This is a short description of the commissioning process for those who are new to it. This should cover a number of common questions we get and I shall also be adding other FAQ’s and, hopefully, a pricing guide in the near future. If in doubt, you are very welcome to contact us and ask and questions you may have

Commissioning a piece of furniture or a boat fit out should be an exciting process, though it may seem daunting if it is something new to you. Each commission is unique, but the process generally follows a similar pattern. For those starting this process for the first time I shall outline the form that it takes.

First contact; We take an outline of requirements so that we can give you an idea of costs and lead times. This is often a client sending me some photos on WhatsApp or similar with a description of how they envisage the works, but this can take whatever form suits the client. After this we will arrange a site visit and discuss specifications in detail. Generally, Dan or one of his colleagues coming out in person to talk through the project in greater depth. Discussing options, styles, requirements etc.

Design and Drawing; Putting everything down on paper and developing the design until you are happy with it and we have all the details we need to do a final quote. This step takes as long as it needs to for us to get everything just how you want it. We’ll try to give you a realistic estimate of costs before we get stuck into making drawings, it is good to have a clear idea of expectations before we get too far along the design pathway. Some jobs may not require drawings, in which case we would just discuss specifications and skip straight to setting everything out in a quote or estimate as appropriate. The drawings and design process, where required, is included in the final price of the commission so is effectively free. We do reserve the right to charge for drawings produced where no commission is ultimately taken up. Should this ever be the case then the client would, of course, own the designs and drawings and be at liberty to use them as they see fit, for example if they wished to get a different contractor to produce the furniture from the designs. We can also provide design as a standalone service.

Quotation and deposit; Once a design has been agreed on then we can do a price ‘quote’ for the works. We take a deposit and book the job in for workshop time and provide a provisional fitting date. We will always ensure that once we have started a job for a client that we see it through to completion, including any requested extras. Because of that it is not possible to know exactly when we will be able to start your job, but we will keep you up to date on what’s happening. Some jobs must be done as an estimate as it is simply not possible to give a fixed figure to the time involved. We tend to only do this where it can’t be avoided and where it would mean giving an unreasonably large ‘quote’ price if we were to quantify it as a fixed figure

Production and fitting; Purchasing of materials, beginning production in the workshop, taking any further required measurements and producing all the elements ready to fit on site. We do as much as possible off site to minimise mess and disruption.  For an average size job, for example a bedroom suite or a built-in wardrobe, it will typically be only one or two days on site (that is to say, in your home). Where we are doing structural works, tiling, or fitting larger amounts of cabinetry or fitting off shelf cabinetry then we will likely be on site longer

A note on deposits and payment. This normally takes the form of a deposit and then the balance on completion. If it is a large job, or, if there are a lot of extras then there may be stage payments during the works. This would be discussed in full before we start.