Understanding Our Queue and Job Schedule

There are two very different stages in our process that clients sometimes confuse, and it's important to understand the difference between them. One is the Estimate Queue, and the other is the Job Schedule. They are not the same thing, and being in one does not automatically put you in the other.

The Estimate Queue

When you contact us to ask about having your furniture reupholstered, your request goes into our Estimate Queue. This is simply my internal list of estimates I need to prepare and send out. At any given time I may have several pending estimates to work through, so I handle them in order as time allows.

Being in the Estimate Queue means one thing: you are waiting to receive a written estimate from us. It does not hold a spot on our Job Schedule. It does not move your furniture any closer to being worked on. It simply means I have your request noted and will get your estimate prepared and sent to you as soon as I can.

If You Don't Hear Back From Us — Please Follow Up

I want to be straightforward about something: I am a one-man shop. I do my best to follow through on every inquiry, every estimate request, and every work order — but I don't always succeed. Things get missed. An email gets buried. A note I meant to act on gets pushed aside by something more urgent. Life in a small shop is like that.

A common example of what can happen: a potential client contacts us, sends the photos we asked for, we go over fabric options together — and then they don't hear back from us for weeks or months. That's on me. In a one-man shop, things fall through the cracks, and follow-through is sometimes the first casualty of a busy stretch.

But here's the thing: if you've contacted us and haven't heard back, please reach out again. And if you still don't hear back, contact us again after that. I am not ignoring you, and I'm not uninterested in your job. I'm just overwhelmed sometimes, and a follow-up is often exactly what I need to get back on track with your request.

This is especially important to understand: silence from our end does not mean your job is on the schedule. It doesn't mean anything is moving forward. The only thing that confirms your place on our Job Schedule is a signed Work Order and a paid deposit. Until that's in place, nothing is reserved, nothing is progressing, and the wait time keeps growing for everyone who has followed through.

So if you're waiting on an estimate and haven't heard from us — contact us again. If you received an estimate and are waiting on a Work Order — contact us again. Keep contacting us until you have a signed Work Order and confirmation that your deposit has been received. That is the only point at which you can be confident that your job is officially in line.

The Job Schedule

The Job Schedule is the actual list of jobs that have been officially ordered and are waiting to be done. This is a completely separate list from the Estimate Queue.

A job only gets onto the Job Schedule when two things have been received:

• ✅ Your signed Work Order
• ✅ A deposit of one-half (½) of the total job cost

Until both of those are in hand, your job is not on the schedule — period. It doesn't matter how long ago you received your estimate, how many times we've talked, or how ready you feel. The signed Work Order and the deposit are what make it official. That is what reserves your place in line.

This matters more than people sometimes realize. I've had clients receive an estimate, think things over for a while, and then come back assuming they're near the front of the line. In the meantime, other clients who moved quickly got their Work Orders and deposits in and are now ahead of them on the schedule. If you want an earlier spot, the best thing you can do is get your signed Work Order and deposit back to us promptly.

How Long Is the Wait?

The wait time before we can start your job varies. It might be a or two or it might be several months to many months or more. It all depends on what's going on, how many other jobs I have. I don't give specific dates — I give general timeframes like "a few months," "some months," "sometime in the summer," or "early fall." Years ago I tried to give more specific timelines and repeatedly missed them. At my age and at my pace, I focus on doing each job right rather than racing to hit a deadline. If you want to see what that care and patience produces, take a look at the work in my online gallery: Winters Sewing Furniture Gallery.

A Note For People Who Come In and Leave Without Ordering

Occasionally, someone comes in to discuss their furniture and then hears that we're booked out some months. They leave to think about it — which is completely fine — but sometimes they come back after a few months have passed assuming the wait is now over. It isn't. The clock doesn't start for them until they have a signed Work Order and paid a deposit. In the meantime, everyone who followed through is ahead of them on the schedule.

If you're seriously considering using our services, the best advice I can give you is (after you have taken some time to decide if this is what you want to do): get your estimate, make your decision, and get your Work Order and deposit in as soon as you're ready. That's the only thing that actually moves you forward.

The Quick Queue — Small and Urgent Jobs

Separate from the main Job Schedule, there's what I call the Quick Queue. This isn't a formal list — it's just my way of describing small or urgent jobs that I occasionally fit in between larger projects when time and circumstances allow.

Quick Queue availability is determined entirely on a case-by-case basis. Sometimes I can accommodate a rush job; other times the project doesn't qualify, there are already too many rush jobs in the mix, or other factors make it impossible. If you have a small or genuinely urgent job, feel free to ask. I'll give you an honest answer. (See also: Rush Jobs)

Questions about where you stand or how to get started? Call us at 503-838-4999 or visit our Ordering Your Upholstery Work page for the full step-by-step process.