What is My Lead-time?

What's your schedule reliability?
I would not want get behind schedule or to give you false hope, so I try to factor in time for unexpected small projects and complication that could arise within my time-line.  It should not be later than the time listed above and it could be sooner if all goes smoothly. 

What about small simple projects?
It is common for me to fit in small simple fabrications that would only take a few hours to complete  in between major projects. Things like: flashing kits, ridge caps, and small basic turret or gazebo roof caps w/o finial/weathervane mounts. Usually within a week or two. If you want a larger ornate roof cap with a weathervane or finial support pipe installed; it would need to wait for my schedule to clear, since they require a couple days to build and make the custom shipping crate. Some larger projects I've had the honor to make have taken over 2 month to design and build.

What if your schedule changes before I can get my deposit in?
That could certainly be an issue. I do all I can to swiftly respond to each e-mail and I answer my cell phone personally to help work this out as quickly as possible.

If you feel confident we will be able to work up a satisfactory arrangement and need to get in my cue ASAP you can mail in an estimated deposit amount for the project you need.  I will adjust the price according to the arrangement we work out before I've started building it to have a firm ceiling cost set.  This can take the pressure off to make a hasty decisions. Only half down payment for projects over $500, or a 1/3 deposit for larger projects over $2k. 

If for any reason we are not able to work out a fair deal, or you just change your mind; that deposit is 90% refundable upon request. Leaving just a 10% reservation fee. No need for an explanation.  I'm far to busy to hold clients to a contract, but this has rarely been an issue.

 Latest News

2011: Copper Prices
We saw another hike in the cost of copper in early 2011 to 125% more, where it had held relatively steady since 2006; when it had suddenly doubled in cost. Fortunately it has dropped back down to around $5.50# later this year. Of course I don't know what the future holds, but I will need to write quotes that allow for these unexpected fluctuations. Try to keep in mind that this should mean only a smaller change in your final cost, since the material cost is only a small percentage of this sort of custom fabrication work. Which is why it is foolish to use an inferior metal when most of what you are paying for is labor and freight costs with most projects.

We have a new logo shown here engraved
on an 11" wide sheet of 32oz copper (2008)
and made into an etched glass plate
w/24k gold leaf inlay (2010)

Mid 2009: Latest Move
We are moved back to the West side of Portland in Oregon with a 5 year lease, so Tia could be closer in to the Hospitals and Birthing Centers for her 2 year apprenticeship with The AndaluzWaterbirth Center. Our mailing address will be listed in our e-mail correspondence.

Mid 2009: Apprentice:
I've finally found a dedicated apprentice (6/09) who seems to have a passion for quality and ethics I do. He's the Step-Son of a High School chum of mine I met in art class and we had remained friends through out the decades. I hope for great things to come from this young man. Heck, he's willing to put up with my intolerance for incompetence. He's not the sharpest, but his hearts in the right place. I'm still having to do all the design and the more complex work myself:

Mid 2008: Publication:
This is a copy of the interview for Angie's List we did for their July 2008 magazine. I seem to be the only one to report I have been doing better than ever these days; attributing it to good communication through this web site and swift responses to e-mail:

Better Cars:
This may be a bit off topic, but I have a question for you to consider: why has pneumatic motors for cars been suppressed for nearly a century now when it beats the pants off hydrogen or eclectic cars? This is just pressurized air driven motors, which is not a new tech at all. They now make 5k PSI tanks with carbon fiber for better safety and lighter weight that can provide a 200 mile range per fill, has no pollution to speak of and no risk of a violent fiery explosion if in a serious collision. It would be far less hazardous land fill issues than old dead batteries, as well as a fraction of the weight for the energy source and motor. No expensive processing of the fuel, which can be set up at any fueling station for a fraction of the cost to recharge a tank in just a few minutes compared to hydrogen. Please write to your Congressman and tell them about this new/old tech to save our planet and society. Also, spread the word to as many people as you can to put pressure on The Man and force this out in the open.

Resources:
http://www.thetorquereport.com/2007/06/the_worlds_first_airpowered_ca.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compressed_air_car
http://www.aircaraccess.com/catcomps.htm
http://www.carazoo.com/article/1210200902/Top-Five-Air-Powered-Vehicles

 How Do We Arrange for a Quote?

I strive to check and respond to e-mail at least a couple times each day; morning and night. I am prompt to respond to those e-mail within 24 hours even on weekends, unless we happen to be out of town, but that is pretty rare. So this process should go swiftly.

On-line estimate:

If you e-mail me about your needs I try my best not to pressure you in any way. It is very helpful to list these details in your e-mail, so I have enough to work with:
(1) close measurements of your project if not exact, or my quote would be invalid.
(2) the type of roofing material you have and the pitch of your roof.
(3) diagrams or digital photos from my web site or other sources to show me what you have in mind.
(4) any digital photos that you can send of your house are very helpful.  You never know what I might notice that could be a serious issue or suggest alternatives that would work better.  I have broadband, so file size is not much of an issue, but it seems that it is best if there under 2 megs per e-mail. My PC screen resolution is 800 x 1280 pixels
(5) any cost limitation or time lines that have to be met, so I can let you know if this is workable.

The more info you send the more chance I can give you an accurate quote.  I will try to be as flexible as possible, but you will want a ceiling cost, so your project does not get out of hand, like it tends to do working with other building contractors. My final cost may be a little lower than my quote, since on substantial projects I will re-price the final cost to reflect only the material actually in the custom fabrication based on the final weight.  This way you only pay for what you get at the quoted cost per square foot of copper actually in these projects. This is an ethical detail you'll not likely find elsewhere, and one you can recheck once it has arrived.

On-site estimate:
My contractors license and liability insurance is for gutter replacement and other sheet metal work in Oregon only. I could do some other work like some high end fence and deck building, but I am not able to do any roofing related work under my current licensing, so I can not install the custom copper roof caps and chimney caps I specialize in making. But I can assist with getting measurements if you happen to be local to us.

If you happen to live in or near the Portland Oregon Metro Area and are interested in my high-end gutter replacement, I am required by the CCB to supply potential clients with free bids within a reasonable geographical area from my location. I can usually go out to your place to write up a free estimate within a business day or two, as long as you are local to us (within 20 miles or so). If my wait time to do the actual installation (http://dmr-gutters.com/news.htm) is not a problem, feel free to e-mail me with your address, contact info, and any details you think is relevant to your needs, so I can service you with a bid. If you feel you need to talk to me about your special needs, you can call David's mobile phone at 503 351-7082.

 What are My Costs and What Sort of Deposit is Required?

My Rates:
From what I have heard I have the most competitive rates you will find. I have just a small overhead working just out of our rental home/shop.  Not including the crate and shipping charge simple flashing runs $15 per pound. Although, custom copper design/fabrication work starts at $20# to $30# depending on the complexity. That $20# base rate translates to these costs per square foot:

$25 sq' - 20oz copper	$40 sq' - 32oz copper
$30 sq' - 24oz copper	$60 sq' - 48oz copper

More complicated projects with curves will add to this base rate.

The cost of copper materials:
Besides fuel prices slowly rising from $1.50 per gallon to nearly 3X that amount during the Bush years; it seems that sheet metal prices suddenly rose in early 2006 up to double what it had been throughout the prior 15 years that I knew of. With copper scrap spiking from only $0.85# to $3#. You can read more on this subject at: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/markets/commodities.html

This was largely due to China and India's manufacturing growth compared to the supply that could not match it and they were importing a great deal of our scrap metal.

I still feel that copper is the best value for your money, especially since all metal prices have been effected in this way. More importantly is how the cost of any custom work like this is labor and freight. An 80% drop in metal cost for using just steel would only affect your end cost by 20% less.

If I quote you a cost for a project and you submit the required payment or deposit within 30 days of that quote, that cost will not change even if my cost of material goes up again before I get to building your project, but if metal cost suddenly drop I would discount it accordingly.

Discounts:
I can offer some volume discounts. I don't recommend using a thinner 16oz copper sheet metal, which is typically used for roof flashing and gutters just to save $. It dents too easily and will not hold up as long still looking good decades later, so it makes little sense to use a long life metal like copper if it is so thin and flimsy.

Thicker copper than my standard 20oz thickness is used in some project where needed, but it is harder to cut, drill, and bend, so thicker metal costs proportionally more to use in projects. That is one reason I find it more cost efficient to add more bracing inside the chimney cap roof sub structures, instead of just using a thicker copper sheet metal outer shell.

Deposits:
As to the payment to secure your spot in my schedule:
Full payment is required on projects under $500
For larger projects over $500 I accept 1/2 down, with the final adjusted* payment before it ships.
For large projects of $2k or more I accept 1/3 down. The second third when I start to show you I have begun work on your project through digital photos. Then final adjusted* payment before it ships.

* For projects over $500 I work with you to set a ceiling cost on your project before I begin, and when I am finished I can weigh it to get the actual amount of copper used, so that your final cost does not include cut-off waste (which any other shop would charge you for). I then can adjust the final payment to reflect only what you will receive, so you are not paying for an inflated quote. A detail you are able to double check after it arrives to see how honest I was.

We all know it is a scary ugly world out there full of liars and cheats.  Although, I believe my Business Integrity Award from the Better Business Bureau should give even the worst critics the confidence of my ethical responsibility and devotion to my clients.  I have had less than 5% of my potential clients express discomfort with my payment policy.  This has not been much of an issue, but if you do not trust me, you should simply not do business with me at all.

Note: The prices listed on this web site for custom copper work were the actual costs of those items at that time with freight charges included, but may not reflect accurately how much new projects will run now after all meals doubled in cost in early 2006.

 Do You Accept Credit Card Payments?

I have PayPal set-up on my contact Info web page , but it is not any faster for me than US mail and cost me 3% of your order, so I prefer you just send me a personal check. I have yet to have any clients write me a bad check, so it has not been a problem.

Not that I've had any personal problems with PayPal, but they've had a very poor reputation for lack of customer service, needless delays transferring funds, no contact info for merchants, and randomly seizing merchant's funds to help cover unrelated credit card fraud losses. I had closed my account in 2003 because of this concern and removed it from my web site for several years just before Ebay bought them out. Begrudgingly I reestablished an account with PayPal again in late 2006.

 Toll-free Phone # ?

Non-local Client Orders
Most of my clients are near the opposite coast from us, so I have to rely on you to get me the info I need to create the project you need, so it fits just right.  I cannot guaranty it will fit if I do not have all the info and correct measurements, but I can assure you it will fit the measurements I am given.  You will then need to do the installation yourself or hire a local contractor to do the installation. I try my best to make items easy to install with all the rust free fasteners needed and provide personalized installation instruction.