ORDERING:THE COMMISSION PROCESS

TO BEGIN
Call 505-490-9048 or email if you'd like to discuss the commissioning of a piece you have seen on my site or if you'd like to commission a new design, but first I ask that you take a few minutes to read the following.


ABOUT SOLID WOOD
Most all the furniture I create is from solid wood laminated together to form larger pieces. It is important to understand that wood is an organic material and from the stand point of supply & demand, a very precious material in every sense of the word. The beauty of wood and most natural raw materials is that it isn’t perfect. Wood can contain small knots, mineral streaks, irregular grain, small air cracks, small bug holes and other beauty marks. These are naturally occurring phenomena and are not considered defects.

Wood is hygroscopic which means that it is capable of easily absorbing and releasing moisture in relationship to the ambient air. In short, wood contracts and expands. When work is placed in high stress conditions such as direct sunlight, near a heating or air conditioning duct or in high moisture content environments such as a room with a Jacuzzi or water fountain, the odds are increased that the piece can warp and/or crack due to this expansion and contraction. So be kind to your wood.

 
FINISHES
 Most of the time I use either an oil or polyurethane finish on my work. Each has their pros and cons. An oil finish ages more gracefully over time. The client needs to commit to oiling the work at least twice a year to maintain this grace. An oil finish is easier to repair than a polyurethane finish when it comes to minor scratches and dings. The downside of oil finishes is that they offer little water resistance and very little if any alcohol resistance. 　

Polyurethane finishes are more alcohol and water resistant than oil finishes and require very little maintenance. Minor scratches and dings are harder to repair though and they tend to show their wear more over the years. I do recommend this finish if the client doesn't want to have to do any upkeep on the work or if the client entertains a lot where there is the possibility of alcohol being spilt on the piece. Even with a polyurethane or polyacrylic finishes, alcohol and water spills will still leave a watermark or white stain if the spill is not cleaned up immediately. 　

I make a 2.5 “x 5” stained wood sample for the client when the work is to be stained. I have the client sign and date the back of the wood sample in two different places. I cut the sample in two and give one half to the client and keep the other half for my records. I also have the client sign a disclaimer that explains that the wood sample might look differently on the finished work.
The works are made out of numerous smaller pieces glued together. Each piece of wood can have a different density and absorb the stain with a different intensity. The sample and the finish piece can look drastically different due to the lighting conditions depending upon when and where viewed. A stain under incandescent light will look quite different when viewed in the same location under natural daylight and can look even “foreign” under fluorescent lights. The moral here is if you want a piece to be stained, you have to be flexible about the final color, hue and saturation. The fee for any coloring or staining of the woods starts at $500.00


THE COMMISSION PROCESS & DESIGN FEES
I work in a 6 to 12 month work cycle where I schedule all my shows, commissions and speculative pieces. There is no standard lead time for a piece of work. It depends upon the design and scale of the work and where I’m at within the cycle. I can usually fit some pieces between the cracks and have them completed in twelve to sixteen weeks. Smaller pieces such as the Nouveau Plant Stand or Display Stand sometimes can be completed in eight to ten weeks. I do only three or four pieces from the Leaf Series per year, about one per quarter, so the lead time is significantly longer.

When I’m commissioned for a work I meet with all the persons whenever possible. There is no charge for this initial meeting, except traveling expense if I have to fly or drive more than 50 miles. If all parties decide to go ahead with a project, I’ll have the client sign a Preliminary Design Agreement. This explains the design fees, copyright and ownership of the drawings/and or model. The design fee starts at $250.00 for one concept where I’ll do a drawing or model. If the client wants to see another concept, there will be another design fee attached. The design fees are not refundable towards the purchase of the work.


ORDERING THE WORK AND PATTERN FEES
There is no design fee if a piece is being ordered from an existing work and there are no changes in the design or the size. There will be a design fee if full size patterns are requested by the client. The amount of the fee will depend on the number of templates or patterns made. The full size pattern fees starts at $150.00 and are not refundable towards purchase of the work. 　

A Purchase Agreement is completed and signed by all parties once the design is approved. At this time a tentative delivery date is scheduled and a 50% deposit is required to start the work. The balance is due upon completion prior to shipping or delivery of the work. A copy of the Change of Work Order is signed and attached to the Purchase Agreement. This is done so all parties understand that any and all changes from the signed Purchase Agreement must be in writing using this Change of Work Order form.

SHIPPING AND CRATING
A piece will be crated if it needs to be shipped. Blanket wrapped delivery is available but runs considerably more than shipping in a crate via common carrier. Blanket wrapped service will also delay delivery about three to four weeks. Most crates cost between $300.00 to $1000.00 depending on the size.

International shipments also have custom fees, broker fees, taxes and other charges unique to each country which are the responsibility of the customer. Crating Fees start at $450.00 for international shipments

Truck lines add on for residential delivery, lift gate delivery and fuel charges-to name a few. I use mostly FedEx Freight LTL for both national and international shipments. All work is shipped F.O.B (freight on board) Albuquerque, NM.

An estimate of all shipping, crating and handling fees will be provided to the client at the time of commissioning the work.


SO IT GOES
I find it's in everyone's best interest to know in advance how the commission process works. I do everything in my power to see that you understand what you are getting, when you will get it and how much it will cost.


              The above fees and pricing are subject to change without notice.

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