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Posted

As some know, I'm in the process of finishing my basement. I have nearly no skill when it comes to this sort of thing, so I've been getting friends and family to help me out for the most part...

 

Anyway, I'm part of a Twin Cities Home Theater mailing list, and there was a guy wanting to buy my projector (I bought it two years ago, but have only used it for about 150 hours because of the problems with the basement). The projector 's worth roughly $900 on eBay, maybe a little more. I was thinking of selling it to this guy and buying a newer one, when he asked if I'd be interested in his services instead. He's willing to hang a screen door, install a Dricore subfloor (http://www.dricore.com) and do the trimwork in the basement (two regular doors, one bifold door, one egress window) for the projector. I'll be paying for the materials, he'd do all of the installation. I havn't gotten any quotes for this stuff yet, but it sounds reasonable to me (for example, Menards wanted $139 to install the screen door).. What do you guys think?

 

CW

Posted

No. No way at all. Do not do this. Do not. He KNOWS what he's getting. You have no idea other than what he tells you. Pass. Just pass.

 

Contractors are bad enough when you pay them full price. How bad do you think they'll be when you just have to give them hardware instead of money?

 

Pass. Please. You've worked too hard for this basement.

Posted

 

Contractors are bad enough when you pay them full price. How bad do you think they'll be when you just have to give them hardware instead of money?

 

 

280425[/snapback]

 

Dude is giving you good advice. Just get a quote from someone else on doing the work. Doesn't sound like you have $900 worth of work to do because most of it seems pretty light. Although I won't confess to knowing how much it should cost to install dricore because in Virginia Beach we don't have basements.

Posted
No. No way at all. Do not do this. Do not. He KNOWS what he's getting. You have no idea other than what he tells you. Pass. Just pass.

 

Contractors are bad enough when you pay them full price. How bad do you think they'll be when you just have to give them hardware instead of money?

 

Pass. Please. You've worked too hard for this basement.

280425[/snapback]

 

Agreed. There may also be legality issues with bartering like that, in terms of recourse on a shoddy job.

 

If you really trust him, you MIGHT consider getting a quote elsewhere... if $900 is less than the quote, might be worth it.

Posted

I would agree with everyone here. I would sell him the projector and use the money to hire a contractor. I cant imagine that the labor for all of that could be much more than what you could get for the projector.

Posted

Nope. Don't do it. Sell it.

 

With the contractor ususally you'd want examples of his work and references. Not to mention putting a cash value on his work, and keeping records for your improvements if you ever sell the house.

Posted

If you lived in Buffalo I would help you out...

 

Sounds like a job that I would do for less than $400 and a case of beer, but that's just me

Posted

No no no no no

 

Listen to everyone else here, they're right.

Posted
Nope. Don't do it. Sell it.

 

With the contractor ususally you'd want examples of his work and references. Not to mention putting a cash value on his work, and keeping records for your improvements if you ever sell the house.

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Well, he did offer me references if I was interested, and said that he is insured... However, the idea of references is pretty lame IMHO, as you know everyone's only going to give you people they know will say something positve, no?

 

If you lived in Buffalo I would help you out...

 

Sounds like a job that I would do for less than $400 and a case of beer, but that's just me

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I just bought you a roundtrip ticket from Buffalo to Minneapolis -- $334. What kind of beer should I buy for ya? :w00t:

 

Thanks for the input everyone -- it all makes sense so I think I'll pass and hire someone to do it for me. It'll save me money anyway, as my projector is perfectly fine, just not as good as the newer stuff (I'm still kicking myself for buying it when I did -- had no idea this stupid project would take so long to start! :w00t: ).

 

Thanks all!

CW

Posted
Thanks for the input everyone -- it all makes sense so I think I'll pass and hire someone to do it for me. 

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SEE HOW THIS WORKS, ED?!?! Someone asks for advice, people give it, and the person puts it to good use. You won't catch Fez with a string hanging from between his legs... :w00t:
Posted
Well, he did offer me references if I was interested, and said that he is insured...  However, the idea of references is pretty lame IMHO, as you know everyone's only going to give you people they know will say something positve, no?

I just bought you a roundtrip ticket from Buffalo to Minneapolis -- $334.  What kind of beer should I buy for ya? :D

 

Thanks for the input everyone -- it all makes sense so I think I'll pass and hire someone to do it for me.  It'll save me money anyway, as my projector is perfectly fine, just not as good as the newer stuff (I'm still kicking myself for buying it when I did -- had no idea this stupid project would take so long to start!  :w00t:  ).

 

Thanks all!

CW

280680[/snapback]

 

Miller Light or Labatt Blue Light works!!! :w00t:

Posted
Way to aim high.

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Hey, he's getting a free vacation (1) out of it!

 

CW

 

(1) If by vacation, you mean working in my basement 24x7 until he's done :w00t:

Posted
Oh yeah  :w00t:  and I'm gonna need a copy of the Comeback game on DVD too... :D

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Fine, but you're paying for your own hotel :w00t:

 

CW

Posted
As some know, I'm in the process of finishing my basement.  I have nearly no skill when it comes to this sort of thing, so I've been getting friends and family to help me out for the most part...

 

Anyway, I'm part of a Twin Cities Home Theater mailing list, and there was a guy wanting to buy my projector (I bought it two years ago, but have only used it for about 150 hours because of the problems with the basement).  The projector 's worth roughly $900 on eBay, maybe a little more.  I was thinking of selling it to this guy and buying a newer one, when he asked if I'd be interested in his services instead.  He's willing to hang a screen door, install a Dricore subfloor (http://www.dricore.com) and do the trimwork in the basement (two regular doors, one bifold door, one egress window) for the projector.  I'll be paying for the materials, he'd do all of the installation.  I havn't gotten any quotes for this stuff yet, but it sounds reasonable to me (for example, Menards wanted $139 to install the screen door)..  What do you guys think?

 

CW

280421[/snapback]

 

$139 to install a screen door? First of all, any idiot should be able to install a screen door. As long as everything is plumb, level, and square, it should be a breeze. Might require a little planing if the door jamb isn't prefectly straight, but still, not a big deal. Even if it took 2 hours to install (how is that possible) the guy/company would be getting $70 and hour. Hello?!?!

Posted

Just maybe the guy is for real.

 

Check into it a little bit.

 

You might get the deal of your life and become friends, who knows?

 

Not everyone is a crook!

Posted
What do you guys think?

 

CW

280421[/snapback]

You can always sell him the projector for $900 and "pay him" $900 for the job. That way you have a receipt against any poor workmanship etc.

 

I'd find out who does that kind of work in your area and who does it well. Get an estimate from them. If it comes in at below 900, use them. If not, then consider using that guy. There are ways around making the payment for the job the projector. See above.

 

Make a contract and make part of the stipulation that he doesn't get the projector for $900 until the job is complete. That way it's a cashless transfer yet you're covered.

 

Some of the rest of you need to seriously consider taking a vacation. It sounds like bitter, cranky old men central here.

Posted

I just had some work done on my house that required a master carpenter, I'm not sure if this guy is a master carpenter or if your work requires a master carpenter, but here is what I am thinking; I paid (after shoping for bids) $68.00 per hour plus materials at cost, which was also very good considering the receipt copys enclosed in the bill where 90% from wholesale outlets, and much cheaper than prices I had earlier shopped at Lowes. So if the pricing in your market is similar ($65 -$70 per hour) The question you need to ask is: "Can this work be done 12 - 14 man hours?" Assuming he is insured, has a good reputation, member BBB, set a deadline for work to be completed and when it's done pay him and then sell him the projector for the $900.00

 

Bottom line is, what is the going rate per man hour?

Posted

Never hire a carpenter for door work who can't show you his butt gage.

 

"Butt gages"

 

"The butt gage is a specialization of the marking gage which is designed for marking mortises for butt hinges. This is a surprisingly complicated job with little room for error-- if the hinges are not properly placed, the door may not work properly (or at all).

 

There are two common situations encountered in butt mortising-- one in which the door is being fitted into a rabbeted jamb, and one in which the strike for the door is nailed on. In each situation, the marking job is slightly different.

 

In the case of a rabbeted jamb, the most important thing is to mark the hinges such that a small gap (usually 1/16") exists between the face of the door and the back of the rabbet. If this gap is not present, the door will bind. Butt gages designed for this situation will mark a specific distance from the corner of the rabbet, and a corresponding distance (minus the desired gap) from the face of the door.

 

The Stanley #93 is designed for marking these types of butt mortises. The points move together, so that if the jamb is marked referencing the outside of the end plate of the gage and the door referencing the inside, a small gap (the thickness of the plate) will automatically be left. The third point (on the side of the gage) is used to mark the hinge depth.

 

In the case of a nailed-on strike, the job is much simpler. Since the strike is added later, there is no need to account for the gap between the strike and the door. In this situation the hinge depth is marked referencing the outside of the jamb and the corresponding side of the door, so the door will be flush with the jamb.

 

A normal marking gage could be used for this operation, if not for one problem-- the door casing. In typical door construction the casing is attached such that only a small portion of the jamb edge is visible, which is normally much too small for a marking gage to reference off of."

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