The Commission
How to commission a piece of furniture, and what it actually costs.
A commission is a months long relationship. Most makers go quiet between the deposit and the delivery. We do the opposite: you will know exactly where your piece stands at every milestone, without ever having to ask.
Six Steps
From the first message to the thirty day check in.
Inquire
Tell us about the piece: the space, the rough dimensions, the wood you are drawn to, the budget range you are working within. The more we know up front, the faster we get to a real design conversation.
Consult
A conversation at the shop, at your home, or by phone. We look at the space, talk through proportions and species, and review slabs that could become your piece. Out of state clients do this by video, and it works.
Design & Estimate
If you are bringing a finished design, we move straight to an estimate. If the piece needs to be drawn and specified from scratch, that begins as a paid design engagement, and the fee applies in full toward the commission.
Reserve Your Build Slot
A deposit secures your place on the bench and lets us purchase your slab before someone else does. We take a limited number of commissions per year, so the calendar is the real constraint, not the shop.
The Build
Slab selection, milling, joinery, finishing. This is the long quiet stretch where most clients of most makers hear nothing at all. Ours hear from the bench at every milestone.
Delivery & After
We deliver and place the piece, walk you through its care, and then we stay in touch. A Trumanmade piece is built for decades. The relationship should match.
What a commission costs, and what drives the number
Most Trumanmade commissions land between $5,000 and $30,000. Broadly: dining tables run $6,000 to $20,000, millwork projects generally start around $8,000, and old growth redwood commissions start around $8,000 and rise with size.
The variable people expect to matter most is size. It usually is not. In order, the real drivers are:
- The material. An exceptional bookmatched slab pair in figured claro walnut can cost more than every other line on the estimate combined.
- Base and joinery complexity. A hand shaped pedestal is a different order of work from four legs and an apron.
- Fitting. For millwork, how much labor goes into making a piece meet a building that is out of square.
- Finish. A hand rubbed oil finish and a catalyzed conversion varnish are different amounts of time and different levels of durability.
- Size. Real, but usually the smallest of the five.
You receive an itemized written estimate once the specification is final. That number does not move unless you change the spec.
The design engagement
A finished piece is easy to admire. The decisions before it rarely get seen: the proportions that make a table feel right in a room, the joinery chosen for how the wood will move over decades, the species picked for a specific light and a specific life. That work has value whether or not the piece gets built.
So: if you already have a design, we move straight to an estimate at no charge. If the piece needs to be drawn and specified from the ground up, that begins as a paid design engagement, and the fee applies in full toward your commission once you proceed. That fee covers the part of the work that happens before the wood is ever touched.
Working with us from out of state
Roughly speaking, in California this wood is familiar; everywhere else it is close to mythic, and a good share of what we build leaves the state. Out of state commissions run on video consultation, photographs of candidate slabs shot in natural light against a scale reference, drawings, and the same milestone updates every client gets. Delivery is insured white glove, crated for transit, and placed in the room where the piece will live.
Before anything is built we confirm the delivery path: door widths, stair turns, elevator dimensions. A table that will not fit through the door is a failure of the shop, not of the client.
- Typical range
- $5k to $30k+
- Estimate
- Itemized
- Build time
- 3 to 6 months
- Reply time
- 1 business day
Across all commission types. Itemized in writing before you commit.
In writing, once the specification is final.
Deposit to delivery, for most pieces.
Every inquiry, read by Thomas himself.
Questions we get
Commissioning, answered plainly.
How does a furniture commission work, step by step?
Six steps. You inquire with the space, dimensions, species, and budget range. We consult, in person or by video, and look at slabs. We produce an itemized written estimate once the specification is final. A deposit reserves your build slot and lets us buy the material. The build runs three to six months with photo updates at every milestone. Then delivery, placement, care instructions, and a check in at 30 days.
How much does it cost to commission custom furniture?
Most Trumanmade commissions fall between $5,000 and $30,000. Dining tables typically run $6,000 to $20,000, millwork projects generally start around $8,000, and old growth redwood commissions start around $8,000. The largest single variable is almost always the material rather than the labor: an exceptional bookmatched slab pair can cost more than the entire rest of the build.
How long does a commission take?
Three to six months from deposit to delivery for most pieces. The bench work is rarely the constraint. Finding the right slab, and waiting for it to be dry and stable enough to work, is what sets the calendar. Millwork tied to a construction schedule needs to start earlier still, because field measuring cannot happen until framing and drywall are complete.
Do I have to pay for design work?
Only if the piece has to be designed from scratch. If you arrive with a finished design or a clear specification, we move straight to an estimate at no charge. If the piece needs to be drawn and specified from the ground up, that is a paid design engagement, and the fee applies in full toward your commission when you proceed. It is not an added cost; it is the cost of the work that happens before the wood is ever touched.
What deposit is required, and is it refundable?
A deposit reserves your slot on the bench and funds the material purchase. Your specific terms are set out in writing with the estimate before you pay anything, and we walk through them with you. Because the deposit is used to buy wood specific to your project, it is not a placeholder we can simply return, and we make sure that is understood before it is paid rather than after.
Can you build for me if I do not live in California?
Yes, routinely. Out of state commissions run on video consultation, photographs of candidate slabs shot in natural light with a scale reference, drawings, and the same milestone photo updates. Finished pieces ship anywhere in the United States with insured white glove delivery, crated for transit and placed in the room where they will live.
How do I know the piece will fit my space?
We work from your room dimensions, not from a catalog size, and we will tell you when what you are asking for will not work. For larger pieces we confirm the delivery path as well, including door widths, stair turns, and elevator dimensions, before anything is built. A table that does not fit through the door is a failure of the shop, not of the client.
One next step
Five minutes of detail saves weeks of back and forth.
Share the space, the rough dimensions, and the budget range you are working within. Reply within one business day, or call (917) 415-4946.