Asking a Client for money [Archive]

Gary_H

28th February 2010, 01:42 PM

Just did a finished a job this weekend, putting in some shelves and hanging a clothes dryer. Took me 11 hrs and I only charged $35/hr Totalling $385 in labour. The materials were $385, I only put a VERY small margin on the materials, about $30 in total! This was also for cash, NO GST.

When I gave her the bill, the client looked at me like I'd 2 heads! I could read her eyes saying WHAT WHY SO EXPENSIVE!!! A handyman would have charged more!

Thing is though I felt guilty!

Anyone else get this when the bill is produced??!!!

fubar

28th February 2010, 01:57 PM

I always try to give clients some idea of total costs prior to starting the work I find this eliminates that look you got.
the problem is not knowing exact amount of time before doing the job so I give an hourly rate and if I think its going to take 10 hours I quote for 15 this does lose me some work but clients are happier when the costs aren't a surprise.

wheelinround

28th February 2010, 02:06 PM

Been there done that had the same reaction.

Even worse is mates rates when the so called mates aren't really mates but users.

$35 an hour is cheap $65 to $120 is coming closer to the mark.

munruben

28th February 2010, 02:34 PM

When I was in business as a painting contractor, I always gave a "fixed price quote" for work to be carried out. This figure included labour and materials. I only charged extra if extra work was added by the customer. So there was no hassle with the customer.

I fail to understand (although this is common practice today) why some tradesmen leave the quote open with an hourly rate and materials charged for according to what has been used.

A tradesman should be able to quote accurately for work. I was painting 365 days of the year and when it came to quoting, I knew almost, exactly what the cost to me would be to complete a contract and how long ti would take me to complete it. If they don't know or can't figure it out, they are not much of a tradesman. I will not have any work carried out by a tradesman if they cannot give me a fixed price for the work.

It brings back memories of the days when builders didn't give fixed price site costs for building a home, It invariably ended up costing a lot more than the original quote. I lived in Sydney some years ago and all builders worked that way until a big building company opened up in NSW and gave "fixed price site costs" Strange then, how most other large builder contractors gave a "fixed price" site costing when for years before, they couldn't.

On the other hand, if a customer is prepared to hand out work on the basis of an hourly rate and pay for materials used without having an idea of the completed cost of the work being carried out in advance, then they have to be prepared to pay the price when the job is completed and shouldn't be surprised when the bill is higher than they thought it might be. This method of quoting can leave customers with a nasty taste in their mouth.

$35 an hour seems a fair enough rate for work that is really somewhat unskilled. I'm not sure what the going rate is for a handyman these days.

snowyskiesau

28th February 2010, 02:47 PM

$35 an hour seems a fair enough rate for work that is really somewhat unskilled. I'm not sure what the going rate is for a handyman these days.

I've used a handyman to do (mostly) cleanup work on a country investment property. He charges $40 an hour.

munruben

28th February 2010, 02:53 PM

I've used a handyman to do (mostly) cleanup work on a country investment property. He charges $40 an hour.Thanks for the info . Not bad income eh? unskilled work, 40 hour week $1600 a week and mostly cash in hand I would say.. I think I was in the wrong line of business.:)

chambezio

28th February 2010, 03:11 PM

I have always had a problem charging the proper rate for a job. Thats probably why I failed twice at self employment long term. I would give a fixed price quote and would stick to it.
I stupidly gave a bloke a quote which had a labour content figure far below what was the actual cost because I used a subtotal when adding up to give the quote. I of course got the job but did not find my mistake until I went back to paperwork to give the invoice. Because I believe in firm pricing a did that job for the quoted price even though I was well and truly out of pocket
Guilt should not come into it! You spend the time, do the job (to the best of your ability!!!) and charge accordingly!!! I still have trouble adhering to this statement but we MUST

rsser

28th February 2010, 03:26 PM

Thanks for the info . Not bad income eh? unskilled work, 40 hour week $1600 a week and mostly cash in hand I would say.. I think I was in the wrong line of business.:)

Who says the work was unskilled?

How many contractors get 40 hrs a week?

What's left by the time you've paid GST, tax and various insurances?

Woodwould

28th February 2010, 03:33 PM

When I used to accept private restoration work, I'd always give an estimate (not a firm quote) and explain that all sorts of issues can arise that aren't initially obvious and therefore the final bill could vary somewhat. If they raised an eyebrow at that point, I wouldn't entertain further discussion and would walk away.

What's more, if they were a new customer and it was a substantial job (perhaps a number of pieces of furniture) I would request a deposit (more of a test of their will to part with money than my need for it) and then I'd sometimes ask for periodic payments too, and when the work was all finished, I'd submit a small final bill (including carriage) which was payable before the furniture was returned. In return, I'd make it clear that they were always welcome at the workshops to inspect progress.

I was only shafted once, and that was by an old 'family friend', who, at the request of my father, I didn't "embarrass" with an estimate or quote. That was almost an entire house full and I lost many thousands of pounds. After that incident, friend or foe, I always sorted out the money aspect prior to arranging collection of the furniture or commencing any work. It's only fair to both parties to be fully aware of the likely cost and time frame.

I would often have to explain that it could be six, nine or twelve months (depending on my work load – trade and shop restoration always came first) before I could get around to their job. Regular customers were fine with that and some new customers would become quite irate and attempt to assert their importance. Again, I would smile politely and walk away. It's always prudent to leave every situation on the best possible terms!

In your case Gary_H, you've gone ahead with the work without giving the customer (who's probably totally ignorant of the cost of materials and hourly rates) and she's understandably arced up at the cost even though you've charged her below the going rate. Try explaining the reduced hourly rate to her now and she'll likely think you're a right cowboy trying to sweet talk her. I think you should be prepared to negotiate what ever figure you can and learn from the event. No customer's that desperate that they can't wait a day or two for your estimate or quote.

rsser

28th February 2010, 03:51 PM

Agree.

When I started consulting I set my rates too low; attending to a guess about client capacity to pay rather than the worth of my work.

If you undervalue yrself likely the client will too.

munruben

28th February 2010, 04:10 PM

Who says the work was unskilled?

How many contractors get 40 hrs a week?

What's left by the time you've paid GST, tax and various insurances?I wouldnt call cleaning up around a property skilled work in the true sense of the word. The original post stated the quote was for Cash so wouldn't be too sure that GST was collected or paid in this instance. Not sure how many contractors do 40 hours week. A contractor is free to work the hours that suits him/her I guess so the more hours they work, the greater the income. I might add that many contractors work well in access of 40 hours a week. I am not suggesting that contractors overcharge for their services. I only commented on the post by snowyskiesau above where the fee of $40 was what he paid for having some clean up work done.

rsser

28th February 2010, 04:19 PM

OK, but the OP was about hanging shelves and a drier.

wheelinround

28th February 2010, 04:23 PM

I recall going over this topic just after joing the forum its still a hot topic.

John I understand what your saying aout a fixed pricein many lines of repair its easy such as yours. I know computers are not as you know it may not be that simple to diagnose or repair. Similar with auto's, rstorations as Wouldwood has said. Plumbing and building construction al have hidden areas you can always see.
Look at Sydney years ago when slab homes where first built plumbing was thrugh the concrete under the floor many burst through movement, damn engineers dsigners builders should have had more brains.

LOML's cousin runs major computer IT their hourly rate is $175 :o regardless then parts etc.

munruben

28th February 2010, 04:47 PM

. If they raised an eyebrow at that point, I wouldn't entertain further discussion and would walk away. .It's great if you were in a position to do that WW and in your line of work, being very specialised, you can probably adopt that attitude however, it is not always that easy with all trades. Competition is very strong in some industries and, excuse the expression, "a dime a dozen" In other words, it would be much easier to find a good painter of my caliber than a good Furniture restorer of your caliber. Guess you could call it supply and demand.

It brings to mind a quote of my daughter when she was just starting out in the real estate business. She was being interviewed for a job with a competitor of the company she was working for and the interviewer asked my daughter her thoughts on what the company should pay her for her services. My daughter mentioned a figure and the interviewer replied that his company could not pay that amount to employ her, as they were only just starting out in business themselves, to which my daughter simply replied "Well in that case, you can't afford me"

chambezio

28th February 2010, 05:04 PM

Munruben
Good on your daughter for her straight up answer!
When I started working for myself, the second time, my accountant BIL said to make sure "I" fired the bullets in my company NOT the client.Looking back it was good advice but when you get caught up in the hurley burley of a one man business, its hard to keep in the right direction. I started off doing mainly cabinet work ,which I liked because I was working at home using my workshop, then site work to install it. I was also doing long hours just trying to keep up. But very slowly I ended up doing more and more site work which created problems in myself.
Any way its all in the past and I am on a pension.
$40 an hour looks awfully tempting but I don't think I could handle the stress ( I know I couln't handle the stress)

Calm

28th February 2010, 05:07 PM

In this case - withuot knowing the amount of work done - someone has asked for a "few shelves" and a dryer to be "hung" - the bill has come back at $770 - regardless of the time involved sometimes the bill doesn't SEEM to fit the job.

I agree with most here that a finished price rather than a hourly rate is far better and results in less "surprises"

Nothing personal Gary-H just a look at it from the client's view.

Cheers

munruben

28th February 2010, 05:09 PM

John I understand what your saying aout a fixed pricein many lines of repair its easy such as yours. I know computers are not as you know it may not be that simple to diagnose or repair. Similar with auto's.I know where you are coming from Ray and I agree, it is not always easy to diagnose a problem such as with computers however, once the problem is diagnosed, a fixed price for fixing the problem should not be difficult once you know what component you need to fix it.
In the case of hanging shelves or a dryer, there is no diagnosing any problem. The shelves and the dryer has to be hung and it shouldnt be that difficult, surely to come up with a fixed figure for doing that?

As you say Ray, this argument has been going around for some time and I realise that some things cannot be foreseen in some projects but I still maintain that in many cases the "charge by the hour and materials" type quote is purely for the sole purpose of many "tradesmen" to "up the price" at the end of the job.,

I had many projects undertaken when I was property developing in sydney and if I couldn't get a fixed price on a job from one contractor, I waited until I found a contractor who could give me a fixed price. And in all honesty, I can say, I didn't have much trouble finding contractors who worked that way so guess it was their gain.

nine fingers

28th February 2010, 05:22 PM

At the hourly rates mentioned ,how much do I charge for a Special Jewelery box I have spent 35 hours on and still have a few to go ??????.:?
regards John.

munruben

28th February 2010, 05:36 PM

At the hourly rates mentioned ,how much do I charge for a Special Jewelery box I have spent 35 hours on and still have a few to go ??????.:?
regards John.$40 an hour = $1400. Not bad mate, that's if you work cheap according to some on here. :) $65 per hour would be $2275. That sounds even better. Hopefully you will be able to keep it below $3000:2tsup:

Woodwould

28th February 2010, 06:00 PM

It's great if you were in a position to do that WW and in your line of work, being very specialised, you can probably adopt that attitude however, it is not always that easy with all trades. Competition is very strong in some industries and, excuse the expression, "a dime a dozen" In other words, it would be much easier to find a good painter of my caliber than a good Furniture restorer of your caliber. Guess you could call it supply and demand.

It brings to mind a quote of my daughter when she was just starting out in the real estate business. She was being interviewed for a job with a competitor of the company she was working for and the interviewer asked my daughter her thoughts on what the company should pay her for her services. My daughter mentioned a figure and the interviewer replied that his company could not pay that amount to employ her, as they were only just starting out in business themselves, to which my daughter simply replied "Well in that case, you can't afford me"
<link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CBob%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><style>  </style> I understand what you're saying (not that I'm blowing my own trumpet) but you also supported my argument with the tale of your daughter: If the job offer/job-in-hand isn't tolerable, then you're better off walking away until a more mutually agreeable job comes along.

The grief (not to mention the possible loss) from accepting a less than agreeable job can have long-felt detrimental effects. There's also the danger that if one does forge ahead with a cloud hanging over the job, you might be tempted to cut corners to save money and the customer will often sense desperation and be on the offensive when it comes to final inspection, and so the snowball begins.

On the suspicion of something potentially going 'wrong', I'd prefer to walk away while both parties are still amiable, than becoming embroiled in a fruitless job where the likely outcome is that neither party is content and your name becomes sullied.

Gary_H

28th February 2010, 07:58 PM

Should have mentioned I'm a 4th yr carpentry app, so estimating the amount of time it takes to do some jobs is something I'm still learning. I absolutley agree with the importance of giving an overall price, but the shelves I was putting in were not straight forward, they had to be cut and installed separately, very finicky. I knew it would take at least a day, and I told the client that.

Still though, I suppose I'll have to get used to this type of situation ehy...

I do appreciate all the comments.

Harry72

1st March 2010, 12:27 AM

At the hourly rates mentioned ,how much do I charge for a Special Jewelery box I have spent 35 hours on and still have a few to go ??????.:?
regards John.
The last bar I did took 300hrs and still raised eyebrows at a price point of $3k, minus out materials I got $5.38hr:no:, I can get regular 12 hr OT's at work for nearly $50hr and up to 4 a month is comfortable to do(60hr weeks)

But it was for a friend and also to get some of my work noticed by a wider audience of backyard bar type crowd :U

TP1

1st March 2010, 12:31 AM

The trouble is, people have wildly varying expectations. Not everyone knows what is involved and what is good quality or value. The same goes with work done by lawyers , accountants, financial planners etc etc. Some "best practice" approaches I have seen in various industries for the purpose of overcoming this issue (amongst other things) is to create clear expectations throughout the job about the price and the value the client is receiving. In that way, achieving the outcome is seen as a job well done.

It is sometimes a pain to have to "sell" a job you have already got, but the job is only part of the equation of the business transaction - which will not realise its true value without managing the customers expectation. This also means educating them a bit on what is really going on.

fxst

1st March 2010, 12:36 AM

And a fine bar it was Harry I remember the pictures well:2tsup:
cheers
Pete

munruben

1st March 2010, 09:36 AM

munruben

1st March 2010, 09:51 AM

Should have mentioned I'm a 4th yr carpentry app, so estimating the amount of time it takes to do some jobs is something I'm still learning.Gary! I was in my industry (Roof restoration and painting) for over 40 years and I was still learning when I retired fully last year. It's never ending mate, there is always something to learn You just have to learn from experience and not make the same mistakes again if we can help it. Not always easy. :) I'm sure even MM has made a few mistakes at one time or another too and knowing MM to be a very upfront and honest guy, would be the first to admit it. but its all part of the learning experience.
Good luck for the future Gary, I had no intention of demeaning your work or your qualifications mate. I am sure your work is excellent.

TP1

1st March 2010, 12:16 PM

Gary, since it is early in your career, the approaches you take in your vocation at this stage will make a profound difference to the success of your career.

I have been an adviser to business clients for over 20 years and I have seen less skilled people be more successful in business than those with far higher skills. This applies whether they are carpenters, doctors or whatever.

Customer relationships is the cornerstone of any business transaction which is in turn based upon effective communication. In other words in managing a job, you have to manage the actual work as well as managing the client. Effective client management not only leads to a higher customer satisfaction rate, it also enables you to earn more money through the confidence and reputation that you build up.

I would also urge you to look at the most successful trades people that you are aware of and see what they have in common (apart from good quality work). I would suggest that some of the things are:

1. Clients are fully aware of costs up front and have every aspect of the job explained to them. In this way they can see what they are getting in detail and will actually appreciate knowing what is involved.

2. Any variations are communicated immediately, preferably confirmed in writing, and not delayed until the end of the job. There is never a pleasant way to disappoint a client, however, this approach is better for everyone.

3. If you really can't meet a deadline or meeting etc, ALWAYS call and inform the client and negotiate an alternative. This is one of the most important factors because it is a test of how good your word is.

Obviously there is more but the above is what other people see and it is other people who determine how good your reputation will be.

AUSSIE

1st March 2010, 12:45 PM

At the hourly rates mentioned ,how much do I charge for a Special Jewelery box I have spent 35 hours on and still have a few to go ??????.:?
regards John.
I have seen this box.The workmanship is superb,way better than I could even dream of ever doing.The box would be worth $1500 or so,but to get it from the customer is another thing.It is a one off to order.The customer knows it.Got you to make it .So they know the quality of your workmanship.

AlexS

1st March 2010, 04:56 PM

When I used to accept private restoration work, I'd always give an estimate (not a firm quote) and explain that all sorts of issues can arise that aren't initially obvious and therefore the final bill could vary somewhat. If they raised an eyebrow at that point, I wouldn't entertain further discussion and would walk away.

What's more, if they were a new customer and it was a substantial job (perhaps a number of pieces of furniture) I would request a deposit (more of a test of their will to part with money than my need for it) and then I'd sometimes ask for periodic payments too, and when the work was all finished, I'd submit a small final bill (including carriage) which was payable before the furniture was returned. In return, I'd make it clear that they were always welcome at the workshops to inspect progress.

If you undervalue yrself likely the client will too.
Both spot on.

Charleville

1st March 2010, 06:18 PM

What's left by the time you've paid GST, tax and various insurances?

And travel time, clean-up time etc?

Way, way back when I was a uni student, I used to coach high school and uni students in maths and computer programming for a coaching college.

I gave it away after six months because although I was paid for the time actually spent on the job, they were all one and two hour jobs with unpaid travel in between.

I was actually better off all round by just working one night per week driving a taxi continuously for 12 hours at a lower average hourly rate of pay than I was by getting an hour here and a couple of hours there over several nights. I had a family at the time and being away for one long night was better than the broken shift thing over several nights also.

Also. I might mention that I just paid $85 per hour to get my outboard motor serviced this week. I suspect that changing oil and filters and using a grease gun on an outboard motor is no more skilled than what a handyman would do on many jobs.

.

old pete

1st March 2010, 06:50 PM

Hi Gary H,

I'm struggling to be sympathetic and I' m hoping you get a valuable lesson from this ie provide a job specification and a written fixed quotation to go with it then both parties know their obligations and expectations.

I don't know about the $35 per hour because some folk are much more productive than others. I have a charge out rate of $60 per hour for machining but I operate compliant ie I pay GST and I pay tax and I have insurance. I can do a lot of machining in an hour also.

Occasionally I perform a do and charge job for something I don't have experience of such as a set of round porthole frames and round cornered door jambs I cold bent laminated a few years ago. There I said pay me wages for making the forms and manufacturing three of each and I'll quote for the rest. In the event i got to do the lot on wages at owners choice and we were both happy with the outcome. It's horses for courses.

Old Pete

Gary_H

1st March 2010, 07:51 PM

Gary, since it is early in your career, the approaches you take in your vocation at this stage will make a profound difference to the success of your career.

I have been an adviser to business clients for over 20 years and I have seen less skilled people be more successful in business than those with far higher skills. This applies whether they are carpenters, doctors or whatever.

Customer relationships is the cornerstone of any business transaction which is in turn based upon effective communication. In other words in managing a job, you have to manage the actual work as well as managing the client. Effective client management not only leads to a higher customer satisfaction rate, it also enables you to earn more money through the confidence and reputation that you build up.

I would also urge you to look at the most successful trades people that you are aware of and see what they have in common (apart from good quality work). I would suggest that some of the things are:

1. Clients are fully aware of costs up front and have every aspect of the job explained to them. In this way they can see what they are getting in detail and will actually appreciate knowing what is involved.

2. Any variations are communicated immediately, preferably confirmed in writing, and not delayed until the end of the job. There is never a pleasant way to disappoint a client, however, this approach is better for everyone.

3. If you really can't meet a deadline or meeting etc, ALWAYS call and inform the client and negotiate an alternative. This is one of the most important factors because it is a test of how good your word is.

Obviously there is more but the above is what other people see and it is other people who determine how good your reputation will be.

TP1

That is really good advice, and something which when I think about it makes complete common sense.

My boss, who is an excellent tradesman has really good communication, puts into practice all of what you said in the above. When he's giving quotes he always tells the client what's included, and includes them all the way along, which I have noticed, really eases the client, and makes the job a much more pleasant experience. All his work is by word of mouth.

I understand that's what I need to do, and do do this when I'm quoting other work. But for stuff which I have limited experience in, it can be quite difficult to estimate the amount of time it will take me. I know experience will sort this.

Cheers for the input.

Gary

Gary_H

1st March 2010, 08:01 PM

Hi Gary H,

I'm struggling to be sympathetic and I' m hoping you get a valuable lesson from this ie provide a job specification and a written fixed quotation to go with it then both parties know their obligations and expectations.

I don't know about the $35 per hour because some folk are much more productive than others. I have a charge out rate of $60 per hour for machining but I operate compliant ie I pay GST and I pay tax and I have insurance. I can do a lot of machining in an hour also.

Occasionally I perform a do and charge job for something I don't have experience of such as a set of round porthole frames and round cornered door jambs I cold bent laminated a few years ago. There I said pay me wages for making the forms and manufacturing three of each and I'll quote for the rest. In the event i got to do the lot on wages at owners choice and we were both happy with the outcome. It's horses for courses.

Old Pete

Thanks mate, will take the advice onboard

skot

3rd March 2010, 07:38 PM

I find a lot of times that a client has an unreasonable idea of the amount of work it takes to do a "simple" job, (If it was so simple, why don't they do it themselves).

You have to charge for your knowledge of how to do the job. Reminds me of a client of mine....all my clients are Land Surveyors...

"A perspective client of his came into his office and asked for a quote to survey the Lot corners of his property. The surveyor advises him that it would be $800.00.. to which the man said "WHAT, $800 just for 4 wooden pegs in the ground"

My client called out to his chainman to get 4 pegs from the truck and proceeded to give the man the 4 pegs and told him $10 for the pegs. TO which to man replies "But I don't know where the pegs go in"

"THATS WHAT THE $800 IS FOR" my client responds.

He got the job

justinmcf

3rd March 2010, 08:56 PM

hi gary.
as a chippy myself, i feel your pain mate.
but with lots of experience this process will become second nature to you.

i always maintain that doing the carpentry is the easy part, the hard part of business is managing your employees, keeping the clients happy and keeping the work coming in steady.

there is no real advice that you need. just keep doing what you are doing.
i had clients in northern ireland, where i served my apprenticeship, back in the nineties look at me the same way.
they think you are ripping them off.

the bizarre thing is, it was always rich people who were rude to me. i never had any complaints from the working man.

when i was an apprentice i always worked on hourly rate, even when i was doing my cashies.
the reason being that i did not have the experience or confidence to put forward a quote.
personally i think people got this work done for cheap.

i think that lady got the work done cheap also, so good onya.
you will know the next time when doing a similar job what to quote and how much profit to add on too. by the way, you should be adding on 20 percent for materials.

keep up the good work mate,
regards, justin.

opelblues

3rd March 2010, 10:18 PM

Years ago when I was working for myself, I had 3 different hourly rate charges

$35.00 standard
$55.00 if you watch
$75.00 if you help

This was painted on the trailer for all to see, I got asked many a time if I was joking, NO. At the end of a job if the client helped, I found that 90% of the time I had to fix what they had done or started. It also made sure that they didn’t get under my feet.

Make sure you explain what you are doing before you start. What you expect on site, and a good quote + 25% for unseen costs.
</O:p
And don’t get caught tiring to defend you charges, it only wastes time.<O:p</O:p

Clinton1

3rd March 2010, 11:10 PM

Gary,

Please re-read what TP1 posted.
Reflect on it when you have a 'coolhead moment' and compare that post to what you did with your client.

TP1 should be charging about $250/30 minutes for what he posted.

Also, Justin's post is worth reflecting upon.

I believe that communication will be what makes or busts you in your career... there are plenty of good tradeies out there that work for wages, being your own boss requires an added skill set. That skill set can only be learned through experience and reflection...

In your specific case.... I'd like to suggest that you call the client, ask to meet, explain the materials bill, explain that you charge $35 per hour for labour, explain that you took 11 hours, and ask your client to get back to you with their thoughts on what she expected the labour hours to be... and then change the subject, ask that she talks to you after she has thought about it, and leave.
See what happens. Add it to the 'learn from it' basket. I believe that this should serve you well.

good luck, pm me whenever, if you like

ian

3rd March 2010, 11:11 PM

At the hourly rates mentioned ,how much do I charge for a Special Jewelery box I have spent 35 hours on and still have a few to go ??????.:?
regards John.John
I haven't seen the box you're building

However, i have seen the boxes sold through the Bungendore Wood Works Gallery
simple A4 document boxes (no dovetails or finger joints) retail for upto about $300 depending on timber species.
a simple A5 box with an embrodiered panel on the inside of the lid might cost $1500
elaborate (extensive inlay) document boxes or jewellery boxes (inlay and/or many compartments) retail for more than $5,000
(of course these prices includes the gallery's commission)

but what would you charge for a copy of this cabinet, originally by John Commachio?
the timber's raindrop blackwood
http://www.bwoodworks.com.au/filedir/prodimgs/cab02-lg.jpg

weisyboy

3rd March 2010, 11:21 PM

as i explain to all my clients when i give them a quote.

it always works out more expencive on a quote. cos i have to allow for everything that could possibly go wrong to go wrong.

when i quote i work out like this.

materials + (labor x 1.5) + expences x 20%

if i do this i might come out ontop.

make sure you get a deposit upfront. deposit must cover materials and some labour.

after you have been working for a wile you will be able to look at a job and guess pretty close to the actual amount without doing any calculations.:2tsup:

this being said. jsut because you have given a quote and got a deposit dosent mean you will be paid.

i am currently owed 15 000 from diferent clients in unpaid accounts.:C

nine fingers

4th March 2010, 09:38 AM

Ian, You can see the box in the marquetry forum, delivered it yesterday , client extremely happy with it.:D Got paid a nice round four figure sum.:;
cheers John.

ian

4th March 2010, 09:31 PM

John
I've seen it.
A very well executed box. I particularly like the 3D effect you've achieved

I wont ask you how much you were paid, but to answer the question I posed in an earlier post, the cabinet by John Commachio was, last time I looked, priced at $25,000