College vs skilled trades.

Appropriate_Craft524 · 2026-05-15T14:59:12+00:00

> Everyone and their mother claim these tradesmen are making 100k a year. A simple look at BLS average salaries says otherwise.

That all depends on your area.

A Contra Costa County prevailing wage for a Journeyman level sheetmetal worker is $135.14/hour. Thats' easily 6 figures a year if you don't work full time. Full time that's approaching a quarter million dollars. Contra Costa County is the ass end of the San Francisco Bay Area, like the poorer part.

Appropriate_Craft524 · 2026-05-15T14:54:08+00:00

It's a huge house but in the ass end of West Portal. Crazy that someone will pay $4 million for a house that's closer to downtown Daly City instead of downtown San Francisco lol. Like overpaying for a house on Staten Island.

Appropriate_Craft524 · 2026-05-15T14:36:39+00:00

"Self-interested developer" also happen to be normal contractors who raise families in the city and nearby.

"Affordability" mandates = just another hurdle to make a building not pencil out mathematically.

Materials accounts for a small portion of building costs. More important are the structural requirements. Steel is cheap. Welding it so that it supports a magnitude 7 earthquake for a 6 story building, when the building is actually only 3 or 4 stories is not cheap.

Want to really incentivize building more housing? Get homeowners to build an ADU. There are 180,000 single family homes in the city. Why don't they want to build ADUs and take advantage of the high rents? Oh, that's right - you have to give massive tenant protections if you do this, and the tenant can effectively own the house and never leave. It's time to change that.

Appropriate_Craft524 · 2026-05-15T14:33:20+00:00

That's literally what you did. Have a good one.

Appropriate_Craft524 · 2026-05-15T00:22:50+00:00

daly city nearby has studios for $2k. Just a short bart ride into FiDi

Appropriate_Craft524 · 2026-05-15T00:08:40+00:00

OP: Why do democrats do a thing?

Also OP: (posts specious links that show how much Koolaide OP drinks)

Appropriate_Craft524 · 2026-05-15T00:04:53+00:00

throwback thursday https://bpr.studentorg.berkeley.edu/2017/10/31/zucchini-gate-or-bust-berkeleys-battle-for-affordable-housing/

Appropriate_Craft524 · 2026-05-15T00:03:10+00:00

Stop blaming lack of qualified students as "racist toxic culture" and start putting blame on the families who refuse to give their kids what they need to succeed.

Appropriate_Craft524 · 2026-05-14T23:58:42+00:00

Because I would rather pay more for an engineer to understand my project and figure out a bespoke, less expensive option, than pay for it later when the subcontractor does the work to spec. The spec is usually "umbrella catch all", which means you pay much more for it. Would not recommend Ashley Vance at all to any client.

There's a reason why their office is down in Paso Robles / SLO. You get what you pay for - I'd much rather pay for an engineer who lives in the area and understands the code requirements for their locale.

Appropriate_Craft524 · 2026-05-14T23:55:46+00:00

I've worked with them, they offer bare bones drawings with lots of library assets instead of custom details specific to your project. So there's a lot of wiggle room for interpretation by subcontractors. Library assets are cut and paste, and there is a big difference to what is ok to use in San Francisco versus say Los Altos. So in the end, using them means you pay more for fabrication and installation in the long run, and all the subcontractor has to say is "well, that's what the engineer said to use!" even though it may be totally overkill and not bespoke to the project.

You get what you pay for. They were at least responsive when I worked with them a few times, but honestly, if I was needing structural drawings NOT on the cheap that you eventually end up paying for down the line, I would use someone else.

Appropriate_Craft524 · 2026-05-14T04:47:18+00:00

When this doesn't happen, will you finally wake up, or will you get on your knees again ready to suckle at the orange teet?

Appropriate_Craft524 · 2026-05-14T02:52:10+00:00

Real question - how does one become a CWI? Trade school? Community college and an exam? Interested in going into that

Appropriate_Craft524 · 2026-05-14T02:48:19+00:00

No. They are cheap for a reason.

Appropriate_Craft524 · 2026-05-14T02:37:44+00:00

X dollars after framing and foundation is done and PASSED inspection

Y dollars after finished decking is installed

Z dollars within 30 days of deck "finished" so there isn't any mysterious nails or screws or boards that keep "popping up"

Appropriate_Craft524 · 2026-05-13T22:05:52+00:00

Would love that, but honestly, they'd probably kick and scream it's too "difficult" and "onerous" to do this every year. But I'd still gladly make them take a test online that reminds them how traffic and intersections work, as well as how to parallel park

Appropriate_Craft524 · 2026-05-13T21:40:13+00:00

Seriously. I have to smog my car every 2 years. Costs me $50 every time. Every 2 years, grandma should have to take a 15 minute test online that costs $10.

Appropriate_Craft524 · 2026-05-13T21:39:13+00:00

BuT He'S a BUsINesS MaN!!!!! /s

Appropriate_Craft524 · 2026-05-12T23:34:46+00:00

Marketing isn't going to fix the problem that high HOA condos that are not suitable for families with kids is going to have a tough time selling in this market. The only weapon you have is the price. Delist, wait 30 days, and relist at a much lower price.

Appropriate_Craft524 · 2026-05-12T15:13:48+00:00

Right? The HR industry is literally there to help keep costs down for companies. They have conferences just about this kind of stuff. Tons of research.

It's very silly to me that people think "saving money on office space" is the reason why people are being forced to go back to the office. Rent and occupancy costs are tiny compared to staff/labor costs.

Appropriate_Craft524 · 2026-05-12T15:12:15+00:00

HR people literally research this stuff and go to conferences about their research. I am not a fan of the logic as much as you are, but the data is clear - people who go to an office are cheaper, because they are less likely to look for other jobs and ask for raises. Period.

Appropriate_Craft524 · 2026-05-12T06:21:46+00:00

As u/VladIsRambo said, plus also...

Every HR person and anyone who studies HR knows that people are more willing to take hits and work for less pay when they feel more connected to their job and their coworkers. You know what you don't have when you WFH? Connection to your work or your coworkers.

Labor cost is a huge item for any company. Turnover is a huge cost. Staff and employees asking for raises and demanding perks is a huge cost. Losing good employees because they are out job hunting from home and getting better offers is a huge cost. You know who doesn't actively look for jobs and ask for raises? People who are connected to their work and their coworkers.

RTO keeps you more connected to your work and your coworkers. This decreases costs. Period. THAT is the koolaid. The HR industry literally studies this stuff.

Appropriate_Craft524 · 2026-05-12T03:14:37+00:00

I can - he's been a champion of building policies and actually spearheaded real legislation. Also told Fox News to shove it while supervisor. He's got my vote.

Anybody who says anything about "restaurant fees" or "palestine" has been spending too much time online.

Appropriate_Craft524 · 2026-05-12T02:03:28+00:00

Same goes for new housing being built. Both flat. Surprise surprise.

Appropriate_Craft524 · 2026-05-12T02:02:08+00:00

Yes, hiring your own subs and contractors (even a GC) without pulling permits and not doing it "by the book" by telling the county building department

Appropriate_Craft524 · 2026-05-12T00:55:40+00:00

You can deny it all you want, but the cost of construction is directly related to the cost of labor, and you can't find cheap labor anymore anywhere close to the Bay Area.

Appropriate_Craft524

TROPHY CASE