Oh sure, I could have (probably) sawed this thing up myself. Rolled the heaviest logs off my precious football field and stacked them to the side. But we're talking a good 8-10 backbreaking, sweaty, dangerous personal "man hours" involved.
Instead, called in the pros.
Four grizzled sawmen, backed by the utterly awesome might of a machine that laughs at logs thicker than your legs, made quick work. Forty-five minutes to be exact.
Did I feel ripped off? Hardly! I sat on my golf cart, sipped a diet coke and took pictures. Didn't even break a sweat.
Best money ever spent.
So.... what was your "best money I ever spent" moment in life?
The scene from Fargo immediately comes to mind: "And I guess that was your accomplice in the wood chipper."
ReplyDeletedid you at least offer them a "pop"?
ReplyDeleteMy contractor father in law has a saying that i always live by: "Leave the roofing to the roofers", so, I've spent "the best money Ive ever spent" numerous times. Maybe even saved my life and/or a few digits along the way...
ReplyDelete1. Battery back up sump pump
2. Pier in/out services
3. Tilework
4. Kitchen Demo Work
I rented an industrial wood chipper like that one to clear trees at my old house. It was pretty damn fun getting to do it yourself!
ReplyDeleteThere was a guy in Wisconsin that was pulled into a wood chipper, wise move hiring the pros.
ReplyDeleteMy snowblower was hands down the best money I've ever spent. Should have saved my allowance as a kid and bought one then, my parents driveway was a nightmare!
ReplyDeleteI second the tile work. Looks easy, right? Lay them down, use spacers to keep them nice and square, grout it up when you're done. I've seen the handiwork of some do-it-yourselfers. Usually a crappy outcome. And that stuff isn't going to just pop out so you can fix it up. Leave it to the pros. Perfect every time.
ReplyDeletei second the motion on the snowblower.......probably saved my marriage. nothing madder than a cold wife with a shovel.
ReplyDeleteMy MBA, but your tree grinder was much more fun. DIY officially sucks!
ReplyDeleteRE: Tree Grinder
Holy &#*+!!!
Best money I ever spent... isn't that the punchline to a divorce joke?
ReplyDeleteThe Czabe! I've always thought you look like someone familiar, but could never quite put my finger on it. After seeing your frowny face picture in this post, I realized who it is...paint you green and you are the GRINCH! It's an uncanny resemblence...with all do respect, of course.
ReplyDeleteBest money spent? Somewhat related, bought a Kubota 23HP Tractor with a front end loader and blade attachment. 4WD w/power steering this little fellow rocks. I can handle tree work way easier with this tractor. Hauling, driveway grooming, etc. Cost around 12K; would sell in about 15 min. VG Purchase. Don't blame Czabe for paying, tree work is very hard work and dangerous to boot. Hitting thigh with chainsaw and bleeding out not really my cup of tea.
ReplyDeletePaying professionals to sand and refinish hardwood floors easily the best money spent over doing it yourself. Had a landlord that did it herself before I moved in once and would wipe sawdust off the walls four years after moving in. All the pros sanders attach to a giant Shopvac in their truck leaving little sawdust behind. Also, I second hiring roofers especially when you have a 12:12 sloped roof like I do.
ReplyDeleteI am quite good at the tile work and enjoy it. Have done 4 rooms. All perfect. Enjoy laminate flooring jobs too. With roofs...anything steeper than 4-12 and you can have it. Best money for me has been spent hanging ceiling drywall or finishing drywall.
ReplyDeleteTile work just needs time and patience (it helps if you are anal). Its also one of the few DIY’s where you really can’t wrap yourself around the axel so bad that you have to both pay the pro fix it and listen to him be condescending while doing it.
ReplyDeleteI bought a small chainsaw for taking care of small trees or big branches that come down and are not big enough for the pros. Money well spent; loss of bodily part factor low.
I had the pros install my new front door and it took about 30 seconds of watching to know that was money well spent. Getting those things in and properly shimmed is an art form.
Anything drywall related is money well spent. I could sand, smooth and redo twenty times and it would still look atrocious.
Comparative Advantage - The four gentlemen are happy; Czabe is happy.
ReplyDeleteA 22'x 16' bi-level deck on the back of the house. I needed something for the large crowd we were expecting for my daughters high school graduation. Thought about doing it myself since I built one (though much smaller) at a previous residence, even though I knew it would take forever to complete. Good thing the wife had doubts about my carpentry skills. The "pro's" got it done in 2 days and looks awesome, much better than I could've done.
ReplyDeleteOn vacation in the Southwest years ago, decided to take a spur of the moment side trip to Juarez, Mexico. Was just going to go across the border, turn around and come back to say I did it. The coming back was the hard part. The car overheated going across the bridge into Mexico. On a Sunday afternoon.
ReplyDeleteFourteen hours later — after a dozen ill-fated trips back to the U.S., plenty of burnt daylight trying to fix it myself, and a dozen more confusing phone calls to a towing company — the wrecker finally showed up to haul my wounded car back to a repair shop in El Paso.
Cost $35 to tow it across the border, then another $35 to hook it up to an American wrecker for the last leg of the journey.
Hands down, best $70 I ever spent.