Working with Us

Customers are welcome to inquire about any questions or concerns with what has been shown below.

Estimates: Customers are entitled to a written preliminary estimate, which includes an initial site visit and review of the work. We insist on doing at least one written estimate for any new customer. Recurring customers may opt out of this for small/simple projects, and instead a verbal estimate can be given.

Contracts: The State of Maine requires (by law) all Construction projects estimated over $3K have a written contract. Please see our Links page if you would like to learn more. We will provide a written contract in accordance with the statute should it be applicable.

Deposits: For all work estimated over $3K, the State of Maine limits the deposit to 33%. Please see our Links page to learn more. For projects smaller than $3K, we will ask for no more than a 50% deposit. Deposits are refundable, minus a $50 processing fee and any non-returnable material purchases that have been made, and/or any planning work has been completed prior to the request for refund. Deposits will be shown as credits in the invoicing process.

Scheduling: We schedule our work on a "1st come, 1st serve" basis. To be put into the schedule, a customer must do the following: 1) approve the estimate, 2) sign the contract if applicable, and 3) provide the requested deposit. the customer will be given an approximate start date at that time. Often projects take longer than expected, due to unforeseen conditions, or additional customer requests, and it often affects schedule of the subsequent customer. Every effort will be made to notify customers if conflicts arise in the schedule that affects their start date.

Customer Responsibilities: Unless otherwise negotiated, Customers are responsible to the following: 1) all applicable permits, 2) providing electricity to the work area, 3) trash & debris removal. If additional Trades are required to do the work, it is the customer's responsibility to hire them, and to provide us with the contact information. If the customer is providing materials for the work, then they are responsible for the delivery, inspection and warranty of said materials. If the Customer is providing rental equipment, they are responsible for scheduling, delivery and return of said rentals. Aside of subcontracted trades (see below), customers can request that we assist in these responsibilities, which we will note in our estimates and/or contracts.

The Work: We do all work in accordance with local building codes, in a workmanlike manner, and fit for habitability. See our Links page for more information on Maine's Uniform Building and Energy Code (MUBEC). Installation of doors, windows and other furnishings will be done in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. Work areas will be kept "broom clean" on a daily basis, and we make an effort to minimize dust. Tools will always be organized and out of the way at the end of the workday. If any work areas are deemed unsafe at the end of a workday, we will install barriers and notify the customer. Any work that is exposed to the weather at the end of the workday will have temporary weather barriers installed to protect those surfaces. Please let us know if you have special conditions like allergies/illnesses, handicaps, small children or animals, etc. We will make every effort work towards those needs.

Changes to Work: We often find once we are working on a project, that the customer may ask us to do some additional work, or change the scope of said work. If the request is small (up to $400), we will provide a verbal estimate. If it's more than that, we will issue a written change order. We will do what we can to accommodate customer requests while we are onsite but balance it with our Scheduling (see above)

Subcontractors and Day Labor: Town Farm Carpentry is not a General Contractor, nor is insured to do so. We do not subcontract our work ever. We also do not hire out for day labor. The only people working on our projects are owners or employees. We are happy to coordinate our work with other Trades hired by the customer.

Insurance: We carry Commercial General Liability Insurance with $1M limit per occurrence and a $2M general aggregate. We also carry Commercial Auto Liability on all our fleet vehicles. Certificates can be made available upon request.

Warranties: The State of Maine requires that all work have an implied warranty, and we think this is adequate for the work we do. Please see our links page for more information. We will only honor warrantees once the final invoice has been paid, and we usually honor workmanship for up to one year. That being said, if you are a customer in good standing, please don't hesitate to reach out to us. We do take our work seriously, and if we think anything was done in error, we will work with customers to address problems. We will warranty materials as well, but only materials we purchase. We do not warranty customer material purchases, only the install of those materials.

Rates, Costs & Fees: Unless stated otherwise in writing our Rates and Fees are as follows:

- Labor is billed at $60 per hour for Carpentry. This rate includes not only Labor & Tools, but also Equipment, Vehicle and Shop Supplies. We carry a full selection of hand tools, power tools, ladders and staging. If we need to rent some limited hand equipment or staging, that is included in this rate as well. Vehicle, tool and equipment fuels are included in this rate. Shop Supplies include common fasteners (Screws, nails, rivets, staples), Sheetrock Tape/Muds, Paint brushes/rollers/pads/masking, caulking, Power tool blades and bits. Shop supplies will also include "cutoffs" or partial building materials that are adequate for the scope of work.

- Materials are billed at cost plus a 10% Fee. While we insist on purchasing bulk materials (lumber, stock trims, weather barriers, sheetrock, insulation), that fee is often offset by the discounts we receive from suppliers. Customers have the option to purchase larger items like Doors, Windows and Cabinetry, or job specific items like Decking, Railings, Flooring, Siding, Roofing, Hardware or profiled/prefinished trims for themselves.

- Rentals: There are some limited rentals we do bill for at cost plus a 10% fee. These are Dumpsters, Drivable or Heavy Equipment, and large quantities of staging. Customers can also opt to pay for these directly.

- Travel: Travel is billed at a rate of $60 per hour, one way, for time it takes to get from our home location to the jobsite. However, Travel is assessed at the time of Billing and is applied to every 8hrs worked, not every trip made to the jobsite.

Invoicing and Payment: For small projects (less than 2 weeks) we usually just do a final invoice once the work is complete. For longer term projects, we invoice about every 2 weeks. We prefer to email our invoices, though on occasion, we do still use mail and paper. Invoices will always line-item Labor and Materials/Rentals separately. We accept Credit Cards, Paypal, and ACH Bank Transfers if customers prefer to pay online. We also accept Checks, which can be mailed if need be. We will ask customers up front which method they prefer. Payment on Invoices are due 7 days from issuance. If these are not paid in a timely manner, we reserve the right to assess a daily fee of 1% the outstanding balance from the 7-day limit to the when payment is rendered. If this fee is assessed but not paid, warranties will be null and void.

Mechanic's Leins and Lein Waivers: Please see our Links page for more information on Mechanics Leins. Some Insurance and Banking institutions require that lein waivers be issued once payment for work is received. We can issue lein waivers, or we can sign bank/insurance issued lein waivers upon request.