Hot Tub Forum
Original => Hot Tub Forum => Topic started by: JJ on May 10, 2005, 11:26:36 am
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After selecting a site, and choosing a contractor, my spa installation hit a snag yesterday. Last week the contractor told me he might get to my slab by the end of this week if the weather holds up. I needed to make a trip out of town, so I planned it for Monday. Guess who shows up at my house with a crew at 9:00 yesterday after I am on an airplane? My wife didn't know what to do, sent them away. Contractor is P.O'ed. Told my wife to find someone else. I finally got him calmed down and he agreed to put me back on the schedule, but didn't know when he would get to me. I didn't want to go through the quoting process again with someone else, and I have used this guy before and trust his work.
Sigh...
Is it unreasonable to assume that the guy should call me the day before he shows up?
Just ranting, sorry.
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No offense, but why didn’t your wife allow him to do the work? Was it a surprise or something? Also, why in the world does anyone need to be home when the slab is done?
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No offense, but why didn�t your wife allow him to do the work? Was it a surprise or something? Also, why in the world does anyone need to be home when the slab is done?
To provide the workers with cold drinking water, duh ;D
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Is it unreasonable to assume that the guy should call me the day before he shows up?
It is not only reasonable but it is a good business practice. I would not have been apologetic toward him as he's the one with the explaining to do if he led you to believe it would be later in the week and then he shows up unannounced and unhappy that everything doesn't work on his terms.
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I'd be home anytime anyone was on my property to do contract or service work.
The one time I wasn't, a fireplace installer put a 10" hole in the side of my house, when I'd specifically instructed the hole to go in an adjacent side.
Brewman
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I agree with being home!
Whenever I have work done to my home, I do try to be home. I don't need any problems with mistakes and if need be I can be a grunt to make sure the work get's done.
And as pkud said, I do provide the workers with water or whatever they need - I know it was said as a joke but you'll be surprised how much nicer people are to work with when YOU extend a hand.
I had my house sided a few years ago and every morning I made sure the guys had cold water and Gatoraide in a cooler. I also offerered that if they got too hot they can jump into the pool - the result was a great job and their foreman complained to me that they didn't want to leave my house and go to different jobs. A little kindness on my part resulted in them possibly treating my "job " a little different - I wasn't charged for anything extra they did and I am EXTREMELY happy with the end result!
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I'd be home anytime anyone was on my property to do contract or service work.
The one time I wasn't, a fireplace installer put a 10" hole in the side of my house, when I'd specifically instructed the hole to go in an adjacent side.
Brewman
Same here, in the case of our slab it was my wife who was home. To save on cost, we dug out the 10'x10'x4" hole for him to put the forms in so there was no question where it went, but I don't want a contractor to fall off a barstool later that day and try to say it happened in my yard.
I did have one remodling contractor show up under the influence, I made him leave and found someone else.
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Most of us would plan to be home for the start of the job but its up to the contractor to give some estimate of when he plans to be there. When he knows more precisely what the start date is he definitely should call to let that be known, especially if he originally says the end of the week and then pulls it forward 3 or 4 days.
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I have in the past given my wife a list of things to check on as work is being done so that I didn't have to be there. I did not do that this time because I didn't think they would show up until later in the week.
If I hadn't been on an airplane, I probably would have told her to let them go ahead until I could get back home, but in this case she couldn't reach me.
I needed that hot tub after I got home last night!!
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I would expect work to be performed on the start day, and a courtesy call if there was to be any change to that day, either earlier or later. Just good old courtesy, at the very least.
A couple of months ago we were expecting a funiture delivery at home, between 2:00 and 5:00, or some such time. They called because they were ahead of schedule and wanted to know if they could get their earlier, which in this case was fine, since we were home anyway. But I did greatly appreciate the call, and told them so in person.
Tonite the cable installer is due at my house between 5:00 and 7:00. Hopefully I get a call if that time changes, since I'll be just getting home at 5:00.
Brewman
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@#$$%& contractor still won't give me a day! I got another to give me a phone quote that was in the ballpark. I explained the situation to him and he was very understanding. Said he would put me on his schedule (2.5 to 3 weeks) and if the other guy showed in the meantime, I could just cancel - no problem.
Still just venting.
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Hello. I am still in the process of deciding which tub to get and have really been helped by the forum discussions on tubs,electrical hookups,etc.
The one issue I haven't really been concerned about...until now...is the slab. I have heard that iit should be 4 inches thick (?), but how much should it extend beyond the sides of the tub?
Also, is there a "typical" cost to have this put in? Is it by the sq. ft or something?
Thanks!
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We are putting our spa inside, on a concrete floor that is part of an existing new addition.(which was sub-ed out)
But, if it were going outside, I would DIY the slab myself. A square level concrete pad, with just a plain level surface, no tooling, expansion joints, fancy finish, etc. has to be one of the easiest concrete projects out there.
Even something as big as a 12' x12' slab could be leveled with a batter board, without having to step into the concrete.
The hardest part would be how close one could get the ready mix delivery truck to the form, and a couple of buddies with extra wheelbarrows to help.
But as the homeowner/ self proclaimed general contractor of my addition that I am building, I can certainly feel your pain when it comes to dealing with outside contractors.
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Let me jump in as a concrete slab DIY-er. The job is conceptually quite easy. You dig a hole in your yard. You drop in rocks. You pour concrete. You are done. Depending on the contractor, you will save between 50% and 150% of the cost of the slab by doing it yourself.
I did a 9'x8' slab for about $300-$400 bucks, and had I known then where to buy drainage rock for less (I used bags) it would have been cheaper still. My highest estimate for the slab? $1500.
There is alot of manual labor. Digging, especially in clay and rocky areas is tough. You need to look up codes to see if you need a permit, to see if you should use footers, what kind of concrete and rebar to use, cutting rebar, etc....
You need to be passingly familiar with carpentry tools to make truly square frames with the appropriate slope, etc... but it isn't anything people on here or on the internet couldn't teach you in a day.
If your contractor doesn't work out, or is being pushy (they really are in the busy season) and you've got a couple of guys with strong backs, and a weekend or two, you may want to give it a go yourself. Then again, you may not! 8)
-Ed
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When I made the decision to have the contractor do it, it was a time/money thing. I have a sort of unusual salary + overtime job, so I can put more hours in and make more money. It would take much less of my free time to work more at my regular job and pay a contractor to put in the slab, than it would to excavate and pour a 10.5 x 15 slab under the deck of my house. There is a good bit of dirt to move, and I could see it taking all my free time for several weeks to accomplish.
Of course, if the contractor never shows up, it will take less time to do it myself.
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Don't take any cr**p from a contractor. I work in the housing industry and believe me when I say that the last thing you want is someone with attitude. The construction market as a whole has been on fire the past 4 years, and those that excell at what they do are polite and professional. They will tell you when they will undertake the work with an accurate quote based on sound knowledge with an addition in language based on the unknown like what is in the ground which cannot be seen. But consult you should that change to get your consent.
I would cancel the first contractor and get the other one who seems much more professional to come and do the work. Take the extra time as the work will be much better.
I once saw a crew pour a slab without rebar and without anchoring it to the footing. when I inquired about it their answer was,
not my house
the inspector wont see it
boss is'nt here to tell us what to do
this is the way we all do our slabs (scary)
and my personal fav - who the f*** are you?
My answer, I work for the federal government and you are working on a federal building (military housing) and you are in deep s***.
That smart mouth started shaking a little when the MP's arrived. That was for show. Public works made the contractor shake when they got together to review their work to date. That was a costly flip of the mouth for him that day. Many slabs had to be jack hammered out to be re-done.
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Doodoo is RIGHT on the money about contractors!
Given your time vs. money constraints, I'd consider paying some teenagers to move your dirt, finish up by leveling it off yourself, make your frame and set some wire. Then call around to concrete suppliers until you find a company that will deliver a "short" load.
If you can get the truck near the slab, a "short" load will cost between $100 and $200 (at least in my area), delivered and poured.
I've watched SO many contractors try to rip people off that I've actually got to the point where I expect them to try and cheat me.
At my last house, I wanted a 3 FT by 5 FT garage window bricked up. I had already matched the brick at a local yard. The FATHER of a co-worker of mine, who is a professional mason, was willing to come and look at it. His son, a firefighter at my station, said his dad would "take care of me." Dad came out, looked at the window and said, "$5,000 to do the job right." When I asked how long it would take, he said "about a day and a half, I can do it myself."
Let's see now, a "day and a half," with materials costing roughly $100, that's $4,900 for 15 hours labor (assuming a 10 hour day) or $326 an hour.
YEAH RIGHT!
The window is still there. The only reason I didn't get vocal with that idiot was because he was my friend's father.
Drewski
:P
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Agreed!
Unfortunately, I don't get overtime and no one pays me to sit and watch television and eat when I come home from work, so my price/time ratio is a little different. 8)
No one will care more about your home and the quality of work that goes into it except you and your family and friends. When I see what some "master carpenters" did in my mom's house it makes me cringe. But that is a different rant for a different chat room.
-Ed
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Talked to Contractor #2 today. He said he has me scheduled for the week of 6 June, he has 3 jobs ahead of me, one he knows he has to do next, but the other two may be flexible and he will check and get back to me.
Contractor #1 has yet to initiate a call to me
Me thinks #2 is about to become #1
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Customer service goes a long way. Go with the #2 guy. He seems to be meeting your needs and actually "wants" the job.
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Contractor #1 fired :o ???
Contractor #2 trying to move me into next week ;D
Decided in the grand scheme, a week or two didn't make that much difference. It's easy to get blinded by impatience with the hot tub waiting on delivery.
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Contractor #1 fired :o ???
Great news. Probably felt really good too.
Contractor #2 trying to move me into next week ;D
This has a feel of professionalism.
Decided in the grand scheme, a week or two didn't make that much difference. It's easy to get blinded by impatience with the hot tub waiting on delivery.
You will be soaking very shortly, whereupon the little extra wait won't even be remembered.
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Ten minutes after calling the first contractors office and cancelling, I got a phone call telling me he could be at my house tomorrow (today)
I reminded him
1. This is the first phone call I have ever received from him. I initiated all the others
2. I am hiring a contractor to make it easier for me, not harder. He was not doing that.
3. It seemed to me that he felt like he was doing me a favor by agreeing to do work for me, and that I should feel grateful.
4. I didn't trust what he said anymore.
I then did the same thing I did to the high pressure, competition bashing spa dealers in my area; I took my money elsewhere.
It did feel good.
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WTG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ;D
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New contractor (registered PE) just came by to firm up quote (as promised, called 30 min ahead to confirm). Gave me some options to reduce to price but might tear up my yard a little more. Will have me a written proposal today. Showed me his written schedule and where I was on it. I am basically 6 good weather days from a concrete pour.
It's supposed to rain in Atlanta all week.......
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Now that's the way to reinforce good customer service! If more folks treated the first one as he should be treated, he'd be the one begging for work. :)
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Thankfully my slab contractor was great... called in advance, showed up when he said he would, measured twice, poured once kinda deal... all along giving great suggestions about how to proceed with things.... I'm in North Jersey if anyone needs a reco....
Electrical? That's an entirely different story!!!!!! After going through literally 10 different companies, I've finally found a guy who knows what he's doing. He even warned me in advance how expensive it might be, and then proceeded to give me the lowest quote anyway.
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My new contractor just called
WANTED TO KNOW IF HE COULD POUR MY SLAB TOMORROW!! ;D ;D ;D
Since it's a one day job, he wanted to squeeze it in during an anticipated one-day weather window.
Of course I said yes....
Of course I also told my dealer two days ago that he could sell my spa to someone else who was ready for delivery and I would take an identical one coming in two weeks. :-/
I guess my concrete will be well-cured by then.
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The concrete looks great, very professional job! I'm actually glad things worked out the way they did. All things happen for a reason.
I HEARBY DECLARE THE END OF THE SLAB SAGA! ;D
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I'm glad to hear the slab saga is over!
;D