Calling all carpenters, how much should I charge?

I have a “family friend” who isn’t really a friend at all, funny enough. But he asked me to rebuild his deck which is about 600 sqft, 2 platforms, enough to hold a hot tub, and is attached to his 4000sqft house. Material is trex, highest quality as he doesn’t want anything less.

Job started with him getting another quote and being blown away by it estimated at $33000.. I said that seemed high, and I could maybe do it for half depending on what materials cost. This is during the season where everyone wants a deck and several companies price themselves out of the market because they don’t necessarily care for the work. They are too busy with people who are already in the process of refinancing their house to pay for it.

Anyway, I went through quite a few hours back and forth with this guy, a supplier for the lumber and trex, drawing up designs, all the shit right? He changed his mind every other week on what he wants for the railing, lighting, layout.

So we have finally decided (I think) on a list of materials and it will cost 12,500 roughly. I told him I’d do it it for 23k, all inclusive, from disposal to nails. He scoffed at the price thinking it was too high and says he thinks it’s a fair deal for me to pay for the price of tools (I have to buy 2k of stuff) plus materials. He’s a greedy little shit, but does 23k sound reasonable? It would be several days worth of work, I have to pay a few others to help me out. Curious about other carpenters and contractors thoughts.

Thanks for any help.

 

Run.

No way will I do paid work for friends or family.

Small, afternoon jobs, no problem. Something that big will cause much pain.

 

Well damn, I have very little (almost none) experience in laying a deck, but if he doesn’t like the price that you believe is fair, especially compared to the previous quote he got, then tell him to have someone else do it. He CLEARLY has the money

 

This

 

Walk away.

 

Thanks to everyone so far, this has been driving me nuts, and my initial thought with the person I think we all know he probably is just based on my small description, is that I would be ridiculous to accept this job. I have always thought if I knew someone for 20 years and asked them to do a job, I would split the difference between their quote and others and pay them cash with the understanding I’m contributing to their future. He doesn’t see it that way though.

 

Yeah, always help each other out, but if his intent is just all about him, then so no thanks.

 

I certainly can’t imagine he would do the same.

 

Give a price you're comfortable with. You don't get every job. And move on.

 

So now that I have given him my final offer, should I wait for a response, or just say I would suggest he finds other options?

 

Just say you got booked up between when you made the bid and his response.

Everyone gets busy.

 

I made the estimate today after the several months of back and forth. But telling him I’m too busy is still an option.

 

He has all the flags of someone who is going to call you 3 years later to complain and then sue you. There is no way I would take that job. That is why the other bid was so high, the other guy has good asshole radar and was rolling legal costs into his bid.

You better talk to him about change requests and who is paying for them. He is likely going to request constant changes and expect your bid to cover them.

 

This is exactly what you say.

 

Holy shit! "Asshole radar"! I can't think of a better description! I wish I could like that response more than once.

 

I'd stay far away from a guy like that

 

Do you have to pull a permit or pass an inspection? If you do but you arent then I would for sure walk. He can hold that shit over you and cause grief even if its his idea to do it illegally.

 

That’s a good point for sure, I just texted him to let him know it was off the table. I never talked to him about permits thought I know they would need to be pulled. I thought I might be nuts for turning down 10k worth of labor. But I’d never know if he would show up later with that permit crap. Good point for sure.

 

The money always seems good up front but when you factor in all the things that could go wrong down the line and cause you trouble and stress it's easier to walk away
You made the right choice

 

Then when he changes his mind and wants to alter the plans he'll probably expect it to come out of your pocket.....