Did I ask too much?
Posted by honestron@reddit | Autos | View on Reddit | 18 comments
A friend asked me to give him a quote to rewire his camper/trailer. He and his wife have the interior completely stripped bare. I was asked to reuse as much of the low voltage wire and the 14-2 romex as possible. No problem. We went through the trailer and they pointed out where they wanted lights and receptacles, etc. I took my notes home and had a number of questions before I could go forward. Before I could contact him with my questions, he texted asking for a labor quote. I thought it over for awhile. Although im retired, I still have plenty to keep me.busy. Now he does auto repair and has.done plenty for me. So, I gave him a quote of $300 labor only. Keep.in mind, im going to suggest a breaker panel for the 120v stuff, and a small fuse block for the low voltage stuff. He also wants new running lights and finding good or NOS is going to be a chore itself. Well, nothing but crickets since I gave him the quote. Was I unreasonable? I figured a minimum of 20 hrs.
Makeitinsb@reddit
Im an Rv Tech in an expensive area, I would estimate $3000 including materials to rewire a trailer. I just Charged someone 5K for a small trailer but that included materials, and was also adding a 200AH lithium bank, charger, and inverter.
honestron@reddit (OP)
I'm in the wrong line of work! Just kidding. That is completely understandable. You've paid out a lot of money to become a tech. 5k would be reasonable considering that included everything you listed. Thanks for your reply!
HmmDoesItMakeSense@reddit
They wanted it for free
honestron@reddit (OP)
Can't say for sure, but its looking that way
balirious@reddit
How much did your mate charge you for car repairs etc?
honestron@reddit (OP)
Been too long, but compared to others shops, yes i checked, he was very reasonable
RobsHereAgain@reddit
Sounds pretty darn fair. I hope that existing wire isn’t too brittle though. That may create a whole new headache.
honestron@reddit (OP)
If the existing wire is brittle, they can supply new
RobsHereAgain@reddit
Sounds pretty darn fair. I hope that existing wire isn’t too brittle though. That may create a whole new headache. Yea that’s what I’m thinking.
dreamerkid001@reddit
More than a lot. You gave me nothin, now it’s all I’ve got.
honestron@reddit (OP)
Given your past, it more.than you need
Saguaroslippers@reddit
I think you asked too little, I think that sounds like a good deal at $600. A fair deal at $800.
honestron@reddit (OP)
I likely did, but ive got time and im not trying to pay the bills with the job
Saguaroslippers@reddit
Oh I just mean to say you absolutely hooked em up and they’re the ones being unreasonable.
tomhalejr@reddit
Wow... Captain, that's less than the minimum wage in my city. Plus, your estimate of hours seems way low.
At that point, it might be better to do it "for free". That way there is no "labor" agreement, and no expectation of a warranty. That's basically feed me and beer me money for 20 hours as a helper / teacher. If that's what they are looking for and "expect" from the arrangement, then you should expect steak and lobster, not nuggets and fries. :)
Do they have a vacation house this project would be worth some time at for? Any other thing of value that's not an "hourly rate" that you could trade, that would make it worth it to you?
honestron@reddit (OP)
Well, like I responded to another, ive got time and I dont need to pay the bills with this job
HeavyDutyForks@reddit
That's a helluva of a buddy rate, $15/hr
That's the farthest thing from unreasonable, that's damn near working for free in this economy lol
honestron@reddit (OP)
Oh, I agree 💯, but I factored in a couple of things. He is a good friend, he has saved me a good bit of money on car repairs, and, since the camper is bare, running wires really wont be a headache. Thanks for your reply!