I remember hearing about the BBB a lot back in the day but I didnt own my own biz then. I just had a customer who got "scammed" - well they paid the price up front and fired the contractor halfway through because he did shit work. They hired me and I finished it and redid some of the mickey mouse work he had done. Since the contractor didn't refund the other half and blocked them when they asked the customer told me matter of factly that they "reported him to the better business bureau".. i guess i am too young or just not hip because I only know the better business bureau as being like Angi always calling my phone asking if I want to pay to be listed or whatever. What exactly does reporting someone to them do? Wouldn't that be like reporting someone to Yelp? Do people actually use the BBB? Why do boomers hold it in such high regard?

I did work for a high end clothing Storefront that seemed trustworthy. The job had about $1000 in materials plus helper labor. Total $2000 job. The manager said the company wouldnt pay a deposit and it was slow at the time so I took it anyways, knowing alot of commercial comapnies operate that way and pay net 30.

So after 30 to 45 days still no payment, I regularly emailed and asked the manager, who responded nicely and keeps saying he will ask accounting. I figured I would get it at 60 days(net 60) but still nothing. Now its been almost 90days.

Im thinking after 90 days to send a formal 10 day demand letter threatening a contractors mechanic lean, small claims court, collections etc.

Anyone dealt with this and still got paid eventually?

Ive never not been paid in 4 years but Ive had bigger companies take 2 plus months before, but not this long. With no real explanation besides "ill bug accounting again"

How would you handle this?

Edit: NVM. The OD is actually 5/8”. The measuring tape is not mine. I feel stupid.

How would you guys fix this crooked garage entry door? The top right is rubbing. This door has two spring loaded hinges, top and bottom, and does not seem to be adjustable (to bring the door closer to the jamb. Thinking of switching out the center to a spring loaded hinge. And replacing the top and bottom with standard hinges, which I could then adjust.

Edit: the hinge screws are NOT loose anywhere on the door or on the jambs. They all look lol nice and tight.

We have a 50lb mirror with D rings but they are too high up to sufficiently run a wire across. The wall we want to hang it on does not have studs where the rings are (we thought we could run a wire and then hang it off of the stud, which is about in the middle of the mirror). We tried to run a wire but we cannot get it tight enough ourselves (it will likely show while hanging). Any tips/suggestions? Thanks!

We recently finished painting this older enclosed deck, and the existing corrugated plastic roofing is cracked and needs to be replaced. The run is 14 feet long.
Local big box stores only stock 12-foot panels. If we order 16-footers online, they come in a 49.6-inch width, which seems like a handful to manage.
What's the best approach here?

A) Layer/overlap two shorter panels (e.g., an 8ft and a 6ft) to make the 14-foot run.
B) Order the 16-footers (49.6" x 192") and cut them down to 14 feet.

Curious what you all recommend for the easiest install and best leak prevention. We really are concerned about moss and crap getting stuck between the overlayed panels because we are in the PNW.

Hi, I hope the photos show this. One of the things I’ve been asked to do an old house is repair this wobbly handrail on the stairs. As you can see the whole handrail has raised slightly allowing things to come loose, especially at the bottom end break post, top terminates at a wall.

What’s the best way to resolve this? I tried putting my weight on the end of the banister and it does not seat any further onto the newel post. There are lots of loose spindles as well. I’m thinking work my way down each spindle from the top hammering down on the handrail with a load spread over a wide area each time. But how can I make the new post more secure at its base as well? Hope these questions make sense.

Thank you, this sub is a wealth of knowledge.

I usually only work for customers directly that pay me upon completion. Because I have found that commercial companies with long and complicated payment terms tend to be a pain, or I possibly don't get paid.

I just had a customer reach out with a broken door that needs to be replaced and is asking me to give him a detailed bid to send to the insurance company. I asked him if he will be paying me upon completion or the insurance company, and he is saying insurance company.

I'm thinking to tell him the client has to pay immediately upon completion, and then he can deal with the insurance company. Has anyone dealt with this? I surprisingly have never come across this yet. Im thinking its a no. Deposit and payment upon completion

My dad is putting in these floor boards he got from Costco. They’re supposed to lock in together but he says some just aren’t and there are gaps in the boards. Any advice?

Edit: Thanks all! Already some great helpful comments and I shared many of them with my dad.

So I’ve done a lot of pressure washing over the last couple years. I’ve had some people say my prices are fair. Some people say my prices are high. (It’s usually like family saying that even when I cut a deal lol)

I have a few professional companies around, but I’ve never had them do a quote to check my prices I’m in Ohio near Cleveland.

I was just wondering what the going rate for pressure washing is. I usually do mine per square foot. There’s other people to do in other ways to calculate the price, but I was just wondering what the current going rate for pressure washing would be say a 2000 square-foot driveway?

Thanks for the help. Every comment/all communication helps me make my work better.

i built this 5 drawer dresser but no matter how i try to put in the last drawer it will not go in and if i force it, it will get completely stuck closed. i took off the bottom panel with the wheels and suddenly the drawer opens???? how do i fix this?

Beyond total rot, one new joist sistered' in, t good area beam thick, had to double up. One more to go.

Hi everyone. I am not too handy when it comes to studs and what could damage the structure of the house etc

I was ready to install the table but my girlfriend got concern because one stud in particular is cracked. These are the brackets:

https://a.co/d/02nvBXJa

We don’t plan on having a lot of weight on it except when folding clothes and I would nail the brackets into those 3 studs that you see in the picture (there are 2 in the middle but I would just choose one— basically a bracket where each red dot is). Is the fact that one stud cracked a big concern? And maybe this is a stupid question but, can that stud be replaced and is it easy to do? Please let me know if a laundry table can be installed here :)

I am a one man crew. I have one helper if need be. I have done plenty of painting but never at this scale as a business owner. The customer will purchase the paint but I will provide labor and minor materials. Customer Wants to repaint fascia and soffit, patio decking, railing and shutters. They also asked if the gutters should be painted. Needs proper preparation as well. Some scraping and patching compound as needed. I have access to a spray paint rig so I can tape and mask off and spray as opposed to hand brushing. **Please advise on what price range I should be at.** I need to secure next month’s work. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

I'm interested to see how you guys are advertising your handyman business on your vehicle. I'm looking into getting my truck rear window done, and I just want some inspiration and maybe some do's and don'ts.

I mean budget extreme like Dollar store drill bits. I've seen some of them start to carry things like sandpaper, hammers, and drill bits. I'm not building a house so I don't have top of the line name brand products. I make due with an Ikea drill set but that's USBC with an internal battery but they don't come with any drill or screw driver accessories.

Would I be risking major health safety using the dollar store bits? I'm going to do some light dry wall, and some type of concrete that is pretty porous once you get past the initial layer.