I have several big house projects and I'm running out of time if I want to host friends and out-of-state family in the summer. One of those projects is that I want to turn my shed into a mancave. It's a 10x12 shed with electrical already installed. I want to outsource putting up the insulation, drywall and vinyl/tile flooring. Pic is almost exactly what it looks like right now. Coworker's husband works construction and offered $1000 USD to do the job for "quality". I just want bare minimum, as I'll be doing the finishing touches like painting myself. They dropped their offer to $500. They haven't seen it in person yet, don't have any of their own tools to do the job so would be using mine, and don't have a truck so I'll have to pay for all materials and have them shipped to my house. I want to pay around $200-300 for the project, since I'm paying for all the materials/not asking for a paint job, trim, electrical, etc. Am I being stingy? I got two more guys coming over to give an estimate but I'd rather give the job to coworker's husband if reasonably priced. If I'm severely underestimating the value of the job I'm just gonna do it myself. Thoughts?
I helped my dad insulate a 40' one of those buildings and put a ceiling in it. We had to do it in our free time and it took a shitlong ass time. So don't cheap out, it's worth it
You want one guy to do the insulation, drywall, and flooring. How long do you figure that'll take? One day? Three days? A week? I have no idea since I just do electric, but lets say 3 days. For $1000, that's like $330 a day. That's around 40 an hour. That's very reasonable for an independent contractor.
Now for some reason he's doing it for $500? That's a fricking steal if it takes him any longer than a day.
Yeah, that's why I'm asking for outside opinions. I built the shed with my dad, and we've added a bathroom and a room to the actual house itself in that past, outsourcing nothing including electrical. Did it take a long time? Yes, because it was done after work/school. I've never had to pay anyone to do this type of work for me, and my dad is gone. I had someone else come in today who will send an estimate with a breakdown this week and another one coming out tomorrow, but y'all are making me think I have a good deal already.
Dude the company I work for would charge you $10000, not kidding. $1000 is a good deal. $500 and you’re being cheap.
If you're paying a guy to do it and he doesn't own any of his own tools he's 100% not going to ventilate the roof properly. Hire an actual contractor, not a guy that fetches batteries for the crew on a construction site.
The 'no tools' is a red flag for me, as well. Get more quotes.
DIY is a serious option. I did that to a shed, but I used brown composite hardboard instead of drywall. Turned out nice, had a window unit cut into its' own hole way up high and everything.
This job does Not need a general contractor.
>Coworker's husband
>no tools
>or transport
>drops quote by 50% by eyebrow raise
yeah, nah
Okay, got a Mexican dude to come over and give me an estimate. He'll do it in two days and charge me $1800, no hassle. I looked up cost of materials and I would theoretically save maybe $200 by going with coworkers husband. Husband is white, and again I'd have to have everything big shipped and he'll be using my tools. He dropped his price after I said I wasn't looking for perfect quality, I just wanted the job done. Mexican dude didn't say anything about low quality work. The husband is coming over in about an hour to actually look at the shed.
>The husband is coming over in about an hour to actually look at the shed.
your coworkers husband is coming to look at your shed? Is she hot btw?
Shame, should've hired the Mexican.
> rather give the job to coworker's husband
This is a mistake. Hire the Mexicans.
>I want to outsource
how very PrepHole
request denied
I hired the white guy. He came over and started explaining in depth what he was going to do and advised me against using the tile flooring as my shed does not have a concrete foundation and the weight of the grout and tile may stress the plywood floors I have. Anyways, he also started helping me take the two person shit out of the shed and even started prepping the site by removing shelves and nails. He obviously felt a lot more passionate about the job, and him and my coworker had been playing with the idea of house flipping. He gave me an estimate of maybe 5 days to finish the shed starting this Sunday. I may save $300-$500. I'll update if the thread still exists.
I used plywood for mine. 3/8 I think. Any thinner and you risk cracking from weight of stuff going across it or just sitting there. Used floor paint and let it set for weeks before putting stuff back in. As soon as it got hot and humid everything started sticking to the floor. Put down these square hard plastic floor panels from lowes that look like 18" puzzle pieces. Ok to sweep and clean. If I did it over again I would stain it.
also I hate drywall so I used lauan for the walls and ceiling. HD and Lowes sell the same garbage from china that is rolls of paper thin reddish wood glued together. None of the sheets were square and became an absolute b***h to square the joints between panels.
Well it may seem that this is going to be a DIY after all. Coworker just texted me and they're in a dispute atm. Work was supposed to start Monday, now I may be doing it all myself. If I hired the Mexicans it would have been done by now.
Hate to be that guy, but fricking told you. Try not to mix friends / coworkers and business, unless you can afford to take a loss. It’s a bit like loaning money to friends and family - only do it if you are prepared to make it a gift down the line.
How is having privacy and alone time being cucked? What is your ideal solution?
Yeah I should have gone with the Mexicans if I wanted it done already. I ordered all the supplies and an AC unit for 1.2k and he's going to do the job again for the same rate $500. I'm working on another project right now and if it doesn't get done I'll just add it next in queue. Right now best I can say is theoretically I may save $100 and get my AC unit "free" than if I had hired the Mexicans. I'll keep yall updated.
>mancave
This is one of the most ridiculous forms of being cucked by your own wife that has been normalized for reasons I do not understand. Why in the hell are you letting your wife “give” you one place on the property you worked your ass off to get? You should feel comfortable and relaxed wherever you damn well please in your own damn house. Unless you’re some soi that wants to put up marvel posters everywhere, then I understand how you could let that happen.
I’m being inflammatory, yes, but I also genuinely don’t understand so if you’re going to insult me then please also explain where I’m wrong.
im gonna side with the mancave guy
yes i get your aurgument
but its more of a monetary issue
if you live with a person you must make weird concessions, its really what makes people high iq
i agree women are fricking crazy
but the leave her alone i got my own shit
does wonders ,
imagine he leaves allday to the shed
and the b***h will be fawning over him
why the fuq arent you in my pristine house blah blah
to a young person it sounds cucked
but living with people
is something people have to do
also sex is only good if the person likes you
you also dont know his wifes contribution
you assume alll women are lazy buttholes lol
maybe like half are
but the other half genuily care for other people
> i agree women are fricking crazy
> you assume alll women are lazy buttholes
I didn’t say either of those, I said a man has a right to his own home. Your whole post sounds like you run away and hide from your wife.
I tell her “I need some time to myself.” Didn’t everyone else figure this out in 2020 when everything shut down? In fact I told her then that I was losing my mind because I didn’t get any personal time or space. And I’ve developed hobbies that don’t involve her.
also
like when you build legos
man feels good
when it is done
Mancave is the easiest way to describe what I'm doing without giving a lecture. It's a dedicated gaming room. We have our PCs set up in our bedroom, and I tend to yell when I'm playing. I also like to stream in my off time. It's a problem when she wants to sleep as my setup directly faces the bed, our bedroom gets very dusty very quickly from our big dogs hanging out when I'm streaming, and I'd like to have a futon in it so when my childhood buds visit from out of state there's more rooms to entertain and sleep in. It's just a luxury that I want and we can finally do.
I don't get it either, and most the mancave stuff is either extremely tacky or designed so uselessly that the wife definitely had a hand in it, with the entire concept being so extremely patronizing I can't imagine how neutered someone would have to be to think its a good idea.
Most married dudes in their 30s have one of 3 hobbies, video games (can be done in living room or office for PC master race), watching tv (living room) or drinking (can be done anywhere in the house). Imagine needing a shitty carpeted basement with a neon beer sign because the rest of the house can't handle basic living functions since it's so overrun with throw pillows and live laugh love signs.
The only exception being hobbies that do require their own space, like train autists, and workshops in general, as a house isn't typically built with those requirements in mind.
are you trying to write haikus or some shit?
>I don't want to do the work
>and I don't want to pay people money
I strongly suggest you embrace the spirit of this board and diy this, then ask yourself if you'd do this for a living at 2-300 per job. Anyway, I personally would never want friends and family to see my 'mancave' so I'm not seeing the overall problem here.
also
if you want a world class building
insulate
insulate in
insulate insulate
as others have said there are a bunch of red flags here, I build houses but they are multimillion dollar houses so I can't really give you pricing, but I can give you an idea what to avoid.
First, insulation, drywall, flooring. Insulation is easy, it just sucks because it's usually fiberglass and it makes you all itchy. Next, drywall, easy on walls, a pain in the ass on ceilings, hanging drywall is easy. Next, FINISHING drywall, depending on how shitty you want your "man cave" to be, this is the part you should spend some money on. Flooring, first, are you doing any prep or underlayment? Do you even know what that stuff is? Tile and vinyl are totally different installation wise.
Here's a ballpark of what you SHOULD be paying if you want not-shit work:
>insulation 1 dude 1 day $200
>Drywall hanging, 2 dudes <1 day, $400 labor
>Drywall Finishing, 1 dude 2 days, $400 labor
>Vinyl flooring, 1-2 dude(s) 1 day, $500ish
>tile flooring 2 dudes 2 days, $800ish
total 5-6 days, $1500-2k, those are all very reasonable prices
Tummy erotic
$1000 is extremely cheap. 500 sounds like a steal. I wouldnt even come by to wire 2 plugs for you at that price. Certainly if its a multi day project.