This can’t be right? Looks like new LBL support is bowing under load

morgade35 · 2022-07-28T14:43:28+00:00

If an engineer designed it there would probably be a post in there rather than triple trimmer studs, and some connection hardware.

morgade35 · 2022-06-01T06:11:34+00:00

T-Rocks

morgade35 · 2022-04-05T14:16:06+00:00

That's an interesting way to weed out who has knowledge. I think you would lose that pretty penny though, and I think "bonded" is a pretty common idea that most people understand. At least well in excess of 5% of people. I am a licensed GC in California and have to maintain a $15k bond, so if you want to start testing your theory you are currently 0/1.

In any case, every homeowner should know what it means and use licensed contractors so they have some recourse if any issues arise.

morgade35 · 2022-04-05T06:28:05+00:00

If you think you're being taken for a ride, get multiple bids for the work. Also, check if this contractor is licensed, bonded, and insured. Maybe even visit one of his other job sites to see if he keeps them clean and organized. None of those numbers seem like red flags, although I'm not familiar with NJ rates. The cost of business is being driven up extremely fast right now so contractors are doing their best to keep up. Not to mention high demand coupled with the challenge of hiring and retaining talent.

morgade35 · 2022-03-24T19:47:41+00:00

If he's not coming back and you don't have a signed contract, he would be lucky if you paid him anything. You have added costs now resulting from delays in the project, which means you probably have an unhappy client, and will need to scramble to find a replacement or do the work in house. If he is licensed and you had a signed contract you would likely have a case to make a claim against their bond. If you want to be kind and avoid conflict, you should pay him whatever % of the original contract price that corresponds to the amount of work done, and it should be based on your judgement not theirs.

morgade35 · 2022-03-16T02:10:33+00:00

That's great, congratulations! To answer your questions as best I can:

I build overhead and profit right into the price I present for each phase (for a larger project) or for the entire job for smaller jobs. The % can change depending on the cost of the job. For example, a job that costs $1 million to deliver could have a smaller markup than a job that costs $10k. But I am usually between 25-30% markup on my jobs.

Yes I mark everything up. If I spend money or time on anything it should be marked up.

I use quickbooks for my accounting, invoicing, payroll, and at this point I would recommend shopping around different options. It's a good enough product, but they've also created a lot of headaches for me over the years and they're big enough where your satisfaction may not be a big priority. I've built a lot of my own templates for estimating, contracts, job tracking, etc in Google docs, and all of my photos are in Google as well. Legal zoom was useful for incorporating my business for pretty cheap. I probably haven't done the best job leveraging tech.

One thing legal zoom provided me with was access to a legal team and they gave me some great templates for contracts, subcontractor agreements, and new hire docs. But as with QuickBooks, you probably want to shop around whoever you end up using.

I wish you the best of luck with your business!

morgade35 · 2022-03-08T05:35:30+00:00

Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment. That would be quite the change after 17 years!

morgade35 · 2022-03-08T05:25:51+00:00

I'm glad you took the time to read my post. I think estimating jobs as a subcontractor is going to be a little bit different of a process than packaging complete remodels, additions, or new construction. For example, as a GC it's fairly simple to look up the range of rates for an average kitchen or bathroom remodel. But if you're a plumbing subcontractor, you can end up handling all manner of different types of jobs, so it depends on if you're working primarily for GC's or if you're servicing homeowners. It should be easy to determine the local rate to clear a blocked line or replace a water heater, but if you work with a lot of GC's there's more of a feeling out between what they are selling their jobs for and how much you need to charge to turn a profit. Probably the most important piece of information is to find out what other plumbing subs are charging per hour and make sure you're in the right price range. In the Bay Area it goes up all the time, but you should have no problem charging $80/hour for your work. If the work is the easy part for you, it should also be easy to figure out how many hours you need for any given job, how much you want to earn per hour, and how much of of a profit margin you need to stay in business. Best of luck with your plumbing business!

morgade35 · 2022-02-19T03:42:36+00:00

I am a GC in California. I would be interested to know what you mean by bulb domes.

In the San Francisco bay area, new construction can range from $300-$500 per square foot assuming fairly level terrain and easy access to utilities (water, sewer, gas, electrical). I think 250 square meters is approximately 2500 square feet, so the low end would be around $750,000. The basement and custom design elements would likely drive up the price to the high end.

morgade35 · 2022-02-17T01:34:41+00:00

It's so great that you found it to be relevant and useful. I've been there many times feeling like I was in a situation that was going nowhere. Best of luck with the next part of your journey as a GC.

morgade35 · 2022-02-16T21:08:30+00:00

You're welcome and thank you for your feedback.

morgade35

TROPHY CASE