Big disagreement with contractor. Things are about to turn sour. What would you do?
I decided to accept a painting job, and it has turned into a bit of a headache.
The houses are still being completed. The contractor got me on board, and I have to paint EVERYTHING (including ceilings, hard-to-paint doors, door frames, closets, etc.)
The challenge is, he got several gallons of a crappy quality (yet 40$ a pop) paint this is supposed to be a flat + paint. I had to put three coats of this stuff to hide the gyproc underneath it. After two coats we could still read some of his writing on the gyproc. It was as if I was working with a diluted water paint.
Usually one good coat of flat will do the job. I basically painted the house three times instead of one. The other house only required one coat of a different flat he bought.
He's disappointed to say the least with my lack of progress. The way I see it, I lost two days. He also got some bad tools for painting. Not all bad quality (some of it is very good), but some dollar store crap that breaks and doesn't apply the paint well.
Bad tools = longer job and drop in quality. He finally got a high-quality trimmer after I told him that is was a pain to apply the paint with a brush that wasn't made for that.
I got the job done once and for all with that quality brush. But, I had to go over what I had done previously. Time wasted.
He said he got a quote from people he knows for $1600 for painting the TWO houses. He also said that they claimed they could do it in 4 days.
I've done 8 ten-hour days so far, with one house almost completed (6 hours left) and the other prepped for painting, and flat on the walls and ceiling.
In addition to the painting, I had to sand the walls, remove the dust with a swiffer, clean up the place with a broom and vacuum, clean up their mess, patch holes and cracks, help him bring stuff in (appliances, wood floors, etc.) etc.
The ceiling is one color, the bathroom another, and both rooms have three different colors.
I charge him $15 an hour, and he says it is too expensive for what he gets in return. Now keep in mind, I work HARD. I don't take brakes anymore, and sit down only long enough to eat my lunch. He's the first person who isn't happy with what I've done.
He keeps hinting at wanting to fire me if I don't step up and work harder. The way I see it, I am not responsible for selecting the bad quality paint. Nor buying the not-so-good tools. He wants to re-negotiate and pay me $1,600 for both places. Or lower my pay by 3 bucks.
This doesn't feel fair to me.
According to research I've done online, I charge cheaper than other painters, and take about as long as they do.
I made $1,200 so far. If it wasn't for the bad paint, I'd have $900 instead. Much more agreeable, wouldn't you think? If I'd had better tools, he'd have more money in his pocket.
Please tell me how you would handle this. And what would be the money and time investment to paint 2 one story, 720 square feet houses (two bedrooms and one bathroom)?
Thank you so much!
SEO
The houses are still being completed. The contractor got me on board, and I have to paint EVERYTHING (including ceilings, hard-to-paint doors, door frames, closets, etc.)
The challenge is, he got several gallons of a crappy quality (yet 40$ a pop) paint this is supposed to be a flat + paint. I had to put three coats of this stuff to hide the gyproc underneath it. After two coats we could still read some of his writing on the gyproc. It was as if I was working with a diluted water paint.
Usually one good coat of flat will do the job. I basically painted the house three times instead of one. The other house only required one coat of a different flat he bought.
He's disappointed to say the least with my lack of progress. The way I see it, I lost two days. He also got some bad tools for painting. Not all bad quality (some of it is very good), but some dollar store crap that breaks and doesn't apply the paint well.
Bad tools = longer job and drop in quality. He finally got a high-quality trimmer after I told him that is was a pain to apply the paint with a brush that wasn't made for that.
I got the job done once and for all with that quality brush. But, I had to go over what I had done previously. Time wasted.
He said he got a quote from people he knows for $1600 for painting the TWO houses. He also said that they claimed they could do it in 4 days.
I've done 8 ten-hour days so far, with one house almost completed (6 hours left) and the other prepped for painting, and flat on the walls and ceiling.
In addition to the painting, I had to sand the walls, remove the dust with a swiffer, clean up the place with a broom and vacuum, clean up their mess, patch holes and cracks, help him bring stuff in (appliances, wood floors, etc.) etc.
The ceiling is one color, the bathroom another, and both rooms have three different colors.
I charge him $15 an hour, and he says it is too expensive for what he gets in return. Now keep in mind, I work HARD. I don't take brakes anymore, and sit down only long enough to eat my lunch. He's the first person who isn't happy with what I've done.
He keeps hinting at wanting to fire me if I don't step up and work harder. The way I see it, I am not responsible for selecting the bad quality paint. Nor buying the not-so-good tools. He wants to re-negotiate and pay me $1,600 for both places. Or lower my pay by 3 bucks.
This doesn't feel fair to me.
According to research I've done online, I charge cheaper than other painters, and take about as long as they do.
I made $1,200 so far. If it wasn't for the bad paint, I'd have $900 instead. Much more agreeable, wouldn't you think? If I'd had better tools, he'd have more money in his pocket.
Please tell me how you would handle this. And what would be the money and time investment to paint 2 one story, 720 square feet houses (two bedrooms and one bathroom)?
Thank you so much!
SEO
The 2nd Amendment, 1789 - The Original Homeland Security.
Gun control means never having to say, "I missed you."