K8, you bring up an excellent point - the time I allocate in my schedule to do anything is padded for more then I think it will take. Experience has taught me that when working with employees, answering phones, dealing with outside kitchen staff, answering emails etc, sometimes a simple task can take forever. At any rate, my time tables are always padded with the goal of it taking less time to do. If I only made an american buttercream, the cake was one flavor, I didn't bother with ganache, and I made "close enough" cosmos. I have no doubt it would go a lot faster.
I would start the cosmos 3 weeks in advance. I wouldn't be working on them 8 hours a day for 3 weeks, sorry if you got that impression!
I would totally give myself 2 hours to carve that double-barrel. It's so high on the cake and such a focal point it would have to be perfect. Taking it off is easy - putting it back on, not so much - and ganaching something like that could potentially take forever. In fact of all the details that's the one I'd be the most shaky about based on my skillset. I have no doubt others could bang that out faster.
K8, would would your time table be and what would you price it as? Did you already post that and I missed it?
the two hours @ $25/hr that you are charging is not decorating time?
