this was your first mistake...
"uhh... do I need to bring my tools, or will I be standing there holding the window?"

Hi Vin, It was great meeting you @ ToolNut yesterday.  I'm really sorry that you could not dip into your pocket and pay for a domino 500 for me to take home with me.  Friend!!!   

You did the right thing and i think you should stay FAR AWAY from that company.  The owner is heading for big problems down the road if he is hiring supervisory help with zilch experience and knowledge. Sooner or later, he will be liable to a lawsuit for shoddy work.  do you think for a minute he would not drag all who had a hand in his "problem" into the action?  Your "friend" is just as bad.  Granted, he is ignorant of real wages and quality work.  He should have asked how much you would charge first.  He is not smart enough to ask such a question.  Stay Away Joe 

Sooner, or later, that outfit will be under the microscope and you might find yourself on the plate should you go along with them.  With all of the new regulations coming up over next couple of years, it will be tough enough to survive without having such "friends"

You are a lot nicer guy than i might have been in such a situation.

Many moons ago, i had a couple of friends who would ask me for an estimate to DO a job for them.  I gave honest estimates and next thing i knew, they were doing the jobs themselves.  I would gladly have helped them work out the estimates for nothing and even helped with the logistical info had they been honest.  In both cases, the next time they asked me to figure a job, i gave them a real lowball estimate and made sure i was real busy should they have called me to do the jobs.  In both cases, they took a real beating on the jobs and hated me forever after.  "Sorry guys, I must have made a mistook in my figuring."  My mistook was in figuring they were "friends."

Stick to you first impression, Vin.  You were right on, maybe even too generous.
Tinker

I do not discount my labor.  If a friend wants my help, they have to pay full price.  If they don't like it, find someone else.

My parents are the only one's who get free labor.

I have two friends that I will do the free thing with, largely because I know that when I need help it's readily given.  We all keep an eye on what I will call "equivalent hours" so nobody gets far out of balance.  My kid gets labor for free, but has to house and feed me when I'm at his place.  Everyone else is told up front that this is how I make my living, that I will charge them a fair price for what they get, and that if this is not acceptable to find someone else and see what they get.  I briefly dated a woman (quite a few years ago) who knew I worked in construction.  She made the mistake of thinking that after a ten hour day I would come to her place and remodel her home for free.  Needless to say, that relationship was rapidly terminated. 

 

For me I have just 2 daily rates. $300 or free. (this is for wood work) my day job pays a bit more.

I know there are many that charge less and they are welcome to the problems that come with the jobs. At least if I get problems (I seldom do) I am being paid enough to be happy to fix them.

Vinnie ,

Once more Im a little late to the party but,

 about 10 years ago I subbed out a window install on a home. There was something like 15 block windows to install the subs remove the old and intalled the new. I paid a  2 man crew $100 a window.

They provided a dumpster for the old windows/ waste, tools etc. They set the windows I trimmed out the inside and painted.

I took them a day a half to do the work.

At todays prices a $100 bucks a day, the illegals here dont work for that.

I would of told him for $100 I would teach him how to install them him self on site, stay for 2 window installs then leave and go get lunch.