Labor Cost

[khq0660]

.....and they won't do the windows

For $14.80 sq. ft, they should do the windows too.

 

[khq0660]

Furniture move can add quite a bit. In a brand new or unoccupied home, a guy or crew can fly right along instead of pecking along one room at a time.

I can pay the kids up the street $200 to put the furniture in the garage, if it will save me $5000 in furniture moving costs from floor installer.

 

[C.J.]

I can pay the kids up the street $200 to put the furniture in the garage, if it will save me $5000 in furniture moving costs from floor installer.

I have no problem sticking it to someone that wants me to move their furniture especially if they feel there is no value in it. Perfect example is you say you can pay the kids up the street $200 to move everything into the garage so now you think I’m only worth $200 as well. Difference is if I ding your fridge door or put a small nick in a piece of furniture, you’re gonna expect something out of me for the damage. Could be a couple hundred bucks or maybe you want a new fridge or couch so you press the issue to management. Guess who’s paying for it, me. I’ve seen it happen to many a good installer. You think those neighbor kids have liability insurance and the ability and responsibility to fix or replace whatever is damaged. You think they’re gonna pony up $3K for a new appliance or piece of furniture? You wanna know some of the things I’ve had to pay for throughout the years for whatever BS reason. Believe you me I would rather you pay the neighbor kids to move your stuff cus I don’t get paid nearly enough to touch your furniture.

Do the neighbor kids have workmen's comp? Just think if one of them kids blows their back out moving your stuff. They can now sue you for their injuries and you will lose in court because that’s how that cookie crumbles.

Then there’s the whole how hard is it to remove a floating floor thing. Again, if it’s so easy, then please remove it yourself. I make my money on the installation itself not all the other BS that goes with the job cus god only knows what else you’ll think I should be doing for that price.

I honestly think the contractor read you as a customer that will nit pick and be a source of potential unpaid return trips and that’s why you got the price you got. It’s either gonna be worth his time to do your job or you’ll become someone else’s problem.

 

[highup]

I'd still hire the kids.
It's not like you'd let them loose unsupervised. Workers comp? Don't let them lift heavy or awkward, or heavy, expensive things.
If they're good kids and you know them, what the hey. Kids need some fun money too.

 

[khq0660]

What I'm going to do is talk to the contractor about what needs to be accomplished and ask him if he can haggle with the insurance company over the price. As someone pointed out on my other thread, the insurance company is supposed to restore the damaged property. My specifications are that, by whatever means, I have acceptable, comparable quality or better, matching cabinets and flooring at the end, and that all wet or moldy materials are removed. My insurance company and the contractor can argue between them. I might pony up for a little extra mold mitigation/remediation because I'm the one who has to live in a house that is testing high for Stachybotrys, and with the risks being unknown, I'd rather be rid of it.

 

[JPfloor]

Difference is if I ding your fridge door or put a small nick in a piece of furniture, you’re gonna expect something out of me for the damage.

uggg... Don't remind me. When I first started in this trade doing carpet, moving furniture was just part of the job.... Nothing extra.... And we were still liable for damages. Such a horrible trade back then. Used to get blamed for nicks and scratches we didn't do more often than I care to remember.

 

[highup]

I don't know if I'd tell the insurance company that you're willing to pony up part of the money. Play your hand and you can always do a little extra later oif they won't budge.

 

[highup]

uggg... Don't remind me. When I first started in this trade doing carpet, moving furniture was just part of the job.... Nothing extra.... And we were still liable for damages. Such a horrible trade back then. Used to get blamed for nicks and scratches we didn't do more often than I care to remember.

Sure, do 120 yards a fully furnished home when their kids are on summer break, or do a new home.
With the pay back then, you either broke even or you lost 67%.
Which job would you pick

 

[khq0660]

At the request of some contractors who have worked here in the past, I have moved some irreplaceable items inherited from my grandmother because they didn't want to be responsible for them. I had some painting done about three months ago and assumed they too would want me to move them, and I did so. They seemed insulted that they thought I didn't trust them with these items.

 

[highup]

Anything sentimental, valuable, easily breakable, plus all of the small items, including books and lamps and little stuff...... you need too move that. You want to hire people or kids to move bookcases, empty ones, the couch the dining room table, that sort of stuff.
You need to label the wiring and disconnect it from the tv, vcr, cable box whatever.
Want to hire people for is to move objects. End tables, lamps, books, photos..... That is 100% homeowner stuff.
Dining room chairs are homeowner stuff too.
It's going to be a different story of course if someone is in a wheelchair elderly and cannot do these things but it's obviously going to get much more expensive if you can find someone that even wants to do this.

 

[khq0660]

I've had a lot of stuff done in houses over the years and I've moved small, breakable things, glass shelves, grandma's stuff and emptied out movable cabinets and bookcases so many times that I look it as part of the routine. But these painters were insulted that they thought I didn't trust them to move grandma's stuff and were surprised when I went into rooms ahead of them and removed all of the small items. They thought I was all persnickity and worried about my small items that I went ahead of them and moved them. (I got lazy on these guys and didn't take the books out of one bookcase though, and they were sorry I didn't.)

 

[Tile Tom]

I have no problem sticking it to someone that wants me to move their furniture especially if they feel there is no value in it. Perfect example is you say you can pay the kids up the street $200 to move everything into the garage so now you think I’m only worth $200 as well. Difference is if I ding your fridge door or put a small nick in a piece of furniture, you’re gonna expect something out of me for the damage. Could be a couple hundred bucks or maybe you want a new fridge or couch so you press the issue to management. Guess who’s paying for it, me. I’ve seen it happen to many a good installer. You think those neighbor kids have liability insurance and the ability and responsibility to fix or replace whatever is damaged. You think they’re gonna pony up $3K for a new appliance or piece of furniture? You wanna know some of the things I’ve had to pay for throughout the years for whatever BS reason. Believe you me I would rather you pay the neighbor kids to move your stuff cus I don’t get paid nearly enough to touch your furniture.

Do the neighbor kids have workmen's comp? Just think if one of them kids blows their back out moving your stuff. They can now sue you for their injuries and you will lose in court because that’s how that cookie crumbles.

Then there’s the whole how hard is it to remove a floating floor thing. Again, if it’s so easy, then please remove it yourself. I make my money on the installation itself not all the other BS that goes with the job cus god only knows what else you’ll think I should be doing for that price.

I honestly think the contractor read you as a customer that will nit pick and be a source of potential unpaid return trips and that’s why you got the price you got. It’s either gonna be worth his time to do your job or you’ll become someone else’s problem.

Amen brother!!