# What Would You Charge To Clear My Driveway? (Ownership costs Vs Hiring a Pro)



## Eric (Dec 10, 2016)

Here's the layout of my place. What would you charge to clear it using a two stage SB? I'm not looking for salting or sanding prices or cleared to the surface. I'm just trying to calculate the cost of ownership of my new machine versus hiring it out.

I thought the price of my new machine was very high but it seems like it was pretty low considering I've already used it three times, it would have been five times but it got here a week and two light snow storms late.

The white areas are where I can put the snow.

I'm just looking for rough guesstimates.

Thanks!


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## nwcove (Mar 2, 2015)

originally thought $50, but with a second look id say at least $75 . and that price is just because i enjoy moving snow. ( i have never moved snow for $ since i was a kid with a shovel )


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## pearlfinish (Oct 25, 2016)

I'm gonna start by saying location is very important....as labor charges vary drastically from city to city, state to state...for example, here in the Toronto area, your looking at atleast $200/month for something like that wether it snows or or not. And you mentioned "using a two stage", but unfortunately that is not up to you what the company would use. You would not be able to dictate what machinery they use...they could use a truck with a shovel for all you know, really depends on the lot and area, and where snow can be put.


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## pearlfinish (Oct 25, 2016)

Many companies in my area also use the flat rate/winter service, where you'd pay a flat rate for the area wether it snowed or not.


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## Hanky (Nov 14, 2014)

I would not even think of hiring some one .... If you had your own 2 stage you can do as needed when it is needed. Blowing or plowing snow is a rewarding job, I plowed and blew snow for our school district for 32 years and now 6 years since I took the golden hand shake. REWARDING yes because when you are done you can look and see what you did and how much better it is. vacuum the house and when done you can hardly see the difference, cut the lawn and the dandelions are still there.

Just my 2 cents.


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## YSHSfan (Jun 25, 2014)

pearlfinish said:


> ou mentioned "using a two stage", but unfortunately that is not up to you what the company would use. You would not be able to dictate what machinery they use...they could use a truck with a shovel for all you know, really depends on the lot and area, and where snow can be put.


With all due respect, I beg to differ on this....
For the most part yes if it is up to them, they can use what ever they want to clean the snow with, but if a customer particularly requests snowblowing instead of plowing you have to stick to it (who PAYS decides, is their preference). I've seen a few scenarios where it gets done.
Now you can put a massive snowblower on one of the trucks (or a few companies here put snowblowers on small skid steers) and get done a lot faster, but you will have to snowblow it.

I as a customer would prefer snowblowing over plowing as well.

:snow48:


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## detdrbuzzard (Jan 20, 2012)

can I use all the lawn area in front and behind the house and on the side of the barn or would I be restricted to just the areas you have highlighted? it would make a difference if you had a lot of snow. I do my elderly neighbors for free and sometimes the snow on their front lawn is as high as their front porch or about even with the hedges, a good four feet high or I will start at the occupied house south of me and blow snow north to the vacant houses north of me so I can blow snow into the backyards of those properties


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## nwcove (Mar 2, 2015)

.....what about a one time $ value ? Eric is just trying to figure out how much he is ,or could be, saving by being a diy guy as compared to farming it out ,after his purchase of a new sb.


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## pearlfinish (Oct 25, 2016)

hsblowersfan said:


> With all due respect, I beg to differ on this....
> For the most part yes if it is up to them, they can use what ever they want to clean the snow with, but if a customer particularly requests snowblowing instead of plowing you have to stick to it (who PAYS decides, is their preference). I've seen a few scenarios where it gets done.
> Now you can put a massive snowblower on one of the trucks (or a few companies here put snowblowers on small skid steers) and get done a lot faster, but you will have to snowblow it.
> 
> ...


Absolutely right, customer can request it... but wether the company agrees to it or not is up to them. They're going to charge a very high premium for it, especially if they're busy, and have many other homes to go do. I know a few companies that clean snow, and speed is their main priority. They're not going to walk up and down your driveway with a snowblower for 45 minutes or so, if they can plow it in 5 minutes, and have a guy or two with a shovel cleaning up against walls and such...

It really all comes down to how much the person is willing to pay, and how much time the company is willing to give you for the amount of money agreed on. 


I've also seen various machines used on the same property. Snow blowers in tight spots, and plows in open areas where allowed.


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## YSHSfan (Jun 25, 2014)

pearlfinish said:


> Absolutely right, customer can request it... but wether the company agrees to it or not is up to them.


I agree with your point as the company could agree or not. 
All I tried to say was, if I want my property snowblowed and I am paying for that type of service, I am getting it or I would get another company to do it.

The OP is asking for a estimate on the service and he wants it snowblowed. I have no idea how companies charge.


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## pearlfinish (Oct 25, 2016)

the $200/month I stated would be price to plow. For a company to come in and do that property in a decent amount of time with snowblowers, they'd probably have 3 blowers working at the same time, and that all costs money, more equipment, more labor.


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## e.fisher26 (Nov 6, 2016)

Eric said:


> Here's the layout of my place. What would you charge to clear it using a two stage SB? I'm not looking for salting or sanding prices or cleared to the surface. I'm just trying to calculate the cost of ownership of my new machine versus hiring it out.
> 
> 
> 
> ...




Assuming paying $50-75 each storm, a SB may average $800 if not more. So 10-16 storms, average 4-5per year, and your looking at evening out in 2-3 years. Now add the doing it yourself price, is it worth it? Anyone understand that jargin? I may not 


-efisher-


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## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

around here they charge between 400-500 for the season. guys will come over with a snowblower for about 40-50 bucks a pop. depends on area needed to blow.


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## pearlfinish (Oct 25, 2016)

Where I'm from, most do not price it out by the snow fall...they price it out by the week, month, or season, depending on demand, and size of company. And you pay wether it snows or not. So you may make your money's worth if it snows allot that year, or vise versa for the company if it doesn't. 

Unless we're talking about little jimmy from down the street using his dads blower to clean your property....that's different.


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## e.fisher26 (Nov 6, 2016)

My landscaping/plowing neighbor gets paid snow or not. The more plowing he does the less he makes


-efisher-


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## Eric (Dec 10, 2016)

e.fisher26 said:


> Assuming paying $50-75 each storm, a SB may average $800 if not more. So 10-16 storms, average 4-5per year, and your looking at evening out in 2-3 years. Now add the doing it yourself price, is it worth it? Anyone understand that jargin? I may not
> 
> 
> -efisher-


That's about what I was thinking. I just wanted a rough idea of what should I expect to pay if a guy with a snow blower who's hustling up some side work. The only ad I found with a price in it read, "Starting at $25" so I figured that would be for a short single car driveway and a 150 feet or so of sidewalk. With about 3,000 sf of surface area I figured $70-75 for my place. I think a grand for my machine was cheap in the long run. As far as being worth it to do it myself, I've found I usually get much better results when I do things myself. It can be tough to find people who take pride in their work, who'll stand behind it and make things right when they go wrong.


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## Eric (Dec 10, 2016)

hsblowersfan said:


> With all due respect, I beg to differ on this....
> For the most part yes if it is up to them, they can use what ever they want to clean the snow with, but if a customer particularly requests snowblowing instead of plowing you have to stick to it (who PAYS decides, is their preference). I've seen a few scenarios where it gets done.
> Now you can put a massive snowblower on one of the trucks (or a few companies here put snowblowers on small skid steers) and get done a lot faster, but you will have to snowblow it.
> 
> ...


You're right, you do what the customer asks or don't take the job. If I was actually hiring it out I'd just want the snow moved and nothing damaged in the process. If they could do that I'd be happy but I'm happier having my own machine. I'm always the first customer on the list when I'm the boss. Plus, when it gets bad I can help out family too.

I specified a two stage blower for two reasons. First, I bought a two stage blower so I wanted to compare apples to apples. Second, I know how long it takes me to do it so I wanted to know about what it would cost per man hour, it wouldn't matter if it's one machine running or two.


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## bad69cat (Nov 30, 2015)

Judging by the size of the area and having to blow it all to one side - it would take a pretty substantial blower in any decent snowfall. It has to toss it far enough to not make the pile increasingly difficult or you will be making a lot of passes. Time is money they say - I would guess about $150 for a plow job, and about $250 at least for somebody who has a blower big enough to whip it out quickly - like a skid steer. most everybody is going to be plow only. Depending on the snowfall in your area - you could buy a decent tractor/blower combo for around $2k used. So, I guess it's how dependent you want to be and how much snow you get question....... If you do the tractor you get a tool you can use for other stuff too......


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## Tomatillo (Nov 11, 2016)

I'd politely hand her the shovel next time and have _her_ tell you how much it's worth ....  The snow blower, that is. 

Out on a limb here, but I can't imagine questioning yourself on this purchase or you wouldn't have done it. Despite what others would charge in any given scenario, you already know the value of that machine, _to you_.

If you're trying to convince yourself $1K is justifiable for a _capable_ snow blower to clean the area you illustrated, then in a word: YES!  Congrats on a good purchase that will save you time and the aggravation of needing to have others do it for you, in their time and their way.

Someday, when you have doubts, call a guy and have him do it for you. Compare. If you're miles ahead by sitting and watching, then sell the thing and recoup $800. You're out $200 for the venture.

Seems you can't go wrong.




Eric said:


> You're right, you do what the customer asks or don't take the job. If I was actually hiring it out I'd just want the snow moved and nothing damaged in the process. If they could do that I'd be happy but I'm happier having my own machine. I'm always the first customer on the list when I'm the boss. Plus, when it gets bad I can help out family too.
> 
> I specified a two stage blower for two reasons. First, I bought a two stage blower so I wanted to compare apples to apples. Second, I know how long it takes me to do it so I wanted to know about what it would cost per man hour, it wouldn't matter if it's one machine running or two.


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## Eric (Dec 10, 2016)

Tomatillo said:


> I'd politely hand her the shovel next time and have _her_ tell you how much it's worth ....
> 
> Out on a limb here, but I can't imagine questioning yourself on this purchase or you wouldn't have done it. Despite what others would charge in any given scenario, you already know the value of that machine, _to you_.
> 
> ...


You're completely right, it's a "...good purchase..." 

I think the couple of hundred dollars for a new machine over a good clean used model was well worth it. I usually look for used equipment and vehicles but this is a case where the long term ownership justifies the expense. These things seem to last forever so I spread the difference in price out over the 15 years I expect to use it and buying a high quality used SB in good condition would only save me $16 a year. And that's if the used SB never needed repaired. 

It's just fun to see how much a quality tool saves you through the years.

My wife loves shoveling snow, she would love for us to do it but she knows my health issues make this job too physically demanding for me. 

We bought all the tools to remodel our home a many years ago, table saw, router, nail guns, air compressor, Graco paint sprayer, all the tools needed for sheetrocking, tiling, plumbing and electrical, and when we were done we had a completely remodel home for less than half of what it would have cost to hire pros. We gutted it to the bearing walls, changed the floor plan, rebuilt it completely and the only things we hired out was replacing the roof and laying the carpet. We got a lot of help from the family.

Years later we still have a garage full of tools that continue to save us money. Everyone in the family has been able to use them too.

But sell my snowblower?! Man, that's just crazy. I almost never sell tools. I have in the past but I always regret it eventually. It may be many years later but I always need the tool I got rid of and then I have to pay more to replace it.

I thought about how nice it would be to sit and watch someone moving snow for me but then like you said I'm at someone else's mercy. And I'd be paying someone else to have all the fun.

After clearing a bunch of heavy wet snow yesterday without breaking a sweat I think I'd upgrade this to a "Great Purchase!"


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## Tomatillo (Nov 11, 2016)

We are alike when it comes to purchasing tools and doing it ourselves. At age 57, I examine the value of my time, and the physical issues with which you can relate, and it makes sense to me now to have the tree guys haul away the large brush pile twice a year, versus standing there and chipping it all or loading it all on my shiny pickup truck, scratching it for no good reason.


As long as I can, however, I'll be changing my own oil and filters, servicing my own equipment, cleaning my own carbs, and clearing my own driveway of snow ... with good equipment and quality I'll buy so it serves me when I need it. 


Cheers, Eric.


Merry Christmas to you. 




Eric said:


> You're completely right, it's a "...good purchase..."
> 
> I think the couple of hundred dollars for a new machine over a good clean used model was well worth it. I usually look for used equipment and vehicles but this is a case where the long term ownership justifies the expense. These things seem to last forever so I spread the difference in price out over the 15 years I expect to use it and buying a high quality used SB in good condition would only save me $16 a year. And that's if the used SB never needed repaired.
> 
> ...


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## GoBlowSnow (Sep 4, 2015)

with a 30 inch machine, I'd charge.. $30.00 I don't like to rip people off.


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## jrom (Jan 10, 2014)

Eric said:


> What would you charge to clear it using a two stage SB?


Do us a favor, would you? Keep this thread alive and after you get used to clearing all your zones out. Time yourself and record roughly how much snow and the conditions.

You'll then have a better idea on how long it takes and how clean and neat a job you would do.

Around here, snowblowing your area would go anywhere from $60 – $100. Snow plowing would range from $40 – $60, but it would not look pretty and you (or the contractor) would have to clean some areas by hand or at the least with a SS blower.

I did the same thing to justify (rightfully so) buying a new machine when we built our house 25 years ago (and we literally built about 85% ourselves and with friends help).


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## jrom (Jan 10, 2014)

GoBlowSnow said:


> with a 30 inch machine, I'd charge.. $30.00 I don't like to rip people off.


I hear what you're saying. That is a really good price. Don't think most of us would find a deal like that though.


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## 762mm (Dec 22, 2014)

In the area I live in (Montreal island and suburbs), snow removal services are typically seasonal and you can expect to pay between $200-$300 per season whether it snows or not. The catch is that the companies doing it pretty much all operate snowblowing tractors and so the job they do is very limited in terms of how much snow they actually clear from your property. They will roll onto your driveway, suck up all the snow into the holding bin on the tractor and then spew it out onto the side of your property and drive off. The whole process takes them roughly 2 minutes or less and none of them do a complete job; if a car or anything else is in the way, they just stop the tractor in front of it and don't bother clearing anything by hand or with smaller snowblowers (quantity of customers over quality of service seems to be their motto). Sometimes they will just do 3' of the driveway if there are cars and then drive off to the next customer at warp speed. As such, it's a real pain in the rear to have your driveway completely clean, since you never know when they're coming so you can move the car(s) in time. Sometimes they come early, sometimes at night, other times they're a day late. In the end, most people are still stuck shoveling or using their own snowblower afterwards in order to finish the job. Kind of pointless, isn't it?

Personally, my old 1977 Toro 826 that I got for $160 and a temporary car shelter that I erect every November in front of my garage for the winter season is all I need. The truck is parked in the car shelter protected from snow and ice and the Toro does the rest of the driveway and front door entry passage in 10 minutes. It paid for itself in the first year and now it's technically generating money, lol! (because I don't have to spend on snow removal services and the job is done much better anyway).

Plus, let's face it... blowing snow off your property has something awesome to it. Maybe I'm a bit OCD, but I get great satisfaction out of it each and every time, especially when we get a lot of snow and I get to cut perfect passageways in the fresh snow with my vintage Toro!


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## Eric (Dec 10, 2016)

Tomatillo said:


> We are alike when it comes to purchasing tools and doing it ourselves. At age 57, I examine the value of my time, and the physical issues with which you can relate, and it makes sense to me now to have the tree guys haul away the large brush pile twice a year, versus standing there and chipping it all or loading it all on my shiny pickup truck, scratching it for no good reason.
> 
> 
> As long as I can, however, I'll be changing my own oil and filters, servicing my own equipment, cleaning my own carbs, and clearing my own driveway of snow ... with good equipment and quality I'll buy so it serves me when I need it.
> ...


Thanks, and Merry Christmas to you too and have a great new year.


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## WisconsinDave (Feb 24, 2014)

Driveway here is 130 yards long, coming up to a 3 car garage, with a drive going up to the top of the house (split level). 

10 years ago, it was $50 and $75 for a good snow.


5 years ago, it jumped to $75 and $100, and adding a poleshed behind the house would have increased it more.


Picked up an MTD 12/33 which works great, and am watching for a nice Pro 32 or Honda 32 inch. 


Way cheaper than an old 1/2 ton 4x4 with a plow that will need $$$.


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## Mike C. (Jan 28, 2016)

I don't care how many times I read it here on these forums,I'm always baffled by people saying that they "enjoy" blowing snow.I'm really impressed by the guy saying that his wife likes to shovel.

I've been doing both for over 40 years now and can honestly say I despise it.I couldn't care less if my blowers never left the garage.

I'm not lazy nor am I allergic to hard physical work-I've done my share,but when I see that "white filth" coming down,I want to gag.If I could afford it,I'd gladly pay someone to take care of the snow for me or even better,move out of snow country.


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## Ariens hydro pro (Jan 24, 2014)

I don't do the service professionally but I'd charge at least $40 an hour. $20 for my labor and double it for my machine use.

What is bad is on a strangers yard what are you going to hit? Dog bowl, toys, floor mat etc. That can cost you a lot of $$$ in repairs if you have a bad day!


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## Eric (Dec 10, 2016)

hsblowersfan said:


> With all due respect, I beg to differ on this....
> For the most part yes if it is up to them, they can use what ever they want to clean the snow with, but if a customer particularly requests snowblowing instead of plowing you have to stick to it (who PAYS decides, is their preference). I've seen a few scenarios where it gets done.
> Now you can put a massive snowblower on one of the trucks (or a few companies here put snowblowers on small skid steers) and get done a lot faster, but you will have to snowblow it.
> 
> ...


I can't agree more. If I requested snowblowing and someone showed up with a plow I'd be on the phone calling another company just soon as I sent the plow driver away. If he offered to go back and get a snowblower I'd just say, "No, don't bother, I'm not using your company but thanks anyway." Plowing leaves huge piles of snow that I really don't have any place to put. Snowblowing distributes it pretty evenly across the property so it'll melt of faster in the spring and isn't an eyesore all winter long. I specified blowing for a reason and I have no interest in working with someone who completely disregards our agreement. I buy what I want to buy not what someone wants to sell me. It boils down to doing the job you bid for the customer instead of bidding the job you want to do. Even if he offered to load the snow and haul it away I would't work with him. Just a matter of ethics, do the job you bid or don't do it at all.


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## Eric (Dec 10, 2016)

hsblowersfan said:


> I agree with your point as the company could agree or not.
> All I tried to say was, if I want my property snowblowed and I am paying for that type of service, I am getting it or I would get another company to do it.
> 
> The OP is asking for a estimate on the service and he wants it snowblowed. I have no idea how companies charge.


Yep, it's just that easy, do what I request or I'll find someone who will. My goal is getting my snow cleared by snowblower, not putting money in someone's pocket for doing what they want to do. I'm more than willing to pay a fair wage for quality work but I don't pay a penny for something I don't even want.


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## Eric (Dec 10, 2016)

jrom said:


> I did the same thing to justify (rightfully so) buying a new machine when we built our house 25 years ago (and we literally built about 85% ourselves and with friends help).


I love asking people when they're bragging up, "Building a house." "Are you building a house or are you having a house built?" I'd call doing 85% "Building a house." Foundations, roofs and the like aren't in most peoples skill set and best left to pros but just about everything else an amauter can get through with a little effort. My wife and I gutted a house and completely redid everything except the HVAC and roof. Building or remodeling isn't like they show on TV!


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## Kielbasa (Dec 21, 2013)

Cheers..... Mike! :icon-cheers:




Mike C. said:


> I don't care how many times I read it here on these forums,I'm always baffled by people saying that they "enjoy" blowing snow.I'm really impressed by the guy saying that his wife likes to shovel.
> 
> I've been doing both for over 40 years now and can honestly say I despise it.I couldn't care less if my blowers never left the garage.
> 
> I'm not lazy nor am I allergic to hard physical work-I've done my share,but when I see that "white filth" coming down,I want to gag.If I could afford it,I'd gladly pay someone to take care of the snow for me or even better,move out of snow country.


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## jrom (Jan 10, 2014)

Eric said:


> I love asking people when they're bragging up, "Building a house." "Are you building a house or are you having a house built?" I'd call doing 85% "Building a house." Foundations, roofs and the like aren't in most peoples skill set and best left to pros but just about everything else an amauter can get through with a little effort. My wife and I gutted a house and completely redid everything except the HVAC and roof. Building or remodeling isn't like they show on TV!


I'm the same way. Once you start talking to people who say that, you can usually tell how much they did.

Around here I'd say it's down right impossible to get a bank loan for a house without a licensed builder somehow attached to it.

My wife was taking care of a friend who got breast cancer and her husband happened to be a builder and he always offered any help if we wanted to build a house.

He did all the cement work; footings, block foundations and basement walls, concrete floor in basement, and rough framing of 1/2 of the house...and stayed on during 18 months of construction as GC. 

I, my wife, my dad (licensed electrician from the late 40s), and a number of friends did the rest, including framing of my 1-1/2 story garage and the concrete flatwork, plumbing [neighbor taught me how to layout and sweat copper], forced air heating [including all ductwork], 52 block masonry chimney and old 1974 Jótul wood stove, roofing, siding, insulation, some of the drywall – but not all, cheap cabinet alterations into better ones, installation, trim work, spruce flooring, door and window installing, painting, landscaping...on and on. Quite an experience.

My bank loan officer would call me in every 3 months [3, 6 month construction loans...total of $80k] and ask me "Joe how're you doin?" I would always say, great Bob, how are you? We got along just fine and the house appraised just fine at the end of the process.

For me it had nothing to do with bragging, but out of necessity. Housing was going up so much in the early 90s and I only made so much, we couldn't afford anything available that was more than a dog house.


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## hfjeff (Jan 24, 2016)

That's a fair amount to clear. I try to live by the idea of work smarter not harder. I would invest in something like this, but then I like to buys toys/tools.....and I live in Deere Country:


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## Eric (Dec 10, 2016)

jrom said:


> For me it had nothing to do with bragging, but out of necessity.


I'm sorry, I didn't mean to imply you were a bragard, not at all.

Anyone who's done 85% of a home's construction has every right to say they've,"Built a house." 

I was trying to compare someone like you, who's actually done the work, to blowhards who go around taking credit for the hard work of those who are actually building the houses.

Again, I'm sorry if I sounded disrespectful.


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## jrom (Jan 10, 2014)

Eric said:


> I'm sorry, I didn't mean to imply you were a bragard, not at all.


After I posted, I thought you might take it that way, but I really knew you weren't saying that. Thanks for the nod.

It is really cool to get tools and get things done, Bravo to you too!


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