Lessons learned from home repair workers

jantango

Registered
Joined
Mar 21, 2009
Messages
2,442
Likes
1,919
I want to share my experiences over the years and what I learned from hiring electricians, plumbers, etc. for repairs.

2002 -- new kitchen installation in rental apartment

I moved from a furnished two-bedroom rental without lease for two years to an unfurnished one bedroom rental on a 2-year contract with guarantee. The kitchen was the original one built in 1966. I paid for the remodeling in lieu of six months rent. An owner in the building referred me to Julio for a written estimate for the kitchen. Other work was added while he worked. The toilet and bathroom sink were the originals, so they had to be replaced; the rest of the bathroom was remodeled. I had a friend handle the work assignments with Julio since I didn’t have the language skills yet. Standard is a price for the work, 50% to start and 50% when finished. The electricista, gasista, or plomero indicates what materials are included in the price. Spending time at the apartment during the work gave me the opportunity to decide about other projects, like changing all the old wiring throughout the apartment from 1966, painting the bookcase, replacing all the outlets, etc. The work took about two weeks. Julio had the keys to enter the apartment. He respected the consorcio quiet hours from 2-4pm (which many do not). He contacted an electrician for an estimate of rewiring and installing all new light fixtures. I didn’t know what “matricula” meant for various workers who were certified.

LESSON LEARNED: Watch the work in progress. Ask questions. Insist on things done the way you want them. Example: the kitchen cabinet was hung on the wall with two screws. I wanted to store dishes, a blender, etc. in the cabinet. I knew that two screws would not hold for long. Julio said not to worry. A friend noticed the cabinet was not secure to the wall. The day arrived when the cabinet full of dishes and glassware fell off the wall and onto the floor. At least I wasn’t standing in front of it when it happened, but I was nearby when it hit. A friend secured it with bolts to the other side of the wall in the bathroom. It’s still holding.

2006 -- complete painting, repairing and varnishing wood floor, install additional electrical outlet, etc. Luis prepared the estimate all the work after visiting the apartment. He showed up with three young men who he said were his “brothers.” I didn’t ask to see their DNIs for confirmation or note their names/addresses. I took photos during the project. Only one man was there working every day for two weeks. Luis, who works as an encargado nearby, finds jobs and manages them. All he did was replace a few pieces of wood in the floor. I wanted the new electrical outlet inside the wall. It had been painted, so I settled for it outside the wall which was less work. I moved out of the apartment for two weeks. Luis removed the wooden cortina from the window to varnish it where he lives, but it was returned unvarnished and not working properly.

LESSON LEARNED: Do not pay the balance due until you check over everything and find it to your satisfaction. Workers never clean up. They don’t complete the job. They promise to return the next day and never show up. That was the case for Luis. Once they are paid in full, you have no recourse. Check IDs of those who will enter your apartment. Do not give a full set of keys--they can always make copies and have access. Tell them not to paint the door hinges and locks. It ruins them. My bathroom and bedroom doors didn’t close properly after the hinges were painted.

2013 -- close water tank in wall and add toilet tank
I hired Julio again to do the job. The first day he showed up with Raul who was hired to do all the work Julio didn’t want to do -- breaking up the floor to change the drain pipes and reposition the toilet. It was a mess living with all the dust. I took photos throughout the work because it helps seeing every detail of the process and if it’s done correctly. I had to argue with Julio about repositioning the toilet so that the top of the toilet seat would stay open against the tank. Be prepared to say how you want things done or it won’t be. They don’t work on the weekend, so I was left without a working toilet for days. Additional work was necessary. The toilet was leaking and the tank wasn’t centered behind the toilet. Julio didn’t show up for four days to finish the work, so I didn’t let him in or pay him, which probably meant Raul didn’t get paid by Julio.

2014 -- toilet tank mechanism adjustment, new bidet installation inside toilet, bathroom sink pipe
I had to hire Marcos and Ezequiel to finish the work that wasn’t done satisfactorily by Julio. Everything was completed in three hours and done to my satisfaction. Paid in full upon completion.
LESSON LEARNED: hire experienced plumber who knows the importance of client satisfaction.

May 2015 -- install new water heater in the kitchen with exhaust pipe, repair washing machine
I hired an American for a list of jobs. Most important was a new water heater after months taking cold showers. He got it working and would return to complete the other jobs. I never saw him again. He claimed he had health problems. He installed a plastic tube from the unit to a larger metal exhaust pipe, which Metrogas told me was unsafe and should be replaced. They replaced the gas meters in the basement after 50 years and checked all pipes in every apartment for leaks.
LESSON LEARNED: Do not expect an American-Argentine to do the job like you’d expect in the USA.

January 2018 -- painting baseboards, doors, bookcase, closet, nightstands; seal wooden floor seams, repair cracks in walls, seal toilet tank leak
I grew up in Chicago where my dad did all the repairs and remodeling in our home. I decided I could do all these projects myself over the summer months. I was completely satisfied with all my work.

February 2018 -- install new plastic persiana (rolling cortina) with motor in the living room window
I got only one estimate and made a 50% deposit. Fabian did most of the work removing the old persiana and installing the electric cord and the motor onto the pulley. The new persiana was too wide for the window. I don’t know if it was Marcelo’s error in measuring or the factory’s error in making it. Each piece had to be cut before installation. The pulley is hard to access and squeaks all the time because it is 50 years old and rusted. I wanted it oiled, but Fabian said it wasn’t necessary. Yes, it was and I didn’t insist. It squeaks every day when I open and close the persiana. The cover is sealed so the pulley in not accessible. I regret I didn’t get the DW40 oil spray in hand and do it myself.
LESSON LEARNED: Step in and do what you know is important, especially if you are a woman dealing with men who want control. Take the time to get two estimates so you know that you’re not overcharged because you’re a foreigner. It takes a half hour for any work to be reviewed for an estimate.

Sept 2018 -- replace lighting fixtures in living room, dining room, and kitchen with LED fixtures for more light and less consumption; fix the two doors that haven’t closed since the 2006 painting. I asked for a recommendation at the local hardware store. I called Pablo who came by in two days with Emmanuel. I showed them what I wanted done as well as all the work the building needs. I thought I’d have an estimate from them in a couple of days. They never called. Workmen don't want to take every job offered. I asked for another recommendation and called Pedro, a retired man who lives a block away. He showed up, saw what needed to be done, and gave me his price for services. We arranged a date for the work. He replaced the light fixtures with new LED fixtures that I bought weeks ago. He asked if I’d like him to install one of his home-made bottle lights in the living room. I saw it and agreed to try it out. It didn’t work correctly when installed so he took it home to rewire. When he returned it was cracked. He tried to convince me that’s the way it was when he brought it to my apartment. I had taken a photo of it, and proved that it was not the case. He obviously broke it during the time he had it. He agreed to replace it with another one. I plan on buying another LED fixture. He hammered the hinges on the doors and repositioned them to close properly in less than two minutes. I couldn’t believe how quickly the problem was solved. The other guys said the doors had to be removed and planed.
LESSON LEARNED: Insist that the work is done as you want it and to your satisfaction. Always get an estimate in writing.
 
Yeah all to typical we had contactors working here they put a sliding window door off the bedroom in upside down. Does not sound like much but being built into concrete they had do allot of work to fix it. Then another time we hired painters to paint while went on a trip and came back sure the walls were painted but paint splatter was on the furniture and all the place. We spent days dealing with that. Now we do the painting together. I had new apartment in URU one time they put the shower window at the back of the shower not the front, take shower water everywhere. Seems to be an epidemic construction problem here. But the one I will never forget, working in my office one day and hear a huge crash. Step out the door a 9 story under construction building had callapsed with a very sad body count of construction workers and two locals if I recall. They had started pouring cement on the 9th floor when it was fully ready for it. Something like 12 constuction workers dead and two people in the house it fell on including a child.
 
Beware of the "unlicensed" gassistas out there, there is lots of scams going on with Metrogas and the so called "gassista matriculata" guys who claim to be licensed..;):rolleyes:.

The stories I could tell....
 
This applies to pretty much any country on earth. If you find "skilled" craftsmen by asking at the plumbing store, you kinda get what you deserve. I have had mostly good experiences with tradesmen in Argentina- due to a combination of good friends in the industry, knowledge of what I want and how I want it done, and dumb luck.
If you dont know anything about a subject, be it buying Rolexes, plumbing, or brain surgery, it is incumbent upon you, the consumer, to do some homework first.
And in anyplace I have ever been, the good craftsmen are always busy, dont advertise, and take some time to track down. It helps to get to know architects, contractors, and other tradesmen who work here. Which I just kind of naturally do, due to my own interests, but it takes time, and work, to find the best people. Its not like buying a TV, where every LG is basically a decent product.
 
Back
Top