To coordinate a sewer lateral replacement at the house you rent?
All I’ve done is spend maybe 1/2 hour on the phone/internet, and maybe another 1/2 hour meeting three plumbers for bids at my own home, obviously. (And provide my hard-earned experience in pricing, scope involved, and which companies are the best bets.) Oh yeah, I also put up the initial deposit, to move the job along after I picked/told the landlady to pick the company. She sent me a check immediately.
My landlady is a real sweet lady who lives 1 1/2 hrs away, and it’s just easier for me to handle it. I told her she should get me a bottle of wine for Christmas, and we’d call it even. She’s pretty insistent on paying me something close to what I’d charge a regular client.
While I probably did save her $100’s (if not $1000’s) by not turning her loose to the yellow pages wolves, I am really reluctant to accept a lot from her for making a few calls (while I was home doing office stuff anyway). I also am reluctant to take on the liability of a contractor at the house I rent.
Any thoughts?
k
Replies
$69,732.56
SamT
A Pragmatic Classical Liberal, aka Libertarian.
I'm always right!
Except when I'm not.
LOL. You're obviously a better businessman than me.
k
what's up with the cut throat tatics???
or you did poorly in math at school and it shows....
it this be the case.... yur lacking a comma or two...
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Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
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fifty bucks. She'll feel better about it, than just a bottle of vino
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where ...
Excellence is its own reward!
now that I think of it, I did a house inspection once and charged $350, but found and advised about stuff that p[robably saved thousands.She sent a fruit basket and a bottle of VERY god wine, and a gift card.I guess she felt VERY good when she was done.I know I did.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Yeah, I think if I don't charge something, she'll feel bad.
I wonder about the liability- have I acted as a contractor then?
k
Since you already provided some front money to the job, you may already be on that hook, otherwise I would say write the bill out for a "consulting fee"
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Yeah, I thought about that when I wrote the deposit check. I wanted to get the job scheduled asap, and figured it'd take a couple of days for her to send a check in the mail. A clogged poop pipe will cause some quick decisions, that's for sure.Excellent call on the "Consulting Fee" if I do send her a small bill. May be too late legally, but it least it'll make my intentions clear to her and hers.k
Oh, incidentally, for you East Bay folks, the 3 bids for 70' of trenchless with two holes, permits, etc. ranged from $3700 (Rhino Rooter) to $4950 (A Better Rooter). Pipe Spy had a very well presented bid for $3800 with $150 of concrete work contigencies. Albert Nahman wanted $85 to come out and video the line prior to giving a price, they never got invited out.Rhino gets the job. They've done two laterals on jobs I've worked on in the past. If I had a client who was really into detailed presentations, I might have picked Pipe Spy.I wonder what the bids would have been if my little old landlady made the calls.k
Are you her contractor, or are you just coordinating the job without assuming any risk? I would clarify that with her, or just stay out of it. You turn your back and something happens, who's paying for that? Last sewer lateral I did down there suddenly required a public right of way permit with an engineer's signoff that the fill was competent for city street work.
Yeah, that's the type of scenario I'd worry about.
Although, in this case, it all looks pretty straightforward- one hole at the house, one hole at the sidewalk (in loose laid brick, even. I doubt they'll even need to touch the concrete). Trenchless.
Still.
I think she thinks she would like it if I was acting as her contractor. But if I really was, I think she might be surprised by what I billed, mainly for contingincies and liability.
I've told the plumbers I'm just helping coordinate, but if I accept even a dollar, what does that mean? I guess technically, if I accept a bottle of wine that's payment, but I'll dispose of the evidence quickly...
k
Generally, I try to only do work for two different price levels..... free and full price. It seems like anything that falls in the middle has a pretty good chance of falling into the 'no good deed goes unpunished' category sooner or later for me. I've even had a few freebies back fire on me.
Yeah, that's pretty much how I am too- free or full price. In between can get a little messy.
k
"I also am reluctant to take on the liability of a contractor at the house I rent."
Seems like a really thin line to be walking if you made the calls and set it up for her. At a minimum my insurance would want me to have a signed contract. Worst case scenario that I would want to consider is what if somebody got hurt on the job? At least here in Washington State anyways I'd want to consider who would L&I go after? You or her?
BjR