I bought my very own "just for me" house. I didn't buy a teeny little house because I need elbow room. I dragged all of my collections, crafting items, all of my extra "just in case I need it" stuff and it all fit quite well. This was my house, I had a good job and and was in my "happy place."
Except...walking into the kitchen gave me heebie jeebies. The doorway seemed to be 2 feet wide and if someone opened the frig, you had to wait until it was closed to enter the room, not to mention that that big, solid wall blocked the light to the dining room. I also needed new tile on the floor.
I drove a school bus and one of my high school boys mentioned to me that his Dad was a carpenter. So, I asked him to come and take a look.
I wanted the 32" doorway opened to 6'. I wanted no door, just an opening. I wanted sub floor put down in the kitchen and I would lay my own tile.
His price was $1500.00 for the opening, because he said it was a bearing wall and he had to put beams in the ceiling to hold it up. I knew better. He also wanted $1500.00 for the subfloor. I smiled said thank you and he left.
I needed advice and confirmation, so I called a girlfriend of mine who has one of those husbands that is constantly changing, rearranging and adding to their home.
I was right. It was not a bearing wall. That's all I needed.
The house was an older one with plastered walls. I put tarps on both sides of the wall to hold down the dust. I brought in garbage cans, my reciprocating saw for the 2x4 studs and my BABY SLEDGE HAMMER!!! I had the wall down in an hour.
Another friend and her husband stopped by. They, of course asked what I was doing and after the discussion, he asked why was I going to trim it out in drywall and suggested I cut the plaster opening straight and just put molding up...which I did. The price of 3 pieces of white molding was $50.00. I saved myself $1450.00.
I had linoleum on the floor and both men suggested I lay my new floor right over it. I bought 5 pieces of sub floor...which is like real thin plywood. I stood there forever, figuring out how to lay the floor with the fewest cuts. I laid 5, 4x8 sheets of flooring, and only had to make 1 cut. The price for the sub floor was $50.00...$10.00 a sheet. I bought 3 tubes of glue for about $10.00. I saved $1440.00.
The carpenter called me that next Saturday morning and said he'd be there in an hour or so with "his crew". I asked him why and he said to do start the work. When I told him that I had finished it that morning, and I had done the job for $110.00, he very quietly said goodbye and hung up.
My total saved was $2890.00.
I've had this kind of stuff happen to me with auto repairs. A woman walks in alone and all of a sudden, it feels like these guys are going to make their next house payment off of her and I resent it. I was looking for a car, went into a dealership to test drive one. The salesman told me the price on the window was rock bottom, the lowest they would do, no if's and's or but's. I drove the car and when we got back I told him I would think about it. Guess what he said? "Wait! I'll go in and see if I can get some of the price knocked down." Guess what I said? "Don't bother. You've been caught in a lie and I don't do business like that."
Don't be cheated. Don't think because someone quotes you a price that it's the final word..whatever you are buying or paying for..get advice, get confirmation, get ideas, get a second opinion...and then get the baby sledge!
Except...walking into the kitchen gave me heebie jeebies. The doorway seemed to be 2 feet wide and if someone opened the frig, you had to wait until it was closed to enter the room, not to mention that that big, solid wall blocked the light to the dining room. I also needed new tile on the floor.
I drove a school bus and one of my high school boys mentioned to me that his Dad was a carpenter. So, I asked him to come and take a look.
I wanted the 32" doorway opened to 6'. I wanted no door, just an opening. I wanted sub floor put down in the kitchen and I would lay my own tile.
His price was $1500.00 for the opening, because he said it was a bearing wall and he had to put beams in the ceiling to hold it up. I knew better. He also wanted $1500.00 for the subfloor. I smiled said thank you and he left.
I needed advice and confirmation, so I called a girlfriend of mine who has one of those husbands that is constantly changing, rearranging and adding to their home.
I was right. It was not a bearing wall. That's all I needed.
The house was an older one with plastered walls. I put tarps on both sides of the wall to hold down the dust. I brought in garbage cans, my reciprocating saw for the 2x4 studs and my BABY SLEDGE HAMMER!!! I had the wall down in an hour.
Another friend and her husband stopped by. They, of course asked what I was doing and after the discussion, he asked why was I going to trim it out in drywall and suggested I cut the plaster opening straight and just put molding up...which I did. The price of 3 pieces of white molding was $50.00. I saved myself $1450.00.
I had linoleum on the floor and both men suggested I lay my new floor right over it. I bought 5 pieces of sub floor...which is like real thin plywood. I stood there forever, figuring out how to lay the floor with the fewest cuts. I laid 5, 4x8 sheets of flooring, and only had to make 1 cut. The price for the sub floor was $50.00...$10.00 a sheet. I bought 3 tubes of glue for about $10.00. I saved $1440.00.
The carpenter called me that next Saturday morning and said he'd be there in an hour or so with "his crew". I asked him why and he said to do start the work. When I told him that I had finished it that morning, and I had done the job for $110.00, he very quietly said goodbye and hung up.
My total saved was $2890.00.
I've had this kind of stuff happen to me with auto repairs. A woman walks in alone and all of a sudden, it feels like these guys are going to make their next house payment off of her and I resent it. I was looking for a car, went into a dealership to test drive one. The salesman told me the price on the window was rock bottom, the lowest they would do, no if's and's or but's. I drove the car and when we got back I told him I would think about it. Guess what he said? "Wait! I'll go in and see if I can get some of the price knocked down." Guess what I said? "Don't bother. You've been caught in a lie and I don't do business like that."
Don't be cheated. Don't think because someone quotes you a price that it's the final word..whatever you are buying or paying for..get advice, get confirmation, get ideas, get a second opinion...and then get the baby sledge!
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