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Contractor
Boulder climber
CA
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Mar 26, 2019 - 08:03am PT
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Thanks Flipflop!
I sub just about everything out. My job is to find the true tradesmen who knows his/ her craft and charges reasonable prices due to speed, proficiency and reinvestment into their companies. Here's the kick- I mark up these guys 13% and most are a pleasure to work with.
I started out as a mason's tender along with foundation and basement work but cut my teeth on Southern California, production framing crews. These guys taught me the lessons I cary with me today. Methodical systemization and production oriented carpentry that can be applied to a 12 unit condo, a small bungalow, a closet unit or building trad anchors for that matter. I bring this up because I learned to trust subs which has allowed me to focus on my task.
At 34, as a Superintendent for a residential Homebuilder, I realized I was creating a lot of free time for my boss so I struck out. For the first few jobs I did much of the work myself but again, for not wanting to turn down big jobs, I turned to subs- even framing.
As it stands today, I run my jobs from demo to drywall; shooting the grades, tweaking things here and there, laying out the lights, plumbing, heating and so on. I've trained my finish carpenters to run the jobs after drywall thru paint (I still go by every day), then I come back and join them for the big push. I also try to keep up to date with the latest materials and techniques.
My wife does the books, I sleep in my office and I buy used cars. My toys are trail tools, climbing gear and surfboards.
My overhead is nothing. We bang out 5-10 jobs a year ranging from 30k to 1.5 million construction cost.
I really admire the guys who do it all, these guys are amazing. Somewhat unfortunately my bread and butter is being a stable hoarse for about 3 Architects who count on me pumping out estimates and jobs. The benefit is a fair amount of free time and not having to advertise.
Ok, last but not least- I drag my customers into the process. I educate them, provide documents and support that helps them systemize their tasks and we work at a team. They usually are sick of me by the end of the project but they always call back after a year or so, wanting to do another project- they get the bug.
No, really last but not least-I drink a pot of coffee every morning and puff a bowl every afternoon and spend alot of time on rock or in water to keep the sanity.
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F
climber
away from the ground
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Mar 26, 2019 - 08:53am PT
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Ski patrol building and upper and lower lifty shacks for the new Skeetawk ski area in Hatcher Pass. Trying to get it all dried in during the week of high pressure. It’s a pretty good bit of work for us to do in 5 days, but the weather is awesome and the time is now.
People are really stoked on the ski area development and having been mobbing us with tasty foods and tons of beer. Speed wing flight bumps at lunch via snowcat doesn’t suck either.
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Jim Clipper
climber
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Mar 26, 2019 - 09:46am PT
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Just wanted to say a community supported, member driven ski "resort" sounds bitchen! Many happy turns...
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Contractor
Boulder climber
CA
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Mar 26, 2019 - 10:23am PT
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What F is doing is a perfect example of something only a few guys are capable of. I'm guessing here, but with that tiny window of time, F has to wear multiple hats, have multiple skills, a sh!t ton of tools and stage everything just right. That's a niche you just can't accomplish with scheduling a bunch of subs who are struggling to keep schedules themselves. There's too much opportunity for a cascade shitty dominos to screw the whole thing up. Plus I'd want to keep that kind of work and that view to myself.
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Contractor
Boulder climber
CA
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Mar 26, 2019 - 11:04am PT
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Framed, stacked, sheeted, windows doors, paper in 5 days and done well? Oh yeah...a dime a dozen.
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Bushman
climber
The state of quantum flux
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Mar 26, 2019 - 11:36am PT
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New red Spitfire, flown twice now...handful to land with some minor balance and trim issues, not quite race ready but very very fast.
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Contractor
Boulder climber
CA
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Mar 26, 2019 - 11:36am PT
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Good point, plus we should show up at the end of 5 days with our level and square and inspect the work...oh and our skis⛷
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Contractor
Boulder climber
CA
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Mar 26, 2019 - 11:43am PT
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Love that bird and those paddle wings. It quite possibly saved the free world in the battle of Britain. What type of engine do you put in those? Obviously not a 12 cylinder water cooled Rolls Royce.
Is that a Catalina in the upper frame of the one shot?
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Bushman
climber
The state of quantum flux
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Mar 26, 2019 - 12:43pm PT
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The single cylinder YS 120 SC (Yamada Co, Japan) has about 1.5 hp when run on a 40% nitromethane, methanol, and oil mixture, and is a four stroke, air cooled, supercharged, and fuel injected high torque engine. A similar type (the YS 115 WS) is the current engine model being sold with about the same power (balanced crank) and is about 1/2 lb lighter. These planes do about 150 to 160 with the right fuel and prop.
That is a ‘SeaMaster’ float plane up above, a 22 lb freightcar of an airplane currently in disrepair. Has seen a dozen flights and one bad landing, pilot error. Lands like a water ski when done right.
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Bushman
climber
The state of quantum flux
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Mar 26, 2019 - 12:56pm PT
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This Ace Sea Master has a nice color scheme worthy of duplication...might want to try that when I repair mine.
Also that float plane is not a model of an actual scale piloted float plane.
HC-130J Coast Guard colors are really sweet though.
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Flip Flop
climber
Earth Planet, Universe
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Mar 26, 2019 - 04:24pm PT
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Hey Contractor,
Thanks for the response. I really appreciate the guidance
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wilbeer
Mountain climber
Terence Wilson greeneck alleghenys,ny,
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Mar 27, 2019 - 05:30am PT
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Since 1982 ,I have done the same Contractor,the only difference is , I sub the mechanicals and do all the Carpentry and the books.
Have not took a new customer in over 15 years. Cheers
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Happy Cowboy
Social climber
Boz MT
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Mar 27, 2019 - 06:20am PT
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One of ST’s better threads. Thanks to all. Contractor’s business summary rocks. I’m now retired but worked many years as independent contractor in the inter mountain West. Developing trust is key, architects funnel projects because of, long term relations form with subs a result of trust.
Constine, I rigged in the industry. Is that a city of cardboard out yonder, way beyond the rail?
black dogs rule!
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F
climber
away from the ground
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Mar 27, 2019 - 07:37pm PT
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Stats are one building at 320 SF 3 windows 2 doors.
2 lifty shacks at 100 sf 3 wi does one door.
She’d pitch roofs, rafters and blocking cut on site.
3 dudes, 3 dogs, 3 days and one lifty shack to go. Windows and doors in on 5th day, then out. Will do metal siding and roofing the next trip when we build day lodge
While I certainly agree with JLPs assessment (anybody can do this sh#t this fast), it’s the classic “oh, I could do that...”
The problem with all the folks that “can”, don’t.
They arent here crushing it. They weren’t here two weeks ago bulldozing snow and frozen ground for the transformer to go in. They weren’t here building the pad up with dump trucks of fill and staking corners. I was. I’m paying my guys cash from my pocket for this job, and the rest of the work I’m doing for the area. I’ll probably end up about 15 K out of pocket in addition to the time lost on the other dozen projects I’m not making money on while I’m here.
So bring on the dime a dozen builders out there, we’re going to be spinning lift by October 1, could use all the help we can get. Put up or shut up. Hypothetical building doesn’t ever produce anything. Action does.
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Contractor
Boulder climber
CA
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Mar 27, 2019 - 10:06pm PT
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And that's just it. Contractors like myself in warm sunny cities end up as symphony conductors.
From what I've seen of F's work, which appears to be in rural areas, there's long distances to drive for supplies, limited subcontractors, weather complications, fewer manpower options. So you had better know how to play all the instruments, maintain the instruments and be able to sustain this long term to hang onto your crew.
I've seen so many flash in the pan hacks come and go who claim to "do it all". All the faulty work, cat turds they cover up eventually get exposed and they're soon gone. Unfortunately this is usually after they've come in and under bid the legit guys and blown someones life savings and their dream project. As the saying goes "jack of all trades master of none". That said, there are a few out there who are actually masters of many trades.
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Scole
Trad climber
Zapopan
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Mar 28, 2019 - 06:32pm PT
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Contractor
Boulder climber
CA
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Mar 28, 2019 - 07:03pm PT
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Looks great! Maybe I'm seeing hands, thin hands, fist? No sloppy fingers?
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john hansen
climber
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Mar 28, 2019 - 08:12pm PT
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I was in the construction industry for over 37 years. started with foundations and framing for ten years then 25 years with a company on the Big Island of Hawaii.
We mostly did custom homes for the first 15 years then got into commercial work. For the last 10 years with the company I was a full shareholding Partner. I was the project supervisor on 6 multi million dollar projects.
We did probably 60 houses with the same set of subcontractors. Like Contractor said ,that makes things go fairly well.
When we started doing commercial stuff I ended up doing three school projects ranging from a Leeds certified science lab, that was the first school building in the world to achieve the Living Building Challange. It is way stricter then Leeds, for example we recycled 98% of all the waste that would have gone to the landfill.
While doing a second phase of a charter school we built 22,000 square feet of buildings with all the underground dry wells, electric, sewer with manholes and a 110 x 70 foot septic system with a 50,000 gallon tank.
We had a crew of about 10 guys and we did all the forming, pouring and finishing concrete ,and all the framing siding and truss roofs. We had a very good crew with quite a few who were sons of the owners (5).
We had one year to build it and made it on time. One day we were pouring 140 yards of concrete and as I was walking around there was a boom pump with four concrete trucks waiting to unload or cleaning out ( we had them 20 minutes apart). Three large excavators pounding away at the 20 ft deep dry wells, a few small excavators doing this and that, a water truck, and a couple gps controlled D9 bulldozers working on the grading. Plus a couple backhoes and bobcats and a grade all.
The company had two very experienced people who had founded it 8 months before I got hired. One of their niece's became the book keeper/ HR person
and me and another guy actually got the stuff built. We had a great team and would sometimes have 30 people on the payroll. We had many good years were we would rent rooms at some resort on the coast for everyone and their families for the weekend and have a big dinner out on a point at
sunset in Hawaii. I am not religious but some of them were, we would stand in a circle holding hands with 40 or 50 people including all the employees kids and wives, and old Jake would give an invocation.
Good for the soul..
The most important thing for a construction company is to have work. And that was what my two original bosses were very good at.
What I did was interacting with owners and architects and subs and building inspectors and suppliers. Making sure every thing is there when you are ready for it. Being able to resolve problems in a timely fashion, and keeping every one working in the same direction with out getting in each others way. From the first point and a line on the property to the Certificate of Occupancy.
And making sure no one gets hurt.
There were many times when I would have a phone call and when I finished I would have 3 messages requesting info or direction.
It was really cool when we were done with the charter school that had two buildings, one for preschool to grade 8 and another for the high school.
Starting at one end by the preschool the rooms had tiny little chairs and tables and that got bigger as you went thru the grades.
Also got to build another K thru 5 school and both times when it came time to turn the rooms over to the teachers,,the pristine walls of class 5 drywall we have been protecting for months, are all covered within hours, with shelves of books and posters and letters and such.
I really enjoyed my time in the building industry and wish more young people would see the potential there.
Sorry for the long post, got started and it just kept going.
Aloha
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Contractor
Boulder climber
CA
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Mar 28, 2019 - 09:13pm PT
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Excellent post John-that sounds like a great company and in Hawaii! You're right about young guys coming into the trades, my two sons won't touch it.
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