This afternonn inwayster 2 1/2 hourz on housecalls.
Last week i had 3 call and got 3 jobs. Today i got a call and was out there in an hour as most shops dont even anwser the call im told.
So a guy had a hurricane deckboat bimini frame but no canvas
So a 9'+ length. Zippered pockets. Patterned and installed on a boat lift i quoted $640 sunbrella.
I get "why so much" id have to come ou tot the boat pattern the top sew it plus zippered pockets
Sven if i could do it all in less then a day. Say 6 hours plus materials.
Now the owner had a great spot on a river with an addition being built to the home.
Why so much. Insaid it the costs and shipping is much more. Call me if you want to procedde and have a nice day. Never mind my time and gas waysted. And another after was looking for anpow cost after buying his own fabric :( loke that would make some cushions cheap to build.
I won't do boat cushions when they bring me the material, unless it is a material I know/trust....there is nothing worse than doing a job then getting blamed for a vinyl failure when it was because they brought you cheap $5/yd vinyl...I tell my customers that especially in upholstery...you get what you pay for....
with boats you get the people who look online for a bimini top and see they can buy one for 3-400 bucks...but it is not a custom fit and will not work for their boat. they come to us expecting universal prices on custom work...go figure!
This was a fabric for the cushions Jd.
He top was canvas only the frames he had. BUt lost the can as in The trash heck with the framework stainless
Id
Ask around 1400
I dont fhink 6 was out of line for a 10' bimini canvas with zippered pockets done onsite ?
I don't that is out of line, good work is worth the price!
Not an unreasonable price at all. There's no magic in producing boat canvas. People seem to think you just push a button and an hour later it's ready to install.
I quoted a cockpit upholstery job just last week - $1200 for 12 individual pieces - most small, soft backs, one larger, 3 needing new foam. And he wants to know if the $1200 includes sales tax. Like "No". And yes, I do collect and pay tax. I get the "I'll have to discuss with the wife". I actually hope he doesn't call. I was probably $400 too cheap.
June
I learned that collecting taxes on services was required...so I had to pay 6 months worth of jobs that I had already done...when I got serious about making this work, I hired a CPA to set me on the right path, and learned a lot about taxes....basically had to take the old jobs and "back" the taxes in, so if i did a 1200 dollar jobs I had to call it an 1111 dollar job and pay 89 in taxes...at least now I am on the right path...I sometimes forget to estimate the taxes and get some serious wtf when they get their invoice and the 1200 dollar job became 1296!
Ya that sound a little low to me also june if he doese call back you can be booked up
I had a wuote i did at least 2 years ago i think it was tualy 3. Noe he called me back to to a complete cront a d rear camper on a searay. This fime inwas a 1000 more he went for it withkiut thinking Im ready to finnish the install probly tomorow
Mike...I think the price is in line. When I get the "that much" I ask how much they think it should be. When they tell me....I have to stop myself from laughing.
Give them what they ask for , trivantage sells those ready made cheapo bimini tops !!
;D
I expect someong to be looking cor a chesp price if its an old guy retired not a fancy house ect. And had his top tears from rot and they this a coulle hundred to replace he k overtons had the top frame and sll for less then 300 even today inhad a guy stop me and ask befor lea inf my lunch spot thst has a lot of old retirees. He wasnted to know if i could replace the csnvas top on a lawn swing. I didnt want to wayste my time on a bouse call to shock him. But this guy why so much had a nice house on the waterfront. Having a addition built to the house a nice boAt and new dock foing to add a dock awning cover who gave him my number. Niw the do k lift cover guy get like 5k for a metal frame and some canvAs but 600 is too much for a 9' bimini canvas zippered pocket :'(
It seems to me the 'poor' guy will pay the price, knowing work is effort. The 'rich' guy will nickle and dime you to death.
"You don't get rich by spending money."
The working man is my best customer . He knows he works hard for his money and so do I !! Some wealthy people don't mind paying for service , those are my customers too. The guy who wants it cheaper or nickel and dimes me aren't my customer. I have a small yellow pages ad. Let the guy with the half page ad get all the " how much " calls.
Here in Charleston that price would be low. I saw one much smaller top recently the owner had paid $850 for with zips and sunbrella. Wait till he calls you back after getting more quotes.If he gets any lower ones(doubtful) I bet it won't come near the quality of your work.
Quote from: forsailbyowner on September 06, 2012, 05:25:10 am
Here in Charleston that price would be low. I saw one much smaller top recently the owner had paid $850 for with zips and sunbrella. Wait till he calls you back after getting more quotes.If he gets any lower ones(doubtful) I bet it won't come near the quality of your work.
Just for the canvas work i wasnt talking thebstsinless frames. They were intact.
$640 is about 1/2 of what I would charge. But up here in our area there are only a couple of
canvas shops. Also, we have to make our money when we can. Boaters up here forget about their boats
from November to March/April. Our tops include zippered pockets, reinforcement at the ends of the
sleeves/pockets, Tenara thread, double stick tape along stitch lines and the boot.
I get the "Why so much?" from time to time and just explain it to the customer. When they can't get
it through their heads that the material is only a fraction of the cost I have told some to "Have a nice day"
and excuse myself.
I've read a couple of articles in the past year addressing the point that sometimes you have to "Fire" a
customer.
Sometimes a customer will say "That's too much", I will ask "Compared to what?". Usually it means it's
more than they want to pay or this is their first time to the replacement canvas rodeo and they have
no clue.
I've had customers try to talk me down using someone else's estimate. When I ask what shop gave them the
estimate I find out they're BS'ing me or the other shop isn't using the same materials or providing the
same quality.
The $850 was for canvas only. I've seen larger canvas replacements go for over $1k. That's why I like to summer here. The prices are way higher than in florida. I'm busy from the time I pull in and end up turning work away when its starts to get cold. One outfit that has done some work here charges $85 to come and give an estimate.
Florida is a right to work state. That's a right to work for very little pay state lol
The gal I've been seeing in fl is a teacher and makes around $20 an hour. In wisconsin where my parents live the same teacher would be making double that.(But paying state income tax)
Quote from: forsailbyowner on September 07, 2012, 10:04:37 am
The $850 was for canvas only. I've seen larger canvas replacements go for over $1k. That's why I like to summer here. The prices are way higher than in florida. I'm busy from the time I pull in and end up turning work away when its starts to get cold. One outfit that has done some work here charges $85 to come and give an estimate.
Here on the west coast of fl i see alot of peoplemcrom the midwest ohio michigan and i think they are more frugal indo get some who expect to spend and dont auestion the price others do like i havnt heard bCk crom a 5500 sail oT enclosure quote and there a pia.
My brother got a quote for an enclosure for his 46 hunter that came in at $12000. He was quite shocked as he had just sold his garage kept low mileage corvette for $8k. All the sudden I was his favorite family member lol.
I think rates are low down here because there are so many retirees who set up shop. It is amazing to see what landscapers charge. Talking about a cut throat business. My buddy had a landscape business and had to close it down because he couldn't compete anymore.
People move to Florida for the climate, buy some lawn mowers and equipment and then open up a lawn business. There is so much competition down here for landscapers that these people end up cutting their prices down to nothing.
I lived in Florida for a brief time when I was young back in the late 70's. Even then pay rates were horrible which is why I moved back to Michigan.
Chris
Funny you mentioned lawn mowing.
I bartered some boat canvas work and upholster for a small bowrider the fellow a young guy only doese more sfouent waterfrontnhome wlthat will pay the price. He has a $15,000 ldeisle lasn mower and. Hesp $25 cuts dont cut it. Pun ;) but ua i see plenty of guy with a car a small trailer and a bomeowner lasn moser running around town for verry little
I have some friends that retired and moved to FL, just north of Orlando. Both had taught in public schools and private industry and I'd consider both "Master Teachers." They looked at doing some teaching, if even substitute work, and found the wages were very very low.
Quote from: forsailbyowner on September 07, 2012, 10:10:09 am
Florida is a right to work state. That's a right to work for very little pay state lol
The gal I've been seeing in fl is a teacher and makes around $20 an hour. In wisconsin where my parents live the same teacher would be making double that.(But paying state income tax)
The teachers here in Texas are always complaining that a garbageman in California makes more money. But in Texas, we can get a 2000 sq. ft. home in a nice neighborhood for 100K.
It's all relative, I guess.
That one of the readon i decided to move to southwest florida i looked on the mls at rhe cost of homes here.
I sold my place on the lake and moved pocked good money on the move.