Before We Get Started

Welcome & thank you so much for reaching out to us for an estimate on your project

We have a few questions and information for you to start us off on the right foot.

https://www.dancker.com/blog/good-fast-cheap/

This diagram sums up what it’s like to work in any service industry and we reference it frequently.

A couple of quick points:

we don’t offer Cheap; bandaid solutions, poor quality products or projects that your neighbour’s cousin’s buddy can do for you for cash on the weekend
Fast: we’re self professed perfectionists so please be advised that doing things properly takes time and as a husband/wife duo, we only have 4 hands (and 2 brains) between us. Additionally, we have a queue of clients ahead of you that requires some patience on your part. Check our contact page for up to date estimations of when your project could be scheduled for.

This brings us to Good. Buy nice or buy twice! We focus on the Good part: doing things properly. Doing things safely, to building code, with the environment and local economy in mind and to last a very long time.

Truth be told, it is unlikely that we will be the cheapest quote if you are getting multiple quotes on your project. Telling us that you are getting multiple quotes as a tactic to get you a better deal doesn’t affect our price, but we are not offended if you are shopping around as budget is very important these days! Speaking of budget, knowing your numbers is valuable and we want you to be as honest as possible. Everyone has different priorities in life for how they spend their money and what brings them joy. There can be some give and take to adjust the numbers to better fit your budget by phasing your project, having you complete some of the easier tasks, etc. so don’t hesitate to discuss these options with us.

ESTIMATION COST$

We have free estimations for projects that take under 1 hour to complete. The more details you can provide, the quicker we can complete your estimate (once we start working on it).

However, some estimates take significant time to compile and therefore fall into our “charge for time” category. These are things like bathroom or kitchen renovations, complex furniture design, anything that requires computer design renderings and multiple revisions. The more details you can provide, the less likely we will enter this territory. This means that if you don’t want to pay for design fees, you will need to do a bunch of work to select materials for your project or sketch out the design yourself. Design fees range and will be invoiced prior to project construction. We will communicate to you if your project falls into this territory. We will under no circumstances charge you for an estimate or design without first asking for your consent to work on something more detailed, telling you the cost, and having a formal agreement from you that you are okay with paying an additional cost. No sneaky charges from us over here!

CUSTOM FURNITURE - WOOD SPECIES SELECTION

If you are reaching out for a quote on custom furniture or choosing one of our existing designs, we’re going to need you to pick a wood species!

We will ask you to choose a fave or two to base your quote off of. They are listed in order of least expensive to most expensive (current pricing). If you are looking for a specific species, please let us know. We also frequently use softwoods like cedar and douglas fir.

Hardwoods We Commonly Use

Cherry: medium tone brown/pink - https://www.wood-database.com/black-cherry/
Ash: light with lots of grain - https://www.wood-database.com/black-ash/
Maple: light with minimal/no grain - https://www.wood-database.com/hard-maple/
Ambrosia or Spalted Maple: light with rainbow of colours (grey/blue/purple/pink) and lots of cool pattern - https://www.wood-database.com/ambrosia-maple/ or https://www.wood-database.com/ambrosia-maple/
White oak: light grey/brown with lots of grain - https://www.wood-database.com/white-oak/
Walnut: dark brown - https://www.wood-database.com/black-walnut/

WOOD FINISHES

J-Man Carpentry primarily relies on eco friendly finishes for your wood projects. We also believe in choosing the right wood and using a clear finish to allow for the natural beauty to shine through. However, we do offer staining and painting as finish options as well.

PROJECT TIMELINES

Upon approval of the estimate, we will provide you with an up to date schedule with your projected estimation of build time and installation.

COMMUNICATION & “OFFICE HOURS”

We love active communication on projects with our clients and are always open to answer any questions you may have. You can reach us via email, text or phone call (we have voicemail if we miss your call) and we’ll get back to you asap. As small business owners, we find ourselves on the clock more often than we want (work/life balance is a struggle!) so we may sometimes reply to your messages late in the evening or on weekends. We do prefer to attempt to keep our evenings and weekends for ourselves so please do not be offended if we do not answer messages on weekends (except for a touch base on Sunday evening if we plan to be at your place on Monday) or after 7 pm during the week. We often see your messages and will reply if it is an urgent matter.

“Office Hours”

Monday-Thursday: 8:00 am - 7:00 pm

Friday: 8:00 am - 4:30 pm