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Have you heard this one?

16K views 123 replies 36 participants last post by  Joasis 
#1 ·
I went to look at a bath remodel the other day, it was a big master bath with a walk-in-closet and a seperate toilet room. The customer said she wanted to do all new tile including the walk-in, but that she heard from another contractor not to put tile in the walk-in because it would create "moisture problems" The house was built with carpet in the walk-in.

Anyone have any experience with this?

I appreciate your advice.
 
#66 ·
Simmer down, Ladies. It is a fact that in some places for some trades licensing is required. I do not view that as a bad thing, or a good thing, just a fact.

It appears the OP was asked a question that he did not know the answer to and asked us for advice. He didn't say that he was doing the work, he had a simple question. A simple answer is all that was required.
 
#67 ·
I'm with bwalley. Good job calling out the guys taking work away from legit contractors.

It takes, time, energy, and money to get qualified and work legitimately, and I'd be pissed at people who don't even bother and then post publicly looking for advice to things they would likely know the answer to if they took the time to get qualified for what they do.

Well he seems a little arrogant and too proud of his licenses and passing them on the first try (like apparently so few people are capable of :rolleyes:), I like to see people who are not legit called out.
 
#69 · (Edited)
point is how do you know?no way the state data base could be wrong.yea right! how about if everybody just minded there own buisness.

A roofer cant ask a plumbing question?A carpet guy cant ask an electrical question?
Sure they can, but when a roofer starts asking for advice on how to wire a hot-tub for a customer without an electrical license are you okay with that?

do you call out everbody from Vancouver?Or just let Bwally do it for you
If I found someone working here illigetimately, I'd be happy to tip off the proper people to take care of it. If he posted on CT I'd be happy to point out that he is working illegally. I'm not going to go to the job site and start a fight, if that's what you mean.

He has a trim license and is doing remodeling which is illigal in his state. What's your problem?

Minding my own business? This is my business. I'm a contractor. So is bwalley. In our business we deal with people who undercut because they don't have the overhead of working legitimately within the laws of their nation, state, or county. It's also usually these people who give other contractor's a bad name. People whine that our industry has such a bad rap and then ***** about minding your own business when illigetimate workers are called out.

I went to look at a bath remodel the other day, it was a big master bath with a walk-in-closet and a seperate toilet room. The customer said she wanted to do all new tile including the walk-in, but that she heard from another contractor not to put tile in the walk-in because it would create "moisture problems" The house was built with carpet in the walk-in.

Anyone have any experience with this?

I appreciate your advice.
He's asking for "advice" not an opinion. He's planning on doing the work.

yeah, so okay, times are tough and people have to do things they normally wouldn't to make a buck, but that doesn't mean they should do stuff they are not licensed or qualified to do and take work away from the people who are. It's an extreme comparison but I'm not gonna go out and offer day-surgery to people because I need a few extra dollars to feed my family.

I've got a 12" sliding mitre saw, so maybe I'll undercut the hospitals and offer amputations at half the price! I'll beat any other competitor! I'll even let them choose between an 80tooth finishing blade for a smooth cut or a 40 tooth for a quicker cut! I've got tools that can do the job, so why not? :laughing:
 
#71 ·
Theres nothing worse than listening to a man on a job moaning and crying that someone doesnt have a proper liscense, or insurance. And then, doing the shoddyest work on the jobsite. But thats okay he is liscensed. Bwally are you origanly from Ky.? Can you touch your thumb to your forarm? Last I heard you were still in Ky. working at the bottom of big co. in B.G. If this isnt you take my advice. Remember the wise old owl.
 
#74 ·
Theres nothing worse than listening to a man on a job moaning and crying that someone doesnt have a proper liscense, or insurance. And then, doing the shoddyest work on the jobsite. But thats okay he is liscensed. Bwally are you origanly from Ky.? Can you touch your thumb to your forarm? Last I heard you were still in Ky. working at the bottom of big co. in B.G. If this isnt you take my advice. Remember the wise old owl.
You sound like a guy who has lost work because you don't carry insurance or have a license.

I am Not from Kentucky, Thank God.

While there may be some licensed contractors doing hack work (that is why inspections are a good thing), most unlicensed hack's do hack work and don't have to worry about pesky little things like permits and inspections.

If they are too lazy, stupid or whatever their excuse is for not getting properly licensed, how are they going to pull permits?

They don't or they get the HO to do it.

Do you think the unlicensed contractor even bothers to educate himself on what the current building codes are?

He doesn't have to worry about it because his work is not inspected.

Why should he waste money a set of code book?

BTW there is a function called spellcheck on your computer, you may want to look into using it.;)
 
#75 ·
I thought this was for contractors, being a contractor would imply being licensed.

If Nathan doesn't like my posts, he can ask me to leave or send me to banned camp, I suggest you cry to him about my posts if you don't like them.

In Florida it is a crime to call yourself a contractor if you are not properly licensed as one, and in Florida most trades need a license and we can't just buy them.

There is a DIY forum, I thought that was where the HO's and wannabee's wer supposed to discuss how to half ass their jobs.
 
#77 ·
I am not as concerned about licensed contractors in NJ.

I am a Licensed Florida Contractor, I have never been in NJ and do not plan on going there, but if I was a licensed contractor in NJ, I would have a problem with unlicensed contractors there as well.

I know how to look up people in florida, that is why I called this guy out, he said he had Carpentry License and gave a link to the Broward county website to prove it, I was not wrong for calling him out on being unlicensed to do bathroom remodels or tile work.
 
#80 ·
It is easy to be cheaper when you don't have to worry about Licenses, Permits, that pesky Workers Compensation and Liability Insurance, the audits, payroll taxes etc.

If a guy isn't going to take the steps to get licensed, how can anyone be assured he will take the proper steps to do the job properly and according to building code?

Masonry is one of the trades that takes some real skill and cannot just be picked up, it takes years to get good at it, I have very a good mason subcontractor, he is licensed and has all of the proper insurance, he wasn't the cheapest guy (he is actually pretty damn expensive), but he is able to do the job right.

I know how masonry is supposed to be done, but it doesn't make me a mason, and I have never claimed to be a mason, I am smart enough to hire qualified masons to work for me. :thumbsup:
 
#85 ·
There is a DIY forum, I thought that was where the HO's and wannabee's wer supposed to discuss how to half ass their jobs.
might be hard for you to believe but there are some pretty smart people there offering their advise.
Maybe not as smart as you ..but then again how can anyone be?
 
#90 ·
Wow...this really got blown out of proportion.:laughing:

Just so bwalley knows I'll be setting 1,500 sf of tile today.
Then tommorow I have to go do a 10 sink hook-ups and install a dozen toilets and change 52 shower valves. I also just got a job for Monday to rough in the electric on a 2000 sf addition. Tuesday I might put in some base... but I'll be painting there whole house too inside and out. Wednesday I got a 30 sq roof lined up.

Oh did I mention all of this work is in bwalleys home town.;)

Oh yeah I'm coming up there with 6 guys that I pay in rice and beans and were going to take over.:laughing: LOOKOUT!:shifty:

We all live togeather in a 2 bdrm apartment. So I charge about $200 a day for a 7 man crew. And they work like animals.

I give them each 10 bucks a week to send home to there families.

HAHAHAHAHHAAAAAAHHHHHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAH ha:laughing::laughing::laughing:
 
#94 ·
The Police need to be tipped off when people are committing crimes.

I am not afraid to drop a dime on an unlicensed contractor.

Awhile back an elderly lady hired a 'handyman' he ended up killing her and stealing her car, maybe if someone wouldn't have looked the other way, he wouldn't have been out there working illegally and the grandmother would still be alive today.
 
#96 ·
"..... was slapped with a $500 fine ..... "

Now that sounds really effective.

What's with comparing possible unlicensed hack wannabes installing tile in a closet to doctors performing surgery?

Recently near here a Dr. was fined $30k and license suspended 5 months for prescribing viagra over the internet. It was estimated that he was making $100k/year. Deduct the fine and lawyer fees and it could still be a decent year as supplemental income. The unlicensed carpenter may have had a better return for the year.

Licenseing could be good if enforcement wasn't such a joke. If it sounds too good to be true it probably is.

For clarity, licenses aren't mandated here. If they were I would have one and use it as a sales tool. I would still beleive it would help the state coffers more than the consumer.

Good Luck
Dave
 
#99 ·
Just little, itty, bitty egocentric, self agrandizing Bull Chippity Poo input.........


I jumped this guys arse a month or three ago..........Calling him out..........And in return, received a bit of piss down my boots.

Hah! Who's the Daddy now???

I am after all, a Shark and can smell it Miles Away!!!
 
#102 ·
I can't believe a Mod hasn't closed this down yet.... This place is supposed to be contractors helping contractors... What gives any of us the right to investigate another member? How is that going to help this website grow? BWalley is going to turn this place into what the Plumbing Forum was a few months ago.... I know you all remember THAT train wreck.

How about we get Double A's "smile or stay out" sticky over on this forum as well?


And just to help out the OP with his question, I don't think it matters what flooring is in the closet. It sounds like one of those "contractor facts" that so many seem to know, but can't explain why it is...
 
#104 ·
Sk, moisture with tile is usually a problem from below, not above so I don't see a problem with the installation unless the basement or crawspace is wet. If the tile is installed correctly, there should be no problem at all. That's why we install tile in wet locations like bathrooms, etc. Hope this helped.
 
#105 ·
I tried, but I cant stay out

Question -
I quote $275.00 to repair a broken pipe, at the Ho side of the water main. It is Me, a shovel,Primer, glue, fitting and iphone for 2 hours on a Sunny Saturday. Job done, nice profit.

The licensed Plumber quotes $650.00 for the same job, Why? I know he has higher overhead, I operate from my house, have no employee's, no shop expenses, No unnecessary expenses. My business is lean. A cellphone, Van and a fairly smart guy that can do multiple repairs.

I am not a licensed contractor, I will be in the future because it is required in California and I want to do larger jobs, or at least have the ability to do larger jobs.

I look at licensing as BS in some ways. I worked for a company that had a "qualifier", WTF? It was residential remodeling, specializing in kitchen's and bathrooms. The owner didn't know anything about the trades, I was 20, with no experience and 3 months later I was rewiring attics around skylight "openings or installing tons of can lights. I was not an electrician, licensed or anything, but I was the one doing "All" of the work, does that make sense?

I believe the licensing is flawed, but it is required and it is the law, so I try to abide by it. I am guilty of doing a few jobsthat would probably put me in a bad light by the CSLB, but I try to play by the rules.

This is why I believe there should be a "Handyman" license. There are many People that are "good enough" to do work in all trades and have that work be above average or better. It is not hard to pass an inspection on a job site, even if you do it wrong, you get to redo it (and often the inspector will tell you how) until it is correct.

Oh boy, this all got way off topic, but I joined here to learn to be a better business and trades Man. Even as a "Handyman", I deal with guys that do not have a business license (remember, we are not required to have a Contractors License if jobs' are under $500), insurance, or even the proper tools.

But, this is America, it is a "Free Society" and there are always People expressing their rights to choose what they want. If people want to hire unlicensed People, they have to be prepared to deal with the consequences. The same as if I choose to do a job I should be licensed to do, it have to be prepared to deal with the consequences!

Oh yeah, I have no idea if tile in a closet will cause a moisture problem. Ask bwalley, he is a sharp guy and can probably help.
 
#107 ·
Question for bwalley.--

Do you guys have the catering truck's that come to the jobsite out there? We call them maggot wagon's out here and many other names .
The reason I ask, have you ever eaten from one?
Did you check to be sure they were licensed, no illegal's cooking, vehicle currently registered, all of that? Probably not. why?

I'm sure all of the licensed restaurants in your area are fighting against this and deem it as unfair.
But, we are hypocrites, as long as it doesn't affect us, we can tolerate it. If I inadvertently included anyone in the "we" category and offend anyone, I apologize in advance.

Unlicensed activity happens everywhere, do your best to educate your clients, run "protect yourself & your property, hire licensed contractors" in all of your advertising, run PSA's that statethe pitfall's of unlicensed contractors in your area newspapers, host a talk show and discuss it. The topic is important, but on a forum such as this, when people ask for advice, use your expertise to guide someone todo the job right, even if they are unlicensed, you are helping to uphold the contractor image and also protecting the homeowner and that is noble.
 
#108 ·
Do you guys have the catering truck's that come to the jobsite out there? We call them maggot wagon's out here and many other names .
The reason I ask, have you ever eaten from one?
Did you check to be sure they were licensed, no illegal's cooking, vehicle currently registered, all of that? Probably not. why?

I'm sure all of the licensed restaurants in your area are fighting against this and deem it as unfair.
But, we are hypocrites, as long as it doesn't affect us, we can tolerate it. If I inadvertently included anyone in the "we" category and offend anyone, I apologize in advance.

Unlicensed activity happens everywhere, do your best to educate your clients, run "protect yourself & your property, hire licensed contractors" in all of your advertising, run PSA's that statethe pitfall's of unlicensed contractors in your area newspapers, host a talk show and discuss it. The topic is important, but on a forum such as this, when people ask for advice, use your expertise to guide someone todo the job right, even if they are unlicensed, you are helping to uphold the contractor image and also protecting the homeowner and that is noble.
Roach coaches don't come to my jobsites.

Helping unlicensed hacks does nothing to promote the licensed contractors image.

If you are too lazy or not smart enough to get a contractors license, are you also too lazy and cheap to get liability insurance and workers compensation?

What is going to happen when you screw something up?

Of course an unlicensed contractor such as you think licensing laws are BS, because you are part of the problem.
 
#112 ·
Never heard that being a problem.If the tiles are put on marine ply and and you use the same adhesive you would use for shower tiles I can't see how this could have any adverse effect on moisture. If moisture was a problem I would think the existing carpet would be effected. I think you need to find out possibly from the HO what 'moisture problems' the other contractor meant specificly. Without seeing the room it's just a guess but if the room is big their shouldn't be any moisture problems from the steam in a bathroom especially if it is ventilated. Also you could vent the cupboard. Or if it is a tricky job to tile the closet, maybe the contractor is simply trying to get out of doing it. Sorry I can't be of any more help, but without more specifics its just speculation. If you could get some photos i might be able to help more. I have done alot of bathrooms and never heard of these 'moisture problems'.
 
#113 ·
Just saw bwallys replies. OH MY GOD...bwally by name bwally by nature. I would not want to get trapped in a lift with him.
Seeing the ammount of time he spends posting I doubt he has the time to be on the tools.
In England we have a name for people like him 'twat'.

Bwally...go be a wally somewhere else.

I'm all for licensed contractors and weeding out cowboys, but when someone asks a question and seeks advice I think its good to give it. If everyone knew everything about building work, sites like this wouldn't exist.

Plus building rules and regulations change all the time. I don't know a builder who knows everything about everything yet. And if someone says he does he's lying.
 
#117 ·
Just saw bwallys replies. OH MY GOD...bwally by name bwally by nature. I would not want to get trapped in a lift with him.
Seeing the ammount of time he spends posting I doubt he has the time to be on the tools.
In England we have a name for people like him 'twat'.

Bwally...go be a wally somewhere else.

I'm all for licensed contractors and weeding out cowboys, but when someone asks a question and seeks advice I think its good to give it. If everyone knew everything about building work, sites like this wouldn't exist.

Plus building rules and regulations change all the time. I don't know a builder who knows everything about everything yet. And if someone says he does he's lying.
Part of being licensed is CE, we have to do CEU's as part of the renewal of our license, the hacks that don't have a license are not doing CE.

They don't pull permits and are not having their work inspected.

I don't know everything, but I do know more than the unlicensed hacks.
 
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