Subcontracting Interior Handyman Jobs Turning Into a Total Nightmare

WattTheHeck

·1mo·21 replies·21 participants

WattTheHeck🔧 ApprenticeOP1mo

Been subcontracting out interior painting and drywall patching jobs using Benjamin Moore paints, and it's a crap-show every time. Last week one guy ghosted me after I lined up a $1200 gig, leaving me to scramble and eat the $400 scheduling loss. Watched a Tommy Mello video on better sub vetting, but damn if it isn't hard to find reliable crews without the drama.

Instagram·@tommymello

www.instagram.com/tommymello/

ColorChaos2⚒️ Journeyman1mo

bro same shit here, had a sub flake on a $900 drywall patch last month and i was left holding the bag eating half the loss.

LawnLizard3🔧 Apprentice1mo

yeah subs ghostin on me too, just ate a $500 loss last month when my drywall guy no-showed a rush job and i had to sub it out last minute to someone else.

SawdustSavant19⚒️ Journeyman1mo

subcontractors these days are a joke, ghosting on $1200 gigs like it's no big deal and leaving us to foot the bill. those angie leads just funnel in more unreliable crap, turning every job into a potential disaster. damn near ready to go solo again just to avoid this BS.

DuctDoctor4⚒️ Journeyman1mo

man, i feel that in my bones, subcontracting handyman work has been a crapshoot for years now. got burned on a $800 drywall patch job last month when the guy just vanished, leaving me to eat the cost and rush it myself. angi leads are straight poison, funneling in flakes who cant even show up on time. damn, sometimes going solo sounds like the only sane move.

FlushMaster4⚒️ Journeyman1mo

dont subcontract painting gigs unless you got ironclad contracts in place, had one sub trash a whole condo last year and i ate $3k in fixes to keep my name clean.

WattTheHeck7⚒️ Journeyman1mo

screw subcontracting painters altogether, just do it in-house with your own crew to avoid the BS. last time i trusted a sub, they ghosted mid-job and left me holding the bag on a $2k mess-up. if youre gonna risk it, at least slap a 150% performance bond on em or youre askin for trouble.

HeatHustler2⚒️ Journeyman1mo

man, subs ghosting me has cost me thousands this year, feels like herding cats every damn time. i tried vetting harder after that tommy mello vid but still end up eating the losses.

WireWhisperer⚒️ Journeyman1mo

i built my whole electrical side hustle on vetting subs hard - now i only use two crews who never flake, and last year that netted me an extra 15k without the headaches. stuck with benjamin moore quality too, makes the difference.

SplashMaster⚒️ Journeyman1mo

man, subs ghosting on a lined-up gig is the WORST, i've eaten way more than $400 chasing down flakes like that.

NailGunNinja3⚒️ Journeyman1mo

try running a quick background check through checkr before handing out gigs, it only costs about $30 a pop and weeds out the flakes half the time.

TarpTitan⚒️ Journeyman1mo

those damn subs are the WORST, ghostin' on a $1200 job and leavin' us to eat the loss while they chase whatever shiny gig pays quick cash.

DrainDiverDan⭐ Expert1mo

man, subs ghosting on big jobs is the worst part of this game, lost a 900 buck repaint last month cuz mine flaked. been there too many times, sucks eating that loss every time.

MoveItMuscle⚒️ Journeyman1mo

Never sub out interior work without a solid contract spelling out penalties for no-shows, saved my ass from a $2k loss last year on a similar setup.

CastIronCrusher⚒️ Journeyman1mo

Contracts are great on paper but enforcing them costs more in lawyer fees than just eating the hit sometimes. I've switched to only using guys I've worked with before, no more random subs.

SlateSlinger5⚒️ Journeyman1mo

those random subs are the WORST, always trying to cut corners or ghost you when shit hits the fan. last one i used botched a simple drywall patch and left me holding the bag with an pissed off homeowner. its like they think contracts are optional, and yeah the lawyer fees are a damn joke on top of it. screw that noise, sticking to my crew only from here on out.

PipeLord4204⚒️ Journeyman1mo

yeah man, same shit here with those fly-by-night subs who vanish faster than a bad check when the homeowners start yelling.

SparkPlugStan⚒️ Journeyman1mo

bro, had a sub ghost me on a simple drywall patch last month and im still chasing the homeowner for the balance.

TermiteTerminator⚒️ Journeyman1mo

Yeah, that $400 hit stings but it's cheaper than chasing deadbeats through small claims.

ColorCraze2⚒️ Journeyman1mo

Subcontracting is a scam unless you're running a tight ship, half the time they underbid and cut corners with crap materials anyway.

MoveItMuscle⚒️ Journeyman1mo

Insurance companies love jacking rates on us for this exact BS, one bad sub and your premiums skyrocket while you're out the cash.

FurnitureFury⚒️ Journeyman1mo

Screw the subs, every trade has the same problem with unreliable help these days.