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Descant · 01-26-2021, 05:22 PM

I'm amazed the painter didn't say "And what color do you want the trim?" At which point you should have called the wife in and said "Honey, what color do you want the trim?"
So, it's her fault. She never should have let you play alone with the painter without her direct supervision in the original negotiations.
I'd call the same painter back. $700 doesn't seem unreasonable for the job you describe. Trim is slow and tedious. Regardless of the original discussion, take responsibility and apologize for not being clear the first time around. Be the boss and make everybody feel good so you can easily hire some other trades in the future. Or you could just replace the windows with polyvinyl or something and never paint again.

Over the years I have developed a crew of tradesmen. They all pretty much know each other and will say, I can or cannot do that. Do you want me to work Ricky into the job? They all answer each other's phone calls as well as mine, and will slide into a job for an hour or two to keep each other's work flowing. We don't talk much about price and bids or quotes. When I call, they pretty much know they're getting the work and there will be a check at the end as they walk out the door. If I don't have a particular trade on my cell phone, I can call one of my team for a recommendation and be assured that I'll get quality work at a fair price. Ya know, these guys all go to the same coffee shop and talk about their customers. I want them to say nice things about me. Big job? Don't hesitate to tip.

01-26-2021, 05:22 PM	#23
Descant Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Merrimack and Welch Island Posts: 4,039 Thanks: 1,212 Thanked 1,521 Times in 985 Posts	Lessons I've learned. I'm amazed the painter didn't say "And what color do you want the trim?" At which point you should have called the wife in and said "Honey, what color do you want the trim?" So, it's her fault. She never should have let you play alone with the painter without her direct supervision in the original negotiations. I'd call the same painter back. $700 doesn't seem unreasonable for the job you describe. Trim is slow and tedious. Regardless of the original discussion, take responsibility and apologize for not being clear the first time around. Be the boss and make everybody feel good so you can easily hire some other trades in the future. Or you could just replace the windows with polyvinyl or something and never paint again. Over the years I have developed a crew of tradesmen. They all pretty much know each other and will say, I can or cannot do that. Do you want me to work Ricky into the job? They all answer each other's phone calls as well as mine, and will slide into a job for an hour or two to keep each other's work flowing. We don't talk much about price and bids or quotes. When I call, they pretty much know they're getting the work and there will be a check at the end as they walk out the door. If I don't have a particular trade on my cell phone, I can call one of my team for a recommendation and be assured that I'll get quality work at a fair price. Ya know, these guys all go to the same coffee shop and talk about their customers. I want them to say nice things about me. Big job? Don't hesitate to tip.