Alright. So. I’ve had some issues with home contractors recently. Ergo, the header image of Nazneen Contractor. Which seriously came up as one of the first images when I googled “contractor”.
Anyway.
I wasn’t scheduled for WYFP tonight, but I’ve got one of those first world god damn problems, and JeffW wasn’t able to find someone to cover for tonight. So you get to hear me bitch.
For the past few months, I’ve been trying to get a contractor, any contractor, out to take a look at my driveway, and tell me what it’s going to take to fix it. There’s a 450 year old (estimated) Heritage Oak abutting my driveway, and the roots have literally torn up the concrete over the past several years.
As listing (and moving) time approaches, it becomes time to fix the things that have been ignored for many years. One of those things is the driveway. The challenge has become finding a local contractor who is willing to take on the job.
Most homeowners will attest that finding anyone with skills beyond a handy man on Craig’s List is neigh on impossible these days. You simply can not find someone to patch your driveway, fix your roof, or care for your landscape. Water heater craps out? A/C goes down? Good luck finding someone to fix / replace those things. And a structural issue like a driveway? Book into 2018. if you’re lucky enough to find a contractor to respond.
So, I’m on a timeline. I need to get the driveway fixed to list the house.
I find a guy. He says June 19. Tick...Tick...Tick...
It’s July 7th, the “reschedule” date. Guy stops by. His truck broke down. He’ll be here maybe Monday. But I’m hopeful at least, since a 10 yard dumpster was dropped in front of my house on Friday afternoon (after an hour of haggling, and whether or not the contractor was covering the dumpter cost).
It shouldn’t be this fucking difficult to get a small job done.
But no one wants to do small jobs. There’s a million of them in my neighborhood. It’s almost impossible to find someone to fix a gate, resurface a driveway, or frame in a replacement window. Even gig guys on Craig’s List won’t take the jobs.
You know why?
The good gig guys aren’t here anymore. Or they won’t surface publicly. Because they’re immigrants. There are few gig guys who will pour my driveway repair. Fortunately, through some contacts, I found someone. And I was willing to pay the going rate. No negotiation.
And, rant off. He gave me a price, and I’ll just be happy if he shows up on Monday, a month late.
WYFP tonight? We’re here; we have broad shoulders.