# need some ideas for rotted garge wall.



## bmaurice (Sep 15, 2009)

The garage is 25ft 3 bays. it has no header and the center posts are rotted. Am i on the right track here? i have to jack up the rafters and redo the wall with header/studs. its slab on grade, but the slab cant be very thick because its up down everywhere. afraid about how much of a nightmare just setting up the jacks are going to be. anyone done this sort of thing before?


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## greg24k (May 19, 2007)

bmaurice said:


> The garage is 25ft 3 bays. it has no header and the center posts are rotted. Am i on the right track here? i have to jack up the rafters and redo the wall with header/studs. its slab on grade, but the slab cant be very thick because its up down everywhere. afraid about how much of a nightmare just setting up the jacks are going to be. anyone done this sort of thing before?


If posts are rotted and there is no header, and this thing is still standing, try not to stand under it... you never know when that thing goes...


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## bmaurice (Sep 15, 2009)

seriously right.. lol well there is a 6inch wide by 4in beam. but its still scary.


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## VinylHanger (Jul 14, 2011)

In those situations I prefer to build a secondary wall just inside the old wall. It lets me work without worrying about it collapsing. Jack it up just enough to get all the old structure out, rebuild the new structure to code and you're done. Easy.

Some pictures would help though as it all depends on how the structure is sitting, direction of trusses/joists and how far back the damage goes.


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## Tinstaafl (Jan 6, 2008)

Well, you could make a "footer header" to distribute the point loads of the jacks. Of course, that's assuming you have foundations to take the weight of the walls after you take the jacks away.


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## Tinstaafl (Jan 6, 2008)

Oh, and please don't double-post. Other thread deleted.


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## bmaurice (Sep 15, 2009)

sorry, to many choices i couldnt decide...
Ill take some pictures tomorow have'nt giving him a price yet. I have to be reall competitive so i dont want to end up making 8/hr on this one..


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## greg24k (May 19, 2007)

Couldn't agree with you more...$8 in hr is way out of line...My kid just got a part time job in Burger King and they pay $14 in hr...and all you have to do is build a structural burger :laughing: I would try and get at least $10 in hr for a garage :thumbsup:


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## bmaurice (Sep 15, 2009)

well dont know how i feel about 10 :whistling
Im still young and contracting is new to me. I have a lot more respect for my previous employers now. theres a lot more work, more risk, and more BS. Not to mention tools are not cheap! working for someone else is defiently a lot less stressfull.
I gave someone a window replacement estimate this week, i said 50 a window and 30 to wrap it. Im pretty sure im at the lower end of the spectrum. He still said " i dont understand why so much?, whats it take an hour a window, thats 80 an hour!" I didnt go into detail but i told him my break alone is 2k, and that stuff doesnt last forever. You could tell soon as it was my time to talk he wasnt really listening, just waiting for me to drop my price.... which i didnt contractors are doing work so cheap now just to compete with the smucks that drive in POS's and smell like a dirty bar.. sorry im ranting!!


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## greg24k (May 19, 2007)

Well Maurice, take your 2k break, all your tools,truck cost, insurance (business and health), your advertising cost,your rent or mortgage, yearly maintenance, and anything else you can add to that including all the BS you're talking about... Combine everything together and see what the total cost is per Year, then take that total and divide by HR you work per year and you will come up with your Hourly rate. If you cannot get this amount or if you work for anything less then that amount... you will never make any money. 

Good luck.


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## bmaurice (Sep 15, 2009)

jesus greg you said that perfectly!  ME!!!! 



Can your son get me a job?


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## bmaurice (Sep 15, 2009)

oh and by the way gave the guy price. I think he told me about his tight budget about 50 times. Then tells me some guy told him 400 lmao. If you needed surgery would you go to mexico to get it done because its cheaper?" same concept you would think, guesss not....


eh better off without it. hopefully i can land some more roofs. I do it all but i always seem to come out better on roofs. well i am like greased lightning....

Maybe i can make some money on the forums 500 a ante fastest roofer take all..... come on you nancy's PONEY UP!!!


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## CompleteW&D (May 28, 2011)

Great lesson learned. Sometimes it's just best to walk away. And, FWIW.... I would suggest that you don't break out individual labor pricing like $50 per window and $30 to wrap. Just give them a per window price, tell them it's an installed price and be done with it. 

That's assuming of course, you aren't letting the customer supply the windows. Which you should never do either IMHO. He's only going to be able to buy junk from the home centers and then you're responsible to make them work.

Find a window you're comfortable installing (from a reputable wholesale distributor that won't sell to your customer) and then quote an installed price per window. Don't break it out into materials, labor etc. It will ALL seem to high to an uneducated homeowner.


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## Dirtywhiteboy (Oct 15, 2010)

bmaurice said:


> The garage is 25ft 3 bays. it has no header and the center posts are rotted. Am i on the right track here? i have to jack up the rafters and redo the wall with header/studs. its slab on grade, but the slab cant be very thick because its up down everywhere. afraid about how much of a nightmare just setting up the jacks are going to be. anyone done this sort of thing before?


Sometimes it's good to ask up front if they gotten a price before you waste you time and if that's what they want is the cheapest price or quality job.


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## MALCO.New.York (Feb 27, 2008)

"Garge"...

Is that where one parks their Automble?


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## bmaurice (Sep 15, 2009)

Well Everyone I am dealing with right now insists on flat labor. " Oh just right me a list and ill go to home depot" cheap know it slumlords. The guys that by old houses and section 8 rent them.. 

Last 2-3 months boss just stopped landing jobs. stringing me on off course..instead of finding a new job, just decided to make a go at it finallly its been long enough.:clap::clap: 

anyone want to share some advertising secrets?


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## greg24k (May 19, 2007)

You can always start with this :thumbsup:


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## Dirtywhiteboy (Oct 15, 2010)

bmaurice said:


> anyone want to share some advertising secrets?


Vista Print:blink:


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## bigdifficultme (Feb 28, 2006)

bmaurice said:


> The garage is 25ft 3 bays. it has no header and the center posts are rotted. Am i on the right track here? i have to jack up the rafters and redo the wall with header/studs. its slab on grade, but the slab cant be very thick because its up down everywhere. afraid about how much of a nightmare just setting up the jacks are going to be. anyone done this sort of thing before?


Sounds like a old pole barn.


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## VinylHanger (Jul 14, 2011)

bmaurice said:


> well dont know how i feel about 10 :whistling
> Im still young and contracting is new to me. I have a lot more respect for my previous employers now. theres a lot more work, more risk, and more BS. Not to mention tools are not cheap! working for someone else is defiently a lot less stressfull.
> I gave someone a window replacement estimate this week, i said 50 a window and 30 to wrap it. Im pretty sure im at the lower end of the spectrum. He still said " i dont understand why so much?, whats it take an hour a window, thats 80 an hour!" I didnt go into detail but i told him my break alone is 2k, and that stuff doesnt last forever. You could tell soon as it was my time to talk he wasnt really listening, just waiting for me to drop my price.... which i didnt contractors are doing work so cheap now just to compete with the smucks that drive in POS's and smell like a dirty bar.. sorry im ranting!!


Not to get into pricing too much, but you are way below even hack pricing. I totally get having to deal with cheapasses, and trying to get off the ground, but just be aware. At that price, I wouldn't provide even a single screw or nail. Let alone any caulking, backer rod or coil.


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