Think about the kind of person who will take this kind of job. During
a time when people are home improvement crazy, there are more jobs
than qualified workers. The guy who has time to do this little project
probably doesn't have a client list that keeps him active. I used to
to do framing on houses when I was in college and I'll have to say
that most of the "skilled" workers were ex-cons and/or drunks.
Amazingly unreliable and lazy to boot. You can't expect much from them
and if you want the real professionals you won't want that bill
either. I suggest you DIY and learn something. Unless you are
disabled, you can probably do this job yourself and will cost you
about 1/4 of what he quoted. You will take twice as long to complete
(maybe) but you will also take away the satisfaction of a job you
completed yourself. If you can critque crooked walls and mud-jobs, you
can handle it. If you want something done right, DIY. Anytime I need
to do something, I buy a book on it or research it on the net and
figure it out myself. I would consider a pocket door to be a weekend
project if you ask me and no I don't do that kind of work for a
living. I sit behind a desk for the most part.



"Nobody" wrote in message news:PY6qd.176377$G15.87823@fed1read03...
If you start complaining about everything, calling constantly, pressuring
and threatening him with legal action, etc. He may just not come back and
may not care about the money.

For the most part, I pretty much left them alone (just peeking in once in a
while) UNTIL they started disappearing and not showing up. Even then, I
think I was pretty polite about it, I didn't yell at them or anything. I did
point out a couple of things along the way though. Is that how I should
handle things? If someone frames a wall crooked, shouldn't I point that out
at the framing stage? or should I wait til everything is done so they either
refuse to fix it or need to tear everything down? This is a brand new house
and the builder made some crooked walls. I pointed them out early and they
actually tore them down and rebuilt them. When I noticed another crooked
wall towards the end, they just tried to hide it with different molding.

In the current case, for example, I pointed out that a electrical box was
too low and crooked AFTER he installed the switches and switch plate and
started patching the drywall. Obviously he had no intention of fixing it. I
realize there is some adjustment and play in them and he could have adjusted
the crookedness, but not that it was too low. And is he going to cut into
drywall after he has patched it only to patch it again? probably not. Is he
going to magically put back the carpet he cut all jagged and too short?
probably not. Is he going to fix a crooked wall after everything is done?
again, probably not. They'd just give me the I'm "being too picky" line.

And this is after his first coat of mud/caulk was LITERALLY SMEARED on the
wall like a kid fingerpainting. Half the screws and tape are exposed. I
watch This Old House and Hometime. I know what a first coat is supposed to
look like. And one drywaller I had did a good job downstairs and I saw how
his first coat looked. Now obviously, for a TV show they are going to be
perfectionists, but still, I take that into account.

I dunno, I will admit I am pretty picky. But I think I give people a chance
to do it right. I guess I have to give them more chance in the future. When
I was getting shutters put in and pointed out a problem with one, the
installer was pretty rude and pretty much told me to get the hell out of his
way. Ok, he fixed it and my concern was unwarranted. But some things like
framing, etc are easier fixed when in the framing stage.

On the other hand, I guess I get annoyed when someone watches over my
shoulder when I'm doing something .