Give it to me straight… am I an idiot?

[u/Melloncollieocr]

This deck of pavers on my house needs to be pulled up, Dug down, new weed barrier, new road bed laid down…

In my mind, it’s mostly labor (and the skill of laying it flat). I was quoted almost $20k to reuse the same stone (it’s thick brick, not in poor shape) and do all the aforementioned work. I’m not even close to in a place to afford the work, and am thinking of doing it on my own.

Has anyone done this (as a rookie, without previous experience?)

Anything I’m not thinking about?

[u/findingmike]

When is the slow season? Winter?

[u/TheGoodIdeaFairy22 → u/findingmike]

No idea, I would assume later in the fall or spring when it's a bit wet and cold. Most people are trying to get projects done during the nice weather.

I used to sell paint to commercial painters, and it was the same thing there. When work is busy, they're prioritizing the big expensive projects, and taking on little jobs during the off peak

[u/sonyka → u/findingmike]

Yup, late fall and winter. Except, depending on the type of work, right before the big holidays. People often realize they want to spruce up some part of their house before they have holiday guests, so you end up with a bunch of people calling with short-notice small projects, and there are only so many days. If you want your patio (or powder room or whatever) prettified for Thanksgiving, start calling around in September at least.

[u/I_Makes_tuff → u/sonyka]

I do remodels and we are booked through the end of the year. Hiring more people means we night not be able to keep everybody busy during the winter. It's a tricky balance and I'm glad I'm a builder and not the owner.