Hey guys,
So how is the hammer swinging in your area? Its TERRIBLE here in central Florida! I’m doing very small jobs like building porches and stuff to stay alive but its a killer as no subs want to work them. They are are fighting over the commercial projects that are still going here. I have a commercial license but if you don’t know the big players with money, you don’t get those jobs as there is one job for every 50 of us guys with a license.
Most of my friends in the business have lost their jobs as supers or project managers.
Seriously thinking about hanging it up and closing the business by year’s end if it doesn’t get better. Thinking about a career change…just not sure to what?
Anyone else feel as hard hit as I do?
Mike
Replies
Boy oh boy.
Way up north from you on the west coast in BC things are different.
Try to find trades people in BC, good luck. Construction is booming and doesn't want to slow down a lot.
Martin
Same in Western Washington.
Here in central Ohio we are a bit slow but are still booked a 4 weeks out. We have 8 guys and did lay off a helper a few weeks ago. But the phone started ringing again so maybe it will pick up. DanT
Bad here too. Lotsa guys from out of town moved in during the boom, now they're all outta work and looking to undercut the next guy. So a lot of contractor-types scrambling for work, and very little work to go around. My friend the car mechanic says his business is horrible too, he's thinking of letting the help go, and running a one-man show until it picks up. And this is normally his busy time of year. Friend of a friend does public works projects, says his market is flooded with the guys who do underground for housing tracts trying to get into public works projects, just to stay alive.
"...an open mind is a powerful thing. The ability to listen to others is invaluable."
Jim Blodgett
Mike,
Jan/Feb were the worst months for work I have ever been through. Things looked dim into March. It picked up a bit, but was still week to week. Come May, I was starting to get backed up, but fell into an older "mansion" job that needed a whole lot of anti neglect. That filled in anything else. Well, it's been one good summer and the fall through Christmas looks full. I am real glad I only had a couple months of poor, hope this last 6 of good continues.
NW Oh.
A great place for Information, Comraderie, and a sucker punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
http://www.quittintime.com/
Jan through March was real slow. April and May started to pick up. June through now have been real busy. Booked out through November right now and actually had to decline a mudroom addition that was mine for the taking.
South-Central Wisconsin.
I'm a solo remodeler and my theory is that once people gave up on trading up to a new house, they decided to improve their current homes. Not improving the home for resale, but making improvements they really want. Makes for more interesting (and good-paying) projects.
Jan, Feb and March were really slow. But we are booked into 3rd week of October now. Just landed a 200 unit apartment complex for the weatherization we do, so I can't complain. I might need to bring in some office help though!
East Texas - Home of the Piney Woods
My brain + his brawn = a perfect team
Edited 8/21/2007 10:58 pm ET by ladyfire
the weatherization we do
Not to hi-jack, but care to elaborate?
This winter was horrid, we dead on our feat Jan-Feb and part of March. Took off soon after and we're probably booked through Nov-Dec at this point with a lot of potential out there still.
Company run's 6 carpenters, 2 Painters, one FT laborer/apprentice and 2-3 kids in the summer.
5 years ago Texas and a few other states deregulated. When they did this, it became mandatory for all utility companies to put X amount of money back into the public. They do this by having contracts with us. We go into a house (single family) or an apartment complex (multi family) and seal off all air leaks. IE...caulk under all sinks, door jambs and sweeps on all exterior doors, caulk around all windows, etc. We also seal all ducts where air may be escaping either into the attic , air vents or closet where the plenium is. The utility company pays us to do the work, basically by how many kilowatts per unit saved. The owner and or resident pays nothing most of the time, unless they add insulation.
That's the best description I can give you. Hope you can understand my explanation. Bambam explains it better than I do. I do the paperwork and scheduling end of it all.My brain + his brawn = a perfect team
what's your liability at the end of it, and roughly how much do you charge and how much time does it take?
sounds interesting, never heard of it before
Really not a liability at the end of it. The utility companies meter each house or apt. for one year to see what the difference in kilowatts for the previous year was.
The kw in each unit has to reach an acceptable number. A test is run prior to the work, giving a pre test # and a test is done at the end, giving a post test #. I'm not sure what the formula is. I put the #'s into the computer and it tells me if all is acceptable. Only had one in thousands that wasn't. Come to find out, there were holes in the floor under the carpet. Patched the holes from underneath and it passed.
We don't charge anything. Since the utility company is paying us by the amount of KW we save, it would seem unfair to charge the client. There are some that do charge though.
Each apartment takes about 30 minutes to an hour, depending on if we do weatherization or weatherization and duct blasting. If the ducts are in an unconditioned space, we can't do the duct work. Houses can take as long as 3 to 5 hours depending on the size.
It is interesting, meet some really nice folk and meet some really filthy folk. We do have the option of not doing a unit if we feel it will be hazardous or unhealthy to our guys.My brain + his brawn = a perfect team
I'm in the metro detroit area. Feb-Apr was dead in the water. If I wasnt working on one of my rentals, I wouldnt have been working. Been better since May and I have work booked for about another month.
We'll see what happens this winter. In the next couple days I have to sell a basement I was asked to bid on.
We have a rental about ready to go online and we hope to have another by Oct.