Welding cost

[Gary Fowler]

I dont run a shop so my time is free when I do welding repairs. I dont mind fixing something for a friend and if I agree to fix it, there is never a charge. Hopefully they will reciprocate in kind if ever I need something from them. The last time I did some repairs was for the contractor who was building my shop addition. I welded up some broken backhoe stabilizer pads, added on some lugs to bite into the dirt so it wouldnt slide. It took me at least a full day and a half to do the work and lots of gas for preheat. No charge. He then asked me to fix his FEL bucket and offered to pay me but I told him I would fix it for NO CHARGE. I spent more than 2 hours and several pounds of rods on that too and was happy to help him out as I enjoyed to welding time. In the end, we both benefited from the work as I had added in a man door, a window and an 18x14 concrete slab to the original bid. I bought the door but he cut the hole and installed it and furnished and installed a window plus graded, formed and pooured the concrete slab to the original estimate. He furnished the double pane low e window plus labor to install, poured the slab and only charged me for the extra concrete. He even helped me put in some electric wiring for lights and switches at no charge. Sometimes you get paid back for your free work.