I see you need to stick with giving advice on another subject.
One thickness per area????? LOL Only an 1/8 of an inch??????? LOL
What's the difference between 1/2 and 3/4?????
Now go outside and play with your dog little kiddy.
wrote
I don't know why this is annoying you but ... no, all the work I've had done on my house, no deposits, except for ordering the kitchen cabinets. I didn't buy them from the contractor.
nancy
Sounds like a deposit to me...
wrote
No, I bought them because I knew what I wanted, and the layout. I only started looking for a contractor after the cabinets were sitting in my garage.
nancy
"Nancy Young" wrote
Ooops, I didn't finish. The contractor brought all the sheetrock, wood trim, electrical stuff, etc etc that was needed for the job. No payment for anything up front.
nancy
Huh? What I prefer is a company that has enough operating capital to be able to swing it so that in the three days from the time they start the job until they end it, they don't go out of business because they can't afford to buy supplies enough for the job.
Steve
Must be normal where kjpro is from, as he finds deposits a vital part of business. Deposits are only usual and customary for custom work and special order goods.
Steve
I sold out for a handsome profit for nine years work, and went back overseas for a few contracts where all I had to do was show up.
I was reluctant to do residential jobs because my commercial customer base kept me too busy for that. It also payed more.
Steve
Man, you follow me like a puppy. Most roofers use 1/2" and 5/8". I don't know of a lot who use 3/4" for roofing.
Steve
How can this be? It has been stated time and again here that deposits are usual and customary. ;-)
There's been a lot said here about deposits.
Deposits are usual and customary in today's market for custom work, special orders, and other special circumstances agreed upon in advance by both parties of the contract.
I started out my steel erection contracting business doing ornamental metal in my garage. 50% down because it was custom work, and 50% upon installation.
I did about two years of this before I grew and got into the commercial market and got my contractor's license. In that time, I was jerked around by so many homeowners that I was sick of it.
Once I took off commercially, I changed policies. If anyone said ANYTHING about the deposit on custom work, I'd just put a big X on my copy, and tell them to call me. If they did call back for the work, I'd say that I was just too busy and they could call back every three months. Anyone who grumped about paying a deposit for custom work would grump about everything else, too. Usually they called me back with some long tale of woe about how bad a job they had gotten at a "bargain" price, and could I come fix it. "Sure, a truck and two men are $95 per hour." More wailing.
Once I got commercial, the word "deposit" never came up. They pay when the job is FINISHED AND INSPECTED. Or they do progress payments. And then it may take a while for the girl to cut the check.
So, while I say deposits are bad and unnecessary, I must admit that sometimes .................. The main thing is to know your contractor, have recourse, see their licensing and insurance, and check things out.
As for homeowners paying for stuff up front, I have heard too many horror stories. It's like the drunk who asks for a buck to get something to eat. You offer to take him and buy him a burger. No, they want the buck. If the contractor can't get the materials, YOU buy them and dispense them as used. But NOOOOO, they want the deposit.
Many have written here, both the informed and the clueless. It is different with different types of businesses, and areas. But business is business, and it's just not a smart idea to pay for something you don't get.
MHO, YMMV
Steve
wrote
Kitty Litter, meet kjpro. bye
Had my roof done a couple of years ago with a special order shingle. No down payment. Total cost about $15,000.00 with all the extras, etc. Paid nothing until bill arrived in the mail a few weeks after the job was complete.
What are the other nine?
I have all of those things, yet oddly enough, I find someone's resistance to making a deposit, in full accordance with applicable law, as a sign of distrust. This makes me distrustful. How do I know that they'll pay me when I'm done? Because they say so? Hell, I'm saying so, and you don't trust me? It's a two way street. I wouldn't work for you with your attitude, and you wouldn't work with me because I expect to run my business like a business. We're both happy.
It used to be that only larger contractors ran their businesses like businesses. Larger businesses have established ways of doing business, just as people have their individual preferences, and any individual customer's wishes probably won't be enough to convince the larger contractor to revise the way they customarily do business. As skilled workers are harder to come by, and as contractor sophistication grows (it's amazing how many tradesmen have college degrees nowadays), repair and handyman outfits are adopting the methods of the larger contractors because those methods are good business practice, provide security for the contractor and they work.
People who are scared witless when hiring a contractor and don't know how to protect themselves say such things as NEVER PAY UP FRONT. By the time contract signing rolls around, the owner should have done their due diligence and investigated the contractor and satisfied themselves on their business rating, reputation at supply yards, looked into their licensing and insurance situation and taken the measure of the man.
Trying to use money to protect yourself is nonsensical. If you're not satisfied of the contractor's ability, legality and honesty, you shouldn't let them work on your house in the first place. A bad contractor can nifong up your house very quickly, and do damage that will cost you far more than the amount of the initial repair. Repairing a bad contractor's work keeps good contractor's in work.
Let me see if I understand you. You want the contractor to front you money (that's what he's doing when he buys materials for your job before you've paid for them), but you don't want to front money to the contractor. Does that sound right to you?
You seem to be assuming that a contractor doesn't have a line of credit if he doesn't extend the line of credit to you. It doesn't necessarily work that way. A line of credit from a supplier is for the benefit of their customers. You are not the supplier's customer. The contractor is their customer. You are the contractor's customer.
If the contractor uses a line of credit from the supplier, and doesn't extend it to you, that now becomes a small profit center for the contractor. Contractors are in business to make a profit. The contractor can decide to extend the supplier credit to you or not - that is their call, just as it is your call to accept or reject the arrangement.
If an owner doesn't understand that a contractor weighs the value of the job compared to other potential jobs, the anticipated income and an owner's pain-in-the-ass factor, then the owner should not be negotiating with the contractor in the first place. They should have someone else do the negotiating for them as they are not in touch with the reality of being a contractor and are not up to the task of selecting a good one.
It is.
Note to the OP: if you're not up to the task of inspecting and insuring the work that goes on up on your roof, and you don't trust the contractor, I strongly suggest you find another contractor or hire someone to protect your interests. Contracting is all about risk. You pay for reduced risk. If you want full glass coverage on your car, you pay for it. If you want to rest assured that the work is being done correctly and the contractor is not out to screw you, you will pay more for it. That's how it works.
Rgiving a down payment is the way to get ripped off. if a company isnt big enough to wait till the jobs done before collecting payment.send them on their way. you wouldnt believe the number of contractors that never return after getting a down payment. he's guessing on the wood thickness..lucas
Well, that settles it. You said it, so it must be true.
I tell you what, Ric. I'll do what I want with MY money, and you can do the same. Just as with all the other readers here.
I shall, however, continue to state my experiences, suggestions, and advice here with no need of approval from you. People can, and will, do as they please in their own circumstances.
Steve
At least I am honest enough to tell the story. Things change in people's lives (not yours apparently) and from one time to another, they do things differently.
As for now, I don't USUALLY give deposits, save for custom work or special orders. And I damn sure wouldn't give a deposit to a roofer under any circumstances.
Steve
"RicodJour" wrote
That's your trouble, Ric, you know more than your capacity.
Now let me think about this ................
plonk .......................
Do I want to hit the SEND button .................
Wait, wait, I know this .............
Bye, Rick the Dick ....................
"Dottie" wrote
What about the big one that did the first repair?
Steve
Nevada seems to think a deposit is not unusual. That's where you're from, right?
If a contractor is asking for a big deposit and/or cash, that's one thing, and it's definitely a warning sign. But you didn't say something normal and reasonable, like not letting the payments get ahead of the work. That is reasonable, NEVER PAY UP FRONT is not.
If a customer expressed concern about the deposit and paying for their materials, and they weren't sending off all of these negative warning signals like you're doing, I'd offer to let them pay the supplier directly when delivery was made. That way they paid for their materials that are now safely stored on their property. It's actually safer for the owner as paying the supplier directly insures that there won't be a supplier's mechanics lien.
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