don't know how stain is ever going to penetrate it, it's like glass).
My question is what is this job worth? I paid for all of the materials red oak plywood and solids, but I have no idea what to charge. The box is cabinet-grade red oak plywood with red oak solids for the face frame, doors and drawer fronts. The drawer boxes are Baltic birch 1/2" plywood.
I have a strong feeling based on a few comments he's made that he's pretty tight with a buck. He's waved the carrot of doing future jobs, but to be honest, I'm not starving to death (wife earns a good income, not me) so I don't want to build cabinets for him unless I'm making a little money at it to pay for my Festool/Mustang/Nikon habits.
Thanks for the input and I will post the final price when he picks it up.