Neighbor wants me to help tile his floor

Pewterpower · Sep 9, 2007

I'm gonna help him. But what should I suggest as pay? I know I'm gonna end up doing most of the work. It's a real simple job, about 400 sq ft in the entrance way and down a hallway. So what would the average handyman charge a friend to do some simple tile work?

Chris75 · Sep 9, 2007

In your situation, I would ask for lunch and some beer... My general rule of thumb is full price or free, no in between....

Sponsor · 2022-01-29T12:20:58-0800

Pewterpower · Sep 9, 2007

Naw, it's not like that at all. I'll definately charge him something. But I don't want to be a horse's ass, either.

Pewterpower · Sep 9, 2007

I just now saw them out in the driveway, so I thought I'd walk over and talk about it. What the wife said was a "simple job" is actually far from it! Lots of twists and turns and cuts and angles. Also, it's over 400 ft.
Then he said he had just got a quote from an installer to do it for $500 and I told him he'd be a fool not to jump all over that.
After I saw the job, I was relieved to be off the hook......
It's not that I couldn't have handled the job, but I could not have done it in 2 days.

Jadnashua · Sep 9, 2007

Without knowing what was on the floor and how much trouble it is to prepare the area for tile, you could easily spend $500 just getting ready to tile.

Gary Swart · Sep 9, 2007

NEVER trust a homeowner's judgment on what will be an "easy" job. It isn't that they are necessarily trying to put anything over on you, they just don't know. That's why people are often shocked when they find out what a professional charges. It's true in many professions. Auto body, electric, plumbing, etc.. A lay person just has no concept of how much time is involved to build, fix, or replace things.

Frenchie · Sep 9, 2007

It's nice you're off the hook, but I'm not sure you helped him. He might live to regret hiring someone that cheap...

Toolaholic · Sep 9, 2007

I just charged $26 per sq. ft.

Of that tile was $3.50 per ft. priced from Home tech. estimater

Pewterpower · Sep 10, 2007

When he told me he had that quote, the first thing I asked him was if he was drunk and undocumented.

He said the guy seemed alright, so I told him to go for it.
The first red flag for me is that he is going to tile over his vinyl floor. The second is that he is not going to pull up the baseboards, just tile up to them and install 1/4 round.
Sounds to me like it will be a half assed job. But you get what you pay for...

Geniescience · Sep 10, 2007

lippage and grout lines. Ask him if he knows what lippage is, and if he is willing to accept any amount of it. Ask him if he knows what width his grout lines will be, and if he is willing to let them be any width.

david

Statjunk · Sep 11, 2007

Going over vinyl! Not a good situation at all.

Not pulling up the baseboard that isn't a big deal.

Tom

NurseDoe · Sep 11, 2007

Oh NO! You have to take up the baseboards! Tiles are expensive, and having them like cheap is never a good idea. I know because my cousin helped do my house, and he didn't pull up baseboards, and a lot of other mistakes. I know that I have to pull up half the floor and do it over soon.

Tiles aren't like carpet that you can have someone restrech. They stay where you put them.

Why go over plastic/vinyl tiles? Are they asbestos? We did have to stop pulling up the ones in my kitchen when we realized that they were asbestos underneath.

I do work for friends for fun and for free. Or we work out a trade. We barter skills, I give my neighbor injections, and consult often on her family's health problems, and she is giving me a major discount on cement curbing.

I vote for neighborly good will.

Pewterpower · Sep 11, 2007

Like I said, when I actually saw the size of the job he wanted to do, I was quite relieved when he told me he had a quote he was happy with.
Right up to the time that I walked into his house, I was still struggling in my mind as to what to charge him, if anything.
I already told him that leaving the vinyl down is not a good idea, but he seemed like he had made up his mind. He can't say he wasn't warned.
As far as the baseboards go, that is my own personal preference. Looking back at the tile job I did in my own house, I would say that not pulling up the basesboards was my only regret.

TonyKarns · Sep 11, 2007

How Much?

What city are you in that you can charge $26.00 per sq ft! Im going to move there!!! Going rate in the Milwaukee area for tile setters is about $10.00 per sq not including any underlayment.

Cass · Sep 12, 2007

400 Sq. / Ft. $500.00 = $1.25 /ft. that is to low to me.

Is the floor the 1' X 1' vinyl tiles or is it the sheet vinyl?

Is the vinyl on wood or concrete

Statjunk · Sep 12, 2007

I'd vote no on neighborly good will. Seen too many things head in the wrong direction after a disagreement or what not. When I start a job I want to see it through and money is what usually gets it there.

I'll give as much advise and supervisory help as a friend or neighbor needs. As soon as I become much more than that money needs to be discussed. I've also learned that giving a job away isn't the right approach because even a friend or neighbor will expect expert quality work when you are giving them hack pricing.

Been there done that.

Tom

hj · Sep 12, 2007

job

Almost everything is "easy" to a homeowner when he is trying to get a price for the job. That is why no reputable contractor will even consider giving a price over the phone based on a description of how easy the job will be. Especially since even if you say, "X dollars, or more, based on the actual job", all they will hear is "X dollars" and wonder why it costs more.

Old Dog · Sep 12, 2007

being a good neighbor...

Remember,no good deed goes unpunished...

Toolaholic · Sep 13, 2007

HI Tony karns

I live and work in the Bay area,Marin Co. Average Home prices are around 1 Mil. Bring $$ If You come. I'm a G. C. My 45th year. That price is outa home tech cost estimator,adjusted for My cost in this price zone. I work for some nice folks $$$$. We do great work ,and I won't work for everyone. I starved in Mass. many years ago. Bay area is a nice place to live.

Terry · Sep 13, 2007

I plumbed an entire home for a good friend.
I didn't want to do it, but,

It should have been a $17,000 job.
I only charged him $5200, and he argued about that,
Had to wait nine months for my final payment, something like $2700, because he was earning interest on the money.
I had paid for all of his material up front.

When I invited him to my birthday party last Winter, he said it was too far to drive.

Work for friends?

Neighbor wants me to help tile his floor

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