Nov
20
I Is Tired
November 20, 2007 |
Many thanks for the comments on my last contractor rant, and I can tend to be self-absorbed and view situations like that solely from my vantage point. I’ve been on the other side of that equation before (mostly as a house painter) and it’s definitely just as frustrating dealing with flaky clients or people who drag you out for an estimate only to start claiming that they could get their nephew out there with a brush and roller and do it for $200 bucks, so why in the world would they pay you more?
I’ll also admit that I probably shot myself in the foot a few times when I originally met with general contractors. I didn’t hide the fact that I’m reasonably savvy about things and about what work I wanted to complete myself, so it’s no huge surprise in retrospect that I didn’t generate much interest in the job. If I’d been able to find a general contractor that was looking for some side work to keep his crews busy, with a little profit, then it’d probably have worked, but I wasn’t offering much in the way of profit margins for someone to take on the job at the risk of losing something else potentially more profitable.
I also was too vague, methinks, despite the fact that I had a good idea of what I wanted done, what it would cost, and what a decent profit margin would be. I think I’d have had more success if I could have simply handed them a punch list and what I wanted to pay, building in a decent profit for them. It might not have completely overcome the above issue that I wasn’t looking for a turnkey remodel job, but I think it would have helped, as far as establishing that I wasn’t looking to pinch every penny and just wanted to quickly knock out some work, at a fair price and profit for them.
On the flip side (ha ha), my recent struggles with finding sub-contractors myself once I gave up on the idea of finding a general contractor to run the whole show have been frustrating for fairly legitimate reasons. I’ve made it very clear what I’m after when scheduling the estimate, made it very clear that I’m serious about getting the work done and not just kicking the tires, and that I’m very motivated to pay a professional a more than fair wage for good work (and that I could be a repeat customer in the future, as far as the whole REI nature of the work).
Despite all that, still struggling to find a plumber. Everything else is pretty much nailed down but I just can’t get anyone to keep a scheduled appointment for a plumbing estimate. I’ve taken two days off work and called in “sick” another day to be at the house all day, only to hear nary a peep from the sub scheduled to come by that day and give me an estimate.
But I am slogging ahead with progress of sorts, as the general building permit is close to being sorted out and my contractor is out at the house today, knocking out some painting and other prep work for the framing. Yesterday was fairly crazy, as I put in a 14 hour or so day getting the massive delivery from Lowes sorted out and shifted to the proper place, as well as getting all the trash and waste lugged out to be hauled off later today. I also got most of the interior prep work done for the painting and met with the HVAC/electrician about getting the furnace and electrical stuff sorted out.
Still a bit overwhelmed by everything that needs to be done (and kicking myself a bit still at taking on this project in general) but I chose this path, so there’s little point in whining and kicking myself. I imagine my mood will definitely perk up when projects start getting completely crossed off the list, as so far it’s all been demo, prep work, and half-finished odds and ends all over the place.
Comments
6 Comments so far
Please shoot me an email when you get a chance. I live in Waco and I have a very wonderful plumber I use who is very honest and dependable and I sware by him! He has done thousands of dollars worth of work for us and depending where you are located I bet if it was enough work he would come out your way. Just send me an email and we can discuss further.
Thanks
Plumbers ARE hard to find! I don’t know what the deal is but on our new construction house they put us off FOREVER!
I BET U is tired! Yes, and even though you “signed up” for this, it is very hard to run a FT job, and do this also mostly FT work. You are allowed a bit of pity. I admire your tenacity and that you don’t whine so much as you really could.
As for the whole profit-margin and project cost projections, that is what scares me the most. Thanks to the flipping TV programs, one would think you could get a new roof for $2000. Is that possible in any universe? One little 830 sq. house we were thinking of re-habbing needed a new roof and the estimate was for $10,000! That killed the idea, as a roof is not able to be done cheep! So I’m really tuned in to what your budget is like and what is able to be considered a reasonable profit. I am sure when you sell house #1 your spirits will go up. Thanks for feeding my mania. Hang in there!
Complaints aside, it’s hard to remember the contractor is also trying to run a business. The dilemma is trying to keep your expenses at a bare minimum versus allowing another entrepreneur a chance to make some money. Everything is a learning curve and you’ll eventually find a balance.
Lynn,
First things first, many thanks for the supportive comments. It definitely helps me out, as far as not feeling quite so beaten down by the whole process at times.
As far as your roof, are you looking to go wth diamond encrusted shingles? I had the roof of House #1 (1386 sq. ft. house) replaced for $2,000, so it’s definitely possible. Even if you have to replace all the decking for your roof and rafters and who knows what else I can’t how any new roof for a 830 sq. ft house would be anywhere near $10,000. Then again, a roofer I ain’t, but that number seems pretty astronomically high for a house that size.
Jason,
I’ll likely holler at you via email if my latest plumbing estimates fall through, although it’d be a pretty long trek for anyone to come out from Waco. Thanks for the offer, though, as it’s greatly appreciated. Or, you know, just move Waco about 125 miles south and we’d be in business.
Clifford,
Very true, and I try to keep in mind that contractors/business owners aren’t maliciously looking to screw people like me over (well, usually not), and are just trying to make a living.
Most of the frustration at this point is that I’m not even being that budget-conscious, as far as trying to come in under or at budget for the plumbing. I’m basically at the “Here’s my open wallet, take it all, just get the job done well and do it quickly” stage, and despite doing all but saying that out loud, I still can’t get someone to even keep an appointment to give me an estimate.