Client wanted me to fix a crooked shelf he built himself 3 months ago

Guy calls me up last week, says he built a shelf in his garage. I get there and it's off by about 2 degrees because he used a dollar store level. He paid me $80 to redo the whole thing and I used my 4-foot Stabila. Has anyone else had to fix a job where the homeowner's own tools were the main problem?

2 comments

2 Comments

young.nora14d ago

Actually I kinda see it the other way here. The guy built his own shelf and just wanted some help making it right. You charged him $80 to redo a whole project that was off by 2 degrees which honestly is barely noticeable unless you put a level on it. A dollar store level might not be perfect but its not the reason the shelf was crooked, that was the guy's inexperience with building stuff. Lots of homeowners don't own pro tools and they still do fine work. You made $80 off a simple fix that probably took you 20 minutes.

ellis.leo14d ago

Honestly, you really think a 2 degree tilt on a shelf is "barely noticeable"? Have you ever actually set a drink down on a crooked shelf and watched it slowly slide off the other end?