should the landlord pay the tenant

[Kia Zhu]

A new tenant of mine, fixed and installed a few minor things in the rental. Our verbal agreement was that I will reimburse him for the material. Now he is asking for both material and labor. Unfortunately his price is very high. FYI, he works for a construction company. 

What's the best way to deal with this as I prefer to keep the good relationship we have and minimize any bad behavior and resentment from the tenant? Thank you