It tis the season where all your neighbors and relatives suddenly remember who the person is with the tools and skills to assemble all their presents. May the saints help you if ever parked a truck with a tool box and a couple of cords hanging out the back, you didn’t do any welding or have your table saw out did ya?
Heh, electrician! The dentist down the street just bought an animated holographic Christmas scene sky projector for you to wire to his knob and tube front porch light.
That cute young couple from across the street is pulling out of Ikea with the Subaru loaded to the hilt.
The next door neighbor is walking over with a magazine picture of a playhouse for his grandkids, it’s 12 degrees outside,snowed twice, and lowe’s is dumping the lumber off in your adjoining driveway…is that thing got a 24/12 pitch.
Remember those bunkbeds built in sri lanka with directions in eritrian, no metric bolts in the box or the kid’s kitchen set you finally put together with tek screws and fender washers for your brother-in-law. It’s all up to you, all the box stores need ya, this Christmas hinges on your skills.
Replies
It sure is great to be so needed!
Tis also the season people want to their house in tiptop shape before the big family gathering. A new front door, crown mould in the kitchen, or a fancy skylight in the family room. From turkey day on to Christmas eve I become very popular.
scott,
you forgot the most uttered phrase this time of year...
" AND I NEED TO HAVE THIS DONE BY ( CHRISTMAS, THANKSGIVING, ETC ), THAT WON'T BE A PROBLEM WILL IT? "
got to love it...
james
" AND I NEED TO HAVE THIS DONE BY ( CHRISTMAS, THANKSGIVING, ETC ), THAT WON'T BE A PROBLEM WILL IT? "
To which you can use the standard phrase:
"No problem at all. Just leave me a blank check, already signed, and I'll fill in the amount when I leave. Thanks." :)
-Mark
I've got a fake cast for my right arm.......I figured everyone else had one also. Problem solved....slip it on before you pull in to the driveway every night. I've got crutches too, I use them in the summer.
Foaming,babbling,speaking in tongues, casting a wary eye towards the heavens whilst mowing the yard, cutting up the watermelon with an old samurai sword on the front porch,dressing in drag, dumpster diving the local adult video store for empty boxes to seed the top of the trash can with. All of this could have skipped with a fake cast. Brother,you're a genius.
"bunkbeds built in sri lanka with directions in eritrian"
Gotta love it!
You forgot the BIL who wants to move into his McManse by Xmas.
Good thing we all do this cause we LOVE working with our hands!!
Mr T
I can't afford to be affordable anymore
I guess Im not as backed up as you guys, this is the time of year when all my clients get weird and think that a 2 day job cant get done before Christmas so we had better wait til after New Years. Its not all bad because I get a month off.
As for the gifts that require assembly, I suck it up and use it as a time to break everyone into my new rate.
Same thing here, things have gone real quiet. I'm sure it's because they think I will laugh if they need it done quick.
Could it get done before Christmas, you bet it could!
John
john ,
I'm not talking about hanging and finishing some crown, i am talking about an entire bath or kitchen renovation.... never fails.
I start a project in say october etc, the clients add a boatload of stuff to the scope of work ( say i am doing a kitchen, they add two baths and oh maybe some crown in the livingroom and hall and gee i guess i should paint those rooms, and oh.... the exterior needs some work......) . then thanksgiving comes around and they tell me that it has to be done by christmas because everyone in their family will be coming over to look at the kitchen they have been bragging about for three months.
answer to that is " what project do you want done before christmas, because they will not all be done.... this is not monster house ... unless i get their budget.... overtime is "$x.xx" per hour, and if i add staff above standard crew it will be "$x.xx" more blah blah blah..... then just try to drag the help in on the weekend etc.
oh i love the holidays :(!!!!!
james
Hey can I get in on that monster house budget too?
As long as your jobsite is clean Ill paint out of your way and on second shift. Ill work all the weekends you want Maybe we could take Christmas off to appease the fam, but Ill work through New Years.