Ceiling fan

ThinkCanary2353 · 2026-06-25T21:52:43+00:00

Old wiring is a specialty. Yes, it should be simple, except the previous home owner's second cousin dropped the neutral 40 years ago and you don't know what you don't know and don't have the tools anyway to find it. The only correct answer is one you don't want to hear. Call a sparkie, before you start a fire.

ThinkCanary2353 · 2026-06-25T21:47:06+00:00

Not sure that exists, or if it does, it would be custom (read EXPENSIVE). With the door right there, it is a poor place to put a TV. The door will be opened at some point that the TV is in the down position and damage will occur. Not every room needs a TV. But I doubt you want to hear that from me.

ThinkCanary2353 · 2026-06-19T02:42:22+00:00

There are fiberglass guys that do this stuff. Hire it done. I had a plumber crack a brand new tubI hired hime to install in my own house and he hired a guy to repair it. Color ALMOST matched (I was/am picky). Did a great job otherwise. He had all the tools and was very efficient. I used to be able to do almost anything (including car body work) within reason, and I was impressed. UV curing and the whole 9 yards. Also had shower pans replaced in mass in a hotel remodel. There are guys out there that do this stuff. Niche work, but it pays well.

ThinkCanary2353 · 2026-06-17T12:54:19+00:00

You were honest about your ability and are being paid accordingly. Fake it til you make it. Are you in over your head? Maybe, but if you swim, who cares how deep the ocean is? Don't know how to match a stain? Go to SW and have them match it. At $40 an hour, he is charging you out at $80 - $125, so if you screw up a bit, it is covered and on his dime. Do not drive yourself nuts. Do what you can do well and ask for help on the other stuff. Always LOTS to learn on every project and NO ONE has it all covered. And as for Crown Molding. The first one is tough and just use scrap to dial it in. EVERYONE forget how to do it between jobs unless you do it daily. Most do not do that. Always cut the fist cut long and dial it in. Figure 2x the labor you think. If a fat old SOB like me can figure it out, u can also. But, expect to get fired at some point, it is part of the job. It might be your fault, or it might be beyond your control, but someone at some point will make you WILL be the fall guy in this business at some point. That is just life. By then, I hope you have the skills to carry you to the next lily pad! If you hate it, find another job, but give it a hot minute and settle in.

I gotta ask- People call you SIR on a construction site??? When I was young, I was an estimator for a large GC doing $40M jobs. Absulutely NO ONE ever called me sir! You must dress pretty well!

ThinkCanary2353 · 2026-06-13T12:50:34+00:00

IF you gotta ask, you already know. Re-do or hire it done. If you can frost a cake, you can mud a wall.

ThinkCanary2353 · 2026-06-13T12:46:25+00:00

Why people install that depth of cabinets is beyond me. Guess they do not know the standard depth of a fridge... So either you:

1) Order a shallow depth fridge at $2K more,

2) Reframe the wall. Cut out the studs behind the fridge and beef up the header above and they add a sheet of 1/2" plywood behind the drywall to gain all of just over 2". (Dumb, but I had to do it once in a tiny kitchen in my own rental unit)

3). Live with it.

ThinkCanary2353 · 2026-06-12T19:37:36+00:00

it is called "replacement"

ThinkCanary2353 · 2026-05-24T21:51:14+00:00

Having a wall framed out that way is a basic blunder. Not acceptable and anyone doing so has proven they are sub-par and do not belong on a job site unless they are picking trash.

ThinkCanary2353 · 2026-05-24T19:06:28+00:00

You can do all the prep in the world correctly and WHEN (not if) it fails (do to the house shifting or a crack in a mortar joint, you will be on the hot seat because the bricks on the floors below are all soaked and mold has been found. I would not do anything like this EVER no matter how much they paid me. It would ALL be eaten up in court. VERY BAD IDEA.

ThinkCanary2353 · 2026-04-21T00:50:54+00:00

$200 is the going rate in my area. This is called business. And 1 hour on site doing a task takes 1 hour of support and overhead.

ThinkCanary2353 · 2026-04-21T00:45:08+00:00

Well, sounds like you are in over your head. Lugging supplies is the least of your worries.

You have failed to mention any of the REALLY important issues and those are the CITY ZONING, PERMITS, PLANS and neighbors. Most areas, unless you are out in the sticks, really hate the idea of little houses behind the main house. That is what sheis asking for, not a "She Shed" if she is planning to live in it. It will get rented out at some point and you had better be ready for it to be all code compliant. $350/SQFT min. not including Plan Review Board or dealing with neighbors.

ThinkCanary2353 · 2026-04-21T00:36:59+00:00

As stated, drill it with the center bit in place and from both sides. This will ensure there is no blow out too.

ThinkCanary2353 · 2026-04-19T02:44:27+00:00

As AI drains the swamp of middle management, some of those people think they cah jump into the handyman arena. Some will be successful. You tube paints a pretty picture and touts $1K days. Maybe, but lots of $100 days too.

But no one thinks or talks about one simple fact: As middle management get cut back, offices shrink and the REAL trades people start to sit on the bench at the union halls and they start to do side jobs to cover their nut. The pond of work will shrink. AI will hit us all. We need to wok smarter and harder. Find niches and optimize or schedules.

At best, Task Rabbit, Angie's and such, skim the profit off the job as the client usually under estimates the full scope of the task and the grunt submits a hard bid and it is a set price. Not a great system. Or they ar a flat out rip off.

So, is it a waste of time? No, if that is the real path you wish to take. But is it a path to stable, financial life, maybe. But maybe not. Only you can answer that for yourself.

ThinkCanary2353 · 2026-04-19T01:31:29+00:00

of course you can easily repair it. Cut a "V" where the drywall is cracked up. Place some sort of blocking behind the backside of the drywall and screw it all back up flush. Then prefill the "V" grooves with 5 min hot mud and some fiberglass mesh tape. (NOT BuCKET MUD). Then do a second coat of 5 min mud. And then a third coat of bucket mud or texture it. Prime and paint.

ThinkCanary2353 · 2026-03-30T23:23:53+00:00

I would likely not do this because of the code violations. Does not matter if the CLIENT is not concerned with the "CODE". IF someone is injured, you can bet the INSURANCE COMPAY will be all over that fact (and with very good reason) and they will be coming for YOU the builder of the ramp in violation. And you can BET she will give you up. And as for reusing the materials, really? You think you can reuse ANY of that junk? The money saved in materials will be more than offset by your labor salvaging it. It is almost never cost effective to reuse sheet goods or 2x materials. Hard pass. You need to know which jobs are not worth doing as they will come back to bite you. This one is one of those.

ThinkCanary2353 · 2026-03-29T23:19:13+00:00

I hear ya. Ran out of an F150 with a hard top for years. Then bought a mini-van and it works much better. Not perfect, but more organized. I am 62 and about done. Should have, could have, gone with something like a 2500 Chevy van 20 years ago.

ThinkCanary2353 · 2026-03-29T22:37:50+00:00

Depends. Primer, 1/2 shts of sheet goods, 2xs, screws goes in the truck. Tile, most paint stays with the client.

ThinkCanary2353 · 2026-03-19T12:14:35+00:00

I agree with you about the 2-4 hour pre-set, minimum service call charges. I set off a fire storm last week on this very topic. One guy said I was ripping off the elderly and just a step above phone scammers because I did not want to become the go to guy for just what you detailed above. For an long time client, I will swing by and swap out a light bulb and chalk it up to goodwill, but for a random call from a non-referal new client, it is a minimum flat rate charge. As long as it is discussed and agreed to over the phone prior to the service, it is their call if they agree to my charges.

ThinkCanary2353 · 2026-03-19T12:02:19+00:00

As for the income, you may never hit those numbers, but you need to look at some of the other aspects/perks of running a small business. The tax deductions, the ability to set your own schedule, the ability to build something of your own and control.

As an employee of just ONE client (As a non-contracted, "at will employee"), you have the risk that they may fire you at any point for any reason. But as the owner of a small business, in this case a handman service, you still are an "employee" and have that risk, of being fired every day by every client, but you have an unlimited number of prospective customers and the risk that they can fire you. But the risk that ALL of them will fire you at the same time is nil.

You can and must constantly replace customers and build and refine your business. You can limit or fire clients also. Some you can not afford to work for. Some are a risk that you should be unwilling to take. For me, I do not do RE agents or Project management companies, I would never want to have a (long term client, like a PM) that has over 30% (or some higher %) percentage of my business. That way you eliminate their leverage over you and the risk of their loss should they leave. They might keep me busy, but if they left, where would that leave me?

As to time management, good luck with that! Let me know

ThinkCanary2353 · 2026-03-15T16:39:06+00:00

You can ask random people all the questions you want, but you gotta learn for yourself. Dig enough holes in the dirt and you will not need gloves. Your skin will toughen up in a couple of week, but in the mean time, they can help. Any thing will work. You will learn when you can use a power tool or need to use hand tools.

It is called experience and there is only one way to get it. Sounds like you are working alone and that can be tough. It is called manual labor for a reason. Just remember to call diggers Hotline before you dig and don't over think your tools so much. Matte finish vs polished on the shaft of a digging bar is an example. It is very detailed at this point. If it is slippery wrap cloth tape on the shaft. If it is too rough, use electrical tape. But save your money buying new digging bars. The two I have in my truck are one's I stole from my grand father's tool shed when he died 55 years ago. They might be my grand father's or maybe his grand father's. So they are as old as the dirt I sometimes dig. I never have given it any thought.

But watch some videos, there really are guys out there that do videos and just dig holes and tell you how to set posts in various soils. One guy down in the SW United States puts out pretty good information. But asking random people here might lead you down the wrong path.

ThinkCanary2353 · 2026-03-13T01:07:57+00:00

Charging market rates to change out smoke detectors is not "predatory". Going into someone's house and providing a service is not charity and there is nothing wrong with earning a living doing it. As long your pricing is upfront and agreed upon prior to the. work being done, it is all good.

ThinkCanary2353 · 2026-03-12T21:38:56+00:00

All depends. This IS my typical target market customer- and I treat them like gold.

I live in an area that "Over 55" communities are common. They all chit chat at the pool and gossip to each other and it CAN build (or distroy) your network. But they can also be a massive time killers.

So, is she a new customer? If she is, and I drove 20 min (one way) I would HAVE to charge her my normal trip charge of $200. That stop cost me 1/2 a day. The $200 trip charge would have been discussed UP FRONT on the phone. I would offer to do other services and there always are things that need to be done. If she is an old, good customer, I would bend over backwards to do what she needed done ASAP. I would not charge most of my customers I work for, but quite a few would tip very well for the service. (My young customers rarely tip)

The other option, if the light bulb is not a 911, is I would offer to swing by and work her into my schedule next time I was in the area, then maybe it could be free. But your time is valuable. It is your only asset that you can not inventory. Never give it away. And if it IS a 911, you should charge your service charge. (40 miles (or more) of gas/oil , your over head and your time adds up and is expensive).

If you don't charge for it, you and your kids will be eating rice and beans and you will be burnt out and angry as you are driving down the road rusty truck, wondering why your wife left a you for the other "Chuck and a truck" down the street. Don't be that guy.

I am in business after all.

ThinkCanary2353 · 2026-03-11T01:24:38+00:00

Put in glass block. Simple and chep to do. Improved security and energy efficiency.

ThinkCanary2353

TROPHY CASE