Happy Valentines Day , everyone !

[Willa]

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[GinaC]

Happy Valentines Day, Willa and everyone!

I was just rejected by the carpenter both my neighbor and the local B&B owner recommended to build me some bookshelves. No "can we push back the time to ?", just "sorry, I can't price it and I can't do it, maybe next time" when a "next time" wasn't even discussed, and I didn't even give him a time frame for the shelves at all.

I know this is illogical, but it really hurts.

[phil]

Merry Valentines day

Carpentry and Joinery are related but some carpenters may not have a shop with tools. Perhaps he was a framing carpenter.

I suggest checking Craigslist free, look locally and watch for plywood ones, not particleboard. you could try posting an add under swap or barter and offer what you like in trade for someone making them?

If you want them built to suit, you might try a cabinet shop or a joiner ( cabinetmaker)
a cabinetmaker ( or joiner) and a carpenter are two different trades, one builds buildings, the other builds furniture, but of course both work with wood and probably have the skills to build shelving. cabinetmakers work to closer tolerances and their tools are more suited. they dont work on ladders and things like carpenters. carpentry is often outdoor work Cabinetmakers work indoors. If you want fine cabinetry dont look for a carpenter specifically. a cabinetmaker would typically wear an apron and have a sharp pencil.. a carpenter wears a toolbelt and his/her pencil looks like a big blunt jiffy marker with a rounded end on it. The cabinetmaker wears shoes , the carpenter wears steel toed workboots. A cabinetmaker does not carry a hammer everywhere he goes, he tries to avoid using nails. Carpenters have pouches of nails which they leave a trail of in case they get lost.
both serve apprenticeships in their trades so they should be able to prove that if you ask, Its a 4 year apprenticehip in canad a for both. many are fakes who dont serve apprenticeships or get the proper training along the way yet go around calling themselves "carpenters" dont get me wrong, both trades are important they just have quite different skillsets. a joiner is likely afraid of heights and has no idea how to frame a house.

cutting sheet stock is possible and running grooves for the shelves uses a dado blade which cuts the wide slots. the wide slot is called a dado. often a piece can also be added under the front edge of shelves to decrease bowing under weight. This is easier to accomplish if the saw had a big table, a cabinet shop would have a panel saw which makes it a bit easier. the problem that is encountered if you try to do this on a little portable jobsite saw is that the fence wont move far enough from the blade to incorporate the slots as easily. There are other ways to do it, such as using pins or strips to hold the shelves but dados add a lot of strength and its a simple process to use them.
a cabinet saw is a big super heavy machine that is hard to move and more accurate. a contractor saw is a small machine intended for portability.

with dados the shelves are glued in and it creates a box which is stronger than using pins or other hardware to hold the shelves up. adjustable shelves can be appropriate sometimes. you might decide if you need that option.

lots of carpenter are mobile so they may or may not come with machinery. you want someone with a workshop and tools, most woodwork hobbyists could accomplish this. for example you can cut dados with a router and a guide.

you might want to think it through and try to do a drawing to show what you imagine. even if it's a rough sketch with basic dimensions it can be handy to do that to convey your thoughts to the craftsperson.

many bookshelves like those used in an office are particleboard. I dont like particleboard myself and I try not to collect it but they may work for what you need. Particleboard is heavy and a lot of people cant' tell that they aren't wood by looking. If it's super heavy it is probably particleboard but veneers and such fool many or maybe they are intentionally falsely advertising them as wood. some questions on the weight can often save a trip across town to find they are junk. Particleboard and wood are two different things obviously but dont be surprised to see "cherry shelves" or such in false advertising. It's really common.

[Willa]

Happy Valentines Day, Willa and everyone!

I was just rejected by the carpenter both my neighbor and the local B&B owner recommended to build me some bookshelves. No "can we push back the time to ?", just "sorry, I can't price it and I can't do it, maybe next time" when a "next time" wasn't even discussed, and I didn't even give him a time frame for the shelves at all.

I know this is illogical, but it really hurts.

I feel you HARD on the frustration end of contractor wrangling. Some dudes don't want to touch the small potatoes, or anything that is "below" their (fantasy) skill sets. Keep looking and asking, someone else is out there.

In the meantime enjoy some valentine's jello:

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(Also tomorrow all the terrible valentines treats go on sale, if a little sugar can help your anguish/blind rage.)

[GinaC]

I just love those creepy cards!

I'm thinking now that maybe he did me a favor. Maybe I can get some custom-sized cabinets made from Barker, doors on the bottom and open on the top, ready to stain. Those should be easy enough to put up, and then just put crown molding on the top and bottom?

[awomanwithahammer]

Happy Valentine's Day! Willa, I love your creepy Valentines.

Gina, he wasn't "the one." When you find "the one," you'll know!

[GinaC]

Happy Valentine's Day! Willa, I love your creepy Valentines.

Gina, he wasn't "the one." When you find "the one," you'll know!

Haha, you know you're on an old house forum when folks talk like this about finding contractors!

[Manalto]

I know a plumber who, I know from experience, has good (not "fantasy") skills. He has a calm, laid-back, respectful personality. He took me by surprise when he recently announced that he is done taking on jobs for residential work and will only do commercial. He's fed up dealing with difficult clients who have unrealistic demands.

I know what he means. For several years, I had a landscape client who didn't observe what most of us would consider normal boundaries. She would call at all hours, force me to explain (at great length) projects she had no intention of doing, and had what I will tactfully call a loose interpretation of what it means to have respect for fellow human beings. One day I arrived at her beautiful 1914 Italianate stucco house, and painters were there to do the trim work. I overheard her grilling and second-guessing the owner of the company (who, incidentally, had a stellar reputation in the community for historical restoration) and making demands. When she walked away, he turned to me (a complete stranger)and said, "If I didn't already have my crew here, I would leave right now."

Unfortunately, bad clients have ruined it for the rest of us. A small job that should only take a day and winds up consuming the greater part of a week - for the same amount of money - just isn't worth it to somebody who has to support a family, pay for college, eat, etc.

I'm not saying this is the only reason contractors are flaky, but it could be one of them. For professional help - and on the other side of the coin, for good clients - we all want someone who is reasonable and fair. Unfortunately, to find that, you have to kiss a lot of frogs.

[GinaC]

Thanks to Phil's Woodworker Professionals 101 lesson up there, I went to Google and searched for "custom cabinetry". I found a guy not far from here with a lovely portfolio on Facebook. (I really wish I could quit Fakebook, but it seems businesses around here are just discovering it and make it their main contact.)

I'll call him on Monday after I am finished with *shudder* H&R Block. Wish me luck, y'all!

[Willa]

I know a plumber who, I know from experience, has good (not "fantasy") skills. He has a calm, laid-back, respectful personality. He took me by surprise when he recently announced that he is done taking on jobs for residential work and will only do commercial. He's fed up dealing with difficult clients who have unrealistic demands.

I used to be self employed, and quickly learned how important it was to screen potential clients. I made it so potential clients had to leave a voicemail or send an email, they could never phone and engage me directly. Anyone who was in a big rush, or had unrealistic expectations usually didn't get called back. Despite this, a few bad apples got through here and there. Most people were fine - a few were super great - and a few were just horrible.

I also learned to fire clients. People who were rude, who were late, or who otherwise disrespected my time or skills got culled. Of course this is easier to do when there isn't a mortgage payment or vet bill depending on this work. I think this gets more complicated when a carpenter, etc. is the sole entity that anyone deals with - from answering the call to doing the work. It gets exhausting being the everything. I think this is where small jobs get painted with the same wide brush. They don't have any buffer zone so everyone gets through. They can't deal with a micromanaging homeowner for $ 1500 worth of work(homeowner onsite 100% of the time), but can suck it up for $ 15,000 for a small business (Napolean manager stops in periodically to nitpick but invoices go straight to accounting).

The plumbers I used are a family company that has been in business for decades. One of my neighbours ridiculed me for using them, claiming they were the "most expensive". Since they have a fleet - they were available at short notice. Despite my "bad" address, they were willing to work with me. Since they have a fleet, they always had inventory of parts. They gave me the benefit of the doubt - I was pleased with their attitude and service. I was a repeat customer - they knew I wasn't a problem. In contrast to this, the first contractor dude I used (so-so) recommended his plumber pal, who did side jobs for half the price of the family company. Dude was kind of dismissive, said he'd do the job, then I had to wait on contractor # 1 - then when I called plumber dude to schedule he was extra rude and said he didn't want to work on my house after saying he would do the job. For half price plumbing all I got was a big rude headache ! Even though the family co. plumbers were more expensive, they were professional, punctual and completely reasonable to deal with = a bargain.

Gina - I hope the FB carpenter will work out for you. If not him, then someone else who will grant you mutual respect.