Had a talk with a plumber that changed how I hire subs

I was on a job in Decatur last month and this old plumber named Roy told me he charges $95 an hour but only if I let him pick his own materials. He said the cheap stuff from big box stores fails in 2 years and he was tired of fixing his own work for free. It really made me think about how I've been nickel and diming my moving crew on supplies. Has anyone else had a sub change your mind on pricing?

2 comments

2 Comments

ellis.felix23d ago

Did a buddy of yours have a similar experience with a tile guy? A friend of mine hired a floor layer who swore by a specific thin-set mortar, and it ended up saving him a whole redo after a year when the cheaper stuff would've cracked. He learned to let the subs pick their own supplies after that.

the_brian23d ago

Ellis.felix, that's a really good point because I've seen homeowners go cheap on grout too and regret it. What was the specific thin-set he swore by? I've had a buddy who used Laticrete 254 Platinum on a shower floor after his tile guy begged him, and it's held up through like three winters with no cracks. Did your friend's guy say why he picked that one over the standard stuff at Home Depot? Always curious what pros actually rely on once they've seen stuff fail.