Commissioning An Entirely New Weathervane Design
West Coast Weather Vanes specializes in commissioned weather vanes. Most of our existing designs originally resulted from commissions. We can produce exclusive designs or offer you the number one in a limited edition series of fifty in our small, medium, large or extra-large sizes.
Our weathervanes are only built to order according to the preferences of each customer. Though we will offer only fifty versions of your design in any size, even with our most popular designs, chances are we will never make all fifty in your series.
As is the case with many limited editions, the first is often considered the most valuable. If the subject matter for your weathervane is out of the ordinary, even though we will offer up to fifty weathervanes, the chances are we will only have orders to craft one or two in that series. Usually the fewer weathervanes made in a series, the more valuable any existing vanes will be. The only exception to the limited edition quantity is our Traditional Quail, which serves as our business logo. Each vane in the Traditional Quail series will be signed, dated and numbered but will not be limited to fifty.
There are four main styles of weathervanes from which you can select:
- Silhouette Weathervanes
- Simple Swell-Bodied Weathervanes
- Detailed Swell-Bodied Weathervanes
- Fully 3-D Weathervanes.
The style you choose will influence the price of your new weathervane. Learn more about the Four Styles of Weathervanes.
Design Process:
Our basic new design fee is $500.00 and entitles you to 4 hours of design time. In most cases, the basic design fee is sufficient to create a new design. However, when the design is very detailed and complex, often involving numerous figures, such as three dogs a horse and a cat, the time may exceed the allotted 4 hours. When this occurs, our fee will be $125.00 for each additional hour. We would, of course, review this with you and provide an estimate before starting work on your new design!
Once the basic concept has been discussed and a preliminary quote for your new weathervane has been prepared for your approval, a deposit of one-third of the quoted price for the weathervane is requested. Unless there are significant changes to the design concept, West Coast Weather Vanes will honor the quoted amount. In some cases, however, we wait to prepare the portion of the quote that relates to any optional gold or palladium leaf until the design has been finalized and we can calculate the actual cost of the gilding.
In the case of very complex weathervanes, where the quoted amount exceeds $7000, mid-way through the process we require an additional installment payment of one third. The final third is not due until the weathervane is completed and ready to ship.
Upon receipt of the deposit, we will reserve time in both our Design Schedule and our Production Schedule for your new vane.
An illustration will then be prepared for your approval. At this time we will be able to provide formal quotes for any optional gold or palladium leafing that is under consideration. Below are several examples showing you the preliminary drawing and the finished weathervane.
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| Running Stallion Weathervane Drawing Click to enlarge | Running Stallion Weathervane Click to enlarge | Star Maiden Weathervane Drawing Click to enlarge | Star Maiden Weathervane Click to enlarge |
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| 1953 MG TD Weathervane Drawing Click to enlarge | 1953 MG TD Weathervane Click to enlarge | Spinning Wheel Weathervane Drawing Click to enlarge | Spinning Wheel Weathervane Click to enlarge |
As long as your design is approved before it comes up in our Production Schedule, the lead time to commission a new design is no longer than when ordering one of our existing weathervanes.
Exclusive Design Fee:
If it is an exclusive design or one we feel would not be appropriate as a limited edition series weathervane, an exclusive design fee will be added to the price of the weather vane. The fee will depend on the complexity of the design and normally ranges from $1000 to $3000 at the discretion of West Coast Weather Vanes. The initial basic design fee will be applied towards the exclusive design fee.
If you order an exclusive weathervane from us, you are the only person who can ever order that design. However, if desired, you can order additional versions of the design. For example, you may want to make a version for yourself but you may also want us to make a version(s) to give as a personal gift(s) to a family member or a special client.
In the case of an exclusive design, your vane will receive a unique stamped identification number with an “E” at the end to indicate that it is an Exclusive. Please click here for more information on the weathervane identification number.
If you have any questions about our policy or are interested in discussing a commissioned design, please give us a call at 800.762.8736 or email us for a quote.