Luke
Hot Rolled
- Joined
- Aug 23, 2003
- Location
- Nevada,Iowa
I have started a little hobby business. Not quite two years ago I purchased a building, have been renovating, updating service, etc. My goal was to have a small millwork shop. There seems to be a shortage of custom shops in the area and it fit well with having a day job. Since about the first of the year I have been handing out a lot of quotes, and now I am getting busy. No web page or even a sign up yet- word of mouth or a couple Craig's adds.
Lately I have been doing other work as well- just finished a eye glass store display cab (small) and have bid a couple cabinet jobs. One a pair of laundry room cupboards that he will finish (got the job) and 9' of uppers and lowers going into a wealthy farmers new 75x150 machine building. Here is what he wants: high end slides (Blum or Hittich), soft close hinges, reclaimed/antique pine over lay doors and drawers. 5 lowers, 5 uppers with a space for microwave and a cupboard above fridge. 3/4 UV ply boxes and the uppers would be finished flat on top so he could put do-dads on up there. Now, I can bid the millwork and be profitable, but cabinets is new for me. I bid $4600 plus tax with install being extra. As for competition in my area, they are gone, but I don't want to under bid the market. I got a price from an on line cabinet place (cabinets to go), a cabinetmakers web site that had prices well laid out, a cabinet maker who used to be in business in this town who charged by the inch ($13-15) so I bumped that to 15-20 since this was his price about 10 years ago, and an old standard of materials X's 3. I took all these prices and averaged for my price of $4600 plus tax. I factored in that I would be working with reclaimed pine- not virgin red oak out of the stack. So, I gave him a follow-up call and he said I was a bit high. He was hoping for around $3500 and later said something about 4k. Right now he is checking on a couple other options and said he may just go with Lowes hickory cabinets.
Luke
Cabinet making (kitchen) is not what I want to get into, but if a customer comes and asks for a quote, I would like to be able to give them a solid price to work with and I would like to make a profit. I don't want Lowes and Menards to be my competition. What he wanted was something he would not get at a box store and I have the shop, equipment, and skills to deliver. I don't want to drop prices to be in line with the box stores either. So, long story short, was I too high? I'm in central Iowa.
Lately I have been doing other work as well- just finished a eye glass store display cab (small) and have bid a couple cabinet jobs. One a pair of laundry room cupboards that he will finish (got the job) and 9' of uppers and lowers going into a wealthy farmers new 75x150 machine building. Here is what he wants: high end slides (Blum or Hittich), soft close hinges, reclaimed/antique pine over lay doors and drawers. 5 lowers, 5 uppers with a space for microwave and a cupboard above fridge. 3/4 UV ply boxes and the uppers would be finished flat on top so he could put do-dads on up there. Now, I can bid the millwork and be profitable, but cabinets is new for me. I bid $4600 plus tax with install being extra. As for competition in my area, they are gone, but I don't want to under bid the market. I got a price from an on line cabinet place (cabinets to go), a cabinetmakers web site that had prices well laid out, a cabinet maker who used to be in business in this town who charged by the inch ($13-15) so I bumped that to 15-20 since this was his price about 10 years ago, and an old standard of materials X's 3. I took all these prices and averaged for my price of $4600 plus tax. I factored in that I would be working with reclaimed pine- not virgin red oak out of the stack. So, I gave him a follow-up call and he said I was a bit high. He was hoping for around $3500 and later said something about 4k. Right now he is checking on a couple other options and said he may just go with Lowes hickory cabinets.
Luke
Cabinet making (kitchen) is not what I want to get into, but if a customer comes and asks for a quote, I would like to be able to give them a solid price to work with and I would like to make a profit. I don't want Lowes and Menards to be my competition. What he wanted was something he would not get at a box store and I have the shop, equipment, and skills to deliver. I don't want to drop prices to be in line with the box stores either. So, long story short, was I too high? I'm in central Iowa.