I got my first paid woodworking gig yesterday. The condos next door are being restored after Hurricane Ivan (9/16/2004) and they discovered that the doors to the A/C closet need louvers. Someone else will install them, but the contractor asked me to make the louvers for eight units to start. "Just do it and send me a bill," he said after we'd sparred a bit, each waiting for the other to name a price.
The louvers will be made of pine (Lowe's "select pine" matches the doors) and I'll finish them with poly. They'll fit in a 15" wide by 23" tall opening and be fastened in with a front trim frame. The louvers will be pinned at the ends in a simple box. I'm still deciding on the thickness and spacing, but I'll have to rip and plane them to thickness, and a little round-over on the leading edge might look nice.
I want to name a price that will let me get the rest of the units in the condo, but I don't want to leave money on the table. Their previous best option was to buy new louvered doors at $300 each. Any advice would be helpful, like how much per hour I might figure the job at.
Thanks,
Lionel Robinson Pensacola, FL