# Handy-man Hack Job



## CBP (Feb 5, 2010)

Some of the work I've seen from some of these guys should be criminal! This one was an absolute nightmare for the HO!

A brief background- The homeowner lives out of the country about half of the year. Hired a handyman to do some remodeling while she was gone. He had 6 months to do it, but didn't start the work until 2 weeks before she was to come home. The finished product looked OK, but there were horrors lurking behind the drywall.
The first call I got was because of a leak in her basement ceiling. Seems that when he relocated the toilet, he didn't think that capping off the old 3" line was necessary. When the drywall mud he poured down the drain hardened, well, where do you think the water went? Unfortunately I don't have a pic of that, but when I convinced her that we really should look at all the work performed, I made sure to bring my camera.

When I opened up the wall and ceiling on the first floor...well, see for yourself!


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## CBP (Feb 5, 2010)

Hmmm... besides the lack of a vent (and overall workmanship) on the plumbing, I love the innovative use of any scrap lumber he could find. The electrical really got me, tho. I lost count of how many wire nuts I counted buried behind drywall, let alone the romex pinched between the drywall and framing!

Here we have another pipe (this time a vent) which apparently didn't require at least a cap (these kinda guys don't believe in vents), amd a heat supply to a 2nd floor bedroom that was also unnecessary ( she couldn't figure out why her son's bedroom was so cold all winter!


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## Plumber Jim (Jun 19, 2008)

All I can say is OMG


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## CBP (Feb 5, 2010)

Did I mention that he relocated the laundry room to the basement? Oops, forgot the trap, but at least he put a clean out on the wmb drain. And who say's you can't vent a dryer and water heater with a single pipe? And the new engineering specs on the TGI's says that the webbing isn't necessary, as long as you leave the bottom and top plates!


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## Plumber Jim (Jun 19, 2008)

OMG!! Nacho is on the loose.. That dryer vent into the water heater vent could have killed someone.. That guy need time in jail..


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## TheMaster (Jun 12, 2009)

Plumber Jim said:


> OMG!! Nacho is on the loose.. That dryer vent into the water heater vent could have killed someone.. That guy need time in jail..


 I dont blame nacho...I blame who hired nacho. I'm glad she got what she paid for.....ripped tha F off.:thumbup: You see when she was thinking of remodeling she got a few estimates.....but Gat damn it they were all too much money in her mind...why pay for some dumbass plumber when nacho here will do it for 1/2 price. Good for that biotch and the rest of them with that attitude. nacho is prolly on dope or drunk 50% of the time....whats the customers excuse?


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## CBP (Feb 5, 2010)

Easy, now master...That wasn't quite how it happened. She actually hired the guy on a recommendation from a 'friend', sight unseen. Not sure how much she paid him, but I know it was a heck of a lot less than myself, carpenter, the HVAC, electrician and drywall repair. When she found out what happenned, she sued and won for 100% reimbursement, and has been a loyal customer of mine since! Not to mention the guy has been blacklisted by several counties and municipalities around here now.


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## Cal (Jun 17, 2008)

CBP said:


> Easy, now master...That wasn't quite how it happened. She actually hired the guy on a recommendation from a 'friend', sight unseen. Not sure how much she paid him, but I know it was a heck of a lot less than myself, carpenter, the HVAC, electrician and drywall repair. When she found out what happenned, she sued and won for 100% reimbursement, and has been a loyal customer of mine since! Not to mention the guy has been blacklisted by several counties and municipalities around here now.


 Now that's the way to nail his A** to the wall !! Well done !! :thumbup:


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## Plumber Jim (Jun 19, 2008)

CBP said:


> Easy, now master...That wasn't quite how it happened. She actually hired the guy on a recommendation from a 'friend', sight unseen. Not sure how much she paid him, but I know it was a heck of a lot less than myself, carpenter, the HVAC, electrician and drywall repair. When she found out what happenned, she sued and won for 100% reimbursement, and has been a loyal customer of mine since! Not to mention the guy has been blacklisted by several counties and municipalities around here now.


ah, so this is from a job awhile back then. At least you got the job to fix it up.


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## CBP (Feb 5, 2010)

This was from '06 or '07. And I still get calls from people whom she has told her saga to and referred me. You can'tbuythat kind of advertising for any amount of money.


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## Plumber Jim (Jun 19, 2008)

It does show you though, it's not all about price. but people will go based on price most of the time anyway. I know you said it was a referral but you see this stuff alot after a customer picked mr cheap.


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## TheMaster (Jun 12, 2009)

IMO homeowners get what they deserve if they dont hire qualified people. Its their home and THEIR responsibility when they assume the role of general contractor. You cant tell me the lady didn't know the guy wasn't licensed or no permits would be pulled and no ispections would be made. Shes part of the conspiracy against licensed workers. Hire unqualified and hire them cheap then sell the house to some dumbass before it all falls apart....seen it a thousand times. Get both of them or leave nacho alone,it takes two to party.


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## rocksteady (Oct 8, 2008)

It's the same as any type of product or service. Supply and demand dictates that Nacho woudld be out of work if there weren't customers hiring him. To combat the problem, it has to start with the education of the consumers.


Way to get in there and fix all this doo-doo. :thumbsup:






Paul


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## Pipe Rat (Apr 5, 2009)

I'm calling BS :yes: These homeowners all wanna cry victim when their cheapass deals go south. She took her chances and lost. Too bad she got her money back she didn't deserve it.


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## ESPinc (Jul 18, 2009)

Lucky for her, if she was down in this state she would have been facing charges and fined for hiring an unlicensed "Hack" 



CBP said:


> Easy, now master...That wasn't quite how it happened. She actually hired the guy on a recommendation from a 'friend', sight unseen. Not sure how much she paid him, but I know it was a heck of a lot less than myself, carpenter, the HVAC, electrician and drywall repair. When she found out what happenned, she sued and won for 100% reimbursement, and has been a loyal customer of mine since! Not to mention the guy has been blacklisted by several counties and municipalities around here now.


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## CBP (Feb 5, 2010)

Dang...there is alot of bitterness here, isn't there? Don't get me wrong, I have little sympathy for homeowners who get exactly what they pay for, and zero sympathy for the hacks who get caught. But The way I see it, she learned (the hard way) that you get exactly what you pay for, and she's professing that to everyone she knows. Because of this guy's hackjob, he's out of business (if you want to call what he does business), and me and a couple other legit contractors got a lifetime customer. Do you think I'd still be working at her house, her neighbors, her friends, parents, etc. if I copped the "Well serves you right, lady!" attitude?


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## TheSkinnyGuy (Sep 15, 2009)

Holy.... Crap.... that's all I have to say about that...


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## Protech (Sep 22, 2008)

Oh thank heaven for home depot and lowes. Without them, how many homes would have been done right the first time?


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## Bollinger plumber (Apr 3, 2009)

You would be surprised how many people around here that do remodels in their homes expect the plumber to do it all. When people call me to rough in a bath or kitchen I always make it clear to them that i am a plumber and only a plumber. They always try to talk me into doing the electrical, dry wall, Carpentry so on and so forth. people are more interested in saving a buck than doing the job right. My ex-boss use to tell people that we were professionals in all trades and suffered many repercussions from it. I would get into it with him all the time about him telling people that I was a professional concrete finisher, drywaller etc etc. I know enough about most of the other trades with being in new construction for so long to work on my own house but I refuse to work in other peoples homes. so bottom line I have to agree with the master. When these people hire these handy hacks they get what they deserve.


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## CBP (Feb 5, 2010)

Bollinger,

I don't have any problem at all if a customer requests additional services. There are some things I am well versed in, others I have no business doing, and others that I know my limitations in. My answer is "of course we can coordinate the whole job for you. I have electricians, drywallers, tile setters, etc that we work with regularly." If I have time in the schedule and could use the extra billable hours (who doesn't these days?), and want to finish a concrete floor patch or hang the drywall at plumbers rates, I will (I don't tape, tho. If you'd ever seen my attempts at taping, you'd know why!). The key is to know your limitations, and know who to call and when. 

I have at least 2 contractors in every trade that I've worked with over the years, and know their quality of work, so I have no problem generalling the whole job (for a cost, of course). I don't know how carpenters became the default GC's, but many of them are terrible at it. I know a lot of mechanical companies that can manage the job just as good or better.


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## 3/4 MIP (Dec 1, 2009)

*Concrete finisher*

Don't get that one. Someone please explain. We routinely Jackhammer basements for full baths in support of remodels. We carry out the stone and dispose of it and patch our holes and trenches with cement. Your right though, the only wood we cut are blocks to hang pipe.

3/4


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## Bollinger plumber (Apr 3, 2009)

CBP said:


> Bollinger,
> 
> I don't have any problem at all if a customer requests additional services. There are some things I am well versed in, others I have no business doing, and others that I know my limitations in. My answer is "of course we can coordinate the whole job for you. I have electricians, drywallers, tile setters, etc that we work with regularly." If I have time in the schedule and could use the extra billable hours (who doesn't these days?), and want to finish a concrete floor patch or hang the drywall at plumbers rates, I will (I don't tape, tho. If you'd ever seen my attempts at taping, you'd know why!). The key is to know your limitations, and know who to call and when.
> 
> I have at least 2 contractors in every trade that I've worked with over the years, and know their quality of work, so I have no problem generalling the whole job (for a cost, of course). I don't know how carpenters became the default GC's, but many of them are terrible at it. I know a lot of mechanical companies that can manage the job just as good or better.


I have no problem coordinating a job for a ho if they want to apy me to do it. I will not do the work myself though I will hire people who are experince in doing their particular trade. There are a few things i will do myself but very little. If I bust up a floor to do a repair I will replace the concrete or if I have to cut an access for a tub or shower I will replace the drywall or put in an access panel. I will not do electrical or hvac.


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## para1 (Jun 17, 2008)

...................


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