I am always amazed at the cheap labor prices and time lines that I see here posted. Not too long ago I believe someone had said that taking out and replumbing drain for a garbage disposal should take 10 minutes so they pay $10 for time and $5-$10 for costs. No idea but that has just stuck in my head as ... really, I don't think so.

Anyway, I am getting prices on redoing a place and the first guy (who is the one I want to use) has sent a rough estimate until I am ready to finalize my decisions.

install laminate $2.00/ ft

install quarter round $2.00/ linear ft (nope, that's not what I'm going to pay - I assume he meant $2.00 per 8' piece but we'll see)

Install drywall and finish ceiling - ready for paint $3.00/sq ft

install drywall and finish wall - ready to paint $2.50/sq ft

You are correct Nicole, some of the prices posted here under "contractor rates" are too low in "most" parts of the USA. As a California Contractor I have a few things I'm required to carry. Such as:

A) A Licensed and Bond

B) Insurance -general liability

C) Worker Comp (California has the highest rates in the country).

D) Commercial Auto Insurance

E) Insurance to protect my tools and supplies on the job.

A Handyman can do any job so long as its $500 or less. No insurance, no nothing.

The last time I had a 9 x 10 ceiling drywalled it was $500, and it was years ago. Thought that was alot. He does excellent work, so I was willing to pay it. We still had to paint it. We use him whenever we need patching or drywall done. He always fits us in, even when he is busy. Sometimes we have jobs that we can plan ahead, and sometimes not. But he is always there for us.

Compared to what I paid, your prices are much better. How do you know you want to use him? Have you seen his work before?

Having been a remodeling contractor for many years, even from before MA required licenses, I rarely work for LLs. The few times that I've done it, I was usually helping bail them out from something that they or their unqualified "handyman" did. I'm not sure about the rest of the country but around here, I find that most small LLs are too cheap to do what should be done & the larger LLs have their own staff for most things.

I'm not saying that every LL is like this but over the years I've found that the majority of them that I've encountered are primarily interested in a quick inexpensive solution to their problem. Fortunately for me I live in an area where there is an ongoing steady stream of projects for me to pick & choose from. Even when I had 8 full time workers & a few part timers, we rarely ever traveled further than 5 miles to work. The only times we regularly went further was to work on my own projects or for some of my long time clients.

Wow! Those drywall prices are through the roof. I know the material prices are way up from what I used to pay but the labor, just wow!

I can understand a minimum fee for patching or maybe one ceiling in a room, but an entire house with walls at $2.50 a foot and ceilings at $3.00 a foot. Just wow!

these prices are what he gave me for a porch only. He knows that next year this time I am going to gut the entire interior and redo it. Floor and ceiling are 40 x 12. Ceiling is sloped (it's an old screened in porch being made into a livable room). Drywall on the wall is only 400 square feet as the majority is going to be floor to ceiling windows and the interior wall is going to stay rustic siding.

DeeAnn - I want to use him because he rebuilt an exterior deck and added a porch for me last week and I am VERY pleased with his work. I got him from a friend who used him and they were very pleased also. Two others came out and are to get back to me in a day or so with pricing. One I know is too picky for my purposes. The other will do a good job but not as much attention to detail.

Back when I was a kid.......