building a new house

[Farwell]

Classic blame it on the new guy excuse That master plumber should have known better than to have the shower heads and screens installed on the faucets the first time he turned on the water.

A mistake I made in the process of re-plumbing my California house was forgetting to isolate the toilet plumbing when turning the water main back on. I had to remove the float valve and clean the crud out of it.
David B

 

[socallly]

Hi all, I will post some new pics soon.I have been dealing with my so called friend the framer.He wants $1,000 extra for fir stripping,nails,gas for his gen and building the fireplaces ect ect,I understand that working with friends is a real issue and I am starting to feel it first hand.I have only paid him $2,000 so far and I fill that I only owe him what we agreed on,not the extra grand that he is requesting.I dont want to get mean but he's got my blood boiling,what would you guy's do in a situation like this?

 

[WhyNot]

If it were me I would just pay him the money let him finish and then send him on his way this way the framiing will get done and you will still be friendly with him. When building a house an extra grand is not that much money when you consider how much the house is going to cost when it is done.

 

[_RaT_]

If it were me I would just pay him the money let him finish and then send him on his way this way the framiing will get done and you will still be friendly with him. When building a house an extra grand is not that much money when you consider how much the house is going to cost when it is done.

I agree. If you have been getting good help from him call it his tip or bonus. If he has not been that much help, call it a learning curve.

 

[EddieWalker]

One of the hard things to do is estimate what something will cost. Your friend might very well have under big it trying to give you a good deal and is losing money on the deal. When I bid a job, I figure out how long it will take me to do it, then add some for unknowns. I know what I want to make in a day and I multiply that by how long I think it will take. Then I add a day or two to that number and usually come out about right.

If he's trying to save you some money, he probably didn't pad the amount for the unkown and gave you a really low price upfront. The only way to know for sure is figure out his time and devide it by what you've paid him. Then you can figure out if he's being fair, or taking advantage. What's a fair days pay for what he's doing in your area?

Eddie

 

[Bird]

Eddie, I think you're doing your estimating the right way. However, I have under estimated a few jobs and when I did, I just stood the loss. NO WAY would I ask for more money than I quoted on the front end!

 

[socallly]

The thing the makes me mad is,He never told me his bid did not include nails.As a friend he told me I got most of the hardware and nail just sitting in the garage.He not once said I will sale it to you half price or any price for that matter.

 

[wroughtn_harv]

Put me with RaT and whynot.

It's obvious that you feel your framer isn't a real friend or he wouldn't be asking for more money.

Here's something for you to consider. Check around and figure out what the current rate is for framing a custom home. A remodeler friend of mine says it's about $3.50 square foot here in north Texas. If your friend is charging less than the the current rate, pay him the current rate. It's not fair to ask a friend to take a hit for working on your house. If he's charging you more than the current rate he's out to take advantage of your friendship, not unlike you expecting him to work for less because you're friends.

 

[socallly]

I really appreciate the advice from all who contributed.......................Wroughtn_harv,I don't feel that he is looking out for me like a friend would and he was not up front about what he now calls extras.He had every opportunity to tell me we were over the original bid but he choose to wait tell three day after he's completed and then he sent me the fax,.I will be paying him $3.18 a sqft for labor and nails. I bought all the straps and hardware and lumber my self.

 

[ocaj11]

I think 3.18 a square foot would be very reasonable in California. We pay that in Southwest Arkansas/Northeast Texas for labor alone. I think the nails and hardware are extra. I imagine the going rate in California is more. I wouldn't be too upset with the deal.