Does This Person Own His Own Business?

lawndart

He claims he does.

In a local message board I noticed a person posting giving people some good general advice. Again he claims to be a contractor/builder, but I became suspicious when he made these posts.


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If you drive over on Forest Avenue, their will be tons of Mexicans that look for work. Stop and ask one of them if they want to make an extra 60 bucs for moving stuff. They will jump at it trust me. Especially now, where the Landscape and Concrete business' are shut down for the Winter, you should even be able to get the job done for 50 bucs a worker.
If you offer 50 bucs for him and his buddy each (100), they will work like mules for you for the job you are asking.
I've done this many of times when I needed labor work, drove up there, pulled up to a Mexican and asked if him and his buddy wanted to work. They jumped in the car, drove them to my home to work, paid them, bought them a pizza for lunch and sent them home. They are honest working people. Don't be afraid of them.

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This one really got me wondering if he really owned his own business.

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an independant room, for laundry in your basement, that you keep closed, however, right next to it, your other area of the basement is heated.
This is my suggestion:
As long as you keep that room closed and insulated, it's not going to be a big deal. However, make no mistake about it. The heat in your basement, will escape into this room, because heat likes to escape through vacums to colder areas. You need to weather strip that door that seperates the laundry room to your heated basement area. Also see how much space is between your door and the floor. Heat will def ecape into the laundry room through this space. You could always throw a door rug there, no big deal.
Secondly, lets talk about your ceiling in the laundry room. If it is high like you said, great. You can cover it ups with sheetrock like your estimator suggested. The plastic he is talking about serves as insulation between the sheetrock and the ceiling. Years ago, foil was used on basement ceilings, but that is replaced with plastic sheeting to keep the cold away from your first floor. Don't insulate with rolled fiberglass under the impression it will keep your laundry room warmer. It won't. It will keep your first floor warmer, not your basement. U.S Department of Energy has proven that if you are attempting to keep your laundry room warm (despite no heat in there), it's probably one of your biggest losses in spending money by rolling insulation. If you are attempting to keep your heat on your first floor without escaping, then yes, it's worth it. Insulation is designed to slow the transfer of heat.
So overall, yes, sheetrock the area of the room, with plastic sheeting as insulation. Check out the door that seperates your laundry room and basement. Make sure you have no drafts coming in.
If you are looking at an area of lets say 10'X 5', look to spend in materials and labor no more than a few hundred dollars. His only expense will be maybe 3 sheets of sheetrock at 8 bucs a sheet, a box of drywall screws, tape and mud. For an area like that no more than 50 bucs in material. Add another 25 bucs for the plastic sheeting. So I am hoping he gave you an estimate of less than 300 hundred dollars. If he gave you an estimate of more than that, he is robbing you blind.

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I responded with this

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Reading some of your advice throughout the forum I've noticed your well respected here, because you generally give good sound advice.
That said your last statement about expenses couldn't be more wrong. Most people don't realize just how much a contractor is required to spend in order to do business legally. Licenses and Insurance costs would make most people cringe if they knew the average price we pay plus all the other costs of doing business like gas for the trucks, office supplies, electric, heat, advertising, payroll, taxes, etc..., and then of course I have to somehow pay myself so the family can eat =). $300 bucks may work for some companies, and for others it just might not be possible, and in those cases they wouldn't be robbing anyone. Just something for everyone to consider the next time a contractor gives you a price/estimate.

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He got upset with me and responded with this.


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are, it is what it is. Everyone is trying to make a buck, I understand.
I never, ever, ever advertise free lance jobs out here...ever. However, if I was going to do a 10x5 sheetrock ceiling, the most I would charge would be 300 bucs, but thats me. Some might incorporate all those things you mentioned and charge 1,000. Again, it is what it is. I am just giving him the facts on what labor is and how much it will cost a General Contractor in materials to do the job.
Personally, I don't need to charge all these fees you mentioned, because I get plenty of free lance jobs just by word of mouth. In fact, I give jobs away to recomendations because I can't absorb the workload myself. These guys that come in and rip off a man like Techo and charge him $800 -$1,000 for a simple 10x5 ceiling of sheetrock can cry the blues all they want. Everyone has to make a buc..

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What do the rest of you think? Typical DIY'er who thinks they're a contractor now because they watched a couple of Bob Villa shows? Or is he just some unlicensed hack who prowls the message boards everyday because he is sitting home without work.

MinConst

Maybe he works in an area where labor is cheap, taxes are low, no overhead. Your in Staten Island, I don't think it would be the same.

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Paul
Minichillo's Construction
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Susan Betz

"Personally, I don't need to charge all these fees you mentioned, because I get plenty of free lance jobs just by word of mouth. "

What a crock.

The world is full of wanna-bees. You're wasting your breath trying to discredit him. But it's great that you tried.

When I lived in Ohio I lived in a house that had a lot of problems with the sewer line, there were tree roots growing into the line. I was on a first-name basis with the Roto-Rooter guy. Every bill had a little outline of why his prices were so "high", like telephones, office staff, insurances, trucks, etc. Things that the layman may not think about but a real businessperson sure does.

The fact that this guy thinks he's exempt from the cost of doing business shows he's not a businessman.

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Fences of Distinction, Ocala, FL
http://www.fencesofdistinction.com

kgphoto

A little 10x5 ceiling still takes two - three days to do to finish and/or multiple trips for one or two guys. $300 is ridiculously low. With hot mud two guys can knock it out in one day with fans, but you would probably still have to have one return the next day to sand and clean.

Stone Mountain

Let's see now. A 5x10 ceiling? $100 in materials? Seems a tad low, but OK, let's run with that.
Now how about gas and use of a vehicle, or alternatively delivery. Home Depot won't deliver a small amount of material for free, so let's add $50.00
Now, the installer: let's say it takes a total of 8 hours to cut and install the drywall, tape, let dry, sand, prime and paint. Not to mention travel time, a few bucks for gas, and milage on the car. Whether he thinks so or not, it's still a cost.
I don't know ANY decent worker who would take on the job himself for less that $300/day, so that puts it up to at least $400, without profit or overhead. Add in insurance, warranty, contingency, sales call, etc. $800 is not exactly a rippoff. This guy should somehow be banned.

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lawndart

Take a look at what this person posted. This is an example of the direct effect these guys are doing to our industry.

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As a customer I am expected pay for gas, office supplies, license fees, etc? So, maybe I should charge my employer my commuting costs to and from Manhattan as well as having to buy good clothes to dress in?

lawndart

MinConst, he is working in Staten Island.

neolitic

Not to mention, every bit of the "advice"
I read was total B/S!

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Michaeljp86

Thats what I think of him.

Hes a know it all unlicensed POS. He watched hometime and did a few crappy jobs in his babys mamas trailer and bragged about it to everyone. Now he runs his own little illegal construction company. Or hes a policemen, I know of policemen who sound just like this joker and think they know it all and love illegals.

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Global warming is a myth, like evolution and the metric system.

Norrrrrrrrrrrrm

This guy preaching is very irritating to read. He is a real thorn to the industry. If you have the energy, battle him/set him straight on his misleading advice. If he continues to bath mouth you and other contractors, ask to discuss some topics over lunch and just feed him a knuckle sandwich.

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Norman Sharp
http://www.sharpimprovements.com

PARA1

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mahlere

that makes them a non-customer for us...ask them who is supposed to pay for it? and where the contractor gets the money to pay for it? and remind him that his boss does pay for all his commuting costs and clothes money...then tell him that the rock you just kicked out of you path has more brains and more of a clue than he does...fricken nimrods..

FramingFanatic

I dont feel like going into detail but one huge mistake about the "sheet of plastic" or poly is that it has 0 insulation value. It is meant to keep moisture from getting into the frame of the house. that is why its called a vapour barrier.

Chris G

Absolutely he should charge his employer those costs. If you don't factor those things in when you are negotiating a salary, you are an idiot.

nywoodwizard

He's got a lot of balls ,what bothers me the most is the encourgement of using illegal aliens. If this jerk off knew how things like that affect all americans, he wouldn't suggest such a thing, sure give pedro $50 and a slice of pizza ,he lives with 20 other illegals they can afford to pay rent like that, meanwhile there's american families who have no work because jerk off cut everyones throat, does jerk off also know he pays more taxes to support said people , i'll hunt him down and turn him in.

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mahlere

c'mon lawndart...post the link....

RobertCDF

I want the link too. Maybe a few of us can beat some sense into him... Actually I bet we cant but it will still be fun.

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Robert Shaw
Colorado Springs Custom Decks
Colorado Custom Decks
Custom Composite Decks

A.W.Davis

Link it Lawndart!!!!

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A.W. Davis Construction Co.
http://www.awdavisconstruction.com/
Your friendly remodeling contractor

A W Smith

Oh cmon gimme a link. I am 20 mins from Staten island right over the outerbridge crossing . Maybe I can set him up to get busted by the City Of NY.

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Al Smith
http://www.awsmith.com

mastertrimmer

*****Link it!!!*******