What
I Do, or Cannot Do:
I specialize in building the best rain management
products you will find for clients across the country at a reasonable
cost, which is less than most shops from what I've heard. I'm very clever, but my mind reading skills are
limited, so I depend on the correct information you provide to
make your dream come true with the least amount of complications. I
will do my best to ask the right questions.
I am a licensed contractor in Oregon only, but I am not licensed to do roofing related
installation work, so you will need
to have roofing contractor for the installation, if you are not
able to do it yourself. Here's a link to
Angie's List to help. I do my best to supply all the stainless steel fasteners with
detailed installation instructions.
I'm happy to talk on the phone personally to answer questions
and talk over different option, but it is always best to have the
quote in writing with the final details listed, so we have more than
just our memory to rely on. I answer the phone personally whenever
possible. However I refrain from quoting prices over the phone for
that reason, besides the fact that it often takes hours to diagram and work
out the math to write up a firm quote. I need you to send me an e-mail with
your contact info, preferably with photos and or diagrams with your request
for
a quote.
E-mail CBD for a Quote
To e-mail us just click on our copper mailbox above and it should automatically
launch your e-mail program with our e-mail address in place and subject
line typed in. Write us an e-mail with a description of the work needed
and perhaps what sort of budget limits you might have, along with any
relevant digital photos or diagrams (scanned in
as a jpg image file) that you can provide, along with your contact
info and phone# in case we have some question for you, so we can respond
with a quote for your consideration.
This may take a few e-mails back and forth to work out all the
details with you, but we do check our e-mail at least twice a day,
even on weekends. I will respond to you with a personalized e-mail within 24 hours.
If we have not responded soon after, write us again, or call to see
that we received your message (there's always
the chance your letter got stopped by spam filtering).
Sending Digital Photos:
Modern digital cameras take very large
photos for better clarity when printing and allow for better photo
editing; like cropping down to the relevant part of the photo and
such. Feel free to send photos as is. Fortunately we have a
broadband connection, so that has not a big problem. Some times it
is good to get large image files to be able to zoom in for a better
look.
For this web site I reduce the photos down to 1,000
pixels wide for a near full screen image on most monitor settings. You
probably already have a simple photo editing program on your PC to do
the most basic types of editing like this, but I have found a program
called ACDSee 10 for only $50 that
seems user friendly for viewing, sorting, and photo editing, although they
are still working on a Mac version.
Can I
Fax You Forms or a
Diagram?
Our printer/scanner is also a fax machine, but we
have not used it for for faxing in several years now, so it is not
even connected. You can contact us to connect
it and get that phone #, but I am trying to do my part to encourage
the business community to abandon faxes all together. They have not
changed that technology much in the last 2 decades. A simple scanned
'jpg' image file, Word 'doc' files, or 'pdf'
files are by far much more clear than a fax. We prefer just a standard 'jpg' image file. Don't
worry about reducing the image size for a smaller file. We like images
that are at least 1,000 pixels wide to get a decent look.
Local Clients:
I've done on-site work within a 100 mile radius and I could travel
further, but I would have to charge for travel time and boarding. I
am not licensed to work out side Oregon, so if you are that far away
I cannot help you with the installation.
I can often whip out simple flashing orders or gutter run-outs within a few days.
We should be able to work out a preliminary bid on-line, but if you
need me to drive out
to your house to get measurements I will provide a free detailed estimate
as long as you are within 20 miles or so from Portland, Oregon.
Within a couple work days time I should be able to provide you with
a bid. I will try to call you before driving out there, but if you
do not hear back from me within 24 hours with a confirmation e-mail,
I
may not have received your e-mail for some reason, so call me directly.
Non-locals:
Most
of our custom copper work over the last few years has been for clients
back East and a few outside the USA. Look over our
Latest News web page
for an idea of what our current lead-time is for custom copper work.
We prefer to handle the details through e-mail, so we both have a written
record of these details and price negotiations, so there is no chance
for a dispute from erroneous memory recall. I assure you that I am very disciplined
to respond quickly to each client's e-mail within 24 hours, so this
should go relatively quickly, but you are welcome to call to brainstorm
ideas with me. Please call me if
you you had not receive a reply within 24 hours.
Calls:
I will
answer my cell phone personally nearly all hours to
discuss the details of your project, but it is best to have the
quote in writing through e-mail. If you
cannot work through e-mail that would make this very
slow and difficult to share photos and diagrams through the Postal
Service, but
I will work with you as swiftly as possible.
I am still a hands-on contractor, so I may need to call you back
when I am in a better place to talk
(hands free
pulled off to the side of the road, or down off my ladder),
so in case I'm not able to answer; please leave us your contact name
and phone number, so I can call you back. I had a toll free phone number for several years, but it did not get
used much and was rather costly, so I discontinued it early 2009.
Payments and Wait Time:
I can only begin work with receipt of your full payment or the appropriate
deposit. For work over $500 I only need a 1/2 deposit to
get things started, and the rest upon completion. For orders of
over $2k just a 1/3 deposit is fine, with the second 1/3 due when I have
started on your project. You will see this through the digital photos
I provided of the progress for your approval
(as
seen on this web site). I will then need the balance before shipping.
Expedite:
If you feel confident
that we will be able to work out a reasonable contract; you can expedite
getting on my schedule by mailing a $200 reservation down payment
to get your project set in my cue as soon as possible. This takes the
pressure off of having to make a hasty decision about the details of
your project and have a firm ceiling cost set. As listed above all but $100 for holding that spot
in my schedule open is refundable if we are not able to work out an
arrangement that suits your needs and budget.
Cancellations:
We know life is some times unpredictable, so if you find yourself needing
to cancel the contract for any reason; all but $100 is refundable up
until the time I have started to build your project. At that point when
I have cut and bent copper for your project the deposit is not refundable,
such as the standard policy of most any other custom shop.
Client
Satisfaction:
I cannot guarantee your project will be perfect and just exactly
what you had pictured in your mind. I will
guarantee it will fit the specification you provided and will be built
as well as I know how; given the limitations of your budget. In the
case of an issue arising from a client being unsatisfied with a project
before it ships; I will normally bend over backwards to make things
right. Fortunately this has only been a problem with one client
(2/08) where we were not able to resolve
our differences, so it could happen. I cannot possibly cover all possible
issues here, but if a clients aesthetic concerns conflicts with design
quality; I will not compromise my standards, even if that client is
fine that it would void the warranty.
Again, all but $100 is refundable before I have started physically building
your project. The deposit paid will not be refunded after I have begun
cutting and bending metal.
Credit Card Payments:
Most clients simply pay us by mailing a personal check, but if your
order needs to be paid by credit card you can use PayPal by clicking
on this button below, but it will still take several days for us to
receive your payment. And they will collect a substantial fee out of
that payment for that service, so that is not our preferred method of
payment. It is just as fast and we would receive all of your payment
that way.
Shipping Charges:
The prices for smaller items like roof caps usually
include the cost of the custom shipping crate and the shipping charges
with FedEx Ground or Roadrunner/Dawes truck shipping in the continental
USA. Larger items like chimney caps will have itemized charges and receive
final cost discounts if the unit weighs in at less than anticipated
in the original quote. You will need to tell us if you need 2nd day,
express delivery, or foreign shipping, so I can quote you the price
for those very expensive delivery services.
Consultation Service
For consultation services; it is true that this web site demonstrates
how I have an extraordinary
ability in mechanical comprehension and spatial arrangement, as well
as over 15 years experience specializing in rain management, so
I may be able to assist you to evaluate situations better than most
experienced contractors and even inspectors without bias. If you have an existing issue or a up-coming issue about
construction work I offer a
Quality Control Standards Consultation Service for a fee.
I'd love to help everyone for free, but in the real world
that is simply not possible. I am still an active construction
contractor, using the daylight hours to get work done in my shop or at a work site.
Then doing bids in the evening and paper work
at night into the wee hours. That is not counting having a life outside of work
(when I am up on a roof is not a good time
to chat for a half an hour complaining about problems caused by some other
contractor 3,000 miles away).
Before calling for consultation service's I need you to send an e-mail first
detailing the situation w/digital photos, and your contact information with convenient times
to be reached. I will send you a response e-mail within 24 hours
to arrange the cost, and set up a time to go over your issues.
Please follow these guide lines, or I will not be able to help you.
|
