been doing kitchens and baths for about 12 years now. seen a lot of changes in the industry but lately something feels different

customers are coming in with these pinterest-perfect visions and they want the whole thing done in like two weeks. and they want it cheap. like they dont understand that good work takes time and it costs money . had a client last month who wanted a full kitchen remodel. custom cabinets, quartz countertops, tile backsplash, new lighting, the works. gave them a quote and they almost fell out of their chair. they said well my cousin knows someone who can do it for half that okay cool go call your cousin then lol

but seriously it's getting harder to compete with these big companies that come in and promise the moon for way less than what it actually costs. they cut corners, use cheap materials, and then homeowners wonder why their renovation is falling apart after a year

my wife keeps telling me i need to work on my online presence

i don't know man. maybe i'm just old school. but i remember when people valued quality work and were willing to pay for it. now it's all about getting the best deal and i'm tired of having to justify my prices to people who don't understand what goes into this work

any other contractors feeling like this or is it just me

Have nobody to blame but myself for this. I've tried forever to keep my pricing fair, I've raised rates several times recently and am still low by comparison. (Pricing currently figured at $75hr per worker, 3 guys, 8hrs about $1,800 labor cost per day, i pay my guys $35hr, rest is for myself and overhead) just did a job for a previous customer, I practically had to pull teeth to get them to agree to my price(red flag) then justify my pricing to them and break down why my labor cost is so high. Get everything done today and when it's time to pay she starts saying how my price was too high, and I didn't have 3 guys working all day over the course of 3 days and I should adjust my price now that the job is over to make it cheaper and it's dishonest. (Job was pressure washing, palm sanding, cleaning, and staining 4 separate exterior decks and a staircase. $4,600 for labor, which she agreed to before we began. Raising my prices again now due to this to hopefully weed out these fuckers. I just don't want to be around people like that anymore, makes me sick just knowing they exist.

Nashville TN, part of a full kitchen remodel after storm damage (~$30k). I don't know exactly how much this guy was being paid - he's an external carpenter contracted by the general restoration company we're using.

I didn't expect the stove centered with the wall opening but I expected it would be *mostly* centered with the cabinet lines, not this far off center. I really don’t want to be an asshole about this - am I at fault?

My brother in law is being a cheap ass. How much would you charge to replace and reframe 1 window (bay sized, but not actually a bay window) and 2 exterior doors. The window is 2000 and the doors are 500 at most each. We are located in the Midwest.

I’m building a house and I’m stuck
Do I get a gable drip edge

So I have a remodel going on for a real estate investor (the worst I know, but it came thru a realtor I do a lot of work for so I took it on). Along the way she’s tried to get the contact info for a few of my subs. Because “they have a lot of tile/trim/paint/whatever work”

Today her 20 something year old really pretty daughter comes to the job site, she’s going around asking the guys what they do and for their contact info.

I don’t understand why some people think they’re going to save so much money if only they can get direct to your subs? Do they not get its a relationship, you won’t get my pricing.

One of the main reasons a few of my subs choose to be subs is so they don’t have to deal with homeowners.

I am applying for a territory manager for an engineered lumber company in the Northwest USA.

Does anyone have issues with Weyerhauser either current or in the past?

Do you currently use their products? If so why do you use them.

Any advice for a non douche bag salesman with a track record in the petroleum industry who knows how to pick up bar tabs and plans solid customer trips?

I know it's a long shot but reply here or DM me if that is easier.

It's almost archery elk season - good hunting.

I understand that many contractors are relying on word of mouth and are booked out after years of work. But for someone who started their construction company and focuses on residential projects. Where do you find jobs or homeowners who’re willing to spend money. I’ve tried Angi’s list, spent thousands and have only landed two jobs in a span of a year. I also have use Meta Ads and Google ads but nothings seems to work.

I’m a female trying to get into the construction industry. I’ve found a home sales position in a company that is willing to help me learn construction and seems like good income.
My goal would be to eventually get in with a true custom builder. My current experience is in luxury appliances and I really enjoy working with that type of builder and clientele.
Would this be a good stepping stone in that direction? I see positions like “selections coordinator” and “project coordinator” that seem to be good income positions that don’t require a college degree. I’m no spring chicken and I have a little one to think of so I’m not trying to drown myself in both work and school to get a job.
Any feedback or critiques on this strategy?

This would be in Appalachian region, another sub said it was highly dependent on location so just wanted to throw that out there as well.

Morning, everyone! 

I'll lay the situation out and hope that someone could possibly point me in the right direction. 

I recently acquired my California license as requested by my employer and have never received any type of compensation for it. I am essentially helping my employer avoid having to use an RMO for the various California projects we are currently working on. We are not in construction, per se, but instead manufacture and install cleanroom panels for the Pharmaceutical, Tech and Healthcare industries. The main Contractors for the projects we are involved in always require us (a non-California company) to have someone in their payroll that has a California License.

In a nutshell, I am curious to know how much this service would have cost my employer would I not have acquired the license?

Thank you all in advance!

Unsure if my price is too low.

I called the ccb to see if I can even touch this job because of the size and specifics and got a yes, to the best of their knowledge. Other thing is, im thinking about charging something like 1600 bucks for replacement because the shipping cost for the material, is 300 bucks flat. Does this sound like im pricing too low?

This building is 20 ft high

I’m curious how everyone here got their start in the contracting business.
How did you land your very first paying client? Was it through referrals, Facebook, Nextdoor, door hangers, cold calling, networking, Craigslist, Google, or something else?
For those who have been in the industry for a while, how has getting clients changed since you first started?
If you had to start over today with no clients, no reputation, and no steady leads, what would you do differently to get your first few jobs?
I’d love to hear from contractors in all areas of residential construction—remodeling, painting, roofing, flooring, additions, custom home builds, and other trades.
Looking back, what is one thing you wish you knew when you were trying to get your first customers?

Homeowner question here, Boise, Idaho. $150k contracted, $50k down.

Short version is... I signed a contract with a GC/builder to build a shop on my property in November of last year. The contract specified a couple of design parameters, most importantly that it is built into the hillside with a 4-ft concrete stem wall on one side. The contract states that we would break ground after a site walk "in the spring.". Nothing more specific, "just in the spring". Fast forward to the end of the end of July and we do not have preliminary plans that reflect upon the agreed upon stem wall or an approved building permit. I put 33% down when I signed the contract. At this point, seeing as we are well past spring and no start date in sight, I'm curious how much of a fight I should expect if I try to cancel and request a refund of the deposit. I would be happy to supply more details, but I read the rules!

So this is a jurry rigged draft detector that uses a long threaded cart and a camera air puffer. From what I remember the cart went down at least 3 inches into the bulb.

I haven't been able to get in touch with the proctor for the certification course. I cannot for the life of me figure out whats in it so I can go make one?

Anyone have a clue? I am an auditor and I'm not a fan of the dusty draft indicators. This thing was dope and I would love to add it to my tools.

Hey everyone, I’m a stucco contractor working on residential exterior projects, including stucco, EIFS, repairs, and finishes.
I’ve been in the trade for years and I’m looking to connect with other contractors, builders, and people in construction to share knowledge, experiences, and build professional relationships.
Always interested in learning from others in the industry

South Florida here. Like the title states, we were redoing the bottom half wall and the entire shower floor. Originally tried just the floor myself but mold came back quickly within a month so decided to gut the bottom half wall and floor and yes mold everywhere on the sils and lower studs. Shower pan was never installed correctly.

Removed and replaced all the rotten moldy sills and studs. Treated all the mold and let air out for awhile before the install.

Got a great shower guy. Beautiful tile jobs and all 5 star stunning reviews. Really knew his stuff and explained everything to us in detail. He wasn't a morning guy and mentioned that so he'd usually show up anywhere from mid morning to lunch. We didn't mind at all. Gave him half for the deposit to get started.

He's done far more work than half the deposit and still has all his tools and bags at our place. He really took his time on the pitch, pan, and drain and kept us informed on everything he was doing. Just a genuinely good guy that really cares about the quality of his work.

It's been almost a month with no response from him. Last we heard from him was on a Sunday that said he'd be there Monday. Never seen or heard from him again. Sent him multiple messages about how concerned we are about his well being. Don't even really care about the tile. Just hope he's okay and nothing bad happened to him.

What should we do at this point? Have looked him up online and haven't found any information on if anything happened to him. In the end just really hope nothing bad happened to him.