Do You Charge More Per Hour If Homeowner Is "helping"?

guyute65045

I am tearing down a retaining wall and re configuring it per the H.O. request and the H.O. is "helping" me, ie: choosing which rocks go where. I noticed in the initial consult that he was not what I would call to the point, so when I wrote the bid knowing that he wanted to "help" I adjusted accordingly my rate. He is a super nice guy, normally I wont do something like this as it can be a pain in the a##, but it seemed like he was agreeable enough. So far I am glad I adjusted my rate, he certainly likes to talk and do things twice. Anybody else ever do this or am I just crazy?

rino1494

When homeowners help, we charge by the hour and leave the machine running while they are making decisions and arguing with their wives.

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K2

I made some wires spark today and the HO finally left me alone. gotta love those FPE panels. Great sparks and the breaker never did trip.

AtlanticWBConst

IMHO: I think it is a Big, Big mistake....

Regardless of how "nice" things seeem to be going at the "moment"... you may be opening yourself up for a herd of potential liability, insurance, and other issues/problems/non-payment matters....were things to go south (for one reason or another)

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tgeb

I can't recall any episodes where I have allowed the HO to "help".

Sometimes they will want to, but when I somehow loose control of the machine, they go inside and I have run of the place.

You know, tell them "You might not want to stand there." then accidentally slid into that area, then tell them "I don't think I would stand over there either", "nope that spots probably not too good, why don't you go inside for a while where it's safe"

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cleveman

The economy is supposed to be slow, so you're doing the right thing. Give him some nice certificate of completion when you are done.

MC Excavating

I personally would have said that I could only do it by the hour. I just wouldn't feel comfortable giving a home owner a bid when he wants to "help".

He doesn't know how I estimated the job. So when you see that your estimated time of completion is nearing but your only half way done, what are you going to tell him?

"Hey bud, you better put some more tokens in this heavy equipment simulator game or we cant continue playing the Lets Build a Rock Wall Together game."

Maybe you did a good job estimating this one and you make a good profit, but the home owner "helping" factor just further reduces the odds of it being a successful bid.

This estimating game that we play is hard enough already!

Ironman

I agree with some of the others, way to many problems could arise from letting HO become involved with the labor involved. I could not even come up with a rate to sit and listen to a HO idea about how to go about doing something that I do for a Living that he/she has no clue as to even begin. All the wile my equip. is running , with men standing around leaning on shovels awaiting this theory. No I'll pass. Thats why I bid things , meet with the folks find out what there Ideas are then it my job to make them their reallity. I dont need nor do I want their help.

What is the WC rate for HO employees ? Just to many problems involved.

dayexco

if i give a proposal for a completed project, and suddenly the HO wants to "help"....i immediately tell them, that it is out of the scope of our contract, and these are my hourly rates, let's get started. never had a HO yet that wanted to participate after that...i just do what i agreed to do, for what i agreed to do it for, job done

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woodmagman

If the homeowner helps, put youself in supervisor mode and push them hard....they either break or quit.

guyute65045

Wall is done and under time line, I guess I didn't make myself clear in the original post. The homeowner is standing in the yard and coming over when I honk to decide which boulders go where. This is not something I usually let people get involved with, I have built a lot of rock walls and I like the way I do it. But this guy was persistent on choosing the rocks and the order of them. So I upped my rate and am billing him by the hour for that portion of the work, just wondering if anybody else has upped their rate for aggravation?

dayexco

i don't like working by the hour....hourly rates here are dictated by the sleeziest, crappiest, slowest contractor around...i want the homeowner to know exactly what things will cost before i even start.

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someday, i'll be as patient as Nick.

SLSTech

Congrats & it probably was the best thing you could have done in the situation. Yes, I have done the same thing in the past.

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guyute65045

"i don't like working by the hour....hourly rates here are dictated by the sleeziest, crappiest, slowest contractor around."

I agree Day, I like working on a bid any day over by the hour. Things are slooooooooow this fall though. The up side is that the spring is looking up with some larger projects in the pipeline.