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[TLClandscaping]

Humm, not sure where to put this lol,

I had a dentist appt. today "%*#!" and the dentist wants me to do the landscaping for him, and he wants me to take it out in trade since I have no insurance and it costs me out the /\$$ for dental work, What do you all think about that, maybe him paying for the plants/trees/mulch, supplies ect. and charging no labor, how would you all tackle this one?

[jsw2008]

That's a sticky situation. On one hand is good for you since you don't have insurance. I'm in the same no dental insurance boat as you. It costs me 400-500 to have checkup for the me, wife, and 2 kids. I we have to get x-rays---forget about it--600.
On the other hand, you have to make sure the dentist is not trying to get more work out of you than the dental work is worth. I would definitely do it if he buys all materials so you have no out of pocket cost. The more I think about it, I would definitely do this I if could with my dentist.

[crab]

why would you let him buy the materials????does he let you purchase you're material for fillings and cleanings and then charge you flat hourly rate?.no i bet you pay for a cleaning exam at one rate (cleaning 150$ xrays 300$).so why don't you find out what he wants, buy you're plants wholesale and trade straight up $500 you're cost for $500 his cost don't sell yourself short ,if he buys the material you are taking a Big loss and essentially rolling over and playing dumb.

[Raven386]

I wish mine would have done that! I paid $1500 for a root canal and now need a crown for another $1500 :hammerhead:

[Bigred350]

Go for it. We do it all the time. Here in a few weeks we are working for a guy that owns a body shop and my Dad is letting them fix a dent in his truck for the work.

A while back we did alot of work for a guy that owned a cycle shop. We traded out 2 brand new 4 wheelers for the work.

[BillyRgn]

i would give him a written proposal for anything you do, and have him sign it, that way there is no question about how much he has to credit you, talking from experience, a friend of mine got screwed by his dentist

[FLAhaulboy]

Back in the eighties, I barbered with a dentist in exchange for mowing/landscaping his office and home. He paid for the supplies and it worked out great for both of us. I had several thousand dollars worth of dental work done as a result. We agreed on a simple handshake but nowadays, It ought to be in a written contract, Then a handshake!

[TLClandscaping]

Sweet deal I think... I have been with this dentist for sometime now, he takes care of my wife & son as well.

I will still use my head on bidding it, thanks

[AGLA]

Come up with a pricing system so that your comparisons can be quantitative should there be a problem. You could even go heavy on the price because he is bartering, too. A simple way to do it is to tell him (in writing) that you use someone's catalog as a base price and charge x times as much for the plant and intallation. You can give a material markup percentage as well and a labor rate for things that are not priced out as installed. Remember that you are not trying to under bid anyone, so go on the high side.

That will cover you if the guy tries to pull some BS on you later. A court will not try to discount your work.

[topsites]

I think it all depends exactly how, that is when and where this conversation ensued.
There's no telling, this could have come about anytime and it might be all right,
but it might have come around at the wrong time, too... There aren't enough
details in this story to make an informed decision from where I stand.

[Isobel]

i would walk away from that one. I never do landscaping in trade of anything. sometimes I'll do it for free for friends, but that's different.

I would be worried he would try and short change you for work. my question is how would you quantify the amount of work you'd be putting in? would you be agreeing on an estimate or quote beforehand?

on a side note, I don't have dental insurance either and need at least 3 fillings, and I would still walk away.

[TLClandscaping]

I think I will charge my normal pricing on that, even though I have known him for years. I think it would be safe and just maybe do a little extra on the side if he is willing to cut some off of my bill, contract still writen of course.

[JNyz]

Bartering works. You must trade him dollar for dollar. Don't let him get over on you.

[Turboguy]

Just be sure to treat him fair as well. Give him the impression you are ripping him off and you might find yourself getting a root canal with no novocane. :confused:

[TLClandscaping]

LOL! This job is a nightmare! I have to deroot 30 barberries! 20 yrs old 5' high:dizzy:

[White Gardens]

Famous Line I've Heard-- "One hand washes the other"

I try to stay away from favors. I tell business owners who want to swap work that I get more benifit from putting down everything in my invoices than I do under the table.

I tell people you give me a bill, I give you a bill, and the money is all the same. I used to work for a guy who did the swap thing and I think he lost thousands in the shuffle.

Barberries aren't that bad, cut them off at the ground, and then use a pick axe to work them up. I've run into a lot more root problems from other bushes. If you don't have to remove the stump, then just paint a little brush killer on the cuts you just made.

[TLClandscaping]

Barberries aren't that bad, cut them off at the ground, and then use a pick axe to work them up. I've run into a lot more root problems from other bushes. If you don't have to remove the stump, then just paint a little brush killer on the cuts you just made.

B20 backhoe, replacing barbarries with emerald arborvitaes so roots have to go.:weightlifter:

[White Gardens]

ahh, that sucks. Good luck to ya. Make sure you charge accordingly.

[TLClandscaping]

Thanks! I'll need it!

[TheYardButler]

I am going to be going out and looking for a dentist as well to do this trade/swap deal as no dental insurance either.

The Yard Butler
www.callyardbutler.com

[Jb3NH]

I never had a problem doing trade work. One of my best customers who happened to be a dentist ended up really helping me after i underbid a walkway early in my career. Like it was said earlier, make sure your trade is dollar for dollar, theres nothing wrong with having a little paper between you.