Hey everyone,
I was contacted to build this decorative ceiling. We discussed my price, but the contractor told me I was “too expensive” and decided to hire someone else.
Today, he called me back… because the job was poorly executed.
Here’s what I found on site:
• excessive use of scraps • wide gaps between boards • poor alignment • no leveling • bad preparation for decorative shapes
With a base like this, the ceiling will crack, move, and deform over time — no matter how good the finishing is.
After inspection, I proposed to remove everything and rebuild it properly.
And yes — I will double the original price we negotiated. Not out of revenge, but because:
• there is now demolition involved • technical corrections • wasted time • the risk of inheriting someone else’s mistakes • and more responsibility on the final result
I’d like your opinions:
👉 Would you do the same? 👉 Would you try to fix over a bad base, or insist on rebuilding from scratch?
Thanks in advance — I enjoy learning from and exchanging with this community.
Price just went up.
I have to unfuck this mess before I can do it right.
“Exactly! The price increases because I have to undo the mess before I can build it properly. Fixing mistakes always costs more than doing it right the first time. Thanks for your comment!”
It’s expensive to be cheap!
Education is EXPENSIVE!
I would've said, "I'm sorry, but I've taken on other jobs and I'm NOT available!"
Do you know how many times I have to say that to people?. They still go with a cheaper person, and when they call back saying is your price still valid and I have to go back out reevaluate because it's been two freaking months and see that they already had somebody out. I say nope prices no longer valid. It just went up triple because you decided to do something yourself and now I have to fix it in order to fix. I have to rip it out. So now he just calls me triple work which is triple pay. And nine times out of 10. It becomes a job I don't want to deal with and I'm glad they don't call back when they realize they screwed up
Ugh. My price would have been more than double.
This is truth!
+10% for irritation fee
10% lol I would charge double
Double. I would absolutely charge triple. Not being silly. Im serious.
How does the client know you’re any better?
He meant double plus 10% irritation fee
Unless the framing is screwed up, the demo should be fairly straightforward. If you have to do clean up and disposal, of course that’s an additional charge. But, I would think that your original bid, in addition to the extra work, would be sufficient. I know charging an asshole tax is based on principle. But, I would be more concerned about professionalism than being an asshole too. If you think he treated you badly, or he’ll be difficult to work for, tell him to get someone else.
Best answer
Haha c’est vrai ! 😄 Je devrais vraiment ajouter des ‘frais d’irritation’ — gérer ce chantier mérite bien +10% !”
Do! Just say added labor for fixing. That doesn't have to mean hours. Just extra labor.
I call it PITA tax. Pain In The Ass.
I mean they're now asking OP to accept responsibility for someone else's crappy work. Price definitely goes up.
That is very generous. I’m thinking higher.
Facts. It does exist. I've charged it on people stereos for a decade.
They pay for the people that get a good deal. The nice customer that made your day better. The company didn't like to see more than a 4.5% discount on our monthly recaps.
That's not very professional... it should show in the invoice as "Handyman tax".😄
We’re gonna need more mud!
I think its called asshole tax
Rebuilding is the way. Now there is a demo price,along with the original estimate. If you want it. He’s already shown his colors.
No offense, but did nobody else read the post? He clearly states there's a demo fee and he's doubled the price, but every comment seems to be saying "don't forget to charge extra".
“Exactly — rebuilding is the only real solution here. Now there’s demolition, correction, and risk added on top of the original work, so the price naturally changes. He already showed his true face when he rejected my price the first time, so this time I won’t hesitate to charge what the job really deserves. Thanks for your input!”
Why are you writing like that? Who are you quoting? It's very confusing.
Looks like he's using chatGPT to translate
Payment up front.
Expect other contractor to be bumped on prices and come in and destroy your work.
We had to test and fix the cheaper guys fibre install, and they went along snipping cables everywhere because they withheld thousands in payments to them.
Where's that board from? A abandoned supplier? Looks 10 years old being that yellow.
He bought all the quarter sheets on clearance down at Lowe’s. Couldn’t fit the full sheets in his van
Lowes wouldn't hold onto stock that long. Guy bought this off marketplace lol
I thought they put the back of the sheets facing out, where y’all get brown sheetrock from?
Nothing a taper can’t fix
Lol. I see nothing wrong with this.
If you think a professional is expensive, wait until you hire an amateur.
Did he use corner bead as the metal “framing” for the ceiling detail?!
That is impressively bad lol
It’s more difficult to fix someone’s mistakes than to just have done it originally. When I was building my clinic I hired a guy who was 20% more expensive, but I had worked with him in the past. He is a real master and the work he did was so beautiful and never cracked years later.
I can imagine the guy doing this listening to the music.
When someone accepts someone else's bid and wants me after the fact, i say no.
Ya rebuild. But you could compromise by having him do all thedemo completely. Charge original plus 10% for your extra consulting time and expertise. Get 50% when starting, and the rest when 75% complete. Otherwise it's a crap shoot if he will even pay.
If you think of my price is expensive just wait till you see how expensive cheap is!
Nope, don't burn my ass on that shit. Tell him he made a mistake not hiring you for the work in the first place. What you pay is what you get... New jobs he can call, but this he needs to solve with the guys who made the mess.
Why are there so many joints? You might as well just do a skim coat at this point.
Double plus aggravation fee and 100% PAYMENT UPFRONT!
Contractor here.... 35 years of it. My only advice is to be reasonable and not punish your customers.
One of the things that your are not saying is that given this story, the odds of this guy being a douche are pretty high. Yah, I’d double the price, and get a big part of it up front. Have progress payments, and the final pay no more than 10%. Have the guy sign a contract.
Jesus, that sound over is nauseating. I wish he never called you back and I never had to see that video
Its the cheapest man that pays the most!
Sounds like a bot account
lol caption and every response are chatGPT. Quotation marks included too!
Maybe he doesn't speak English and is using chatgpt to translate and touch up the text haha
OP is obviously a bot or using AI. Just look at the comments
I'm a DIYer,... was thinking to myself, meh not too bad for a small cool shelf on a decorative wall......oooohhhh my god! IT'S A CEILING!?!?!?
Yeah no way, even I can see it's going to be an expensive fix. Yeah charge them for your labor bruh. Unless they have other houses/jobs they can hook you up with cus oh my lord.
Naw mate its ok just use some matte paint for the ceiling and a couple tubes of caulk. Also and this is the most important step: no light must be directed at the ceiling.
There fixed it for ya!
I would tear it out. Start from scratch. The power needs to terminate in a box. The decoration needs to be on the structure not corner beads.
This is waste from other jobs? What a PIA.. wonder how much $ the contractor will be out?
now the fee is +30% or more because you have to fix that shit...
Sometimes I wish I could try the meth these guys smoke.
Then I remember I take pride in my work and don't want to get into meth.
Handle that. Good for you to take that on.
3% waste ain’t bad! Hahahaha
I feel like you have to actively try hard as hell to use this much scrap
Could you imagine looking at this and thinking I can fix it with mud and tape?
Yea id double the price as well. U get what you pay for
Yes, charge away.
Just be ready to file that lien when payment is slow to come.
GC’s don’t just roll over and show their belly, throw you money.
Job is is a loss for them, they may go into scoundrel GC mode.
“Do it nice or do it twice” - Operations Dept
“We fix cheap drywall jobs” - Marketing Dept
Sounds reasonable to me.
3x.
Im not in drywall but I have a cleaning company. I was cleaning air bnbs and the owner wanted someone cheaper, her rating starting going done so she called me to come back and I told her my price tripped 250 per clean lol. Cheap is never better now im out of your price range:)
If you have other work lined up to do. Teach him a real lesson and have him call around for someone else to do it. I'd refuse to fix someone else's shit. Just on pride. Now you're gonna have the I told you so awkwardness. Or a customer kissing your ass type deal. Just my opinion obviously.
Holy railroad 🚆🚂
No thanks. I’m busy give me a call on the next one.
Could you just install 1/4” over everything and just replace those curved pieces?
Can't stand behind the work with out a rebuild.
i dont know if double is the right amount but an increase is needed
In anything people are presented three options and you only get to choose two:
Cheap Fast Quality
Guess we know which two. Imo so long as you do your due diligence and show how big of a difference there is between your work and...this, shouldn't be an issue in regards to cost
You're absolutely right to require full demolition, you're putting your name, reputation, warranty on the line, and you're not about to polish a turd and make it shiny.
The saying I always tell the project managers when the customers wants stuff done quickly and against our recommendations, "There never seems to be enough money to do it right the first time, but there always seem to be money to do it twice."
Ooh hurm my eyes ..
Now double the price
I, for one, would not do the demolition needed. Make the contractor take it back to the original state. This way you are not responsible and no one can say it is because you did a poor job of the demolition. Otherwise they will blame you for every detail which you cannot control. Clean slate start!
The fucking song.... I don't know why. But it fits.
Easily doubling the price now
Total rip and replace and make sure he is billed and paid ahead before you do any work, I'd make him buy drywall so he doesn't stick you with it
Is this Mike Holmes?!
Beautiful soundtrack. ❤️ ♥️
Double the price, take it or leave it?
This is the “Scarface” penalty…“Now look at Choo, I tried to tell you, but Choo wouldn’t listen. NOW, look at Choo!!!
This is absolutely wild at how bad it is. I’m a diy guy and learned very fast the less joints, the less kidding, the less chance for it to look like shit.
But I guess there are some drywallers who live by, meh just put a California knockdown and it’ll hid everything
Now the price is double!
The contractor fafo'd. He found out!
Classic! Guess cheap really does get expensive sometimes
Needs more tiny squares of drywall
That music was perfect for me while I was trying to not only figure out what I was looking at, but also hearing
That song is perfect for this. lol
Double or nothing. That's what happens when you cheap out and go for the lowest bidder
The contractor told you you were too expensive. Why would the contractor tell you that you want a contractor?
I had a job like this ...but the owner did it himself on a new build... I just said no. Was a 2 week job but fixing everything would have taken 4 weeks
Skilled labor ain’t cheap, cheap labor ain’t skilled. Start from scratch and big increase on price
Double your number to fix.
Remove entirely and start over again
just charge a proper demo fee add it to your price. The contractor made a mistake. it wasn't personal. and you may get a ton of work from him in the future bc you are quality. dont overcharge the situation our of spite thats childish
But also a little revenge bonus is in tall order 😂
What in the HAZMAT am I looking at?
Is this a $^itty tile job done on a ceiling or a "Use every piece of scrap job" ?
I’m an automotive painter, and we have about the same saying If you think a good painter is expensive, just try hiring the cheap one first…..
Nope that’s a tear out and what damage lies underneath suspension miss cuts cuts to remove
Could be worse
We always charge 200% of original bid. Now you have to spend time tearing out the garbage.
Whenever a client say my price is high. I tell them you have to pay for quality. Feel free to use a lower bidder. But when I have to come back and fix there mistake my price goes up. I’ve had a few tell me they wished they had listened to me the first time.
Leave it as is.
The nice flow of lines and uniformity of the multiple panels draws the eye in.
The pencil lines almost dare you to tear it all down and strip her naked again.
I’d recommend a nice shade of Eskimo satin to highlight the deep crevices and natural curvatures of the painstakingly unnatural creation.
Definitely charging a PIMA fee for this (pain in my ass)
Congrats, now the price just doubled.
The price increase beyond the demo cost is the ‘I don’t want this work price’. . If you don’t want the work then that’s what you give.
I’d 1.5x my price to fix anyone’s f-ups… Annoying AF.
Tell him the only way is to redo it all ...
Look at all those different colors of drywall. “IT’s CUSTOM BUD!”
A good painter can fix that…
why didn’t they use full sheets wtf is this crap o thing stagged put those seems will crack like a mother fucker eventually
Omg. 😳 you don’t need that headache…..walk away…… do yourself a favor
I’d be careful he doesn’t screw you on the final payment.
You should pay us for having to listen to that annoying ridiculous audio. WTH!
Make homeowner remove everything, and then you can come in . Why do them that favor? They screwed up and took the low bid, and they therfore should be the ones to remove that garbage and get it ready for you ...
Charge them for a consult or two , let them remove and dispose of that shit , and then up to you if your nice enough to charge the original quote for balance or if you want more .
I'd probably charge the original quote, amunt plus your time to originally quote, and your time to consult them afterward ( add at least $1000 imo) .
Yesterday's price is not today's price
Hell nah —— cuz when u go back and look these are the clients that say “well it’s just that one part that needs fixing right ? Should be pretty easy…..
Rip and tear... Start completely over. Dont get fucked cause the client was cheap. And you are charging only x2 ?
Start from scratch. Easier than trying to fix that crap.
4x the original quote anytime I have to clean up the cheaper guys work.
I agree. Demo and start fresh. But not really necessary to charge double on top of adding a demo fee. I can definitely understand the extra 10-20% charge on top of the demo fee but doubling the cost on top is a bit over the top in my personal opinion.
But at the end of the day it is your decision whether or not to charge anything extra for your time and effort. And it is ultimately your decision whether you want to do the job in the first place.
Maybe he was going for “art installation “?
You need to charge to remove everything that has already been done, with some extra (10%) needing to deal with it, add some more (another 10%) for the Contractor being a POS.
Now you add your original quote and add on some more if he needs it faster to stay on schedule.
If the contractor says no, you got out of a very bad situation.
Thanks for the vid, now refuse 😆
Hot mess.
Everyone in the right mind would do the same
I wouldn't go back,that job is his Karma. He is now suffering because he went cheap.
Had owners do the same to me with work then wanted me to fix the stuff up. Sorry NO.
Get skrimming ffs
So much scrap. He saved pennies but then spent it on screws. So much taping and mudding. All overhead. My arm and neck ache thinking about it
If you touch someone else’s shitty work , your name is evermore attached to any and all complaints going forward. It all becomes your problem. Complete rebuild or walk away. You spend a whole career building your name, don’t help someone diminish it .
Just say no
Def charge him more
Charge double, get half of the payment up front👍🏻
Definitely rebuild the project… at least 50% more… you have no idea what’s under all that… as previous stated… PITA … for sure…
Walk away, don't get involved. Tradie of 40yrs.
I like to think he plays that song live everytime he has to come back to a site like this.
This is a time plus material job now!
Buy cheap, buy twice.
Nope. Walk away or charge at least double. In the 80's I once was asked to install a $3,000 solid mahogany door, with a thick mahogany door-frame, no casing. This was an exterior door. The walls were made of river stones, so very irregular. I would have to scribe and cut for a perfect fit. He didn't like my price and told me he could "go to Duron and get a couple of Mexicans to do it for $100." (I'm half Mexican btw). I laughed and told him not to call me when they hack it up. Of course, two weeks later he called me. I told him I no longer did work for Doctors, he was a Dr.. When he begged, I stood firm and refused to give him a number of someone to help. Some Customers just aren't worth having. I'd rather lose a job than lose money.
Updateme
Charge double
My hassle factor is the original price plus 100%. But I like some other posters math.
I would nope right DEE fuck outta' this one.
Fix? I would charge extra for ripping that shit down before starting new
Walk away he won’t pay you
That drywall fuckin' sucks.
I want to see the music video that I imagine goes with this cover track, though. Straight fire.
Time to add 30%. More.
Oh my god. Laugh and leave.
Did you ever work with this contractor before? In my experience, people who are cheap are harder to deal with and takes more effort to get paid. I would increase more just because of that and have contract to get paid by milestones. Not pay everything after job is done then spend another 10 man hours in calling and texting, and mental health
Not fix, you mean tear out and start over.
Price now goes up. Lol
You did this exactly correct.
One of my struggles as a contractor is setting price (which I think is common). I learned a good tip (I think from an Essential Craftsman video) that if you aren't losing about half your bids based on price you aren't charging enough, and if you're losing more than half you're charging too much.
And yeah, no way in hell you would have gotten a good result building on top of that. It probably would have even taken longer since the entire ceiling would have needed at least a ⅛" skim; all those scraps mean you would have to treat the entire surface like one big butt joint.
Well done sticking to your guns. You've learned the often difficult lesson that it's almost always better to just not take a job when the client expects something unreasonable.
Charge triple
I thought getting taken to Gapplebees was a racing thing.
I thought.\nThey hung on the drywall upside down
Price went up and get a healthy deposit. You already know he’s looking for cheap.
That song is AMAZING! Where might one download this banger?
+100% demolition fee;
+10% idiot tax;
+10% because of the already lapsed time;
+10% asshole tax;
+50% because I can almost guarantee that you will be blamed for the delays to the job.
The song choice is fire
If he couldn’t afford to have it done right, what made him think that he could afford to have it done twice?
Obviously increase your price now, by a large sum, and smile when you give him the new estimate.
Double the price and make it nice!
All I heard is: "The price just went up"
Cheap work is not good, good work is not cheap!
Double price because of demo, half up front (mostly out of spite), and a water-tight contract so they cant back out.
Dude didn’t even stagger the drywall 🤦🏻♂️
The high cost of low price.
I agree with most everything you've stated. Pull it all down and start fresh. Based on what is shown there, I would not want ANY of the currently installed stuff to stay. I'd insist on a fresh start if they expect me to offer any kind of warranty on the work.
No es MUY 😛😝🤨
I would charge him more for the xtra work and for being cheap.
"Yeah, that quote reflected the job at that time, and materials have gone up.. "
Looks to me like it needs to be removed and done over right this time.
Personally I would only quote the demo, then after seeing if that hack fucked anything else up, then I’d requote the job. The last thing I’d want is to quote it, even double, and then find there’s more shit to deal with than you expect
I would love to know his thought process during this:
"Hm, that doesn't look right.."
"Well, it's the roof, no one will notice that.."
"Oh, okay, well lots of filler might fix it.."
"Oh dear, the decorative have to make up for that"
"...oh noo..."
Everything looks good to me 🤭
Why is there so much patchwork? Is there something different about this type of ceiling to prevent you from using full sheets of rock?
May I enquire, simply to satisfy and itch, but what was your original quote for the scope of work? Really just a professional curiosity
Charge him your regular price plus demo and removal of debris
In the words of the great Ray Liotta:
“fuck you, PAY ME!”
Not in drywall or construction for that matter but our policy. We do work normal labor rate. You wanna watch add +50% You wanna help/make suggestions +100% If I'm fixing your mess and then working on it +200%.
But how you gonna have the risk of inheriting someone else’s mistakes if you are gonna remove everything and start over?
Same
Holy sand you ass off!
Yesterdays price is not todays price lol
Now the price is DOUBLED!
Be sure to come back and post pics of your work please!! It looks like a really cool design, i would love to see the finished product!
If it’s a contractor I want to work with, I’d cut him a deal to help bail him out. If it’s a one and done, double cost and fat margins (75%).
Triple the price now
Cheaper meant i don't know what side to expose!! Gawd awful.
I hope you post a finished picture. I just creeped your posts and you do awesome stuff!
lol. Price went up 50%
Shove the light back in the hole and call it good
This is the point where you triple your price, due to the extra work involved.