First commission

Chris Curl said:

On a whim, I posted an ad in my local Craigslist that I would be willing to make workbenches for people.

I got an email this evening from a guy asking for a quote for an 8' long bench. He included plans for a simple bench made out of 2x4s. Given that the wood for it would run about $90, I quoted him a price of $150 for an 8' long bench made out of 2x4s for the base and 2x6s for the top, and he accepted it!

Click to expand...

Congratulations on getting a paying project. You may pick up some pointers on pricing out a job by doing this one. It all depends on how little you can afford to work for. Lets say that you have all the lumber stacked up ready to go at 8 AM. If you are completely done by noon, you have pocketed $15/hour.

Do you think you can knock it out that fast, and are you satisfied with making $60? I will admit when I started out $15 per hour on some projects was a lot better than breaking even, or worse yet winding up in the hole. For however long a project takes, it's time out of your life.






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