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Freedom of design, materials, schedule… methods… wow! Sometimes being a carpenter is a dream job for those of us that enjoy the work.
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I started with some measurements of the space and a meeting with the client to go over exactly what she hoped to accomplish and some details of construction. > Built-in cabinets consisting of Adjustable Bookshelves with Deeper cabinets below and a new mantle, everything to be painted white.

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While I was building the cabinets at my shop, I scheduled a plumber to cut the existing baseboard heater shy of the new cabinet location. It took a day to collect the various trim for my idea and another two days to machine and assemble things before I could start the installation.

One of my options was how to make the shelves for a 40″ and 45″ cabinet. Experience shows that 3/4″ shelves just won’t hold up when spanning 42″ without middle support. The client didn’t want a divider in the middle of the bookshelves, Thicker shelves or a built-up edge?

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Today, a week later, the job is painted, the paint is dry and I’m guessing the shelves are being filled. In lieu of making the custom size raised-panel doors, I ordered them and they should arrive next week.

Since building these cabinets, I have heard nothing but praise for providing something this client has dreamt about having for years. “It completes the room and makes it feel much bigger and brighter. I love the cabinets!”

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After finishing a basement remodel and some cabinetry work here in Darien, CT. I was called out to Bronxville, NY to build some cabinets for a friend of the clients who noticed my last job.

On certain projects I work with a Contractor, Designer and an Architect. Most often I visit a home and meet with the residents myself, to inspect the location and discuss their desires and the possibilities.
I take that information home, draw up a picture and send it to the client with a price.

For this project I gave two layouts and a few options. The clients chose to eliminate a radiator and build a window seat alongside the bookshelves they required. I built up the boxes in my shop and made certain I had all the pieces before making the long drive toward the city for the installation.
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Remember when I said that I deliver the proposed plans and then we discuss possibilities. Not atypically, it’s how is it possible to make alterations to the price and I do what I can to accomplish everyone’s goals. In this case I was able to shave off $80 dollars by changing from decent hardware to slides that cost $4 each. Even though this change was documented and discussed before the downgrade the client later said “If I knew it meant losing that 4″ of space on each drawer I would have paid the $80.”

I’ve learned that being careful pays but being cheap can sometimes cost you so much more.

To replace them with full-extension hardware would now cost $100 in hardware, 2 hours labor and about 4 hours of driving. How much would you charge? He lived with it and I went away feeling I didn’t do a perfect job. Since this is a backdated post to the time when the job was completed, now five years later, I can see how nice these cabinets really are.

Not to make this entry too long but on every job we learn something. After this project I made several changes to my policies including covering expenses for travel or not accepting work at such a distance and I no longer option cheap hardware. Today, my prices are super-reasonable and nearly double what I charged these folks back in 2003.

I was called by a friend of this client, years later, for a similar task. After explaining there would be a fee for my plan drawings after a visit their NY home they lost interest in my attention and I… breathed a sigh of relief.

WoodDance Studio