Brian,
I know what my problem is. I want this to be easy, drag a few library cabinets into a room sell the job and the check hand delivered before I adjust the last door, with a tidy little bonus because I did such a great job.
You are right, no magazines are better than fifteen with everything from Shaker to Baroque.
Kerry
Latest Kitchen
Moderators: Jason Susnjara, Clint Buechlein, Jason Susnjara, Clint Buechlein
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Kerry Fullington
- Wizard Member
- Posts: 4763
- Joined: Mon, May 09 2005, 7:33PM
- Company Name: Double E Cabinets
- Country: UNITED STATES
- Location: Amarillo, TX
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Roger Erismann
- Senior Member
- Posts: 169
- Joined: Sun, Dec 04 2005, 11:42PM
- Location: Sacramento, CA and Rolla, Mo
We do so many items in ecabs a week there is no time for renderings...we do alot of stock cabinets with slab doors but then every once in awhile you work on this great project.....but I find myself creating parts...cutting...creating more parts then cutting again....I kind of get lost in the technical aspect of it and when I lify my head up I allways say to myself \"I should bring a camera....\"
Oh well, for good ideas I go to Borders or Banrnes and Noble and browse the periodicals(metropolitan home, country living etc..) for a couple of hours....I subscribe to FWW and a couple of other publications
Woodweb has a pretty good gallery going on now, and ISW allways has some pretty avant garde stuff...
JLC online or Gary Katz online will keep you up to date with the trim carpentry aspect of it all
Working with ecabs in this fast paced comercial environment has been an eye openner for me...
Oh well, for good ideas I go to Borders or Banrnes and Noble and browse the periodicals(metropolitan home, country living etc..) for a couple of hours....I subscribe to FWW and a couple of other publications
Woodweb has a pretty good gallery going on now, and ISW allways has some pretty avant garde stuff...
JLC online or Gary Katz online will keep you up to date with the trim carpentry aspect of it all
Working with ecabs in this fast paced comercial environment has been an eye openner for me...
Wood Butcher/Case Maker
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James Melvin
- Junior Member
- Posts: 54
- Joined: Mon, May 23 2005, 2:03PM
- Location: Katonah, NY
- Contact:
Hey Kerry
I sympathize with you on the problem with fee for design. I just spent two days designing a huge custom island for a \"friend\". I was going to charge $6900 plus granite top (design time included). I am about an hour above NYC and I thought I was giving them a great deal. Well, the client went bananas at my price, went to a local off the shelf kitchen place and found \"nearly the same design\" for $6100 inc. the top. Considering that my price was 23% higher than Merrilat or whatever, I'm left wondering why the hell she asked me for custom. I did learn something from this though:
When any one of us has the initial client meeting, the first thing on OUR mind is, \"What do they want?\" The first thing on THEIR mind is \"What is it going to cost?\" Instead of dancing around the obvious, I have decided that the best approach is to ask, \"How can I fulfill your needs and what is you approximate budget?\" The answer to the first part may be more difficult to envision but the answer to the second part will let me know if they are being practical.
I have been using outside designers for my work (mostly custom built-ins and entertainment centers). One of the best is a friend of mine who lives in Florida. We do the whole thing with photos and email. His fees run around 10% of total project cost. In the NYC area 10-15% is pretty normal for a good designer or architect. From recent past experience, when I have shown a prospective client my portfolio of projects (all done in eCabs and designed by my Fla. friend) they have decided the design fee will be well spent. I have seen a lot of your designs in the forum and your work is drop dead gorgeous. Are you building all this stuff, too? I don't wonder you feel burned out! I turned 60 this year and I'm just getting too old to take a project from A to Z all by myself. As it is, after 8 to 10 hours on the computer with eCabs I need help getting my shoulders out of my ears
Anyway, I hope this helps. I always try to read your posts and get a lot of insight from them.
Jim
I sympathize with you on the problem with fee for design. I just spent two days designing a huge custom island for a \"friend\". I was going to charge $6900 plus granite top (design time included). I am about an hour above NYC and I thought I was giving them a great deal. Well, the client went bananas at my price, went to a local off the shelf kitchen place and found \"nearly the same design\" for $6100 inc. the top. Considering that my price was 23% higher than Merrilat or whatever, I'm left wondering why the hell she asked me for custom. I did learn something from this though:
When any one of us has the initial client meeting, the first thing on OUR mind is, \"What do they want?\" The first thing on THEIR mind is \"What is it going to cost?\" Instead of dancing around the obvious, I have decided that the best approach is to ask, \"How can I fulfill your needs and what is you approximate budget?\" The answer to the first part may be more difficult to envision but the answer to the second part will let me know if they are being practical.
I have been using outside designers for my work (mostly custom built-ins and entertainment centers). One of the best is a friend of mine who lives in Florida. We do the whole thing with photos and email. His fees run around 10% of total project cost. In the NYC area 10-15% is pretty normal for a good designer or architect. From recent past experience, when I have shown a prospective client my portfolio of projects (all done in eCabs and designed by my Fla. friend) they have decided the design fee will be well spent. I have seen a lot of your designs in the forum and your work is drop dead gorgeous. Are you building all this stuff, too? I don't wonder you feel burned out! I turned 60 this year and I'm just getting too old to take a project from A to Z all by myself. As it is, after 8 to 10 hours on the computer with eCabs I need help getting my shoulders out of my ears
Anyway, I hope this helps. I always try to read your posts and get a lot of insight from them.
Jim
