Window business brag

[heartwood]

I would see if you can reschedule the appointment and be present for the award...people will want to talk with you and find out more about what your business offers...opportunities abound....
...jade

[Eperot]

Great story! I have a similar one but with a much smaller scope. With the help of these boards and Jade in particular, I first learned the window restoration trade for my own house. Later, when folks started asking about my nice original windows and what I could do for them I decided to branch out and do it as a side job. In addition to some smaller projects I just finished my first full house project on October 1st. Customer owns a Victorian here in town that needed a full on restoration and I had 29 windows on my hands to restore. I still walk past the house daily with my dogs with a real sense of pride.

I haven't decided if it will become a full time thing or not...I'm big on a degree of safety and have a hard time with the idea of leaving a perfectly well paying job with health insurance for restoring windows all year round. But as a side gig it has definitely come in handy. Just last night I may have stumbled on my next one, 16 windows in a C.1800 stone farmhouse. We'll see. but one thing is certain...when you get involved in it deeply, your free time just...goes...away. As the Cobbler's children have no shoes, so too does the window restorer never get back to working on finishing his own! I hope to attack the four in my living room (actually, attack restoring the room itself as well) starting in June. Unless other windows keep me from doing it.

Good luck and continued success!
Eric

[Texas_Ranger]

I wouldn't even want to imagine the red tape I'd have to get through if I wanted to do something like this in Europe! I'm fairly sure I'd have to do a full painter's or carpenter's apprenticeship and master's exam first in order to be allowed to run such a business!

I occasionally considered becoming an electrical contractor (I'm already the equivalent of a journeyman) but that'd have involved 9 months of full-time course (roughly $4k) and 2 more years of work experience. I could have done all the studying without the course and just sit the exam but I wasn't sure I had the motivation to do that. Besides, I'd still need the work experience.

[Salt Creek (WavyGlass)]

Thomolli -

When in May is the class that you are teaching? I live in Bedford and would LOVE to attend.