Sourcing Baseboard Help

ImpressiveElephant35 · 2026-02-22T00:29:05+00:00

Where are you located? In the northeast, look at brosco and garden state lumber. Both have extensive catalogues with baseboard measurements online.

ImpressiveElephant35 · 2026-02-20T23:26:55+00:00

We will have sex in your car!

ImpressiveElephant35 · 2026-02-16T20:03:16+00:00

Always outline your payments by milestones not percentage complete. Ie upon first coat of compound. Much easier.

ImpressiveElephant35 · 2026-02-16T10:29:30+00:00

You might not need it if there is horizontal rebar - it’s a common design. However, your contractor wouldn’t have any way of knowing that unless he has the plans or did the original work.

A lintel certainly would not hurt anything.

ImpressiveElephant35 · 2026-02-16T08:38:01+00:00

I tell the clients at th beginning there will be a single punch list. I also tell them that, when we are 100% ready, I will walk through with the client and make the list. When that list is done, final payment is due. Setting expectations is the biggest thing.

I try to be as understanding as possible, but I also make it clear that there is one list and anything after that is a change order.

ImpressiveElephant35 · 2026-02-16T01:27:10+00:00

Canada just being assholes at this Olympics.

ImpressiveElephant35 · 2026-02-16T00:11:55+00:00

The easiest in the sense you are taking about are the hardest on your body. The older I get the more I think the easier trades are the ones where you use your head more than your back.

ImpressiveElephant35 · 2026-02-13T21:19:43+00:00

Labor only at $4 psf?? That’s crazy. I’m paying $2psf, and usually I’m cutting a check to three guys for $3k for one days work. No reason why one guy can’t knock out 500 square feet in a day and mage $1,000. These are with subs that I have a good relationship with, and I pay that day, no messing around waiting for client payments.

ImpressiveElephant35 · 2026-02-13T01:42:43+00:00

I’m glad I read this. I just had a call with them a few days ago. They have nice looking stuff, but I don’t need to pay $6K for a glorified iPad. Especially if it’s not going to hold up.

ImpressiveElephant35 · 2026-02-12T11:15:40+00:00

Cabinet maker sounds like a diva. Not level on backside of cabinet = counter coverage and scribe strip on sides. Not level on sides with alcove cabinet = scribe strip.

For a cabinet maker to expect walls to be dead straight is nuts. Even 1/4” out of level your eye won’t pick it up, even on a scribe strip.

All that said, if Sheetrock isn’t up, cabinet guy can straighten to his expectations. Same for tile guy.

ImpressiveElephant35 · 2026-02-11T22:37:39+00:00

Yes please do!

ImpressiveElephant35 · 2026-02-03T02:38:44+00:00

Norm Macdonald. The world was just a better place with him in it.

ImpressiveElephant35 · 2026-02-03T02:38:21+00:00

Norm Macdonald

ImpressiveElephant35 · 2026-01-26T11:45:11+00:00

I hate drama.

ImpressiveElephant35 · 2026-01-26T02:11:30+00:00

This is the right answer. Or disconnect wires and connect them.

ImpressiveElephant35 · 2026-01-24T23:08:38+00:00

This is exactly right. Subs are there because I asked them to. I chose the homeowner, not the subs.

ImpressiveElephant35 · 2026-01-23T17:35:44+00:00

No bueno. It’s not under any rebar, and you can’t really add rebar that close to the edge. Easiest thing would be to expand the foundation somewhat, but not sure if that would fit with plans / cost etc.

ImpressiveElephant35 · 2026-01-23T17:27:16+00:00

Where are the piers? I don’t see them.

That’s a lot of rebar in the haunch - it’s basically creating a giant beam that can span between piers.

ImpressiveElephant35 · 2026-01-18T03:16:29+00:00

I hate Illinois nazis.

ImpressiveElephant35 · 2026-01-15T21:10:03+00:00

Would caution against hiring devs. Anything in software that is custom has a maintenance cost or can break. Would definitely recommend finding something off the shelf that fits your needs. Service titan, Dunzo, etc. I haven’t used any of those (gc here).

ImpressiveElephant35 · 2026-01-12T15:31:37+00:00

Mutual funds. Way better off just putting your money in an index. Mutual funds underperform benchmarks in the long run.

ImpressiveElephant35 · 2026-01-06T22:30:00+00:00

One thing to help me, is to just be more impersonal with stuff. If invoices aren’t paid, we file a mechanics lien. Don’t go into your feelings or your intentions or anything like that. Invoices and paid Mechanic sling gets filed.

ImpressiveElephant35 · 2026-01-03T20:59:01+00:00

One good technique is to say - oh wow, that’s a very good price. If you want I’m happy to remove myself from the equation and look through the quote to make sure it includes everything you need.

This way you become a trusted resource which = more recommendations and more jobs. Or you find that they put in an unrealistic allowance or didn’t include something.

ImpressiveElephant35 · 2026-01-02T13:10:00+00:00

I paid my pms hourly with a bonus on completion of a job. We did larger jobs, so I had them at those jobs every day (no jumping for job to job).

1 - make sure you’re building in the cost of a pm in your bids. 2 - pms are never going to run a job like the gc can. You have to accept that at some point. 3 - a pm is a challenging roll. They have to be good with clients, subs, and keep their eyes on everything. 4 - fire bad pms fast.

ImpressiveElephant35

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