So ive been in the trade since I was 14 hanging on weekends and after school ( family ) im now 33 and have been full time since highs school, I have over 15 years of solid exp as a piece worker, hanging and finish, seeing someone say if they can hang 70 sheets in a week they are happy makes me wonder if they really know how much money they could make if they learned how to "piece work"??!!.... my brother and I charge $25 per sheet for a basic house with 8 ft cielings, if its a house with more detail we could charge up to $35 per sheet, that's just labor, if we supply material its anywhere from $50 up to $70....the location plays a factor also....houses on the coast tend to be a higher price....anyways say we have a house that's 150 sheets ( 12 foot sheets ALWAYS ) we hang it in 2 days and tape, finish, sand in 5 days.... hanging is always faster money cause your only doing it once! so say we are charging 25 we split it in half 12.50 to hang 12.50 to tape...so that's $1,875 we split 50 50 that we made in 2 days.... we always get a check after hanging then again after finish....and most of our contractors are right there to pay when the last screw is in then when the dust hits the floor......if we are charging 35 we would take 15 to hang 20 to tape....we also do commercial work when we want a break from houses....and that's through another bigger drywall company.... but you can make a lot more piece working commercial stand ups....we mostly tape when it comes to that but we can do anywhere from 350 - 500 sheets a week 10' stand ups, but since its through a different company and not for our own we may get 12-14 a sheet.... but still 350 sheets a week at 12 is a 2,000$$ week!! ( its not always like that but it can be!!) and if your thinking well why doesn't every0ne do that then.... cause not just anyone can!! even guys that are good drywallers and do a great clean job and really know the skill doesn't mean they know to "flow" and hang 80 sheets a day or tape 400 a week.....and just an fyi, our work is by far top quality so no just because we run and go fast doesn't mean we "butch" anything!!.... its called pride and wanting to be the best at what you do!

Hobokenkitchen, What did you decide? I am having the same debate rght now... 72" double vanity, doing a mirror over each sink, and need to decide about lights next to mirrors or above? And then, heights to place them all? Ack, these decisions are killing me!!! PS, Bee, I've not seen the pics of your bathroom before--I love the curtains behind the tub. I, too, am going to have a pedestal tub like that, with a window behind, and I think I'll need to cop y your curtains :) I also think we are ordering that chandy from overstock--I love it!

The drain line changes direction 3 times in the 60 feet, so it runs parallel and perpendicular to the joists depending on the section you are looking at. At the beginning of the line it is running parallel to the joists but is as high as it can go when it penetrates the rim joist and runs into the laundry room slab. I've considered using a grinder pump to address the problem but view this solution as trading one maintenance headache for another. Additionally you lose all drainage capability during a power failure unless a much larger generator is utilized for backup power to accommodate the relatively large load most grinder pumps impose on the system. In respect to seeking the advise of a "Pro", remember, it was a pro who caused this problem in the first place. In my experience, it is very difficult to find a competent tradesmen who not only can think out of the box, but can implement his craft at a high workmanlike level. I hate to paint with a broad brush, but finding a plumber who is interested in doing an excellent job is very difficult. I'm not saying they are not out there, but they are definitely in the minority. I can't risk hiring someone who may make the problem worse. The above statements may make some mad, but anyone who has built a house using subcontractors will at least understand the problem with substandard work. This house for example, was built by a well respected builder as a custom home designed by an architect. It was not cheap by any means. The house looks good from the street but when you look closer, poor workmanship is displayed in many areas. The most obvious, in addition to the above problem, is the insulation detailing - no insulation at all in the exterior basement walls - seems like a no brainer when going to the trouble of finishing a basement, not a stitch of insulation in the joist pockets at the rim joist - noticeable air movement, the electrician installed all the switch and outlet boxes throughout the house too far beyond the stud face so the cover plates cannot rest on the drywall but have a 1/4 inch gap all the way around, not to mention that there are not two boxes set the same height from the floor, poor exterior flashing details especially at the tops of the windows - no flashing at all. The list goes on. These are things that are caused by a "good enough" attitude that is too prevalent in the trades today. The unfortunate part about this situation is that this house is the best one I found after an exhaustive search that covered no less than 75 homes up to the 400,000.00 range. I bought this home because the price was right and I knew that most of the issues, I could repair myself over the course of the next few years. I guess my point is that there are a lot of self proclaimed Pros out there, but very few who actually are. Being a licensed contractor is no more an indicator of a competent qualified workman than a drivers license is an indicator of a good driver. Most anyone can get one. Sorry for the rant, but I guess this whole plumbing situation has me a little aggravated, mostly with myself for not catching it. I appreciate the input from this board and can assure you all that, whatever repair needs to be done to resolve this problem, it will be done right. To any contractors that are competent and take pride in doing a good job, keep up the good work. Sometimes it seems that nobody notices those small details that make your work stand out from the rest of the "average" guys but I can assure you that there are people out there that do appreciate a true craftsmen and are willing to pay for that talent. In case anyone is wondering, I work in the trades myself. I make my living repairing commercial and residential standby power generator systems. I could tell you stories about systems installed by licensed electricians that would make your hair stand on end. I make a good living repairing these installations daily. But that is the subject for another thread. Thanks again for the responses. I believe my original thinking has been confirmed - 1/16" per foot of fall is just not gonna get it.

Normel I checked the neutral in the panel, the connections in the transfer switch, the ones in the JBox upstairs. and rechecked every connection (except one outlet that is hard to get at), I haven't checked the lights yet because it appears that the power feeds in at the switch (I only remember seeing two wires last time I replaced a light). Last night was stranger, first my lights got dim and stayed that way for almost a minute (no flickering), they came back to full brightness for a minute, dimmed again for about 30 secs, came back up, then a few minutes later rapid flickering. Its strange because this time the stereo clock did not go out, and it had no effect on the TV. Now some other odd stuff has happened, sometime last night the electric stove had a power failure that took the clock out, and it happened again this afternoon. Also the coffee pot (has a timer) has been having clock issues, buts it on a dedicated 20 amp line and I can see all of the wire, additionally this circuit has gone through two cordless phones in a month (they just no longer work for some reason). Right now the Kitchen light (on the problem circuit) is getting dim and coming back up (but not flickering). I am not sure if the problems with the stove and the kitchen receptacle are related to the other problem, but its odd because this just started happening. I will take the lights down and check them, I will also check the remaining outlet. What else might cause these problems besides a bad wire? Is there any chance this could be a connection at the pole or outside somewhere wearing? Bad connection in the meter can or my mains on the breaker box? What about the breaker being bad? If for nothing else I would like some ideas so if/when I hire an electrician, I will have some idea whether or not they are full of it.