I am a remodeler in North Texas. I work for myself and by myself. Work has damn near completely dried up. The phone just will not ring.
I just want to know if I am the only one in this situation. I know I do good work. I have many repeat clients and they all have raving comments about me and my work. What is going on here?
Replies
Dear Mr. President,
.............................................
Are you
serious??
Over the past 15 years several million more homes were built than were actually needed. That surplus has not yet been eliminated.
cuta
Poor December, end of last yr for that matter.
Excellent Jan/feb/march..................
Crap in April.
And now, rot repair rears it's beautiful head.
Nice kitchen if they settle on a decision, coming up.
The answer now to the question of getting on my list is when do we start?
Very hard to plan or budget in these times, at least here in the shadow of the rust belt.
I would love some rot repair! I am having to work on my dads house to make ends meet. And it is humiliating having to work on the house you grew up in and get paid to do it.
yes Jan feb march was pretty good here too..that is why I dont understand how the phone just quit ringing..like turning off a water faucet.
Phone won't ring?
One thing I love about carpentry is the ability to generate work for myself.
There is always something to do on the house we live in, or another we remodeled over a period of 10 years (in between billable work) and if I see a long dry spell coming up I can get started building a third house if I want.
Does this approach generate a lot of regular income?
No. But it builds equity. And between my wife's steady job, and my small income, and a modest lifestyle we raised a family, built what we hope is a realistic retirement portfolio, and lived a rewarding and fulfilling life.
Are things slow here in the Pacific NW right now?
I guess so. I keep hearing folks say that and I haven't had any employees for a year or so.
But I still am glad when I get a free day here or there to work on one of our places. Got a lot I want to do and not near enough time to do it in.
Hang in there cutawooda. I think there's a natural ebb and flow to work scheduling. Slow times provide a great opportunity to take stock, consider options, investgate things you don't have time for when the phone is ringing off the hook.
I had a great fall and winter and the start of spring was not bad. But after finishing a bath remodel it has gone quiet. I generally can make a few calls and get some pick-up work but it’s pretty flat right now. I checked my sales for 2010 & 2009 and it was the same then. Could be tax return time or other factors. So I have been finishing projects at the rentals and around the house.
It is a sober feeling to look at the sched and not see much on the horizon. But that is the business we are in.
One thing I have seen is an increase in the wood butcher bids. I was underbid on a 30'x15' deck job which I bid "in the dirt" low just to keep busy. The customer called to let me know I was the high bid. The winning bid to frame and deck with composite decking with hidden fasteners $550.00 (labor).
Hang in there guys, it will come around.
just got a call from a friend to build a dog obstacle course..I am in ! I need to do it under $5000.00 My last job offer was to put in a screw in a storm door..she is 12 miles away. I will do both.
Here's the basic problem: http://www.jparsons.net/housingbubble/
Housing prices have another 5-10% to fall before they're in line with historical trends. And, with the economy still less than robust, you might reasonably expect prices to fall 5-10% below historical trends.
"The Great Recession"
It's the same here in the Pacific NW and most every where all I can say is that you better keep your operating cost down and conserve when needed. Home owners in the majority of the market are either upside down on there mortgages or have had there home loose it's value more than 50% in most areas.
My suggestion would be too look into weatherization, solar or green building strategies in your location and if your in a desperate situation then resort to looking at other areas of the state that show growth because I know of several large homebuilding contractors that left here to start up in Texas, where I do not know.
This is my third recession and I have been in the residential construction business over 30 plus years, I learn to weather out these periods by keeping my over head low and I mean low, my bidding to winning ratio now is about 8 to 1 and it used to be 1 in 3, most of my clients are either retired on upper incomes or have other solid professions that can support a new project for their home even though it has lost value.
I go through the same trial and tribulations as most of the contractors I know or have known but as always homes and businesses are always going to need to be worked on no matter how bad things are you have to think outside of the box and create work because it's not going to come to you as previously and remember to always give your best and be fair to your clients it's the main thing that will keep you alive!
Good Luck!
Wooddude
Yeah, I suspect that what you want to look for is people who've owned their homes for at least 10 years and might have considered moving except that they don't want to sell into a down market. So instead they decide to enlarge/remodel. These would be people who've managed to put a little money aside and aren't upside-down, or if they are, not by much. Probably empty nesters, so they're not so much interested in enlarging as in kitchen remodels and the like, and maybe some accessibility improvements.
Or some demographic like that. The basic point is to figure out who your potential customer is and customize your sales pitch to them, rather than using a scatter-shot approach.