Stopped up drain. –
Plumber came out: He made a temporary fix for $259.87.
But the grease is still there.
The fix may last for weeks, months, years, but it will happen again.
So? I decided to make a permanent fix.
$3,319.66 They’ll do it Monday.
It bugs me, but I’ve never been one to do half a job.
One thing I did learn through all the house stuff was to always get a second and third opinion/bid.
One plumber (who was with one of those Roter-Rooter type companies) came out before I launched on all the house stuff to check out a leak under the bathtub. He point-blank told me I should look around maybe for a good handyman as he (his company) would charge way too much to do the work but I could easily find someone to do it for way cheaper. I really appreciated the honesty.
Found someone cheaper and got it fixed at the time but it was probably only a year later that all the house work began and the bathroom was gutted due to all those leaky problems under the house which had been an ongoing issue for a while.
😦 Busted water pump in Jeep requiring an expensive fix.
🙂 Got the water pump fixed, took care of the overdue oil change and replaced the brake fluid as was strongly advised while I was at it, but … 😦 it will still need another couple (minor?) things done. The check-engine light is on which, according to the free, do-it-yourself Auto Zone diagnostics test I did a few months back, points to an (unspecified) emissions problem somewhere; that’s *potentially* a big deal as I need the car to pass a state-mandated smog test this year to get it registered in April.
🙂 The leak under the car could have turned out to be something much worse. I could tell it was coolant (and I did have a new radiator put in relatively recently), but there were other scary possibilities. Water pump wasn’t cheap, wish it had been just a hose, but at least it wasn’t a major engine issue.
Chas, having taken care of the problem “for now,” it would seem there isn’t any urgency in doing a permanent fix. In other words, you have time to get a second opinion or to see if anyone at church does plumbing or knows someone who works inexpensively.
I once canceled a plumber who was going to replace my bathtub and vanity (which yes, needed to be done) — but I’d already starting doing some of the house repairs and realized, wait, this will mess up the floor, walls, etc; seems like now we’re into remodel territory unless I want it to look jerry-rigged (this guy said he would put it “back together” but he did not do design).
Canceled him after talking to Real Estate Guy who said with what had been the ongoing leak problems in/under the bathroom I would do better to take it down to the studs, make sure there was no mold (thankfully there wasn’t, the 1923 wood frame was in pretty amazing shape, even Real Estate Guy was surprised), and start from scratch. It also allowed me to have a decent looking bathroom at the end.
Real Estate Guy would always tell me to get as many bids as I could for a job, at least 3. If all 3 are in the same ballpark, you know you’re not getting ripped off at least.
Cheryl & Donna. I thought about that. I could get “temporary fixes” for the rest of my life for less than it cost for a permanent fix.
But it isn’t my nature. I want it fixed.
Chas, we get that you want it fixed. But did you get more than one price quote? That’s a lot of money, and it is no longer an urgent situation–you have time to get other price quotes (or even to get another plumber to tell you if it really and truly will be an ongoing problem or if he was attempting to scare you). When that much money is involved, it can be worth getting a second bid. We did so with our windows, which were about the same amount.
I had $10,000 bids both for my new roof (small house w/separate small garage) and for exterior painting (guy said it would look “amazing” if I hired him).
Got my roof done for $600,000 (along with some extra work on porch and patio wood frames thrown in) and painting for $300,000.
You’d be amazed at the price differences you’ll find.
Unless this is a plumber you’ve used before and others have used, you all know and trust and love him, and you’re entirely confident he’s the real deal and is giving you a fair price for a job that actually really does need to be done … it pays to get some other opinions.
Especially if this is a random plumber from the yellow pages.
Do they have yellow pages anymore? Hmmm. We all use the Internet — actually NextDoor (which allows only people from your immediate neighborhood to join) provides some decent recommendations; I trust the experiences and opinions of several neighbors who have used someone more than I would something like “Angie’s List.”
Because I want to be a good friend to you, next time you have a big job like that, I will fly to California and help you negotiate. I will only ask 10% of the amount you save by hiring me, and that 10% will include all my expenses. But only for jobs of more than $100,000. For smaller jobs than that, I need 10% plus my expenses.
Roof job included construction of a new wood patio overhang & replacement posts for parts of the front porch overhang. It was a good deal and the roof had a permit so city inspected it and signed off on everything when it was done.
Highest bid for house/garage roof alone (I turned down a couple before finding the guys I finally hired) was $10,000. Or maybe it was $100,000. Whatever.
Wandering Views 
Stopped up drain. –
Plumber came out: He made a temporary fix for $259.87.
But the grease is still there.
The fix may last for weeks, months, years, but it will happen again.
So? I decided to make a permanent fix.
$3,319.66 They’ll do it Monday.
It bugs me, but I’ve never been one to do half a job.
LikeLiked by 1 person
😦 Hope they are on the up and up, Chas, and it is really necessary. It will be nice when it is done you no longer have to worry about it. 🙂
😦 The things accepted today as right and/or normal.
🙂 Winter festival this morning; jam and potluck this evening.
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Happy to have the car situation dealt with for both daughters.
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One thing I did learn through all the house stuff was to always get a second and third opinion/bid.
One plumber (who was with one of those Roter-Rooter type companies) came out before I launched on all the house stuff to check out a leak under the bathtub. He point-blank told me I should look around maybe for a good handyman as he (his company) would charge way too much to do the work but I could easily find someone to do it for way cheaper. I really appreciated the honesty.
Found someone cheaper and got it fixed at the time but it was probably only a year later that all the house work began and the bathroom was gutted due to all those leaky problems under the house which had been an ongoing issue for a while.
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙂 Rain!
🙂 Saturday!
😦 Busted water pump in Jeep requiring an expensive fix.
🙂 Got the water pump fixed, took care of the overdue oil change and replaced the brake fluid as was strongly advised while I was at it, but … 😦 it will still need another couple (minor?) things done. The check-engine light is on which, according to the free, do-it-yourself Auto Zone diagnostics test I did a few months back, points to an (unspecified) emissions problem somewhere; that’s *potentially* a big deal as I need the car to pass a state-mandated smog test this year to get it registered in April.
🙂 The leak under the car could have turned out to be something much worse. I could tell it was coolant (and I did have a new radiator put in relatively recently), but there were other scary possibilities. Water pump wasn’t cheap, wish it had been just a hose, but at least it wasn’t a major engine issue.
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Chas, having taken care of the problem “for now,” it would seem there isn’t any urgency in doing a permanent fix. In other words, you have time to get a second opinion or to see if anyone at church does plumbing or knows someone who works inexpensively.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I once canceled a plumber who was going to replace my bathtub and vanity (which yes, needed to be done) — but I’d already starting doing some of the house repairs and realized, wait, this will mess up the floor, walls, etc; seems like now we’re into remodel territory unless I want it to look jerry-rigged (this guy said he would put it “back together” but he did not do design).
Canceled him after talking to Real Estate Guy who said with what had been the ongoing leak problems in/under the bathroom I would do better to take it down to the studs, make sure there was no mold (thankfully there wasn’t, the 1923 wood frame was in pretty amazing shape, even Real Estate Guy was surprised), and start from scratch. It also allowed me to have a decent looking bathroom at the end.
Real Estate Guy would always tell me to get as many bids as I could for a job, at least 3. If all 3 are in the same ballpark, you know you’re not getting ripped off at least.
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If your church is big, there’s undoubtedly a plumber in the congregation
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Cheryl & Donna. I thought about that. I could get “temporary fixes” for the rest of my life for less than it cost for a permanent fix.
But it isn’t my nature. I want it fixed.
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We’re saying get some other bids for the permanent fix first. Don’t put it off, but bids are free. $3,000+ is a whole lotta money.
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Chas, we get that you want it fixed. But did you get more than one price quote? That’s a lot of money, and it is no longer an urgent situation–you have time to get other price quotes (or even to get another plumber to tell you if it really and truly will be an ongoing problem or if he was attempting to scare you). When that much money is involved, it can be worth getting a second bid. We did so with our windows, which were about the same amount.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I had $10,000 bids both for my new roof (small house w/separate small garage) and for exterior painting (guy said it would look “amazing” if I hired him).
Got my roof done for $600,000 (along with some extra work on porch and patio wood frames thrown in) and painting for $300,000.
You’d be amazed at the price differences you’ll find.
Unless this is a plumber you’ve used before and others have used, you all know and trust and love him, and you’re entirely confident he’s the real deal and is giving you a fair price for a job that actually really does need to be done … it pays to get some other opinions.
Especially if this is a random plumber from the yellow pages.
LikeLike
Do they have yellow pages anymore? Hmmm. We all use the Internet — actually NextDoor (which allows only people from your immediate neighborhood to join) provides some decent recommendations; I trust the experiences and opinions of several neighbors who have used someone more than I would something like “Angie’s List.”
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Oh, huge mistake in my one graph above!!
Got my roof done for $600,000 (along with some extra work on porch and patio wood frames thrown in) and painting for $300,000.
$6,000 and $3,000. Yikes.
Numbers really do confuse me.
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My $600,000 roof. For that I should have gotten some nice tile trim, right?
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DJ, I was thinking maybe it’s time to let someone else handle your finances!
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Ya think?
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Because I want to be a good friend to you, next time you have a big job like that, I will fly to California and help you negotiate. I will only ask 10% of the amount you save by hiring me, and that 10% will include all my expenses. But only for jobs of more than $100,000. For smaller jobs than that, I need 10% plus my expenses.
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That sounds fine to me.
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Donna. Clue me. Serious question.
Are you paying $600,000 for a roof or do you have displaced decimals?
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Chas, I like to add random zeros to things. It was $6,000 (and already done 2+ years ago now).
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I couldn’t pay $600,000 for anything even if I wanted to 🙂
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Cheryl, you take checks?
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Roof job included construction of a new wood patio overhang & replacement posts for parts of the front porch overhang. It was a good deal and the roof had a permit so city inspected it and signed off on everything when it was done.
Highest bid for house/garage roof alone (I turned down a couple before finding the guys I finally hired) was $10,000. Or maybe it was $100,000. Whatever.
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You could buy six to ten houses in Winchester for that. They all come with roofs.
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I was thinking, “No wonder houses in California are so expensive!” DJ 😉
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Kizzie, good to know.
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mumsee, I meant …
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Kathaleena, interesting thought — maybe our realtors just like to add zeroes to numbers, just because it’s fun and is play money anyway.
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