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Tradesmen, have you ever noticed
skicat
Member Posts: 14,431 ✭
Whenever you do a job for friends or family, Murphy's Law shows up times ten?
I did a job for my favorite uncle yesterday, his house was hit by a tree in a straight line wind storm and the tree hit his plumbing vent stack and snapped off several Tee's in the wall. Easy tasks which I do without even thinking were fouling up and becoming a challenge. Worked to 11:30 last night to get his job buttoned up. Felt like I had the MIDAS TOUCH IN REVERSE. Everything I touched turned to Sxxx.
I did a job for my favorite uncle yesterday, his house was hit by a tree in a straight line wind storm and the tree hit his plumbing vent stack and snapped off several Tee's in the wall. Easy tasks which I do without even thinking were fouling up and becoming a challenge. Worked to 11:30 last night to get his job buttoned up. Felt like I had the MIDAS TOUCH IN REVERSE. Everything I touched turned to Sxxx.
Comments
Once did a tune up on my MIL's car, 3 years later she was told she needed plugs replaced, (along with a few other things) it was my fault for screwing up the tune up. Next time she brought up needing plugs, I told her I didn't have the tools to get down in the wells. [:D]
Put new tombstones in a light fixture for a cousin, and they wanted to know if "something I did" caused another fixture to need a couple tubes.
I quit!
Don't ask me why.[:)]
I will no longer work for family and friends, seems they have a habit of expecting a lifetime warranty on it.
Once did a tune up on my MIL's car, 3 years later she was told she needed plugs replaced, (along with a few other things) it was my fault for screwing up the tune up. Next time she brought up needing plugs, I told her I didn't have the tools to get down in the wells. [:D]
Put new tombstones in a light fixture for a cousin, and they wanted to know if "something I did" caused another fixture to need a couple tubes.
I quit!
When I retired my plan was to stay in a cheap motel until I could find a house. My late mother-in-law would hear none of it. Nobody in her family was going to stay in a motel while she had two empty bedrooms. I voted to thank her and politely refuse, but to keep peace with my wife we went to my mother-in-law's house.
When I got there she already had the paneling, wallpaper and molding waiting for me. I worked almost around the clock for several days hanging paper and paneling. Then I got to start on the molding.
I was cutting and fitting molding and overheard her on the phone with her other son-in-law. She told him "he's down here cutting up all my molding and I won't have it. You get down here and do it right". I wanted to unplug the miter saw and quit right then, but I didn't. My brother-in-law did stop by and inspected my work. He told her he didn't know of a way to put up molding without cutting it.
I finished the job and that was the last job I did for her. I still haven't figured out how to put up molding without cutting it. A simple "thank you" would have been nice, but I guess she was too steamed about me cutting up all her molding. My brother-in law and her son charged her competitive prices for anything that took more than ten minutes. They had lived near her longer than I had.
Dan
" Either do the job for free or charge the going rate. You cannot do favors without it coming back to bite you."
My wife likes to say I am useful for unskilled labor only and you get what you pay for.
This is the benefit of being an engineer. People don't just call you up to design an airplane for them.
My wife likes to say I am useful for unskilled labor only amd you get what you pay for.
We are kind of slow at work. I work in the engineering department. Folks have figured out that if they give me a size of something like a covered porch I can draw it up so they can get materials and show contractors what they want.