Would you bill

[Fulthrotl]

Just seeing what you guys think, or would do.
Thanks

you went into an attic in arizona in the summer for how much?
you ever do that again, and we will draw straws to see who
has to drive to arizona and slap you silly.

in all fairness if it was me, i'd take off the cost of the plumber,
and keep my side of the street clean...

as for pex in the wall, stud finders don't find it.... however......
sharkbite makes a line of fittings that i've used recently... they go
on pex, copper, or cpvc, and just slide on.... i've got a few couplings
in 1/2 and 3/4, and a 5' length of 1/2 and 3/4 pex on the truck now,
cause you just never know.....

 

[kwired]

Im referring to close family and people you grew up with. Sometimes I feel like I should give them a deal but really cant afford to. But thanks for the advice:thumbsdown:

Sorry to pee in your drink.

I live in a low poplulation area and have known many of my customers for a very long time. Even repeat customers that once were just casual friends have become somewhat closer friends because I work for/around them frequently. It happens. I do work for people I am related to quite often - most of them we are separated by at least 2 generations so we are not real closely related.

You have to learn that business is business. Do your work as a professional.

 

[RICK NAPIER]

Old prayer:

"Lord protect me from my friends and family I can protect myself from my enemies."

 

[iMuse97]

He worked for the phone company?? They bill you when your phone works and when it doesn't. He knows how it is. Jus sayin. jk. Glad it worked out.

 

[Strife]

My mentor (one of those guys who wrote the book on business) told me a story from when he was in Austria back in 1940 some.
He was working as a courier and one day he went to the high society class lady to pick an envelope to deliver. The lady gives him the letter unsealed. He looks a little puzzled and asks why would she give him the envelope unsealed.
She answers: "I'm showing I trust you by giving you the envelope opened. In turn you should prove my trust by sealing it in front of me"
Same principle applies here. If you're his friend you should say :"don't worry about it". But if he's your friend he should insist on paying least to cover the gas, materials and even a minimal fee for the hrs (so least you can buy lunch and dinner for the family that day).
It doesn't seem this guy is your friend. I bet he expected you paid for the plumber as well.
I have friends and friends. They always call me for one thing or another. The ones that insist they pay me I go back. The others...I find excuses not to go there again.

Hi guys was wondering what you would do in this situation.

A guy i have know for 18 years ask me to install 2 gfci receps in each bathroom on his rental house.
Would you expect to get paid or forget about the whole job?

He is retired from the phone company and is well off, and tight.

Just seeing what you guys think, or would do.
Thanks

 

[MJW]

sharkbite makes a line of fittings that i've used recently... they go
on pex, copper, or cpvc, and just slide on.... i've got a few couplings
in 1/2 and 3/4, and a 5' length of 1/2 and 3/4 pex on the truck now,
cause you just never know.....

They also make repair couplings that work well. They would save keeping a few extra parts on the van.

 

[dexterg]

You did the work in good faith and should be paid in full for your bid., all of it. Your price was based on the information provided by the customer.

 

[gadfly56]

220-221 makes a darn good point here. I agree that the electrician is responsible for any damage to the property. They agreed that sheetrock to be patched by owner but the plumbing is the electrician's responsibility.

The job was to cheap but that doesn't eliminate any of the responsibility.

We always include a line about "unforseen site conditions" in our quotes, and usually exclude patching and painting. That doesn't mean if we wack your oak trim with the hand-rubbed tung oil finish with our ladder we won't cowboy up; it excludes what's specific to the work.

 

[jmellc]

Glad he paid you & it worked out. I'd feel pressed too if I cut a water line. However, he told you drywall in both locations & you found plaster over wood in one. Been there, done that. I bet that wood was petrified, or close to it. I have gone through lots of saw blades on old wood. Sometimes too, I don't work as well if I've been told apples & find oranges. It irritates me enough that I may not think clearly about contingencies. I struggle against that tendency & mostly defeat it.

One plumbing item that has tripped me up twice is vent pipes. Twice, I have cut holes in a kitchen wall, to find a vent pipe right on center. I had drilled a hole under cabinet, pushed a rod up to check, all seemingly OK. Then hit the pipe. I have now learned to check outside for a roof vent & plumb down to counter top to locate pipe. Both times, the pipe came down by a window, then turned left to the sink about countertop level. I saw a clear space below and somehow missed the pipe with my rod too.

IMHO, most right thing is he should have paid for your extra time & you deduct the plumbing repair from that. But I'd be rich if I had charged for extra time I've put in here & there.

 

[kwired]

Glad he paid you & it worked out. I'd feel pressed too if I cut a water line. However, he told you drywall in both locations & you found plaster over wood in one. Been there, done that. I bet that wood was petrified, or close to it. I have gone through lots of saw blades on old wood. Sometimes too, I don't work as well if I've been told apples & find oranges. It irritates me enough that I may not think clearly about contingencies. I struggle against that tendency & mostly defeat it.

One plumbing item that has tripped me up twice is vent pipes. Twice, I have cut holes in a kitchen wall, to find a vent pipe right on center. I had drilled a hole under cabinet, pushed a rod up to check, all seemingly OK. Then hit the pipe. I have now learned to check outside for a roof vent & plumb down to counter top to locate pipe. Both times, the pipe came down by a window, then turned left to the sink about countertop level. I saw a clear space below and somehow missed the pipe with my rod too.

IMHO, most right thing is he should have paid for your extra time & you deduct the plumbing repair from that. But I'd be rich if I had charged for extra time I've put in here & there.

My experience with vent pipes is they seldom continue vertically from top of a wall and through the roof.

There is often more than one vent pipe tied together and a single penetration through the roof, especially on more recent construction.

 

[jmellc]

My experience with vent pipes is they seldom continue vertically from top of a wall and through the roof.

There is often more than one vent pipe tied together and a single penetration through the roof, especially on more recent construction.

Either of these could well have been as you have seen. I never saw their termination, just the spot in the wall where it ambushed me. I could tell they angled toward the sink slightly below that point. Could have tied in to other pipes too. Worst thing was, thinking I had been smart & avoided such a thing, then have it slap me in the face.

 

[gadfly56]

Either of these could well have been as you have seen. I never saw their termination, just the spot in the wall where it ambushed me. I could tell they angled toward the sink slightly below that point. Could have tied in to other pipes too. Worst thing was, thinking I had been smart & avoided such a thing, then have it slap me in the face.

Yeah, been there, done that. You think you've been so clever, and then Murphy gives you a smackdown!

 

[jmellc]

Yeah, been there, done that. You think you've been so clever, and then Murphy gives you a smackdown!

Ha ha, Murphy is about the only guy in the world who is consistently right! That's when things really kill me. If I jump too quickly at something, don't think it through & screw it up, easy to see I was dumb, my fault. But when I do my best to foresee a problem, take all precautions, then still get jammed, it's like I can't win, no matter what. Why did I bother? Luck of the draw would serve me nearly as well. us pick a spot & start cutting. No, I will not do that, but I think that way until I cool off.

 

[102 Inspector]

Drove 360 miles to help uncle install dishwasher and cabinet mount microwave in summer cabin. Hauled as many tools as I could fit in the vehicle. Got there and there was no base cabinet space to install dishwasher, only open gap below cover by 16" of counter top. I asked where he want it installed and he said "right there". I ended up installing it and making up a butcherblock countertop to fill the space. The microwave he wanted never got installed. Something about a cabinet mount microwave with no cabinet makes it hard to install. Food was good, company was great and made it a nice vacation with wife before I go in for spinal fusion. Fortunenately I am not in the business, but helping family all the time. Never seem to get cash paid very often, but the meals are great.