Planning, Scheduling, Expectations
Planning
When you are considering a project of any sort please understand a few things.
1. While I have a strong sense of aesthetic and am happy to provide my opinion, I am neither a designer or an architect. It will be in your interest to consider pre construction design services with someone who can provide accurate, and detailed drawings. These can be done with varying levels of detail. ANY level of detail will be helpful to me, or any other carpenter in planning and estimating your project.
2. Please understand that though you may see your project as 'small,' that doesn't mean it will be inexpensive. Small projects often come with a minimum charge as their smallness isn't equally represented by hours of the day. Adjusting a door may only take an hour but factoring in a level of preparedness, and travel time cause one of hour of work to occupy 4 hours of the day. It is difficult to then make use of the rest of the day in an effective manner. And for tradespeople who are paid by the hour this can represent a signifiant loss of time for which you will be asked to provide some compensation. I endeavor to make it possible for 'small,' projects to fit into my schedule in an efficient manner. You can help with this by creating a list of several projects so that your carpenter can fill out an entire day at your house.
3. If you are planning a renovation of any scale, you should be thinking a minimum of 3 months in advance AFTER the design phase of the project. Coordination of subcontractors and special orders will be made much easier with that kind of time. For additions, new homes, and large renovations that will require more than 6 weeks of on site work you should be think 8 months to a year in advance to ensure that subcontractors are prepared.
When you are considering a project of any sort please understand a few things.
1. While I have a strong sense of aesthetic and am happy to provide my opinion, I am neither a designer or an architect. It will be in your interest to consider pre construction design services with someone who can provide accurate, and detailed drawings. These can be done with varying levels of detail. ANY level of detail will be helpful to me, or any other carpenter in planning and estimating your project.
2. Please understand that though you may see your project as 'small,' that doesn't mean it will be inexpensive. Small projects often come with a minimum charge as their smallness isn't equally represented by hours of the day. Adjusting a door may only take an hour but factoring in a level of preparedness, and travel time cause one of hour of work to occupy 4 hours of the day. It is difficult to then make use of the rest of the day in an effective manner. And for tradespeople who are paid by the hour this can represent a signifiant loss of time for which you will be asked to provide some compensation. I endeavor to make it possible for 'small,' projects to fit into my schedule in an efficient manner. You can help with this by creating a list of several projects so that your carpenter can fill out an entire day at your house.
3. If you are planning a renovation of any scale, you should be thinking a minimum of 3 months in advance AFTER the design phase of the project. Coordination of subcontractors and special orders will be made much easier with that kind of time. For additions, new homes, and large renovations that will require more than 6 weeks of on site work you should be think 8 months to a year in advance to ensure that subcontractors are prepared.
Scheduling
Scheduling work is an ongoing, fluid process. Each week presents seasonal, and basic life challenges which will generally cause delays. Providing the service(s) that I provide means that I must juggle several factors in scheduling: your project balanced with other projects; current projects balanced with future project planning; realistic scheduling that accounts for the likelihood of unforeseen developments and unforeseen weather patterns; and a reasonable level of commitment to work that balances the importance of a full work schedule with the risk of overcommitment. It is a tricky thing to maintain schedules. For example: If my fall is very busy, and the following summer also looks to be very busy but my winter and spring are light for work then I need to be open minded about accepting a new project for the winter. This new project may cause challenges in my fall schedule but it is a necessity for the viability of my business and my life. The consequence of scheduling multiple projects are probably evident to you.
Scheduling work is an ongoing, fluid process. Each week presents seasonal, and basic life challenges which will generally cause delays. Providing the service(s) that I provide means that I must juggle several factors in scheduling: your project balanced with other projects; current projects balanced with future project planning; realistic scheduling that accounts for the likelihood of unforeseen developments and unforeseen weather patterns; and a reasonable level of commitment to work that balances the importance of a full work schedule with the risk of overcommitment. It is a tricky thing to maintain schedules. For example: If my fall is very busy, and the following summer also looks to be very busy but my winter and spring are light for work then I need to be open minded about accepting a new project for the winter. This new project may cause challenges in my fall schedule but it is a necessity for the viability of my business and my life. The consequence of scheduling multiple projects are probably evident to you.
Expectations
1. What is expected of me, as your carpenter and contractor, and what is expected of you as the homeowner...? This is something that should be discussed in any project. It is NOT redundant to say out loud that you would like us to do a good job. And in response to that I will need to understand what your notion of a 'good job,' is. Does your vision of a good job include us filling every nail hole with wood putty? If it does then we need to know that as this adds cost to your project... Does your vision of a good job mean that we provide you with the finest work that our skills can offer? I would love that opportunity. However, it is far more often the case that we balance between what you want, what we are capable of (which is the finest work), and what is reasonable to afford. We may need to scale back your project and certain details that we would typically care to address may not be reasonable for us to address.
2. One of my expectations of my customers is that they achieve some level of clarity. I EXPECT things on a project to change and adapt but reducing these occurrences is essential to respecting a budget. Therefore it is important that you be clear with use about how you want things to look. When I'm told, "Do what you think will look best..." then I get nervous. Because what I think looks best may cost more than you would hope, and/or may not be to your liking when all is said and done. With change comes additional expense. That is the general acknowledgement I wish to communicate here...
3.
1. What is expected of me, as your carpenter and contractor, and what is expected of you as the homeowner...? This is something that should be discussed in any project. It is NOT redundant to say out loud that you would like us to do a good job. And in response to that I will need to understand what your notion of a 'good job,' is. Does your vision of a good job include us filling every nail hole with wood putty? If it does then we need to know that as this adds cost to your project... Does your vision of a good job mean that we provide you with the finest work that our skills can offer? I would love that opportunity. However, it is far more often the case that we balance between what you want, what we are capable of (which is the finest work), and what is reasonable to afford. We may need to scale back your project and certain details that we would typically care to address may not be reasonable for us to address.
2. One of my expectations of my customers is that they achieve some level of clarity. I EXPECT things on a project to change and adapt but reducing these occurrences is essential to respecting a budget. Therefore it is important that you be clear with use about how you want things to look. When I'm told, "Do what you think will look best..." then I get nervous. Because what I think looks best may cost more than you would hope, and/or may not be to your liking when all is said and done. With change comes additional expense. That is the general acknowledgement I wish to communicate here...
3.