Construction Guys...wtf is wrong with you? (1 Viewer)

[cstu]

All i see is people who are completely clueless about maximizing their earnings as well as having terrible organizational skills.

If they cared about those things they would have went to college.

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

Yeah, you guys all deserve a call back at a minimum.

I also think it's borderline insane to have to supply donuts or any other incentives other then fair pay for good work. That's by no means an attack on the guy whom posted it.

I'm sorry you're all having this experience but this thread really reinforces my idea to open my own general contracting company. My goodness.

People suck.

 

[ghostguy123]

Yeah, you guys all deserve a call back at a minimum.

I also think it's borderline insane to have to supply donuts or any other incentives other then fair pay for good work. That's by no means an attack on the guy whom posted it.

I'm sorry you're all having this experience but this thread really reinforces my idea to open my own general contracting company. My goodness.

People suck.

Yeah but then you have to hire these people to work for you. Unless you are the one doing the work, then yeah, wow. Some simple organizational and people skills and you should bank well over 100 grand a year working maybe 30-40 hours a week tops. Way more if you manage to hire a couple GOOD workers.

I am throwing a kegger when my handyman is back and healthy and doing work for me again. If I had more time I would just buy thousands of dollars worth of tools for just about any type of job and become a youtube addict, but I just don't have the time right now.

 

[ConnSKINS26]

The problem in the Northeast is these guys are trying to squeeze in 8 months worth of work in 4 months. When I have a contractor over to give a quote, I offer them a Bud or Bud Light (under no circumstance offer them a craft beer). Most will not take it but they will appreciate the offer. I also let them know I will pay in cash. I hand them a calculator on their way out so they don't have to try to add of the prices on the quote themselves because that would take weeks. I also offer them an early completion bonus usually in the form of a Hooter's or Twin Peaks discount. I also will talk about the work I want done on the bathrooms if this goes well since those are typically big money jobs.

Ghost guy, do you tell them you are a male nurse? Sadly, most of these guys are somewhat homophobic and to them a male nurse would equal a gay guy. I wouldn't mention it or wear your scrubs when they come over to see the job, you will start to get quotes back I bet.

You realize how condescending you sound here? Wow. Like you're talking about a whole different species or something. You are one stuck up son of a #####.

 

[Baloney Sandwich]

The problem in the Northeast is these guys are trying to squeeze in 8 months worth of work in 4 months. When I have a contractor over to give a quote, I offer them a Bud or Bud Light (under no circumstance offer them a craft beer). Most will not take it but they will appreciate the offer. I also let them know I will pay in cash. I hand them a calculator on their way out so they don't have to try to add of the prices on the quote themselves because that would take weeks. I also offer them an early completion bonus usually in the form of a Hooter's or Twin Peaks discount. I also will talk about the work I want done on the bathrooms if this goes well since those are typically big money jobs.

Ghost guy, do you tell them you are a male nurse? Sadly, most of these guys are somewhat homophobic and to them a male nurse would equal a gay guy. I wouldn't mention it or wear your scrubs when they come over to see the job, you will start to get quotes back I bet.

You realize how condescending you sound here? Wow. Like you're talking about a whole different species or something. You are one stuck up son of a #####.

 

[Two Deep]

Do you guys having a bad time find contractors, have alot of new construction going on in the area?

I find them, they know what needs done before coming over, they come over a week after they say they will, they tell me what they can do and that they will get back to me, then I never hear back. No quote no nothingAt least throw me an inflated quote like the one guy did. Nope. Nothin by about 6-7 different guys now.

These are jobs such as tree removal, stump grinding, french drain, porcelain tile floors, bathroom vanity, plus some other various things that I just ended up doing myself.

No, there are no new houses going up in my city right now.

Maybe it is you and your attitude..

 

[squidrope]

Do you guys having a bad time find contractors, have alot of new construction going on in the area?

I find them, they know what needs done before coming over, they come over a week after they say they will, they tell me what they can do and that they will get back to me, then I never hear back. No quote no nothingAt least throw me an inflated quote like the one guy did. Nope. Nothin by about 6-7 different guys now.

These are jobs such as tree removal, stump grinding, french drain, porcelain tile floors, bathroom vanity, plus some other various things that I just ended up doing myself.

No, there are no new houses going up in my city right now.

Maybe it is you and your attitude..

 

[ghostguy123]

Do you guys having a bad time find contractors, have alot of new construction going on in the area?

I find them, they know what needs done before coming over, they come over a week after they say they will, they tell me what they can do and that they will get back to me, then I never hear back. No quote no nothingAt least throw me an inflated quote like the one guy did. Nope. Nothin by about 6-7 different guys now.

These are jobs such as tree removal, stump grinding, french drain, porcelain tile floors, bathroom vanity, plus some other various things that I just ended up doing myself.

No, there are no new houses going up in my city right now.

Maybe it is you and your attitude..

This is precisely why i need to log all this stuff to show just how wrong that assumption is.

But if you guys truly believe it's "GG is just a miserable SOB so nobody wants his money" have at it. It makes for fun shtick.

Deck guy still has not texted back. Although the first time when I texted him it took him four days to respond and he said "I just got your text".

Finally got a hold of the french drain guy for scheduling. However he is telling me no permits will be needed for a 160 foot ditch that will tie into the concrete drain near the end of my driveway. This isnt just some guy, its a long standing local business. Seems odd.

 

[Kafka]

The problem in the Northeast is these guys are trying to squeeze in 8 months worth of work in 4 months. When I have a contractor over to give a quote, I offer them a Bud or Bud Light (under no circumstance offer them a craft beer). Most will not take it but they will appreciate the offer. I also let them know I will pay in cash. I hand them a calculator on their way out so they don't have to try to add of the prices on the quote themselves because that would take weeks. I also offer them an early completion bonus usually in the form of a Hooter's or Twin Peaks discount. I also will talk about the work I want done on the bathrooms if this goes well since those are typically big money jobs.

Ghost guy, do you tell them you are a male nurse? Sadly, most of these guys are somewhat homophobic and to them a male nurse would equal a gay guy. I wouldn't mention it or wear your scrubs when they come over to see the job, you will start to get quotes back I bet.

You realize how condescending you sound here? Wow. Like you're talking about a whole different species or something. You are one stuck up son of a #####.

I, for one, like baloney sandwich(es).

 

[ghostguy123]

Still no word from deck guy. I have given up on him.

After three weeks and four texts, HVAC guy finally texted me back regarding finishing up running the gas line from my new furnace to the meter. We'll see how long it actually takes him to actually set up a day/time to do it. My guess is another three weeks.

A local contractor that I found on facebook classifieds for my city actually got back to me right away and came over a couple days later. Talk went well. He sent me a quote within two hours of leaving. It was a little higher than I think it should be, but I decided to go with him basically out of frustration. He did send me a few messages trying to get us to use a certain white sink base for the bathroom, but we did not want white. He tried and tried. He must just have one lying around that he needs to get rid of or something. But finally he caved and actually will allow is to get what we want. How sweet of him.

He is supposed to start tomorrow.

The total cost of everything will be around 3 grand. Any suggestions on how to go about payment for this kind of thing? He said it will take about three days. Pay some up front? I just can't see paying the full amount before any work is done. That would be silly, and if he asks for that I will be telling him goodbye.

 

[Mile High]

Still no word from deck guy. I have given up on him.

After three weeks and four texts, HVAC guy finally texted me back regarding finishing up running the gas line from my new furnace to the meter. We'll see how long it actually takes him to actually set up a day/time to do it. My guess is another three weeks.

A local contractor that I found on facebook classifieds for my city actually got back to me right away and came over a couple days later. Talk went well. He sent me a quote within two hours of leaving. It was a little higher than I think it should be, but I decided to go with him basically out of frustration. He did send me a few messages trying to get us to use a certain white sink base for the bathroom, but we did not want white. He tried and tried. He must just have one lying around that he needs to get rid of or something. But finally he caved and actually will allow is to get what we want. How sweet of him.

He is supposed to start tomorrow.

The total cost of everything will be around 3 grand. Any suggestions on how to go about payment for this kind of thing? He said it will take about three days. Pay some up front? I just can't see paying the full amount before any work is done. That would be silly, and if he asks for that I will be telling him goodbye.

Don't pay for labor up front. Materials yes labor no.

 

[DocHolliday]

Never pay 100% up front. Ever.

 

[ffldrew]

Bought a new wall oven - needs a line/wire upgrade and breaker. One guy came back - didn't really look hard at how he would do it - quoted $1,150 which is more than the cost of the oven - WTF. Another guy came by tonight - spent time in attic looking at methods to move wire around - took his time which I felt good about. He will get me quote tomorrow - we will see.

 

[jwb]

Those of the FBG's who are contractors here should not take offense to what we are saying about the fellow brethren, they should be upset that they work in the same industry as these idiots. If you get a call for a bid and are too busy, what we as potential customers expect at a minimum is a call back in a reasonable time frame. Tell us thank you for thinking of me, but I am too busy at this time. Tell us that the job is too small for what your normal business is. Just tell us!

If you come by to bid the job and it is not for you, let us know and don't just disappear. Maybe you have a friend who would prefer the work and you can give a referral. There are a lot of ways to properly walk away from a bad homeowner or a job that is not in your wheelhouse. That is what has us all up in arms here. It isn't asking a lot to expect you to act like a professional businessman when you own a business.

I'm guessing that very few people commenting on this "issue" are self employed. Yes, they should call back and say I'm to busy. Yes, if they come out to quote something for you they should get back to you.

The problem is that when they have 15 people asking them to "quote" a job. That takes a lot of time. I would guess a minimum of 4 hours depending on the size of the job. They aren't getting paid for that time, and it takes away from time they could be working (getting paid)or spending time with the family. Many of you ####ing and ####ing in here are the same people that will call a bunch of contractors to pick there brain for ideas, and to get the best price. I don't like getting any job because I'm the low bidder. I also don't want to deal with someone I think might be a PITA. Even if you think you aren't a PITA. The contractor might think you are.

If you keep doing the same thing, and get the same results (nobody gets back to you)... Maybe you should change your approach? Get a referral. Try putting yourself in the shoes of the small business owner, and maybe then you'll get someone to work for you.

I have a contractor that I use exclusively. I trust him completely. I don't waste his time getting him to "quote" things. I describe what I want and ask him for a ballpark estimate. If his estimate is within my budget we move ahead. I ask when he "thinks" he'll be able to start. If he doesn't start on that date I accept he's been delayed on another project. I've had him work on projects that have taken weeks longer than expected due to rot, changes, etc. I've also had him delayed getting to my project by weeks. It doesn't upset me. I know he'll get to it, and it will be done right.

Haven't read this thread in a week, but the above is a great post.

To the bolded, I have a contractor like that too. I don't shop his price, I'm fine with delays (rain kills these guys in the warmer months), etc. When I call, he knows he's getting the job. If he's over my budget, it means I can't afford what I wanted done.Have not had any problem with him - he treats me like one of his favorite customers, because I am.

The homeowner on a strict budget / timeframe looking to get the absolute most for their money... that's not a desired customer for the better contractors.

 

[ghostguy123]

Its like dating and getting married. Even the one you settle on makes you miserable.

 

[Kafka]

Never pay 100% up front. Ever.

So much this...at the most, pay for material, or maybe 50%, if someone you know vouched/referred said contractor. Have EVERYTHING in writing & signed.

 

[The Big Guy]

If you are part of a Facebook group from your town, It is a good place to ask people for recommendations. Not perfect,but a resource to use as well to find someone who swears by their guy etc.

 

[ghostguy123]

Deck guy still hasn't gotten back to me (this is like the verse of the thread for me )

HVAC guy texts me back on tuesday telling me he will get back with me THIS WEEK about finishing up the gas lines. Well, friday just ended with no call or text. I am not even slightly surprised. Why bother getting back to me at all??

French drain guys showed up and did a nice job. Getting this all set up was a very small pain in the butt, but worth it. These are guys I found through a local rental center in my city. Rather than rent out their heavy machinery, they come and do the work with it themselves for a pretty reasonable fee. They told me they do that do people don't destroy the machines. Excellent idea.

Got the guys doing my basement floors and bathroom, been there the past two days. Going well so far. They talked me into adding some stuff I didn't plan for at the beginning, but the charges are pretty much right in line with what it would cost me at the store, so no problem at all. PLus things will ook a lot better. Just minor installation fees. They have encountered a few unexpected problems that they also took care of. So far kudos to them. These are the guys I found on the facebook classifieds. I saw that they were recommended by one name that I actually recognized, so that helped lead me to call them. Dare I say it, and I don't want to jinx myself because they aren't done yet, but if things continue as they are I just might keep their info and use them again in the future

 

[parasaurolophus]

It is threads like these that make me want to get back into the industry. Just over 50% of all estimates I gave turned into work and I swear it was just because I was great at follow up communication. I think people were always just so happy to get calls back or have you show up on time they had their checkbooks ready.

 

[Chadstroma]

It is threads like these that make me want to get back into the industry. Just over 50% of all estimates I gave turned into work and I swear it was just because I was great at follow up communication. I think people were always just so happy to get calls back or have you show up on time they had their checkbooks ready.

That was my BIL before getting into drugs. He was on top of follow up and communicating professionally and regularly as well as keeping the work site neat and clean. He always charged well above 'average' estimates for jobs and never, ever was hurting for work.

 

[ffldrew]

Bought a new wall oven - needs a line/wire upgrade and breaker. One guy came back - didn't really look hard at how he would do it - quoted $1,150 which is more than the cost of the oven - WTF. Another guy came by tonight - spent time in attic looking at methods to move wire around - took his time which I felt good about. He will get me quote tomorrow - we will see.

So no next day quote - several phone calls and text messages yesterday and the guy admits it is over his head. Sooooooo..... I look all around and make a bunch of calsl - i get some guys out here on Saturday and they are kicking butt on getting wire run. Most of the time was running off to get the wire. So fingers are crossed

 

[El Floppo]

Did a rare flipping around the TV last night (rather than watch DVR recorded shows)... ended up on a show called "to catch a contractor" or something close to that, with the comedian Adam.. Corrolla? and a steroidal GC dude. made me think of this thread.

 

[ghostguy123]

Turns out my guys are moving just a tad SLOWWWWWLY on all this, but it's moving along.

They came late yesterday, but amazingly I did not care, because I got a call from some lady (secretary or wife of guy or something) with a wonderfully pleasant message telling they would be like 45 minutes late because they were dropping some material off at a different job. And wouldn't ya know it, they got here just about 45 minutes late.

It's amazing how low the bar has been set that I am actually happy how things are going even though it's going to end up taking a few days longer than they told me, it's going to run over the initial estimate, and they were late yesterday.

 

[ghostguy123]

It is threads like these that make me want to get back into the industry. Just over 50% of all estimates I gave turned into work and I swear it was just because I was great at follow up communication. I think people were always just so happy to get calls back or have you show up on time they had their checkbooks ready.

Honestly, I am just thinking about taking some time and finding guys who are decent with stuff like flooring, drywall, painting................nothing crazy like total kitchen overhauls or anything, but most of the basic stuff.................and just putting them on the payroll.

I will go scout out jobs, give estimates, be great with communication and whatnot, and then have my guys do all the work for like 20 bucks an hour (with no overhead of course ).

I thought about doing this with landscaping a while back (not 20 bucks an hour though, more like 10 for that). Hell, maybe I will just do both.

 

[Fat Nick]

We just called a company to give us a quote on finishing our basement.

Long story short - we wanted to re-do our guest bath 3 years ago, and called 2 companies. One was a small shop that did custom work, and the other was a bigger, more commercial operation with larger crews, etc. We went with the small shop for that, and for our subsequent master bath re-do. The guy does GREAT work, but misses deadlines...Both projects took almost 2x as long as he estimated, and the master bath pushed past our son's birth, which was our big no-no that he swore he'd be done by.

For the basement, we said we're going to give the larger company a shot, thinking bigger, dedicated crew will do the job faster. My wife called them yesterday to schedule a time for an estimate...they said they'd have to get back to her...we'll see how long it takes.

 

[RUSF18]

Random question, and just looking for a ballpark answer here that those who have a decent understanding of this kind of thing would be able to provide...

How far below ground would a project need to go in order to construct a 4 story underground parking garage (holding nearly 400 cars) and provide enough structural support and all of the other infrastructure type requirements of 20k sf of ground floor retail with 6 stories of apartments on top? I'm imagining a damn big hole but just looking for a general idea.

 

[comfortably numb]

Random question, and just looking for a ballpark answer here that those who have a decent understanding of this kind of thing would be able to provide...

How far below ground would a project need to go in order to construct a 4 story underground parking garage (holding nearly 400 cars) and provide enough structural support and all of the other infrastructure type requirements of 20k sf of ground floor retail with 6 stories of apartments on top? I'm imagining a damn big hole but just looking for a general idea.

About this much

http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/5130f09769bedd607e000004/the-most-terrifying-sinkhole-pictures-youve-ever-seen.jpg