Flat fee isn't the problem, it's the unlimited revisions. Dave got nine rounds because nothing in that deal said when to stop, and hourly wouldn't have saved you unless you also capped the hours.

And it gets worse when you add a torque wrench into the mix. You keep hitting the click thinking you're golden, but the bolt was already maxed out on the frame lip, so the reading is a total lie. Four shops probably did the same thing, cranked it to spec, felt the click, and handed it back with a shrug. That 2mm of dead space turns a five minute fix into a two hour ghost hunt every single time.

That trick works everywhere, not just Texas, my old boss up in Ohio showed me the same thing years back and it changed how I lay brick. The grit in the bucket is the real killer, it grinds down your trowel edge and leaves that smeared mess on the faces. Two spray bottles on the scaffold is the move, one for the trowel and one for the brick, keeps everything workable without ruining your gear.