SO YOU WANNA BE A RESTORATION CARPENTER (or Joiner)

In the past few days, several folks have asked me if I could give them some suggestions as to how to develop a successful carpentry contracting business, based on the restoration or replication of historic homes.

Well at first, a couple of jokes came to mind:

A young journeyman asks a master craftsman, “how can I make a small fortune in the woodworking business?”.  The master craftsman replies “start with a big one”.

The young, frustrated businessman decides he will sever his relationships with the corporate world and make his living with his hands, doing the woodworking that he loves.   He walks through the library doors and asks the librarian if there is a copy of “How to make $100,000 per year doing woodworking”.  The librarian replies, “Oh, yes!  We have a copy of that book, it’s right over there in the Fiction section.”

FIRST THINGS FIRST

The first question you have to answer is “do I want to physically do the work of carpentry and joinery?”  If the answer is yes, understand that your maximum income potential is around $150,000/year.  This assumes that the planets will all come into alignment and the “Age of Aquarius will begin immediately.  Remember, you’re probably going to have a lot of “down time”, that’s time when you’re not producing revenue.  Quoting time, travel time, sales time – these are non-revenue producing hours.  So if you can average $75.00/hour for forty hours a week, fifty weeks per year – you’ll be able to generate $150,000 in revenue.  However, you have to consider direct and indirect expenses like fuel, tools, insurance, loans on equipment, etc.  After you subtract those costs from your revenue you have your gross (before tax) income.  BTW, most working carpenters are “tickled pink” if they can find 1500 hours of work per year.  Do the math.

If you wanna make the big bucks by executing the proper restoration of America’s historic architectural treasures, you’re going have to be a contractor.  That’s the guy who’s not going to get to play with the tools very often.  He’s going to make his revenue by taking an “override” on the work that’s done for him by other craftsmen.    He’s a planner, an accountant, an administrator, a salesman and will have a host of other job descriptions – anything that is required for the completion of the project – except working at the craft.  But this is where the bucks are.

WHAT SHOULD YOU KNOW

Develop a basic (but sound) understanding of business.  Get an accountant and a lawyer.  A good banker would help.  But, in this day and age, lines of credit for carpentry contractors are a rare thing, a rare thing, indeed.  Most craftsmen fail in business not because they’re poor craftsmen.  They fail because they know absolutely nothing about business.

Develop a client base.  An excellent restoration business can be built around as few as twenty clients (given that they have fairly substantial restoration projects that will be spread over a broad period of time).  Client development is very time consuming and it can be very, very frustrating.  However, it is ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL to your success.  Most successful restorationists get all or nearly all of their business from referral.

Occasionally close your mouth.  Listen to what your client is saying.  He/she will tell exactly what they want and with a little effort on your part, they’ll tell exactly how much they can afford to pay to get it.  You can’t listen is you’re talking all of the time.  Learn to be comfortable when there is a “pregnant pause” in the conversation.

Build a sterling reputation.  Under-promise and over-deliver.

Be honest.  Provide client’s with a very well-defined scope of work, sign a contract and keep up your end of the bargain.

Make sure that your math and geometry skills are “up to snuff”.  This may sound like a joke, but it is deadly important.

If you can’t be a master practitioner of the trade, you should, at very least have an excellent grasp of the craft you’re talking about.  Don’t try to “bullshit” your way through a client interview.  People will respect you if you simply say, “I don’t know, but I’ll find out and share that information with you”.

Understand that the work can be very physically demanding.  Toting tools to a third floor ball room can get to be a real pain in the arse.  Toting tools to a third floor ball room when it’s cold and snowing or hot and rainy can be a royal pain in the arse.  Realize what you’re getting into.  It’s not the same as whiling away the hours in your shop, admiring the sound that your antique Norris smoothing plane makes as it sheers across a beautiful piece of old growth mahogany.  It’s work!  Work, with a capital W.

Become a student of architectural history.  Learn how the structures you’re interested in were constructed and why they were constructed in a particular way.  Understand materials.  Love what you’re doing.

READ – READ – READ

Several readers have asked if I can recommend any book titles that I have found useful in pursuing the trade over the years.  Here’s the list (I’m sure there are other titles, but I have found these especially helpful):

The Ten Books on Architecture – Vitruvius – A classic

The Classical Orders of Architecture – Robert Chatham

The Architect , or Practical House Carpenter – Asher Benjamin – Leader of Greek Revival Architecture  in North America

The American Builders Companion – Asher Benjamin

The Country Builder’s Assistant – Asher Benjamin

The Steel Square – Frederick Hodgson – Essential

Circular Work in Carpentry and Joinery – George Collings

Modern Practical Joinery – George Ellis – An incredible resource

Specialized Joinery – Thos. Corkhill and S.G. Duckworth

Modern Practical Stairbuilding and Handrailing – George Ellis

A Treatise on Stairbuilding and Handrailing – W&A Mowat

A Simplified Guide to Custom Stairbuilding and Tangent Handrailing – George R. diCristina – Be wary when anyone says it’s a “simplified” guide.  It’s definitely NOT.  But, it might be the best staircase book available.

Manual of Traditional Wood Carving – Paul N. Hasluck – Classic British Work on Architectural carving.

Also:  In my experience there is no one single source of information about North American historic architecture and craft that Roy Underhill.  Read the Woodwright series of books and everything else that Royhas written since he was Master Housewright at Williamsburg.  The man is clearly a National Treasure and an individual with a huge sense of stewardship, from which we all benefit.  Understand how things used to be done.

Frederick Wilbur is, in my judgement,  the finest contemporary Architectural woodcarver in the United States.  Let him be your guide to any restoration or replication carving that you might undertake.

Alright.  Enough said.  There will be a test and you better know the difference between a Linen Fold Panel and a Bolection Moulding.

Good Luck!

FINDING THE RIGHT RESTORATION CARPENTER

The following is a reprint of an article that I wrote a number of years ago which was published in a several  historic architectural newsletters.  Hopefully it will help bridge the gap between homeowners trying to find a qualified restoration carpenter and qualified tradesmen who are trying to determine the best methods of doing business in a marketplace that can be daunting, at best.  Good luck to you both.

FINDING THE RIGHT RESTORATION CARPENTER

By Dennis Laney

            If you’re reading this article there’s a very great likelihood that you live in a historic home and you’re in the process of restoring one of the architectural treasures of the area.  Also, there’s a strong possibility that you have had dealings with contractors who claim to be qualified in restoration work, only to find that they were not.

            Here are a few tips that should help simplify the carpentry contractor qualification process.

   Is the carpentry contractor familiar with your architectural style? 

            During the early part of the twentieth century an integral part of the Finish Carpenter’s or Joiner’s (A fancy finish carpenter specializing in interior architectural details such as staircases, wainscoting and the like) training was familiarization with classical architectural styles and those styles that were currently in vogue.  (Just as an aside, the Greek word architekton means “master carpenter”.  Interestingly, the Japanese word for Master Carpenter is used to identify any professional architect.)  Any qualified restoration carpenter should be familiar with and conversant in the style of your home.  In many cases the carpenter will be responsible for determining the proportions of renovations in your home.  It is important that they understand the ductus that determines the perspective and proportion of various architectural styles.

   

Is the contractor familiar with the construction methods of the period?      

            Construction techniques change constantly.  However, your home was built using time honored methods.  Your contractor should be very well versed with those methods.  The careless incorporation of a modern construction technique can ruin an expensive restoration.  Your contractor should be familiar with the following terms:  Mortise and tenon joinery; Housed stringers; Dovetailed Balusters and coped cornices and skirting.  If he or she is not familiar with these terms, there’s every probability that they’re not familiar with the construction methods that were used in the building of your home.

Can the contractor identify the material and does he have a source of supply

Just about every species of American and Exotic hardwoods were used for the interior trim inAmerica’s historic homes.  Cost and unavailability have eliminated the use of many of these materials in new construction.  As a consequence, few carpenters are familiar with the species that are likely found in your home.  For instance:  Yellow pine was used as a trim wood in domestic areas such as kitchens, rear stairs and servant’s quarters.  It is very dense and durable.  It must not be confused with or substituted for with White Pine or Hemlock, which are of low density and durability.  It’s simply not enough to say that your trim is oak.  There are at least five sub-species of oak, not to mention various growth patterns and sawing techniques. Make sure that your contractor knows the material and that he has identified a source of supply.  A caveat; many of the materials used one hundred years ago are very scarce, some are simply unavailable.  All are expensive.  Make sure that materials can be replaced before someone starts tearing off mop boards, door casings and other bits of visual detail.

 How much of the contractors work is accomplished with hand tools?

          Much of the carpentry and joinery work in your home was done using hand tools.  The impact of this on your restoration is very direct.  Simply put, there are details that cannot be shaped with power tools.  They must be done by hand.  Any qualified restoration carpenter will use power tools to expedite the work except in those areas where tool choice affects historic integrity.  If your contractor is not competent  in the use of hand tools, he’s probably not too concerned about the authenticity of the restoration.

 Is the contractor well versed in circular or elliptical layout?

            Curved window sashes, elliptical staircases and other circular details add to the grandeur of many historic homes.  Doubtless, you’ve noticed that they “just don’t build them like that any more”.  Make sure that your contractor understands and can execute circular and elliptical layout.  Simply ask if he knows, and can explain,  the differences between a semi-ellipse (oval) and a true ellipse.  Also, he should be knowledgeable about the special joinery techniques that were used in the construction of circular and/or elliptical details.

 

Is the contractor comfortable doing the work in stages?

            If you’re not already familiar with the expense of a proper restoration, you will be.  Be suspect of anyone who is unwilling to perform the work in stages that will allow you time to “replentish your war-chest”.  Also, be aware that when you ask for a fixed price bid the contractor has every right to require a detailed scope of work.  This fact poses two distinct disadvantages to the home owner.  First, this type of arrangement proves to be most profitable to the contractor when he completes the work as quickly as possible.  In many cases this will lead to work that is done with time savings in mind, as opposed to the authenticity of the restoration.  Second, if you elect to make changes to the scope of work, the contractor is well within his legal rights to require a renegotiation of price.  This has the potential of new costs being determined on an unusually high price structure as the contractor knows that he, effectively, has the home owner “over a barrel”.

            Consider finding a restoration carpenter who you are comfortable with and confident in and engage him on an hourly basis.  Most qualified craftsman in the area charge in the range of $50-60 per hour (when compared to electricians, plumbers and other tradespeople, a well qualified carpenter is a real bargain and, of course, this cost will be higher in America’s larger cities).  This eliminates the tendency of the contractor to build in contingency pricing and it allows the home owner to make changes when desired and break up the work in stages, at his or her discretion.

The restoration of your historic home can be one of the most rewarding experiences of your life or a complete nightmare, depending on how well you do your “homework”.