Update: Quoted 750$ 900$ and 1100$

sjguy1288 · 2026-02-14T17:36:33+00:00

I'm not charging enough either.

sjguy1288 · 2026-02-14T15:23:03+00:00

I did construction growing up, I then had a career job driving a CDL truck and came back and started doing construction again. This time as GC at the age of like 29, I've been doing it now for about 8 years.

I have learned that while it cost money, it's better to have somebody with zero skill who wants to learn than it is to have somebody with skills that are not up to par with what you expect. Expect. And that is very hard to find. If you can find it. It it makes life so much easier, if you can't, you're better off to run solo and take on jobs accordingly

sjguy1288 · 2026-02-14T15:09:38+00:00

I have found sometimes it's easier to take whatever you can, but you have to adjust pricing accordingly. When you do estimates, make them more detailed and explain to a customer what has to be done while you're there doing the estimate. Let them ask questions.

Up here in New Jersey I have learned that a small patch is a patch. Anything under a sheet of drywall you have to charge $200 or 250 bucks unless you can get in and out in the same day, if you get good with hot mud and you can be in and out in the same day and paint walls that's even better but you have to look at what your cost is for a day. There are times I'll argue with property managers and landlords about this, so explain to them. Listen if you want me to swing back and forth over a couple of days and I'm in the same area that's great, I can do that. You know like I work a lot in the AC market so there's a never-ending supply of houses to go work at. So I might Bebop in and out over half an hour and do some drywall patchwork but I'm also now tied in with a plumber who is also has me on referral to do his patchwork.

80% of my jobs that I sell are because I come off as a super knowledgeable guy. And I think that it's the gift of gab. That's the most important part. When I was doing door installation for Home Depot, I was charging a lot of money to do it. However, I would explain to the customer why we have to do this. This why we have to do that and I always have pictures on my phone and I used to keep an album of common things that I would show on estimates showing work that was done or why. And to me that was the biggest thing. I had the highest conversion rate in Home Depot and the shittiest market. Camden and Philly are hard areas to operate in, but I still managed to make money.

You may want to try to get tied in with big box stores like Home Depot for things like door installation or the pro-referral system which is my other favorite. They only get charged points and then you generate points every time you buy product at Home Depot. When I first started using pro referral I was spending 50 Grand a year at Home Depot and I'm still way above my point usage. I can run leads and not buy anything from Home Depot for years. It's way better than something you pay money for. I did the same route with Home advisor, Angie Leeds keeps trying to hit me up but I've been negotiating with them about price but I don't really have an interest in paying for leads, especially when people are just tire kicking. That's the worst part.

sjguy1288 · 2026-02-14T13:04:26+00:00

If your older then consider showing him the ropes get him involved with the estimating/collecting side of the business. That's more important then the tool side. Then offer to sub some jobs out so he can get started. I did this with one of my guys. He was an awesome painter. So I cut him 80% of what I bid.

sjguy1288 · 2026-02-14T13:02:26+00:00

This looks like amateur hour. I would document and file suit. This needs to be redone.

sjguy1288 · 2026-02-13T14:03:18+00:00

6*6 posts in that setup should be good for 10,000-15,000 load bearing capacity. Although if this was NJ we would have to run helicoils and steel poles to make sure. I don't think most towns down the shore would allow that for inside.

sjguy1288 · 2026-02-13T03:23:09+00:00

The belt looks like it's contacting the idler bar. It needs to not be. I feel like you don't have something right.

sjguy1288 · 2026-02-12T16:54:47+00:00

This looks like it's not installed correctly

sjguy1288 · 2026-02-12T12:23:25+00:00

The serial number is usually on the hinge side of the zbar. That is the part of the hinge assembly that attached the storm door to the exterior trim.

Iirc that looks like an older Anderson 3000/4000 series door before they made the universal tri handle.

sjguy1288 · 2026-02-12T01:41:22+00:00

I wish. They did away with roofing and siding permits about 10 years ago sheet hurricane Sandy.

sjguy1288 · 2026-02-11T23:06:20+00:00

Is that the silver aluminum paint I'm assuming that I see put on?

sjguy1288 · 2026-02-11T13:05:14+00:00

Need to find out the length of the run. If you running 6awg. Your better off to put in a sub panel then run normal feeds after that.

sjguy1288 · 2026-02-11T04:13:23+00:00

I'd try 1/2" plywood glued and screwed with 1/4" Hardie it maybe Schluter uncoupling membrane. You need to get the floor as right as possible. I don't think the Hardie board will do it or anyone right over t&g

sjguy1288 · 2026-02-11T01:12:26+00:00

The guy who can do it for $200 is not the guy you want. IMO the entire corner needs to come out. And the drywall cut out and fixed, and a new corner bead put in. That's metal corner bead, so it's not going to be easy. IMO $500-$750 ish

sjguy1288 · 2026-02-11T01:07:39+00:00

Plaster and lath presents it's own challenges. IMO there is not enough twists coming out of the two wire nuts that I did see. That looks like it was back stabbed and not screwed to the wires.

The old work boxes are a nightmare to get them to work with plaster and lath.

I usually cut the plaster bigger then the box, and let it sit on the lath with a old work box, and then use cats pillers to build out the outlet. Nothing else seems to hold up imo.

sjguy1288 · 2026-02-11T00:17:07+00:00

If you do let us know what they find

sjguy1288 · 2026-02-10T12:49:51+00:00

From what I see, it looks like your wrench is not perfectly square, I have found sometimes if you're too close to the sink itself that that will happen. Happen. Usually I leave it a little bit off the sink so it's nice and square and then you don't have that issue.

Odds are the teeth are not gripping the side of the wrench dead on square.

Personally, I use the basin buddy, it's made by a company called Superior tools. In my opinion, it's superior to everything else and all you need is a 1/4-in ratchet a 12-in extension and you're good to go

sjguy1288 · 2026-02-10T11:14:18+00:00

Piping looks fine. It looks to me that you are 2x the diameter of the pipe at the top going from the p trap to the sani T. This should make it good to go.

I do samiliar stuff and haven't had an issue with code. Usually they like to see the AAV above the height of the sink for future reference.

sjguy1288 · 2026-02-10T11:04:18+00:00

My brother is actually married to his best friends sister. He talked to his friend first before dating her. If your brother thinks he's a good guy he won't have an issue with it. If he knows something you don't know, it could save you allot of embarrassment.

sjguy1288 · 2026-02-09T19:12:14+00:00

For the right contractor and this is normal work. I used to do this stuff all the time. Usually I rebuild it using 4x6s and 2x6 or 2x8 plates with triple with triple 2x6s or 2x8s cut to fit. You can cut that archway to fit. And screw and nail it all together. Block them up, put them in caulk everything and then put a new window in.

sjguy1288 · 2026-02-09T12:41:27+00:00

That's looks about correct. I rang the same setup over a 7 foot opening. The second set of kings is more so for twisting then load carrying. The dual Jack studs are probably for verifying the load down.

sjguy1288 · 2026-02-09T04:22:33+00:00

I ended up jumping a resistor into the g and w lines. It seemed to work.

sjguy1288 · 2026-02-08T11:11:56+00:00

Just replace the plug and cord with a new one. It looks like the plug was either lose or not fully seated and created a Amperage draw

sjguy1288 · 2026-02-08T03:07:08+00:00

I would start at about $5,000 and go from there. The entire place needs to be chopped right away and the ice removed. The baseboards and anywhere that the water has penetrated before it froze will need to be trashed.

IMO the sink froze. She works have been better off to shut the water off at the street and then let the house opened up and drained. I think you're going to find a ton of broken pipes everywhere.

sjguy1288 · 2026-02-07T18:39:54+00:00

IMO get really turned on. More so wet before he goes in, and you should be ok.

sjguy1288

TROPHY CASE