I had a large square plastic planting container, 25" high, 14"x14" at the top, tapering down to…read more12"x12" at the bottom. Filled with dirt, it would have been somewhere around 100 pounds - hard to move. 6" from the top, however, there was a 1/8" ridge that went around the container. Four 13" long slats attached together to form a square, lifted up from under the ridge would catch it, making the square a kind of handle, and the filled container much easier to move.
In short, that was the job - to create or obtain four such slats and securely attach them together to form a square. (I thought metal braces on the corners would also be needed, but Rick said no, that nails and glue would do the job.
Also, as I would be keeping the container outside with the wooden square around it, he said the wood needed to be treated for the outdoors. He also said the wooden square could be angled, so as to be flush against the container (for more secure contact).
Rick was pretty amiable. He asked for $200, then laughed; he was (maybe after seeing my reaction) joking. I offered him $40, he wanted $60 - which I thought was high, but the angling might not have been so easy, I was at his shop with the container, and I didn't want to take the time going some other place. (In hindsight, I should have texted him a photo of the container and spoke to him over the phone.) Also, the angling he spoke of might not have been so easy. Aside from that, he was a small businessman, that can be tough, and I don't mind giving such people a good deal. But I do expect them to do what they say they are going to do.
When I came to pick up the square, it was not angled. Nor was it made with wood that was treated for the outdoors, but was the indoor furniture wood he had in his shop. But the killer is this -- the joints connected with nails and glue, but with staples - something that, with respect to wood, I had no experience with. I asked him how long he thought it would last; he said about 10 years. I asked him twice if the price was still $60, he said that it was. I paid him and took the square. After about 5 to 10 uses, with the container only half full, a corner of the square gave way. I texted Rick a photo of that corner, and asked him if he stood by his work. He has made no response. I am not surprised.
What surprises me are the positive reviews (that appear on another website. If they are legitimate, I would expect that they are from repeat customers of whom Rick wants to remain in their good graces. Clearly, as a likely one-time customer, that wasn't me.
