REPAIRING MY FENCE Robert, you did a great job in repairing my fence posts. At your initial consultation, you stated when you expected to get to the job after you finished your current project. You followed up with a status call indicating the day you would begin the repairs. You arrived on the day you said you would to make the repair and the repairs were done correctly. My fence looks great and the neighbors are also happy! My only suggestion is that you should have an agreement that the actual labor cost for the repair shouldn't exceed 50% of the original estimate without the agreement of the customer. I won't hesitate to contact you again for another home repair. David (Tulsa) Wednesday, September 26, 2007 David Thank you so much for the complement. Your suggestion is a good one. I thought about that in the past. I declined to add that as a policy due to the fact at many times I can not control what I am working on. It has been known for Dr. Brokenhouse to adjust the invoice if the estimated price and the actual price are an uncomfortable amount apart. I have adjusted the invoice in the customer's favor. I try my best to keep the estimate as close to the actual cost as possible. I always try to make it clear to all my customers that my rate is labor plus10% (materials are marked up 10%). In your case I removed all the old concrete and the part of the post that had rotten off below ground. Your previous repair man, after he anchored the new post in the ground with concrete, he bolted the new post to the old post and made a bandage repair. "It is the policy of Dr. Brokenhouse not to make bandage repairs!" While working on your fence I had to utilize 4 back yards including your own. This and removing the old post extended my labor time a little longer than I anticipated. As you recall there was one post that was leaning because of the stress of the fence sagging so long. I used a 2x4 to support that section until the concrete had time to cure. I hauled off all the trash, old post and concrete at no extra cost to you. I came out the next day and removed the 2x4 brace and tidied up the areas that had been worked on; still at no extra cost to you.  Thank you for allowing me this opportunity to make a difference in your live.

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RESCUING MY COUNTERTOP Robert, I just saw the countertops yesterday.  They look great and you did a wonderful job. Thanks, Daryl (Tulsa) Wednesday, September 26, 2007 Daryl   That was a wonderful idea to rescue your old Corian countertops. You wanted me to modify the countertops and install them to the cabinets in another property you own. Normally the spacer under the countertop is nailed to the cabinet and the countertop is glued to the spacer. In your case both the spacer and the countertop were glued together and to the cabinet. After cleaning off all the old glue I nailed a new ¾ inch spacer to your cabinets and glued the countertop to the spacer. So later when it comes time to replace that countertop, it will be a little easier.   Thank you for calling on Dr. Brokenhouse to renew your kitchen!