"Cellar? What cellar? We don't have a cellar... Oh, you mean the new sand box! Here, let me get some shade too."
I'm not sure why, but I can never seem to follow plans exactly. I guess that's not entirely true. I CAN follow plans exactly, but I almost never do. Maybe it's some sort of passive rebellion or something, but I usually have to put my own spin on the things that I build. Sometimes it works out in my favor. Sometimes not. This build was a little of both.
I decided to only build one bench in our sand box. This cut down on a lot of supplies. By making it longer a single bench and making it longer, it covers about the same amount of square feet, just in a rectangle instead of a square. When pricing lumber, I noticed that 2x8's were cheaper than 1x8's. So I went with those instead. It can't hurt to beef up the sides a little, right? This required some easy calculations on the cut list. I also decided to use 1x6 fence planks instead of 1x4 whitewood or pine. The fence planks were cheap, and I figured they would look nice in the back yard. They are also naturally pest and rot resistant. They required extra sanding to take the rough off. However, this is one place that I'm thinking the modification didn't work in my favor. The fence planks are not as thick as the whitewood. This combined with the increased length makes the the top pieces feel pretty weak. I put a little support piece under the bench. I'm quite sure the bench would not have held up well without the support.
Because this is an outdoor piece, I dry fit everything, and then stained everything before assembling it, to make sure all of the edges were well protected.
Cost breakdown (not including canopy)
Fence planks $14
2x8x8 $11
hinges $9
handle $2
stain $10
Comments
spiceylg
Mon, 05/21/2012 - 09:42
NICE!
Love this, really great job! As for pricing, I wish I could give you great advice, but I know there can be a lot of variables, such as cost, hours spent, overhead, etc. I know you should at least price the cost of materials and double it at the very least. If you want to consider your time spent, etc, it would go from there. There are some good articles available on-line.
Bunnie1978
Mon, 05/21/2012 - 18:35
Thank you!!
I will do some research online. For quotes I've been giving since I realized that I was not going to profit on this work was exactly that... take a complete materials cost breakdown and just double it. I'm finding though that I have much more work available to be done than I'm ever going to have time to do....so I think that I will start going a little higher once I start needing more work. Really what I need is more time to do the work. I think I could do well if my son were in school but he isn't yet, so the only time I can work on these projects is during the weekends when he is gone. That means I need to get about $200 profit from one weekends worth of work to pay my bills. :)
Tasha Cordel (not verified)
Mon, 05/21/2012 - 08:34
Cost and finish
Amazing work. I agree, cost is a tough one. I always figure out my materials and charge for full sheets and lengths, then add 20% to cover screws, glue and anything I missed (kind of a OH cover). I figure out my hours, and charge those back at whatever "rate" I would be charging for the piece....try your best to pad these a bit too. I worked in estimating for several years; so you kind of get a feel for it after awhile. Good Luck!
I LOVE the finish on this and your coffee table; mind sharing your technique??
Bunnie1978
Mon, 05/21/2012 - 18:45
Yes
There are more factors than just materials... also have to consider how much money I need to make within the month to pay rent. :)
For the finish, I sand everything down completely working my way up to 220 grit. I used Minwax Golden Pecan with a thin layer using a foam brush. I let that dry completely, without removing the excess. Then I use a cloth and my finger tip with Minwax Red Oak and dip the cloth in my stain, then rub it slowly onto the edges, rounding them out a bit. I go slowly so I can blend it in because I don't want any sharp lines. I also use the darker color to accent some of the knots. My basic idea is that each board has darker ends/edges and is lighter in the middle. This part of the job is the "artistry" - the rest is all pretty straightforward. The poly is the hardest part for me.
By the way, I advertise my work with that coffee table, and I have had a tremendous response to it - in large part due to the finish. Everyone loves the finish.
I got the idea from the 20 second tidy up table here on this site.
What I love about it is that it ties together all the other different wood colors in my living room. You know when you go get a rug with multiple colors or a pattern to tie everything together that would otherwise seem mismatched? THAT is what this finish does for a room. :)