My energy at this point, 2024, is being divided between the restoration projects people ship to me, and my local work on individual vintage plumbing fixtures. I'm the only vintage fixture specialist in the Pacific Northwest. I am working on an average of three projects at a time on the bench, plus scheduling local work. I was born in 1950 and am technically semi-retired, but I love my work and don't see full retirement on the visible horizon.
No, no one is gleaning the vast store of knowledge I have gathered in my decades of this work. I'm self taught. I learned this through a love of learning and being challenged. I happened to have a journeyman plumbing license, and plumbing became boring to me. Anyone could do the same beginning today, in plumbing or several other disciplines, if that's what they cared to do.
The normal order of events on a project are:
1. Initial contact, "I have an old . . ." "Can you? Would you? How long? How Much?" In general the answers are yes, yes, and between one and six months depending, My regular plumbing rate is now $180 an hour.
This rate pertains to actual bench, local on site work, and travel time. If I charged folks for the actual time I invest while emailing, shipping, phone time with manufacturers, research, uploading, downloading, and the sourcing of parts, I would get lonely. Or I would be charging a lot less an hour. As it happens $180 is what I charge when I am on a call in a client's home.
I am inherently creative, not inherently organized so there is no way I could keep track of my efforts devoted to each of the various projects before me at a given time. That being the case, I've developed a kind of flat-rate that embraces the common project requests. The bottom of the project cost scale is around $500, though there are exceptions that may cost less.
If I were inherently organized I would have 20 people working for me and would think you were crazy for even asking me to fix a fifty year old faucet, just like everyone else.
2. Estimates of cost, difficulty, and duration of the project? This is best done via email or text, so that I have a record of what I said. I will usually want lots of photos and some history. I will provide a project email or phone number for this exchange.
3. Shipping and receiving. I prefer not to receive porcelain handles because I see no advantage to risking them in shipping. If they are to be sent they should be dismounted and wrapped separately. All shipped projects must include the client's contact information. Full name, return shipping address, if the return shipment is to be signature required. The FedEx shipping label form has lines for Email address and phone number for tracking info purposes. I've been known to use my phone number at times when the client's number isn't available. My PayPal invoice requires an email, but it doesn't have to be the same as the tracking info email, an often isn't.
I do not maintain a client list, and do not keep client info beyond the point of need. Repeat clients must renew their info with each new project. I'm singularly focused, not inherently organized.
I should confirm shipment arrival via email or text, and try to do so without being asked.
4. Disassemble, clean, and appraise condition of individual parts.
5. Source parts, consult machinists and or re-plater, form a restoration strategy.
6. Wait! For parts, answers to queries, in line at the machine shop, in line at the plating shop.
7. Reassembly, the fitting of or making of the required gaskets and seals. The actual assembly and the pressure testing of valves and joints.
8. Notification of completion and invoicing.
9. Final shipping.
Please remember that restoration is a creative process subject to uncertainty and epiphany like all creativity.
Thanks, Brian.