Making Curtains - How much should I charge?

[Dickers]

I am shortly going to be made redundant and I am going to become a SAHM and look after my 2 DSs. I have got quite a lot of experience making curtains (and other soft furnishings) and I am thinking of starting a small business, making curtains, but have no idea how much to charge. Has anyone had any curtains made recently and what did you pay? or is there anyone out there who does something similar and is prepared to share their thoughts.

I am in Surrey

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Get some quotes yourself for making up in local stores, check out how much ;laura ashley charge and a couple of local interior designers

Will you supply fabric if so you will make some money on marking up that

How professional do you intend to be will your curtsains be lined, interlined etc

Will you do blinds, roaman blinds etc

Will you do free quotes and measure up yourself, sell and fit curtain rails

Make pelemts etc?

Why not find out how much John Lewis or Peter Jones or another shop would charge, and then set your prices accordingly? Obviously, you would charge less.....

I wish I could import you, dickers! I've recently spent an obscene amount of money on curtains for our living room.

This crafty curtain-maker is charging me £60/m2 on material (from Italy, apparently). Then there's the initial home consultation and design, the labour, the installation, the curtain rods... I'm not going to tell you how much the total is (it makes me feel a bit sick, actually and besides, moondog would have my guts for garters) but go for it!

Also bear in mind that you will not have the room or the equipment that the big stores have to manouevre and so your time will be much longer to make up ie cutting and sewing if doing big curtains/blinds

A big curtain shop near us charge £14 per width. Tho that's with their own fabric etc so obviously they make a mark up on it. Thats for curtains on tape - it will be more for those on buckram.

The lady I'm working with has a tiny shop but big ideas and big prices. How creative are you?

I'm quite creative, I've done all my own fully lined & interlined curtains and roman blinds. I have also made things like door hangers/storage, those notice boards with ribbon and big storage bags for my children's rooms.
My plan was to start small, with the customers sourcing/supplying the fabric. I would get the lining, header tape etc.

Dickers: I would employ you at up to £14 per width, I think - and might, in due course!

If you are handy at sewing, do you think you would be able to make a Willy Wonka Coat for my DS's Christmas present? (dressing up, rather than taloring standard - but I realise it's a fiddly and therefore not cheap job).

The simplest way is to work out how much you want/need to earn per hour and calculate that in relation to making up the curtains ie simple heading lined, unlined and see how it compares with a high street price and then work out how much for extras per metre eg French pleats, interlining etc

Are you quick?

IME if customers want a service they tend npot to want to do the sourcing themselves

You may find you can make more money if you supply and do the poles etc

I've just paid someone to make a roman blind. I supplied the material, she supplied lining, tape, rods etc. The blind was something like 185 x 140 and I paid her £66 if that's any help.

Hello Dickers this is exactly what I am planning to do too! (W London so don't worry non-compete clause applies!)

I have done some evening classes (all LEA adult education) and quizzed the tutors who ime are all running businesses, and have had the following responses. Curtains, between £35 and £50 a drop, roman blinds £10-15 a foot, all depending on complexity, borders, headings in curtains obviously. But at present I am doing my first job(!!) for a mum at school (at £25 a drop as she knows I am 'learning on the job') and I am meticulously recording how long it is taking to do everything - as Zippi says above you need to work out what you need to earn to make it viable - remembering to include costs of equipment etc.

Like you I am asking mates what they would pay/have paid, what was good/bad about the service they received so that I can start out focused on the bits that matter, so hopefully other MNers will come on with live examples.

Good luck let's keep talking where are you exactly?

After doing research on how much others charge work out you costs realisticly, including everything including your time. Many people who turn a hobby into a busines make the mistake of not counting time because they enjoy what they do. But if you hope to make any kind of money you have to charge realisticly for your time.

You can also look at how much you need to earn, its harder to use this as a guide for this type of business, but you can consider what a full workload would be and how much your minimum amount of profit needs to be. If you get loads of orders and end up working 60hrs a week, its no ggod if you still only make £100 profit per week working flat out.

How do yo charge if everything is being proided, it is just yor skll of being able to complete the roman blnd

How do I charge for making hand made curtains , is it by the width or by the hour , does anyone have any idea please ?