My tenant and I are considering some projects that he would complete
-- laminate/tile kitchen flooring, countertops (Formica) and
fixtures.

In exchange for rent, what's a good hourly rate to consider?

flooring -- 250 sq feet
countertop -- 200" total in 3 parts
fixtures - kitchen sink/faucet

I'm mostly looking for labor estimates, but if anyone has thoughts on
materials, chime in.

On Jan 27, 2:43*pm, "dadiOH" wrote:
woodchuck wrote:
My tenant and I are considering some projects that he would complete
-- laminate/tile kitchen flooring, countertops (Formica) and
fixtures.

In exchange for rent, what's a good hourly rate to consider?

What does he earn at his job? *Pay at least that.

What does that have to do with it? If the guy is unemployed do you
pay him nothing? If he's a male model and earns $1000/day do you
cough up the dough?

The only things to consider is whether the guy is qualified to do the
work and how much a pro would charge. Doing an hourly thing could be
smart or flipping stupid, depending.

The OP doesn't seem to realize that there is a much steeper downside
than the upside to the situation. Say the guy gets hurt, damages
something in the house, damages materials he's installing and they
have to be replaced, etc., etc.

The only way it could be a win-win situation is looking at it after
the fact.

R

"woodchuck" wrote in message
...
My tenant and I are considering some projects that he would complete
-- laminate/tile kitchen flooring, countertops (Formica) and
fixtures.

In exchange for rent, what's a good hourly rate to consider?

flooring -- 250 sq feet
countertop -- 200" total in 3 parts
fixtures - kitchen sink/faucet

I'm mostly looking for labor estimates, but if anyone has thoughts on
materials, chime in.

I pay my resident handyman $25 per hour for work above common maintenance in
addition to a one bedroom apartment with all bills paid. He's damn good.

Steve

"woodchuck" wrote in message
...
My tenant and I are considering some projects that he would complete
-- laminate/tile kitchen flooring, countertops (Formica) and
fixtures.

In exchange for rent, what's a good hourly rate to consider?

flooring -- 250 sq feet
countertop -- 200" total in 3 parts
fixtures - kitchen sink/faucet

I'm mostly looking for labor estimates, but if anyone has thoughts on
materials, chime in.

With 35 years in the rental business I will offer that the deals seldom work
out without at least one party being unhappy.

If you feel the need to proceed it should be "by the job", labor only. Let
him price it and you agree or disagree. Hourly is an invitation to all
kinds of problems.

Good luck and best wishes whatever you choose.

Colbyt

Best advice I've heard in years.

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..


"Colbyt" wrote in message
m...

With 35 years in the rental business I will offer that the
deals seldom work
out without at least one party being unhappy.

If you feel the need to proceed it should be "by the job",
labor only. Let
him price it and you agree or disagree. Hourly is an
invitation to all
kinds of problems.

Good luck and best wishes whatever you choose.

Colbyt

woodchuck wrote:
My tenant and I are considering some projects that he would complete
-- laminate/tile kitchen flooring, countertops (Formica) and
fixtures.

In exchange for rent, what's a good hourly rate to consider?

flooring -- 250 sq feet
countertop -- 200" total in 3 parts
fixtures - kitchen sink/faucet

I'm mostly looking for labor estimates, but if anyone has thoughts on
materials, chime in.

Common: You supply the materials, he supplies the labor.

After the project, it's like prostitution: You've got it, he uses it, you've
still got it.

On 1/27/2011 8:02 PM, Colbyt wrote:
wrote in message
...
My tenant and I are considering some projects that he would complete
-- laminate/tile kitchen flooring, countertops (Formica) and
fixtures.

In exchange for rent, what's a good hourly rate to consider?

flooring -- 250 sq feet
countertop -- 200" total in 3 parts
fixtures - kitchen sink/faucet

I'm mostly looking for labor estimates, but if anyone has thoughts on
materials, chime in.

With 35 years in the rental business I will offer that the deals seldom work
out without at least one party being unhappy.

If you feel the need to proceed it should be "by the job", labor only. Let
him price it and you agree or disagree. Hourly is an invitation to all
kinds of problems.

Good luck and best wishes whatever you choose.

Colbyt



I mostly agree, but with the added question, are these 'needed repairs'
or 'upgrades'? If the latter, telling him you won't jack the rent till
he leaves, should count for something.

The few times my family found themselves renting out property, any
changes were at request of tenant. If we had a warm fuzzy about their
skill set, deal was materials plus incidental expenses would be deducted
from the rent. Incidental expenses included them hiring pro
installation. (Small towns, nobody worried about only working for the
actual owner.)

Note that ya still gotta pay taxes on the imputed rent- you simply got
labor instead of part of the cash. IRS probably wants it documented as
barter labor, but if you mark it down as rent paid in full that month,
odds are nobody will ever question it.

--
aem sends...

In article ,
Steve Barker wrote:

On 1/27/2011 10:30 AM, woodchuck wrote:
My tenant and I are considering some projects that he would complete
-- laminate/tile kitchen flooring, countertops (Formica) and
fixtures.

In exchange for rent, what's a good hourly rate to consider?

flooring -- 250 sq feet
countertop -- 200" total in 3 parts
fixtures - kitchen sink/faucet

I'm mostly looking for labor estimates, but if anyone has thoughts on
materials, chime in.

As a landlord myself, I would definitely NOT do an hourly thing. It
would be a flat fee, credited only upon PROPER completion. Make sure
your expectations are spelled out in advance and agreed upon in writing.

I guess I'm an idiot. I've got a rental house I've never seen, and
another one with a tenant I've never met. He's done some work around the
place, replacing about 60 feet of fence, painting the whole exterior,
installing a new dishwasher, etc. I just pay him whatever he says is
fair. I haven't seen his work but I believe he's qualified to do it.

I don't do anything in writing, because I can't afford legal battles. A
man will either do what he says he's going to do, or not, and a ****ing
piece of paper won't matter either way, IMAO.

On Jan 27, 11:30*am, woodchuck wrote:
My tenant and I are considering some projects that he would complete
-- laminate/tile kitchen flooring, countertops (Formica) and
fixtures.

In exchange for rent, what's a good hourly rate to consider?

flooring -- 250 sq feet
countertop -- 200" total in 3 parts
fixtures - kitchen sink/faucet

I'm mostly looking for labor estimates, but if anyone has thoughts on
materials, chime in.

I agree with many others on this one. Agree on a fair price for the
job at the start. When he's done inspect it and then deduct it form
the rent. Start with something smaller and if it doesn't work out it
won't be painful and you can chalk it up as a learning experience.

Appreciate all the feedback.

I was looking for a "rate" to use a guage for estimating the work.
Any agreement would be fixed pricing. Example -- laying kitchen
laminate flooring -- figuring about 20 hours x 30/hr = 600. I pay
materials. I'm pretty sure that is enough time compared to hiring
someone to do it. In fact, I could get estimates and then work with
the tenant. So if he comes back with an estimate of $1200, well,
then I'm not sure this is going to work out. If he says 750, then we
are in the ball park and I can start to list out specifics like remove
quarter round, repaint existing baseboard, lay floor, paint and
replace quarter round, etc.

I'd exect to have the work done, insepected, issues resolved, and then
credit towards rent. He's already done some odd jobs -- recaulk a
tub, install a toilet rebuild kit -- so I'd like to compensate as a
matter of good gesture. The water heater regulator went out -- he
installed the warranty part -- I think I paid $75. Caulk a tub, I'm
estimating 1 hour, install rebuild kit -- 1 hour. The toilet one is
kinda hard to sort out -- it might have been better for me to upgrade
the entire toilet.

The real issue is we are upside down on this already -- he's a month
behind on rent and now wanting to barter. I am looking to list the
property this spring, so if he can do a few minor upgrades, it
probably helps me out.

There is a leaky shower -- he believes to be the diverter valve, so
that might be a good 1st run. Requires opening up a closet wall to
get to the valve, replacing and then patching it all back up. Of
course situations like that always can run into new discoveries.

On 1/27/2011 8:30 AM, woodchuck wrote:
My tenant and I are considering some projects that he would complete
-- laminate/tile kitchen flooring, countertops (Formica) and
fixtures.

In exchange for rent, what's a good hourly rate to consider?

flooring -- 250 sq feet
countertop -- 200" total in 3 parts
fixtures - kitchen sink/faucet

I'm mostly looking for labor estimates, but if anyone has thoughts on
materials, chime in.

$50 per hour.

On Jan 28, 9:33*am, woodchuck wrote:

Appreciate all the feedback.

Keep reading - you probably won't.

I was looking for a "rate" to use a guage for estimating the work.
Any agreement would be fixed pricing. * Example -- laying kitchen
laminate flooring -- figuring about 20 hours x 30/hr = 600. * I pay
materials. * I'm pretty sure that is enough time compared to hiring
someone to do it. *In fact, I could get estimates and then work with
the tenant.

You want to get estimates, plural, from working contractors to
establish a price, then have the tenant do the work. Are you ****ing
for real? Nice way to waste some working guys' time, nimrod. It's a
tough world out there and those guys have only so many hours in a day,
families to feed and bills to pay, but because you want to save a few
bucks you think it's okay to steal their time and milk them for
information? That's exactly what you'd be doing, no matter how your
try to rationalize it.

Let's see how this would work if you were a stand-up guy and upfront
about your intentions.

Ring, ring.
"Hello, ABC Handyman Service. How can I help you?"
"I'd like you to come out and give me a free estimate for doing some
work. Can you come by tomorrow after 3? Oh, and BTW I have no
intention of hiring you."
Click.

Wake up.

R

On Jan 28, 8:24*am, "dadiOH" wrote:
RicodJour wrote:
On Jan 27, 2:43 pm, "dadiOH" wrote:
woodchuck wrote:

My tenant and I are considering some projects that he would complete
-- laminate/tile kitchen flooring, countertops (Formica) and
fixtures.

In exchange for rent, what's a good hourly rate to consider?

What does he earn at his job? Pay at least that.

What does that have to do with it? *If the guy is unemployed do you
pay him nothing?

No, but he used to earn something.

If he's a male model and earns $1000/day do you
cough up the dough?

If he can earn $1000 a day he wouldn't be interested in doing handyman work.

My point is that what the tenant typically does for income has no
bearing whatsoever on figuring what to pay the guy. It's immaterial.

The only things to consider is whether the guy is qualified to do the
work and how much a pro would charge.

But he *isn't* a pro.

Yes, I understood that part. The question is - is there enough of
cost savings between the tenant doing the work vs. a pro doing it to
make the added risk and liability worth it.

The OP doesn't seem to realize that there is a much steeper downside
than the upside to the situation. *Say the guy gets hurt, damages
something in the house, damages materials he's installing and they
have to be replaced, etc., etc.

Agreed.

Okay, the motion carries.

R

On Jan 28, 9:08*am, RicodJour wrote:
On Jan 28, 9:33*am, woodchuck wrote:



Appreciate all the feedback.

Keep reading - you probably won't.

I was looking for a "rate" to use a guage for estimating the work.
Any agreement would be fixed pricing. * Example -- laying kitchen
laminate flooring -- figuring about 20 hours x 30/hr = 600. * I pay
materials. * I'm pretty sure that is enough time compared to hiring
someone to do it. *In fact, I could get estimates and then work with
the tenant.

You want to get estimates, plural, from working contractors to
establish a price, then have the tenant do the work. *Are you ****ing
for real? *Nice way to waste some working guys' time, nimrod. *It's a
tough world out there and those guys have only so many hours in a day,
families to feed and bills to pay, but because you want to save a few
bucks you think it's okay to steal their time and milk them for
information? *That's exactly what you'd be doing, no matter how your
try to rationalize it.

Let's see how this would work if you were a stand-up guy and upfront
about your intentions.

Ring, ring.
"Hello, ABC Handyman Service. *How can I help you?"
"I'd like you to come out and give me a free estimate for doing some
work. *Can you come by tomorrow after 3? *Oh, and BTW I have no
intention of hiring you."
Click.

Wake up.

R

So if I got 3 estimates , and 1 was the tenant -- you see a problem
with this?

What union do you work for?

On 1/28/2011 12:59 AM, Smitty Two wrote:
In ,
Steve wrote:

On 1/27/2011 10:30 AM, woodchuck wrote:
My tenant and I are considering some projects that he would complete
-- laminate/tile kitchen flooring, countertops (Formica) and
fixtures.

In exchange for rent, what's a good hourly rate to consider?

flooring -- 250 sq feet
countertop -- 200" total in 3 parts
fixtures - kitchen sink/faucet

I'm mostly looking for labor estimates, but if anyone has thoughts on
materials, chime in.

As a landlord myself, I would definitely NOT do an hourly thing. It
would be a flat fee, credited only upon PROPER completion. Make sure
your expectations are spelled out in advance and agreed upon in writing.

I guess I'm an idiot. I've got a rental house I've never seen, and
another one with a tenant I've never met. He's done some work around the
place, replacing about 60 feet of fence, painting the whole exterior,
installing a new dishwasher, etc. I just pay him whatever he says is
fair. I haven't seen his work but I believe he's qualified to do it.

I don't do anything in writing, because I can't afford legal battles. A
man will either do what he says he's going to do, or not, and a ****ing
piece of paper won't matter either way, IMAO.

to each his own. I would never have a rental i had never seen. As a
matter of fact, i limit them to one small town, so i can work on them as
needed without much driving.

--
Steve Barker
remove the "not" from my address to email

On Jan 28, 11:54*am, woodchuck wrote:
On Jan 28, 9:08*am, RicodJour wrote:



On Jan 28, 9:33*am, woodchuck wrote:

Appreciate all the feedback.

Keep reading - you probably won't.

I was looking for a "rate" to use a guage for estimating the work.
Any agreement would be fixed pricing. * Example -- laying kitchen
laminate flooring -- figuring about 20 hours x 30/hr = 600. * I pay
materials. * I'm pretty sure that is enough time compared to hiring
someone to do it. *In fact, I could get estimates and then work with
the tenant.

You want to get estimates, plural, from working contractors to
establish a price, then have the tenant do the work. *Are you ****ing
for real? *Nice way to waste some working guys' time, nimrod. *It's a
tough world out there and those guys have only so many hours in a day,
families to feed and bills to pay, but because you want to save a few
bucks you think it's okay to steal their time and milk them for
information? *That's exactly what you'd be doing, no matter how your
try to rationalize it.

Let's see how this would work if you were a stand-up guy and upfront
about your intentions.

Ring, ring.
"Hello, ABC Handyman Service. *How can I help you?"
"I'd like you to come out and give me a free estimate for doing some
work. *Can you come by tomorrow after 3? *Oh, and BTW I have no
intention of hiring you."
Click.

Wake up.

R

So if I got 3 estimates , and 1 was the tenant -- you see a problem
with this?

What union do you work for?

Okay, thanks, I now have confirmation. I thought I might have been
harsh earlier, but I see I wasn't. You are stupid twit that feels the
world owes you something.

Yes, if you take up people's time with no intention of giving them
work, that's stealing. Handymen and small contractors frequently
don't charge for estimates in the hope of getting a job. You would
not be giving them the job, so there is no hope of getting one.
You're just being dishonest and rationalizing.

BTW, I do not work for a union, nimrod. The people that you would be
stealing the time and info from also do not work for unions.

Just keep digging.

R