A question about $ for you pros or semi-pros

[Greg Wandless]

Here is my situation....

I have a lady at work (who I really don't know that well) who wants me to do some decorative carving on some stair ballisters. She knows of my woodworking skills because I had a couple bowls and a cabinet in a crafts show here at work. The thing is she doesn't have a large budget for this project. Even though I don't do this for a living I feel that I shouldn't sell myself short and I don't think it's right the undercut what someone who does this for a living charges. So I was wondering what the pros charge for doing this kind of work?

Thanks for the input.
Cheers,
Greg

[Paul Kunkel]

Originally posted by Greg Wandless
Here is my situation....

I have a lady at work (who I really don't know that well) who wants me to do some decorative carving on some stair ballisters. She knows of my woodworking skills because I had a couple bowls and a cabinet in a crafts show here at work. The thing is she doesn't have a large budget for this project. Even though I don't do this for a living I feel that I shouldn't sell myself short and I don't think it's right the undercut what someone who does this for a living charges. So I was wondering what the pros charge for doing this kind of work?

Thanks for the input.
Cheers,
Greg
:D FWIW My shop rate is $35/hr. I don't do much carving so when I have a carving job i farm it out to a local guy. He charges me $50/hr. See the carving on the top panels on the Newel for an example

[Daniel Rabinovitz]

Charge as much as the local automobile repair garage charges an hour to fix your vehicle?
I would say between $40 to $60 per hour.

Why that example
Lets say youd rive over the persons house and you car breaks along the way.
You have to have it towed and repaired.
Are you going to tell me that you would would charge the client less that what you "have to pay" out to the repair garage - per hour?

[Scott in Douglassville, PA]

Originally posted by Greg Wandless
Even though I don't do this for a living I feel that I shouldn't sell myself short and I don't think it's right the undercut what someone who does this for a living charges.


Good for you! Too may people don't think this part through, and it hurts small cottage industry. Enormously.

Any small (read: one- or two-person) shops who do this type of thing locally that you could call and get a quote from?

[Phil Phelps]

If you can do commercial work, then charge a commercial rate. Wood carving my be a little different than contracting. I don't thing you'd have the overhead to figure.

[Paul Kunkel]

Originally posted by Paul Kunkel
:D FWIW My shop rate is $35/hr. I don't do much carving so when I have a carving job i farm it out to a local guy. He charges me $50/hr. See the carving on the top panels on the Newel for an example.
Sorry, I tried to reload the pic to be verticle and can't put it back. I'll add a new post

[Paul Kunkel]

Originally posted by Paul Kunkel
:D FWIW My shop rate is $35/hr. I don't do much carving so when I have a carving job i farm it out to a local guy. He charges me $50/hr. See the carving on the top panels on the Newel for an example.
Sorry, I tried to reload the pic to be verticle and can't put it back. I'll add a new post :confused:. :confused:

[Lee Schierer]

A lady that used to work with my wife fell in love with some of the work I had done for our house and asked me if I could build a window seat for her. I went to her house and looked at the window seat and then a whole lot of other things. I thought I was falling ionto a gold mine as this lady was well off.

To make a long story short, I drew up designs and quoted each piece of work she had asked me for. When she saw the prices, her comment was that she could buy these things from regular stores for that price. I said that she could, but they wouldn't have the custom features she had asked me to incorporate.

She never placed an order for a single piece. I think she was thinking she could get a real bargain and then brag to her friends how she got all this custom work done for a low price. I don't lose any sleep thinking about the lost work either.

[Ian Barley]

You are spot on right with the concern about undercutting. If you can do the work she wants, and she wants it enough to pay a commercially viable rate, then do it. If she thinks that your skill is worth less than that of somebdy else, (i.e she won't pay a fair rate) - don't do it 'cos she is undervaluing your skill and that of the guys who are doing it for a living.

The comparison with the auto shop rate seems pretty fair to me, though I would class good carving skills as rarer than good mechanic skills.

[Jim Izat]

I'm reminded of an article I read about Franz Klaus recently that said he always let folks know up front what what he'd charge, and if they thought it was too high he very respectfully asked them to come back when they had something of higher quality or complexity in mind. I'll help a friend out as much as I can, I'll charge a client the going rate.

Jim Izat

[Bill Grumbine]

Greg, in addition to all the good comments so far, I would like to add this one. Don't undercut yourself for the future. If you do work for someone at a certain price, it is hard to raise your price for that person or their associates. Even if you are the only one who knows what you are charing per hour, it is still tough to justify it to yourself, and working for less than the job is worth only builds resentment towards the work and the client.

It seems to me that carving should command a premium. It never ceases to amaze me that people will aproach me with the line that:

1. I am the only person who can do this for them

and

2. They want a deal to boot.

If anything, they should be paying MORE for me being the only one who can do it. As was mentioned above, friends are different, but coworkers aren't friends (most of the time).

Bill

[GEDunton]

The reasonable cost is the value of the talent, its availability, and the local market. Lets say that the market is like most everywhere, you can't find that kind of competent talent. You are the only, or nearly only one available. Are you confident of your skills? If the answer to the above is yes, then you're in the league of seller, not retailer. My humble opinion is that a competent woodcarver is not worth lees than the local MD, figures near a c-note an hour, for nonspecialist.

There was a mistaken comment above, low overhead. Well you got space, that's the most expensive piece of overhead, and a decent set of carving gouges will buy several cabinet saws, jointers, planers, etc. So you got overhead.

If you're going to do this, get paid for what you do. You are worth it to your client. You won't be overpaid, no matter what you quote.

[Charles McKinley]

If you want to hear rants go to a pro-site (Where it is stated hobby question are inapropriate.) and listen to them talk about people that under charge. If you do top notch work charge accordingly. I'm helping my friend's mom (retired/ fixed income) get her house ready to sell way below my normal rate. She asked about some work for her other son and I had to tell her it would be at 2.5 times what I was charging her.

Good Luck

Just my $.02

[Greg Wandless]

I meet with the client yesterday and explained what my rate was and she didn't have a problem with it. I told her I would give her an estimate and she could deside.

I felt much better about the meeting having read all the great advice.

Thanks,
Greg