Mantels

I love making mantels. There no rules (except of course for the safety codes which are straight forward and quite easy to comply with) for style design. Looking around a home to see what style a customer tends towards and then creating something that fits in with the rest of the décor is great fun. Being creative and involving the homeowner in the process is what makes it fun for me and satisfying for the customer.

The process for creating a mantel;

• Meet with homeowner to look at location of project, measure, and listen carefully to determine what the customer is trying to accomplish. Look at photos or clippings from catalogs or magazines that the customer has gathered. I often bring books with pictures that may help the client start to pinpoint exactly what they want.
• Brainstorm and research to come up with ideas about the best way to achieve the customer's goals. Research materials, styles, and costs for the project.
• Create a dimensional drawing, and cost estimate
• Email or meet with the client to look at drawing or pictures and to discuss estimate.
• Answer questions, and modify accordingly the drawings and/or estimate.
• Final agreement on specifics of the project and cost.
• Establish a start date for the project.
• Begin project

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