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View Full Version : What to do about shop?


treeman82
12-02-2001, 02:29 PM
Hey guys. I have been a little bit irked lately because my shop is still full of garbage. It was supposed to be getting cleaned out weeks ago, but the owners have been stalling about it, because they have been really busy. I was told on back on the 30th of August that I would be paying $500 a month for outside storage of a truck and trailer, plus inside storage in their 32 x 32 garage. The rent is being bartered off. I have to cut 1 lawn every week (lawn costs $125 to cut) and do some other stuff in the winter to take care of those months. Lately they have been asking for misc BS to be done... clean up at the other owners' houses, put down a yard of top soil, fertilize, etc. The winter rent was supposed to be worked off by grinding some stumps at one owners house. (bout 35 stumps or so) plus remove 2 ash trees located over a shed and garden. The stumps are gonna cost the one owner somewhere around $3500, havent looked at them in a while now. The 2 ash trees should be somewhere around $1000 - $1600. Now I have no problem with being ahead with my rent. I figure by the end of this month I will be about 2 months ahead. By the end of the winter I will be somewhere around a half a year ahead. It's just that the garage isn't cleaned out. Now I must say on their behalf that our agreement had been that I would be moving my stuff inside once they finished construction upstairs. They finished construction though either a month ago, or 6 weeks ago. I think 6 weeks may be the right one. These guys are all really nice guys, and they get me other work. But this is just startin to bother me here, that I am doin this stuff for them, and all that is sitting there now is a 16' trailer along with a few rakes and shovels. The place is a local deli, which is not even 2 miles from my home. They have really good food too. The owner who has the stumps and the ash tree also owns a killer pizza place.

My thinking is to come up with just a rough bill itemizing the jobs that I have done for them within the past 3 months and sit down with them and have a talk. I don't think that any problems would be caused by this. However what would showing them a bill really do in either party's favor? An idea just popped into my mind to ask them to cater a small party for me for some of my associates. I figure if I get like a big wedge and some salads and sodas... take that down to the lawn mower shop. Or even when I do get into my shop to have them cater a small party for me in there. Any thoughts?

Runner
12-02-2001, 04:01 PM
Man! YOU are treading on some very DANGEROUS ground! Bartering or not, this stuff should STILL be drawn up for it's value FIRST, then performed. You better get with these guys like YESTERDAY and get this stuff straightened out! THEN, you can let them know about the garage situation. You are not getting what you are paying for, and you need RESULTS now! You can rest assured, if it was the other way around, they'd be HOUNDING you for YOUR work! Good luck with it, but don't let it go any longer. It just complicates things more.

65hoss
12-02-2001, 04:15 PM
Hey its Lawnboy82 aka treeman82!

Runners right. You should handle this yesterday. Be careful, if you make them mad you might get beat up.


Sorry, couldn't resist.

treeman82
12-02-2001, 04:46 PM
It's ok 65. Nice thing is though you are wrong. Only my old bosses used to beat me up. These guys are not my bosses. I am gonna work on something like a contract for them either this week, or during the weekend so that I can get this settled. Any ideas as to how to word it, and what to do about what is goin on right now?

TurfKingLawn
12-02-2001, 05:20 PM
Sounds like your in a dilly of a pickle. Lol. Just go and talk to them, perhaps consult a lawyer if needed. I'm no good at wording contracts, have fun with that. ;)

Hank

pcs
12-02-2001, 06:59 PM
Why don't you clean out the shop yourself?

But like everyone else is saying you should get eveything straiten everything out with the owners before you do anything else for them

treeman82
12-02-2001, 08:17 PM
PCS- I was all ready and willing to clean out the shop last weekend. I had called them up before I had gotten home and told them I would have somebody with me to lend a hand. They want to be there to say what goes and what stays. To paint a mental picture here of how bad the inside is... its 32' by 32' you cannot walk a straight line in there from one wall to another at any point. You will have at least 2 areas of stuff to work around. When I had gone to see them after I had called was on Friday morning. At that time they were busy working on the menu. Saturday was no good for them either. Their good day was Sunday which was the day I came back up to school, so that obviously did not happen. I am hoping that when I go home this weekend it can all be straightened out.

treeman82
12-03-2001, 12:38 PM
Great news I just talked with the owners on the phone, they already cleaned up the basement. I guess it was done this past week. I'm still gonna write something up though, but I just thought I would fill you guys in on this. I am gonna move my stuff inside finally this weekend.:D

TurfKingLawn
12-03-2001, 10:38 PM
Good deal, hope everything works out well.

Hank

Turfdude
12-04-2001, 07:53 PM
Ever heard of one of these??
I have a cotract w/ a commercial account to store some equipment, 2 plows and sometimes a trailer n return for service. All items are spelled out explicitly and any extras o service end are charged accordingly. Costs me possibly 1500 per year to use 1/2 of 2 car garage (actually thats the billable amount -- labor w/disposal is around $500 max).

Bottom line --- get an AGREEMENT signed by both parties statingspecific terminology for Rent for service!!!

Good Luck