c/trades-and-services

Got locked out of my storage unit and wasted 2 hours with the wrong key

I was at Public Storage in Dallas last Saturday and realized I grabbed my house key instead of the padlock key. Had to call their emergency line and wait for a guy to show up with bolt cutters, cost me $65 for the service call. Anyone else had a brain fart like that ruin their whole morning?

Rant: Fixed a leaky pipe in 10 minutes after 3 days of wrong advice

Everyone online said to just tighten the fitting, but that made the drip worse. I finally called a local plumber in Dallas who said I needed a new O-ring, not more torque. Why does every forum skip the simple fix first?

PSA: That "quick trim" I offered a customer turned into a 45 minute argument about symmetry

I was trimming hedges for a lady in Oak Park last Tuesday and she asked if I could do a quick shape-up on her small boxwoods too. Said it would take 5 minutes. I told her flat out that shaping takes longer than that unless you want it looking hacked. She insisted so I did a rough pass and she started pointing out every uneven spot. I ended up spending 45 minutes fixing it while she watched and critiqued. My question is do you hold firm on your time estimates even when a customer pressures you or do you just do the quick job and deal with the complaints?

Was helping a buddy wire his shed in Austin and the breaker kept tripping... turns out I forgot the neutral bond

The electrician I hired for my attic fan install had an ancient drill from 1982

He showed up to my house in Austin last Tuesday with this beat up corded Black and Decker that looked like it survived a war. I mean, the thing still worked fine but it made me wonder why someone charging $150 an hour wouldn't drop $60 on a decent cordless. Anyone else run into pros using gear that's way older than it should be?

My furnace died in January and finding a repair guy was a nightmare...

Our old furnace finally gave out on the coldest night of the year, like it knew exactly when to mess with us. I called around to three places in Toledo and one guy quoted me $900 just for a diagnostic visit. Ended up finding a solo HVAC guy named Dave who fixed it for $350 and even showed me how to clean the flame sensor.

That $200 plumbing inspection I thought was a rip-off saved me $2,000

I paid a local plumber $200 to do a camera inspection of my main sewer line after noticing slow drains. He found a big root clog that would have burst within a month and flooded my basement. Has anyone else here had a small inspection fee prevent a much bigger disaster?

Crossed 50 five star reviews on my handyman profile yesterday

Never thought that many people would actually take the time. Started doing small jobs in Austin last year. Fixed a lady's garbage disposal for $60 and she left a nice review. Now I'm sitting here shocked that 50 people cared enough to write something. Has anyone else hit a random milestone that caught them off guard?

Unpopular opinion: plumbers charging $150 just to show up is out of hand

Had a toilet leak last Tuesday in Austin and called three different guys. First one quoted $150 just to walk in the door, no work included. How do they justify that when a diagnostic should be like $50 max?

The HVAC guy told me to switch my air filter every 30 days... he was wrong for my house

My buddy who does HVAC in Phoenix said change it monthly without fail, but my house collects dust way slower than his... after 6 months of wasting filters every 30 days, I stretched it to 60 days and the filter was still barely dirty. Has anyone else found that the standard advice doesn't fit their place?

TIL my electrician friend was right about those cheap LED bulbs

Honestly, I thought my buddy Mike was just being picky when he said to spend $3 per bulb instead of $1 at the hardware store. I bought a 12-pack of those no-name bulbs for $12 and six of them died within 8 months. Three more started flickering after a year. I finally bought the $3 Philips bulbs last month and they've been fine. Anyone else deal with cheap bulbs burning out way too fast?

The stat that made me rethink my whole pricing structure

I was reading through a trade industry report last night and found out that 68% of solo operators in plumbing and electrical are charging below market rate by at least 15%. That hit me hard because I just raised my service call fee from $75 to $95 and thought I was being greedy. Has anyone else seen these numbers and actually adjusted their rates based on them?

Rant: Got sold on a $1500 'premium' garage door opener that's way worse than my old chain drive

I paid a local Atlanta outfit $1500 for a fancy belt drive opener with wifi and all that. My old chain drive from 2004 was loud but never failed in 15 years. This new one gets confused by humidity and makes a grinding noise every few days. The tech said it's 'normal break-in' but I'm not buying it. Has anyone else had better luck sticking with the old tech?

Picked a local hardware store over Home Depot for my siding job and saved $80

I needed cedar siding for a garage in Austin, and after pricing both, the mom-and-pop shop matched the quality but threw in free delivery which the big box wanted $80 for so that made the decision easy, anyone else see better deals from the smaller guys?

Simple trick I learned for cleaning paint rollers faster

Last month I was painting my garage in Portland and got sick of spending 20 minutes cleaning each roller. A buddy who does drywall for a living told me to spin the roller dry with a five-in-one tool before washing it. I tried it and got almost all the paint out in 30 seconds flat. Now I just rinse it once and it's clean instead of standing there scrubbing forever. Has anyone else found a faster way to deal with cleanup?

Spent $800 on a "high-end" caulk gun for my crew... biggest mistake or best move ever?

I bought a top-of-the-line powered caulk gun for $800 last spring because I was sick of hand fatigue on big jobs. First week it was great, but by week three the battery stopped holding a charge and the company wanted $150 just to look at it. Now I'm back to using a $30 manual gun and wondering if I just got a lemon or if all the fancy stuff is a waste. Any other contractors tried the expensive caulking tools and had them last, or did I just learn a $800 lesson?

TIL that cheap gutter guard from Amazon isn't worth the plastic it's printed on

Installed some $15 rolls last spring and by October they'd sagged so bad leaves were piling up under them anyway. Had to pay a roofer $200 to pull them all off and power wash the gutters. Anyone else find a guard that actually holds up in heavy rain?

Electrician vs handyman for a $150 outlet swap in Seattle - who's right?

My neighbor said I was crazy for calling an electrician to move one outlet 3 feet. Said his cousin the handyman would do it for $50 cash. But my dad always told me never skimp on electrical work. Got quoted $150 from a licensed guy. Neighbor says I'm wasting money, dad says I'm being smart. Which side are you on for small stuff like this? Any horror stories from going cheap?

Told a buddy I didn't need a contract for a small $800 moving job because we'd been friends for years

Ngl he paid me $300, said the rest was coming, then ghosted me for 3 months until I finally had to threaten small claims court to get the other $500, has anyone else had a 'friend' burn them like that?

Visited a new hardware store in Portland last weekend

I stopped by that new Builders Depot off 82nd Ave to grab some drywall screws and noticed they had a whole aisle of spray foam insulation, like 20 different kinds. The guy at the counter said sales have tripled since winter because everyone's trying to seal up drafts themselves. Anyone else see more DIY folks tackling insulation jobs instead of hiring pros?

Warning: I ruined 3 pressure washer pumps before I learned the real trick

For two years I ran my pressure washer without ever checking the oil. I figured if it was full from the factory, it was fine. After burning through 3 pumps in 18 months, a neighbor who does landscaping asked me when I last changed it. I felt pretty stupid. Now I change the pump oil every 50 hours, and my current unit has lasted over 2 years. Anyone else learn a basic maintenance thing the hard way?

Has anyone worked with Millcreek Painters in Edmonton?

I've been seeing their trucks around my neighbourhood and got a flyer for Millcreek Painters . Has anyone actually hired them? Curious about their interior painting quality and if they're good with older homes.