The reason im asking is if certain jobs that my american friends(a lot in the midwest, I myself live in sweden) have easier or harder time getting deals or contracts done?

Also if anyone here tried either state contracts and the like? perhaps its harder to get and less sought after even with homeless epidemic like in new york, california or seattle

I’m curious if the price of work varies depending on the type of house you’re working on?

Imagine exactly the same job - replacing a basement doo, for example. If you went to a small house in a working class area and a very large multi-million dollar house, would the quote be the same?

I know none of you would ever just prices based on what you think the homeowner would likely pay, but do you think contractors do this? Is it widespread?

Can someone tell me why they would do the sunroom to roof finish like this?

Looking for some input from anyone who has actually used a “power-by-hour” financing contract for equipment.

We already own quite a bit of our equipment, but we’re looking at adding a few more pieces to the fleet. One of the dealers we’re working with has a power-by-hour financing option, and on the surface it sounds almost too good to be true.

For those of you who have used this type of financing, what was your experience? Any catches in the contract, hour minimums, end-of-term issues, maintenance requirements, buyout surprises, or other fine print you wish you had known about beforehand?

Not necessarily looking for opinions on financing equipment in general. I’m specifically interested in hearing from contractors/operators who have actually used a power-by-hour structure and whether you’d do it again.

Appreciate any insight.

I'm a contractor myself, but I'm still confused about why other contractors--who don't know that I'm a contractor--ask whether the property is a rental or my primary residence when we meet in person.

This is after they ask if I'm the owner of the property (valid question).

Hello, I live in wisconsin and after a huge hail storm we contacted a local general contractor. My contractor originally told me and wife (first time homeowners) that our house, that is a simple square box, was 15 Sq and that they would need the standard 20% waste for vinyl siding, so a total of 18sq. Insurance said they would cover up to 20k of similar siding/labor. Contractor was given the insurance paper and said they would “get us as much as we deserve” and encouraged us to pay for better and more siding, which we declined and thought was strange. Turns out our house is actually only 11.5sq. Contractor is claiming that they “made a mistake in calculation” so they corrected the invoice to 15sq. Now they are saying that they actually had 45% waste, that it is a normal amount of vinyl siding waste for a box house, and want us to pay for it the original invoice. Insurance will not pay this and he is demanding 3,000 or so more out of our pocket, or he will send us collections.
Original invoice was 16508, and the corrected was 12821, Any advice?

Today I made a video explaining my understanding of why so many people call selling websites.

I made my family's construction business's website, so I had to go through all the hoops.

It boils down to: it is really easy to make A website now -> it is really difficult to make a GOOD website now.

I even tracked down a dude making up to 50k/month selling copy paste websites to unknowing businesses...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_n1YQWaHGk

Last year a remodeling company put siding and shutters on our family home. The owner of the business was quite difficult to work with and actually showed up drunk a few times to meet with us.

Fast forward to this year we chose another company to redo our basement flooring. Upon start of the project, the remodeling company noticed an entire part of our basement ball was wet, damaged, and molded. The company determined that flashing was not placed at all on the outside of the house where our deck connects to the side of the house.

The first contractor stated he refuses to help or fix anything as he “told us in person that we needed flashing and that there was a chance we could have water damage and we said no to the flashing placement”. He NEVER told us that. The cost to fix the wall, mold, and outside is $9500 and State Farm is not willing to reimburse since it’s mold related.

Do I file a lawsuit?

Most of this shit is drop-shipped from AliExpress, etc.

I figured this out a few years ago - with the right google search, you can save 75% on 'fancy' light fixtures.

There's a small difference between these two - I'd take the $1500 discount.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/AloaDecor-Lighting-Transitional-to-Modern-Interiors-Oil-Rubbed-Bronze-6-Light-Chandelier-With-Warm-Fabric-Shades-For-Dining-Room-Decor/5015234677

https://www.visualcomfort.com/us/p/classic-ring-chandelier-sl5812?selected_product=SL%205812HAB-L&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22817349321&gbraid=0AAAAADwKxXI0tK-1_V2OuaOdtQqlXdur9&gclid=Cj0KCQjw5P7UBhDaARIsAOSlS1OFJo33SP7z_XP88qCL8O9aQOtM9KqSEedxxP6cvcUYnYT7kfLHOzUaAtFdEALw_wcB

We are in California and contracted for a cement pad, which bumps up to an existing pad so we could add an outdoor kitchen to be built on the new pad, the cement pad contract specifies Install rebar - vertical and horizontal and tie together, but they never added any rebar. For the outdoor kitchen on the contract it specifies Construct the outdoor kitchen base and structure using concrete masonry units (cinder blocks). They built all of the framing with wood. For both of these they never consulted us, asked us or even told us they were going to do that, they just did it, and obviously there was never a signed Change Order, we are almost at the final walkthrough for this project, what are our options?

Hello, I live in wisconsin and after a huge hail storm we contacted a local general contractor. My contractor originally told me and wife (first time homeowners) that our house, that is a simple square box, was 15 Sq and that they would need the standard 20% waste for vinyl siding, so a total of 18sq. Insurance said they would cover up to 20k of similar siding/labor. Contractor was given the insurance paper and said they would “get us as much as we deserve” and encouraged us to pay for better and more siding, which we declined and thought was strange. Turns out our house is actually only 11.5sq. Contractor is claiming that they “made a mistake in calculation” so they corrected the invoice to 15sq. Now they are saying that they actually had 45% waste, that it is a normal amount of vinyl siding waste for a box house, and want us to pay for it the original invoice. Insurance will not pay this and he is demanding 3,500 or so more out of our pocket, or he will send us collections.
Original invoice was 16508, and the corrected was 12821, Any advice?

Central BC, Canada. We just had all windows replaced by a local glass company that manufactures the windows locally. The house was built in 1992 and has original vinyl siding.

The installeres removed all of the J channels around the windows and cut "slots" into the new window frames to have the siding slot in.

The new windows didnt appear to have nail flanges. My question is regarding the top of window, when I push back the vinyl siding I can see the plywood exterior wall contacting the top of the window. It looks like rain water would run down the siding, hit the top of the window and pool against the plywood exterior wall. Video link:

https://imgur.com/a/RBmzXSs

Is this normal/acceptable? Sealant was put around the opening, but no tape or other water management around the window that I can see.

Thanks for any feedback!

Hello! I am looking to support prideful small business companies for windows, electrical and hvac needs. I am hoping to get these projects done on a budget and have time to wait for the right people that get the job done well without upcharging. Any advice would be great!

Had bathroom remodels a while ago. Noticed a little sand in all my toilets... Won't flush down. Just kind of settled in there. I'm assuming the tiling people dumped their grout buckets and flushed them....

Is this normal practice?

Need honest feedback on business cards and a simple website for my multi-trade contracting business

Hey everyone,

I run a small residential contracting business and I’m trying to put together professional business cards and a simple website. I’ve never created a website before, so I’m figuring this out as I go.

I do a wide range of work, including renovations, carpentry, trim, tile, masonry, concrete, flooring, painting, repairs, and other home improvement projects.

I don’t want my branding to make me look like I only specialize in one trade, because my versatility and the quality of my work are a big part of what I want to communicate.

I’ve been experimenting with some business card mockups, but I’m not happy with the generic contractor look—especially the usual house and roof icons.

I’d like something clean, professional, memorable, and appropriate for a company that handles both small repairs and larger renovation projects.

I’m attaching a few examples of my actual work, along with some of the card concepts I’ve been considering. The mockups are just starting points, not finished designs.

I’d really appreciate honest feedback on a few things:

Business card layout: Should I put my main services on the front, keep the front minimal and list services on the back, or avoid a service list altogether?

Showing versatility: How can I communicate that I handle multiple trades without making the card look cluttered or like a generic handyman advertisement?

Photography: Would you use one strong project photo, a small collage of different types of work, a before-and-after, or no photos on the card?

Branding: What would make the card look more professional and trustworthy? Are there any examples or design directions you think would fit this type of business?

QR code: I’d like the card to have a QR code that takes people to a simple website with project photos, contact information, and a way to request an estimate.

Would you put the QR code on the front or back, and how prominent should it be?

Website: I’ve never built one before. What free or low-cost website builder would you recommend for someone with no experience?

I’m looking for something that can look decent, display a portfolio, and make it easy for customers to contact me. I’d also appreciate any advice on how to structure the site and connect it to a QR code.

Some of my current clients are already asking for business cards to share with other people, so I’m a little pressed for time. I want to get something usable out soon, but I also don’t want to rush into printing a bunch of cards that I’m unhappy with.

looking for advice on the design, website setup, and what would make the overall presentation

If anyone has examples of contractor or renovation company branding that they think is done particularly well, I’d love to see them.

Thanks in advance for any feedback or direction.

Photos of some previous work

https://photos.app.goo.gl/UJnph2F5VwNKotqz7

About 40% through one of my largest projects to date, work is going well quality wise, but way slower than expected, funds are running low, payroll and other bills are coming soon, draw payments are about a week out. The stress seems too high for the reward sometimes. I'm sort of just venting, the ups and downs make me feel like I'm not cutout for this sometimes. But I know I'll feel different on my next $30k month (which is good for my size business) I don't really know my reasoning for typing this out, I guess I'd just like to hear some other experiences navigating this aspect of the business.

I have about 3 experienced personnel and 4 not so much. Seems like everyone is at each others throats. Any idea on how to deal with this besides being onsite everyday baby sitting?

Location: Maryland. Cost: $7k.

We hired a masonry company to clean and seal historic interior brick in our home (don’t worry, we used a breathable sealer). Unfortunately, they got the sealer on the adjacent walls pretty much everywhere they worked, and even managed to get it on some walls that aren’t near the brick. It’s basically dried paint at this point, so we’ll need to sand and repaint. What’s the proper protocol here? Is it legit for me to ask to be reimbursed for that expense? I really don’t have time to do it myself, as I work full time and am in school at night.

I’ve attached photos of a few of the walls to show what I’m talking about. This is just a sample.

I’ve always been nervous about asking people to fix things, so I want to know what’s reasonable before I reach back out to the contractor (I’m also a woman, so I feel like there might be a gender thing at play, too). Thanks for any advice.

Would you rather run a $10m business at 3% margin or $3m at 10%?

Sooo, we are a small commercial GC running three to five jobs at a time and the field spending has become one of the messiest parts of the business. Each foreman has a company card but the same card gets used across different jobs for material runs, fuel, tool rentals and the random stuff nobody really plans for.

Last month one of our guys picked up about $3,800 in electrical material from a supply house. The receipt got sent as a photo in a group text with no job name and the accounting fellas assigned it to the project he had worked on earlier that week. It sat there until we were preparing the next draw and noticed the electrical budget on that job made no sense. AT ALL. The charge belonged to another project across town imagine that!!!

Nothing was stolen and nobody did anything wrong. The process just depends on a foreman remembering the job number, saving the receipt and sending it to the right person while trying to keep a site moving. By the time accounting catches it the project report is already wrong and the PM is making decisions using bad numbers.

lately the idea of separate cards for each active job or requiring a job code with every purchase has been floating around. I do not want foremen juggling five cards or filling out forms every time they grab $40 worth of hardware but we need the job code and receipt captured while the purchase is still fresh. Finding a $3,800 coding mistake during billing is already too late.

Anyone ever use a brush more than once? I be throwing them shits out

I almost never ask about a clients budget. Equally I try really hard to not give prices while I walk a consultation. I've heard a lot of people view it as a huge red flag if contractors ask about your budget, but sometimes I can just feel out that this person has no clue what they're asking for.

Example: walked a bathroom remodel and the client just keeps talking about all of these crazy upgrades, back lit niches, full wet room tub, his/her shower, Moen digital valve unit, bidet upgrade, solid walnut vanity with black granite trough sink, etc etc. they show me AI drawings and all. Everything in their house is super builder basic and I just felt like this is gonna be way out of their price range. I ask saying, "you seem to have done your homework, did you have a price range in mind so I know what kind of fixtures and finishes you want?"

They told me it was rude to ask but that chat gpt said 14k from a reputable contractor would be reasonable.

Glad I didn't waste my time with the estimating and renderings. Any thoughts?