Looking for exterior woodwork done!

[loosbrew]

Hey everyone,

I need to have someone come by and give me a quote on repairing some eave and soffit holes. Anyone know of a good qualified exterior carpenter? I'm not a huge fan of cold calling random carpenters from a phone book or signs on the side of the road, though I'm not sure how different this is

TIA!

Luis

 

[jccash]

If you ever need electrical work done let me know. I have some one I can recomend.

Jeff
jwc@xc.org

 

[loosbrew]

Not at the moment, but thanks for the heads up. I generally do most of this work myself, but i know when ive met the limit of my abilities.

Thanks!

Luis

 

[dugg]

I don't know any contractors in the area, but a good rule to follow, is if the contractor needs money down to start the job, then send em packing. A good contractor will never need upfront money. If thier bussiness is stable, they can afford the materials for the one day that it will take them to do the job.

You say you normally do this kind of thing yourself? Do you have general carpenter abilities? If so, you can do those soffits yourself. That is a really simple job, it just looks hard. All you need is a table saw (you can rent at HD), and a hammer and flatbar. It's just 1/4 inch plywood, and a 1x4 face board. It does look intimidating, but it really isn't hard to do at all.

 

[loosbrew]

i have all of the tools. Table saw, miter saw, you name it. One thing too is time. I've been working a lot and find myself with no time to get this done on the weekends. I already have some of the material in hand, just not sure where to start. Some adjusting would be in order since some of the wood has rotted and needs to be cut off and replaced. maybe if someone can help me out ill be more than willing to do the work, just not 100% sure where to begin and where to go after that!

Thanks!

luis

 

[lifesworksataol]

i disagree with the "if they want money down then send them packin". though i am not offended or anything like that. i get like 25% or less down so that the people will have something into the job and wont back out of it. although i do get contracts signed before i start any work, its so easy for people to back out of them and its so hard and costly to go after them at that point. some of the time i dont even cash there deposit intill i get finished, but i still like to get it. just my two cents.

 

[dugg]

I don't know about here in Florida, but going after a non paying home owner where i'm from (oklahoma) is no problem at all. It takes about 15 minutes and $35 to file a labor lean. If they have a mortgage, thier mortgage company will pay you and collect it from them. Mortgage companies have a big issue with leans on thier properties. On the other hand, if you pay a contractor up front money and they never show, you have almost no chance of getting your money back. Not all contractors that get money up front are crooked, but it is a red flag. There is just no reason for them to need it. Anyone can get a contractors account at HD or Lowes and pick up materials without paying until the end of the month. At most i would agree to pay 50% when they arrive on the job site and the rest when they finish. I was on the preferred contractors list for the National Historical Society for 10 years, and never took one deposit. The only time i ever got a dime up front was on special order materials.

 

[lifesworksataol]

from my experience with it, you have to wait till they sell the house or refi to get the money. they cant do anything with the property until its paid, but they dont have to pay you till then and i hate waiting for my money. i wouldnt pay someone 50% when they showed up, please dont do that people. i have heard of many people walking off the job during lunch. but anyways i think everyone gets what we mean. just trying to help. i actually do have a guy though for him. i am going to try and find his card. he is so good about detail.

 

[dugg]

Jason, i have had very good luck over the years by placing the labor lean and then contacting the mortgage company about the lean. It's pretty easy to find out who has interest in the property while you are at the court house filing the lean anyway. Every mortgage has a clause that says that if you have a lean placed on the property, that it can cause your mortgage to be forclosed on. I actually had a lean on a Kmart building one time over installing new doors that they didn't pay for. The build owner came unglued lol. I had my money in under a week.

Luis, when you are getting an estimate, ask them to give you an estimate using rough cedar lumber so this won't ever happen again. Rough cedar doesn't rot. It shouldn't be more than maybe $100 more if that. I'm not up on lumber prices around here, so i have no idea what the price difference may be, but unless it's quite a bit, it's worth it. When i moved here 4 years ago, i built a garage on my house, and it cost me about an extra $175 to use all rough cedar. If you have places that are prone to getting overly wet, white pine or poplar will be rotted again in just a few short years.

 

[jay24k]

My friend doesn't not charge any money up front(Painter) and people are surprised. His motto is, if the job isn't done right, you don't pay me. He makes sure they are 100% satisfied and has a contract signed. In the 25 years his company has been opened(passed from father to son), they have not had a single person not pay.