I need a price for a concrete wall.

Louise
by Louise
My neighbor built this small concrete wall (see two views) but won't tell me what he wants for it. I bought the concrete and mortar and brought it home and he unloaded the car. He's pressure washed my house once and only asked for $20, which I knew was a stupid price. I gave him $50, which was still a WAY good price for me. Then he installed 3 new wooden fence posts a couple of weeks ago and only asked for $20. I gave him $50. What is a fair price for this wall? He asked for $20 again.
  6 answers
  • I think your system is working for how you pay him. The bigger question is how much can you afford to pay him. How long did it take him? I would give him at least $75.
  • Louise Louise on Sep 21, 2014
    I was thinking about $75. He only does this when he doesn't have work at his real work which is drywalling, painting, etc., so it's not like he's taking time out from a well-paying job to do these things for me. I'm going to have him build another wall similar to this, but only two blocks tall and maybe 1.5 to 2 times as long, so I guess that would be the same price, huh? If I were really smart, I'd pay him his asking price, wouldn't I? :-) As to the time he took, I'd guess it was maybe 5-6 hrs total.
  • Jeanette S Jeanette S on Sep 22, 2014
    What a great neighbor and friend. I think you have been fair in your payments. And I am sure he has liked making a few extra bucks. Men get bored and like to have projects and if they can get some cash, so much the better! HA! If you paid him $75 and he is willing to do the second wall, then you know that is a fair price! If he felt he were being taken advantage of, he would not continue to help you! Now, we want to see all the beautiful landscaping you are going to do behind that wall next spring after it has had a chance to cure!
  • I do not know what great food your making for him, but keep it up! A wall like that with all the labor can easily top $400 or more. Most contractors get around $50 to $75 per hour plus materials. Keep feeding him. You got one special neighbor there. I do this also with my neighbors who need help and are on budgets. I like him charge little or nothing for helping them. But they during the holidays always send me a gift cert for a local restaurant in a box of cookies. Best payment I could ever ask for.
    • Louise Louise on Sep 24, 2014
      @Woodbridge Environmental Tiptophouse.com Actually, I'm not feeding him at all!!! :-) I think he's just a worse business person than I am, but as along as he's willing to keep doing stuff, I'll feel lucky. I ended up paying him $75 for his labor. I bought the materials, including a concrete blade for his saw. Now he's going to build a shorter but longer one for me next weekend. Lucky me, huh?
  • Toni Jeffries Toni Jeffries on May 14, 2015
    Return the favor as a way of thanking him. What skills do you have that he needs use of? What about giving him a gift certificate to a place he wouldn't normally go to or hasn't discovered yet. There are many ways to pay back kindness that doesn't include money exchanging hands.
  • Meem Kaplan Meem Kaplan on May 15, 2015
    I have always done things for others that can't do them themselves. I am now married to a man with the same ethic. We believe that we should be servants to others in need. For them to pay us the full amount of what we would charge if it was our employment kinda takes away from being helpful to others. This is faith in action for us. I understand your need to pay him and not to feel obligated but.... sometimes people are just nice and want to help someone. Please accept that he is helping you and don't think about "taking advantage". In order to give help and faithbased love, there must be someone who knows how to receive. You have done it graciously and that is probably worth more than the money to him. It was a lesson I had to learn before this marriage as I was going to be homeless with a 15 year old that was ill and some new friends graciously took us in until I could find a place to rent. I did do their yard work and housecleaning while we were there but that could never repay them for saving us from homelessness. 17 years later and they are still dear friends and last year due to some major health issues, the husband could no longer mow his yard so we did it for them all year. Now he is well enough and does it himself again. Now in our 60's we realize that we need to be gracious receivers soon. Your neighbor sounds like a man with a good code of ethics and morals. I would respect that.
    • Louise Louise on May 15, 2015
      @Meem Kaplan Actually, this happened last fall and is over. After I paid him $75 plus materials, he never returned to do the other jobs he said he would do. Adios, I figure. If he couldn't tell me what he felt his effort was worth, I couldn't read his mind and had no idea of the value of a neighbor offering to help out. So much for the value of living in an area of diversity of cultures.