Random Irritations

The bloody weather. Days off for my birthday starting today and it's lashing down and very windy. Course closed like others are. Hoping for an improvement by Friday.
 
This constant paranoia we have around tradespeople and whether we're being ripped off or not. We found a painter & decorator to do our small-to-medium sized second bedroom, he happens to live on our road. When he gave us the quote he says he'd normally charge £700 but would do it for £450 as we are neighbours. No idea if that's true but the price seemed ok so we went for it anyway. Initially he says it's a 3 day job, now he reckons he might be done today (day 2) even though they finished at 2:30pm yesterday even after having an hour and half out earlier on while waiting for a coat to dry. So should we be pleased it's done quicker or has he billed us an extra day to pull a fast one?

And on top of all that I have my wife whinging to me things like "he's only doing one coat on the skirtings, I've Googled it and it says you'd normally do two coats with that paint and blah blah blah". So you're the expert now because you've Googled it? Do you want to go up there and tell him how it's done because I'm not going to?

This was supposed to less stress than doing it ourselves.
 
Orikoru said:
This constant paranoia we have around tradespeople and whether we're being ripped off or not. We found a painter & decorator to do our small-to-medium sized second bedroom, he happens to live on our road. When he gave us the quote he says he'd normally charge £700 but would do it for £450 as we are neighbours. No idea if that's true but the price seemed ok so we went for it anyway. Initially he says it's a 3 day job, now he reckons he might be done today (day 2) even though they finished at 2:30pm yesterday even after having an hour and half out earlier on while waiting for a coat to dry. So should we be pleased it's done quicker or has he billed us an extra day to pull a fast one?

And on top of all that I have my wife whinging to me things like "he's only doing one coat on the skirtings, I've Googled it and it says you'd normally do two coats with that paint and blah blah blah". So you're the expert now because you've Googled it? Do you want to go up there and tell him how it's done because I'm not going to?

This was supposed to less stress than doing it ourselves.
Click to expand...
This subject came up last year, might have been @Imurg ? The general consensus is that you were quoted for a job and were happy with the price. Had it taken longer, would you expect to pay more or would you expect the painter to suck it up? It's taken less time because they know what they are doing but the end result is the same. Forget the time taken, just see it as the cost to get the room painted. See it that way and you wont feel done over. Be pleased you have got the room back earlier (y)

I can't help you with your wife though :oops::ROFLMAO:
 
Orikoru said:
This constant paranoia we have around tradespeople and whether we're being ripped off or not. We found a painter & decorator to do our small-to-medium sized second bedroom, he happens to live on our road. When he gave us the quote he says he'd normally charge £700 but would do it for £450 as we are neighbours. No idea if that's true but the price seemed ok so we went for it anyway. Initially he says it's a 3 day job, now he reckons he might be done today (day 2) even though they finished at 2:30pm yesterday even after having an hour and half out earlier on while waiting for a coat to dry. So should we be pleased it's done quicker or has he billed us an extra day to pull a fast one?

And on top of all that I have my wife whinging to me things like "he's only doing one coat on the skirtings, I've Googled it and it says you'd normally do two coats with that paint and blah blah blah". So you're the expert now because you've Googled it? Do you want to go up there and tell him how it's done because I'm not going to?

This was supposed to less stress than doing it ourselves.
Click to expand...

Your first point as Lord T says is just one of those things, happy with the price? (two days work for £450 seems fair) then just pay and smile, you can decide if you want to ask him back again later.

Your second point though OMG! I dread having trades in as every evening from the wife it’s “ I don’t think they are doing it right, they spend too long on their phones, they are at lunch too long, they are not bringing their teas cups back!” It’s everything… like you said what does she expect me to do about it, phone them up in the evening and bollock them about using the wrong towels? ?
 
Whole bunch of irritations this morning which means I am also going to have to buy a cat.
Course closed for the third straight day because Noah has parked his ark on it, that stupid cow who joined ISIS and her Supreme Court case, trying to lay adhesive bathroom tiles round a basin, all the publicity round a pathetic "celebrity" event where they eat gross food ...
 
Orikoru said:
This constant paranoia we have around tradespeople and whether we're being ripped off or not. We found a painter & decorator to do our small-to-medium sized second bedroom, he happens to live on our road. When he gave us the quote he says he'd normally charge £700 but would do it for £450 as we are neighbours. No idea if that's true but the price seemed ok so we went for it anyway. Initially he says it's a 3 day job, now he reckons he might be done today (day 2) even though they finished at 2:30pm yesterday even after having an hour and half out earlier on while waiting for a coat to dry. So should we be pleased it's done quicker or has he billed us an extra day to pull a fast one?

And on top of all that I have my wife whinging to me things like "he's only doing one coat on the skirtings, I've Googled it and it says you'd normally do two coats with that paint and blah blah blah". So you're the expert now because you've Googled it? Do you want to go up there and tell him how it's done because I'm not going to?

This was supposed to less stress than doing it ourselves.
Click to expand...

I was so delighted when I found a tamed builder

Now my go too for most things unless like Monday with the consumer unit rewire I will get a sparky in.. I mean he rewired my garage when he removed the asbestos roof

Before we found him I remember the pain of roofers in for various things and the wife moaning , oh the gardens a mess fag butts in the pots .. broke a light in garage (we have 2 roofs and they had done the back and it had knocked the light out inside and it smashed on floor)

You know what it's like .. builders fault .. im like the fag butts I'll give you it's annoying but how can he see through a locked garage to see he broke a light? Give him a break lol
 
Lord Tyrion said:
This subject came up last year, might have been @Imurg ? The general consensus is that you were quoted for a job and were happy with the price. Had it taken longer, would you expect to pay more or would you expect the painter to suck it up? It's taken less time because they know what they are doing but the end result is the same. Forget the time taken, just see it as the cost to get the room painted. See it that way and you wont feel done over. Be pleased you have got the room back earlier (y)

I can't help you with your wife though :oops::ROFLMAO:
Click to expand...
Yeah, don't get me wrong I'm not going to haggle - if it looks good we'll pay what was agreed of course! It's just the kind of anxiety we get I suppose.

Fade and Die said:
Your second point though OMG! I dread having trades in as every evening from the wife it’s “ I don’t think they are doing it right, they spend too long on their phones, they are at lunch too long, they are not bringing their teas cups back!” It’s everything… like you said what does she expect me to do about it, phone them up in the evening and bollock them about using the wrong towels? ?
Click to expand...
Tell me about it. Yesterday it was "they've been out for over an hour 'letting the paint dry'! Why couldn't he be prepping the door in that time?" I dunno, ask him? I'm pretty sure this isn't his first painting job.
 
Orikoru said:
This constant paranoia we have around tradespeople and whether we're being ripped off or not. We found a painter & decorator to do our small-to-medium sized second bedroom, he happens to live on our road. When he gave us the quote he says he'd normally charge £700 but would do it for £450 as we are neighbours. No idea if that's true but the price seemed ok so we went for it anyway. Initially he says it's a 3 day job, now he reckons he might be done today (day 2) even though they finished at 2:30pm yesterday even after having an hour and half out earlier on while waiting for a coat to dry. So should we be pleased it's done quicker or has he billed us an extra day to pull a fast one?

And on top of all that I have my wife whinging to me things like "he's only doing one coat on the skirtings, I've Googled it and it says you'd normally do two coats with that paint and blah blah blah". So you're the expert now because you've Googled it? Do you want to go up there and tell him how it's done because I'm not going to?

This was supposed to less stress than doing it ourselves.
Click to expand...

When doing my own



One hour for a wash down and clean plus any necessary filling and about another hour waiting for it to dry, one hour for the ceiling one hour to dry, couple of hours for coat on walls and one hour to dry. Next day rub down the down skirtings and one coat of gloss (assumes a good quality make like Dulux one coat) if it needs a second coat that gets done the next day.

So depending on what actually is needed it is a 3 day job but not 8 hours a day.
 
Orikoru said:
Yeah, don't get me wrong I'm not going to haggle - if it looks good we'll pay what was agreed of course! It's just the kind of anxiety we get I suppose.


Tell me about it. Yesterday it was "they've been out for over an hour 'letting the paint dry'! Why couldn't he be prepping the door in that time?" I dunno, ask him? I'm pretty sure this isn't his first painting job.
Click to expand...


Do you really wanting him sanding the door and the debris flying down near your still wet paint?
 
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