Rant: I hit 10,000 board feet of trim on this house in Nashville and realized I underpriced the whole job

Susan Bennett · 2026-10-09T20:30:05.184065+00:00

I do finish carpentry, mostly trim and crown, and I took a job last June on a big house outside Nashville. The builder wants baseboard, casing, crown, and wainscot in almost every room, and I quoted it off my usual per room number without really measuring the linear footage. Around week three I started tracking my cuts and I passed 10,000 board feet of trim installed before I was even done with the upstairs. That number stopped me cold because at my old rate I was basically paying myself about $19 an hour after material, blades, and the two days I lost to a bad miter saw. I called my wife from the truck and just sat there a minute, because I have done this for 14 years and still guessed wrong on a job this size. The wainscot alone has over 200 inside corners and I have been hand coping every single one. I want to hear from guys who bid big trim packages, do you charge by the linear foot or by the room, and how do you keep yourself from eating it when a house has this much detail?

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Rant: I hit 10,000 board feet of trim on this house in Nashville and realized I underpriced the whole job | Carpenters - Rigidtalk