RobertPatrick wrote:
"L. Guteireze" wrote in
:

Greetings

I'm retired from the construction industry, but not yet retired.

We live in a neighborhood, where people help their neighbors, we have
neighborhood cookouts & such. Though retired from construction, people
still ask me to repair this or that, some drywall work, odd job etc. I
always attempt to help people out, and if I find it's going to be a
project which will take time, I refer them to a contact. When I do
work, its for a modest charge, because I no longer hold a license, or
carry insurance.

A younger couple moved into the neighborhood. They wanted a deck &
patio door replaced. After asking around, a few neighbors pointed them
my way. Being up front, I told them I would _help_, but wouldn't give
them a price on anything.

They came up with a 14'x16' deck design, I drew it up, so they could
get a permit. I set up batter boards and strung it out for the post
holes (6 of them). The deck was going over part of a concrete patio,
so I had him rent a concrete saw to remove where 4 holes were going to
be placed. I cut out 4 areas 12"x12" for these holes. My first sign
this guy was cheap, was when he started bitching about how much the
saw cost along with the blade. I helped the fella run the auger,
called to have the holes inspected, poured the concrete, set the beams
& all floor joists. He wanted to install the flooring himself, and I
showed him how to do some railing, because he wanted a built in gate
within the railing. When it came time for the steps, I figured them
out & cut them for him. After the deck was completed, his wife started
complaining the deck was too _small_. It was their design, with them
saying how big they wanted it.

For the patio door, I still have aluminum coil stock, and an aluminum
brake to bend for flashing under the new door, and on top for a _z_
flashing. I set the french doors, which he & his dad were the helpers.

So he says he will have a cook out when it's all done. I never
discussed getting paid, and I really don't want a dime for it. He said
he will have a cook out when everything was done. Well, he did,
several of them, and didn't invite myself or my family to join. He
didn't invite anyone in the neighborhood, just some drunken _friends_
from his old neighborhood. This was last year when the work was
completed. I just wonder where these friends were, when the work was
being done.

Fast forward to this year. He wanted to borrow my sawzall, I told him
I don't loan tools.

Now my lawnmower recently died. This guy bought a new Scag zero turn
this year. He seen my brother bring over his mower for me to use. The
guy walked over, said I should have asked him, for he would cut my
yard for a mere $30 a pop. I was totally stunned, he would even
suggest he would charge me. The fella doesn't cut grass for a living,
this is his toy, and I know it was expensive, but geez. Not only that,
several people in the neighborhood have different companies cut their
yards for $20, and all these lots are similar in size.

Am I getting a taste of the "me" generation?

I know, I should just get over it.


yeah, it would really tick me off with a neighbor like that. Sadly, these
days a lot of people of all ages are real dopes. Don't know if they plan
it that way, or they are just for ME! Me! Me!

I suppose the only thing you can do is to be pleasant and wave to those
people, but otherwise try to ignore them. Have a some excuses ready to say
if the guy comes around again.

BTW, I hired out for a guy to mow my yard. He only charges $20 to mow and
trim. I have a fairly large suburban lot.

I'm jealous. Around here, the quoted prices start at around $40, if they
bother to call back at all. This is the small brown gentlemen in straw
hats and old pickups, not the services with shiny trucks- they want $65
on up. I'd pay $20 in a heartbeat, every 7-10 days, just to avoid the
lost night of sleep from my allergies that kick in at 0300 or so, even
if I shower immediately after mowing. I'd even provide the mower and the
gas. 2/3 acre, minus footprint of house and shed. Takes me about 2.5
hours with a mulching push mower, since it is so chopped up, and parts
are sloped.

I don't see any teenagers mowing lawns around here- just the fellows
described above, or white-haired retirees whose wives told them to go
out and play, so they cut every 4 days. (That and some middle-age ladies
that really, really, need to trade their riding mowers for push mowers,
but we won't go there...)

Why did I buy a house again? Hey, OP- you have any cousins that live
around here? I have a deck that needs a refresh real bad...

--
aem sends...