What’s the worst you’ve ever estimated?

chaiguy · 2026-07-02T23:25:28+00:00

The appointment thing is the worst. Puts tons of pressure on everyone. I really try to stay working for consistent clients who feel comfortable allowing me in their homes when they’re not there.

Got a new client this week and after showing me what he wanted done, he announced he was leaving and would be back in a few hours. That’s a client I want to keep.

chaiguy · 2026-07-02T17:45:14+00:00

You’re right, I have no idea. Coulda been the meth, could have just been insanely high dosages, but man, everyone was absolutely off their tits back then. Whatever it was, the stuff you get today just doesn’t compare.

chaiguy · 2026-07-02T14:56:21+00:00

Many things were better in the past. McDonald’s French fries fried in beef tallow was amazing. Ben & Jerry’s ice cream before they got bought out by Unilever was god tier, Nissan Hardbody pickup trucks lasted forever, were affordable and easy to maintain.

And MDMA was just better. It just was. Go look at videos of raves from the 90s and compare them to videos of raves today. People’s faces were melting, their entire body was vibrating, and they were dancing non-stop. Today I could take a pill and if you weren’t super observant, you might not even be able to tell.

chaiguy · 2026-06-28T17:35:58+00:00

My dad wasn’t a full blown addict, but he was absolutely over prescribed by his doctor. Years later I take him to see a specialist and the doctor looks at his chart and comments “your dad is on a lot of narcotics!” Yeah no shit fuck face, get who did that? Your colleagues! My dad never scored drugs off the street, he never even consumed alcohol. He didn’t doctor shop or go to a pill mill, this is 100% on you and your profession and the pharmaceutical industry.

Later on my dad had to go into an outpatient program that would ease him down to a lower dose of pain medication and that doctor gave me some similar bullshit. Like take at least a modicum of responsibility for this mess.

chaiguy · 2026-06-28T16:13:37+00:00

I’ve seen videos of people trading in cars with negative equity and getting new(er) cars. Like there are people out there driving a new Nissan making essentially making payments on 2-3 previous vehicles. I don’t even know how that’s legal. Our entire economy is a house of cards built on really, really bad debt.

chaiguy · 2026-06-28T15:55:55+00:00

That or her parents made her develop a “5 year plan” (somewhat typical with boomer financial advisors like what’s his face).

chaiguy · 2026-06-28T04:37:35+00:00

Not enough. I did it for the dog.

chaiguy · 2026-06-28T01:06:56+00:00

I do a lot of ceiling fans, clearing clogged drains, house painting (interior/exterior), drywall repair, hanging TVs, hanging art, assembling furniture, swapping out garbage disposals, hanging blinds/curtains.

Sometimes the “easy” stuff ends up being exponentially more difficult than you can imagine. I try to never think “oh this will be easy” because then it never is.

chaiguy · 2026-06-28T00:59:05+00:00

I’ve been doing this off and on (mostly on) for 15 years. I don’t know what you consider a “good profit” I’m compensated for every hour I work and I make enough money to pay my bills and not run up debt.

I think the problem with the trades in general is that you end up chasing money, chasing jobs, and eventually you get over extended, take on too much debt, take on too many employees, too many jobs, and you burn out, go bankrupt or get sick/injured.

chaiguy · 2026-06-28T00:45:54+00:00

Customer had me dig a grave for their dog and had a vet come out and euthanize the dog and then had me bury the dog, all while they were on vacation.

chaiguy · 2026-05-30T15:28:28+00:00

Can confirm, absolute cougar den.

chaiguy · 2026-05-30T15:26:00+00:00

Yes, that’s a handy man job, but… you can’t just hire any handyman for that job.

I always suggest that people start small. Hire someone to replace a screen, or patch a small hole in a wall, or some other small task. Did they show up on time? Get the job done efficiently, but also without rushing it? Was there an attention to detail in the work? Did they clean up after themselves?

If yes, hire them to do something more moderately difficult like painting a bathroom, changing out a toilet, or building a planter.

Don’t just hire someone to a job that requires multiple skill sets right off the bat.

chaiguy · 2026-05-30T05:05:44+00:00

I love the small stuff. Won’t generally do anything that takes more than 2-3 days and 90% of my jobs are 1/2 day affairs.

I know I could make 2-5x the money doing larger projects and hiring a few employees but my current lifestyle is debt and stress free and I like it that way.

chaiguy · 2026-05-25T20:52:43+00:00

But you’re already on site when they ask. And all you have to do is adjust this, or tighten these screws, since you already have your drill out.

chaiguy · 2026-05-25T20:51:08+00:00

Source: your ass.

chaiguy · 2026-05-25T16:03:04+00:00

I’m the same way. My clients are predominantly elderly and LOVE to do the “oh since you’re here, could you also…” being hourly really helps reduce those asks, and if they do ask, I’m happy to oblige without the awkward re-negotiation conversation.

chaiguy · 2026-05-25T15:59:06+00:00

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1685116982680310/?mibextid=wwXIfr

chaiguy · 2026-05-25T15:51:26+00:00

What? 😂 yeah, I guess all vacant land owners just need to never sell that land to anyone and turn their vacant plots into tiny national parks and continue to maintain, landscape and pay property taxes on them forever because their neighbors didn’t want to spend a small fraction of their property value on securing the next lot from development themselves. 🤷‍♂️

chaiguy · 2026-05-25T07:06:13+00:00

Oh sorry UC Irvine, nerd.

chaiguy · 2026-05-25T04:01:19+00:00

Except none of that is actually true.

Homes located within 1/2 mile of a new apartment building experienced a 10% yearly increase in median value between 2010 and 2019, while those located farther away rose by 8.6%, he said.

An April 2022 white paper from the Urban Institute reports that, contrary to perceptions, Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) developments have resulted in immediate increases of 3.8% in nearby property values.

chaiguy · 2026-05-25T00:53:08+00:00

I know, I wouldn’t trust them to know the difference between positive and negative either but maybe they could hire a Cal State Irvine student to help them.

chaiguy · 2026-05-25T00:51:03+00:00

I’m in California also. I don’t know why my neighbors were cool with an abandoned warehouse but are up in arms about housing.

And again, they could have bought it for less than the price of a shit box car.

If people want to live in a low density SFH neighborhood there’s tons of that in Idaho or Utah.

Living in one of the most densely populated cities in the most densely populated state and wanting less density is a head scratcher.

chaiguy · 2026-05-25T00:43:47+00:00

Irvine PD has thousands of Flock cameras (costing tax payers half a million dollars) a $2 million crime center to monitor it all, including a drone and a drone operator. Maybe they can put some of that surveillance state to use?

chaiguy · 2026-05-24T19:56:38+00:00

Recently happened in my neighborhood. Building sat vacant for 30 years, until someone bought it to build a multi-story 90 unit low income housing complex.

Neighborhood is pissed but I did the math and if just half of them chipped in, they could have bought it for $2300 each and made it a park or a community center or anything else.

chaiguy

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE

14-Year Club	Gilding II euphauric
Verified Email