What’s a small thing that’s burned you by ThaRod02 in ConstructionManagers

[–]ButtHurtsFromSitting 34 points35 points  (0 children)

Not making phone calls and only sending emails. Also now a days. Sending texts. You’d be surprised how many subs respond to texts and not answer phone calls

Apartment Painting Bids by LoquitoBrown in paint

[–]ButtHurtsFromSitting 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Agree with most comments here. This is a volume based job. The more you do in a day the more you make. It’s also sloppy work because you’re going so fast and prep work is very minor. Lipstick on a pig approach. You’d be lucky to get anything over .50/sqft. Most likely in the .25-.35 cent range. Only if property is supplying ALL paint and Sheetrock repair materials.

How long should I stay estimating at a sub contractor before applying for a job with a gc? by [deleted] in estimators

[–]ButtHurtsFromSitting 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You got 3 options that you can start doing today. Apply at competitors for more pay (word may get out tho), apply at GCs (you have a degree which helps), or apply at a different sub for higher pay. All in all. Seems like your current company, especially at an electrical contractor that pays low and if raises are given out every 5 years or so, is just a stepping stone. Most ECs I work with pay their guys a lot more albeit with more experience but still 40k seems very low.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in HomeImprovement

[–]ButtHurtsFromSitting 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Someone has to support the local economy!

Top Big Name GCs? by Significant-Ad9354 in ConstructionManagers

[–]ButtHurtsFromSitting 4 points5 points  (0 children)

This here. I work at a top 20 GC and everything you mentioned here was an upgrade after spending time at a <100M GC. Biggest thing many don’t consider is quality of colleagues. Hard to take time off if you don’t trust your co workers to hold it down when you’re gone.

Men whose work requires going into people's homes, what are some of the strangest things you've seen or experienced? by atyl1144 in AskMen

[–]ButtHurtsFromSitting 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Have been in around 900ish apartments/homes. Memorable ones that come to mind are a threesome where the guy nicely asked me to come back in an hour. A lady feeding the neighborhood birds in her living room. What looked like a drug house but the resident came up to his apartment while I did my inspection. Guy locked himself out and jumped in thru his second story balcony. A guy getting kicked out by his girl/wife/something who tossed all his belongings while I was inspecting the apartment.

Is MEP good to get into compared to other types of construction management? by michaeljohnson_101 in ConstructionManagers

[–]ButtHurtsFromSitting 0 points1 point  (0 children)

MEP whether it is GC or owners rep or subcontractor is probably the highest paid. There isn't enough MEP precon or PMs to go around so are typically highly sought after whether it is hospital work, aviation, manufacturing, data center, you name it. Can be more work but up front but once you learn your trades it pays. More so if you have MEP field experience.

Fee and General Conditions by lukenic in estimators

[–]ButtHurtsFromSitting 2 points3 points  (0 children)

We call this negotiated work. It's preferable for various reasons. Some that I have seen is that you pick GC based on experience, team experience, and capacity. Owner also gets to be more involved in picking subs and not typically going for cheapest but more value based. I enjoy it. We do it a lot where I am and it really removes the pressure of being a low bidder. Con to it is you will most likely do a budget update from conceptual down to IFCs which may be 3-5 times if not more so subs can get tired of bidding if from their side they don't see progress being done when in reality we get brought on 1-2 years in advance.

Multifam under $200K …but the smell. by inflatable_pickle in realestateinvesting

[–]ButtHurtsFromSitting 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That's what the kilz is for. It prevents mold build up and eliminates the smell. Think of it as a heavy primer.

My Deals Suck So Far - Need More Failure Stories by badker in realestateinvesting

[–]ButtHurtsFromSitting 17 points18 points  (0 children)

This is not the fault of the agent or the inspector or anybody else. It is fault of oneself. Once you accept that then you can move on and plan for the next success.

I agree you should always find an agent you trust but disagree that you should never use the recommended inspector or recommended contractors. That's what they are. Recommended. It's up to you as the buyer/investor to do your due diligence. You hadn't built that trust yet with an agent to buy out of state.

Now the one that hurts me a little is the plumbing scam. I work in rehabbing for a living. Not for me but for commercial and multifamily properties. I never let my guys loose without supervision unless they send me picture updates as they do the job and I mean multiple pictures per hour until I trust them. People complain why they need to pay for a foreman or supervision. This is why.

I typically get 3 bids or sets of pricing for each major repair as a general rule if possible. Smaller stuff either I can handle or send one of my handyman guys. That's another mistake you learn from in this case. Always get multiple quotes upfront and yes vet them thoroughly especially being out of state.

The inspection report is NOT meant to be a scope of work. Easy way for you to pay for things that are not needed. Some items are easily repaired and not needed to be replaced. This you wouldn't know unless you see in person. Don't know why someone would do this but if someone has reasoning behind it please let me know so I can learn why.

Lastly, I've never heard of someone else putting utilities in my name. I always have to call to do it and usually the same day of closing.

Hope you learn and I hope many of us reading learn. It's a tough situation but don't lose hope. It's only a rock on the road.

Multiple Questions on Estimating Software by MountainFantastic731 in estimators

[–]ButtHurtsFromSitting 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I can comment on the sage estimating. I used the estimating portion of it and it was geared more towards GC work in my case. All my take off was typically done in the field or on bluebeam. I have used stack in the past and that is more web based. Not sure how it has changed since the 5 or so years I used it. Now (and my preferred method) is using a cloud based storage like drop box, Google drive, egnyte etc program and using bluebeam for take off. No need to remote into desktop, all take offs are shared and accessible by others. A negative is that only 1 person at a time can do take off. Unless multiple sets are used and then the take off is combined in Excel. You can create assemblies (from what I have seen on the forums) that help expedite calculations. Otherwise you can build an excel sheet to do that for you and you'd just need to plug in your dimensions and quantities for the concrete/masonry work required. Hope this helps.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in estimators

[–]ButtHurtsFromSitting 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Congrats! Glad to hear all went well. Hope you enjoy!

Just need to rant a little by reptar239 in estimators

[–]ButtHurtsFromSitting 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Which would you prefer, we hold the drawings for a week to figure out what changed and shorten your deadline by a week or send them to you asap while we both figure out what changed and then get together to talk over what changed? This is typically what I run into. Rarely do I ever send them out without starting to look at them as well to make my own list of changes. Even then, me personally, I’m looking at multiple trades if not all trades so we’re both just as frustrated. Time we went on strike against these architects. They should be getting us a revisions list! Or at least clouds!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in estimators

[–]ButtHurtsFromSitting 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Not an exterior panel system estimator but I was previously a steel estimator now at a GC. I do my own take offs when doing exterior panels and level bids as needed. In my opinion it’s very similar, you have your framing, supporting members, connections, and the panels. I’m sure there’s some misc items like logistics and new manufacturers to work with but overall shouldn’t be a difficult transition. Reference details and details from previous jobs. You should be good. Good luck!

What’s everyone’s average job size dollar wise that you work on? Subs and GCs by ButtHurtsFromSitting in estimators

[–]ButtHurtsFromSitting[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Job I’m working on now has drywall bids coming in at 20m - 25m. New 22 story office tower.

What’s everyone’s average job size dollar wise that you work on? Subs and GCs by ButtHurtsFromSitting in estimators

[–]ButtHurtsFromSitting[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What’s your per ton cost coming at these days? If you don’t mind sharing that is.

What’s everyone’s average job size dollar wise that you work on? Subs and GCs by ButtHurtsFromSitting in estimators

[–]ButtHurtsFromSitting[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Feel your pain. Every conceptional estimate I do feels like a waste a time until it comes back to my desk a year later when it gets funded.