Wise man...

Gas went up $0.05 a Liter today here.....the rumor is a butterfly farted in some far off land and it caused a panic so fuel went up......

Milt, not to bust your chops, but at the 40% income bracket, you have to be pulling in a good chunk of change. Yeah, I agree, the 30 % feds and 10% to state is a real btich for those who fall into that bracket.

No, I haven't. Can't afford it. Don't even have a passport. Capt Ahab responded nicely and did put it into context. That is all I asked.

I'll keep my comments respective to the States and feel sorry for those living abroad from now on.

I'm changing careers anyway. I'll have the tools to maintain my home so I won't have to hire what's left of the tradespersons in our society. As a matter of fact, the sooner I don't have to go to anyone's home the better. It's hard to look at the crap work that I see. And I can make $10/hr. standing on a used car lot not getting dirty or hurt and with no tools to buy and no driving around to pick up supplies.

What's more, people come to me, I don't go to them. I've done the car lot thing before and I can do it again. But, I've got something better in mind. Been working on it for a couple months. It'll be ready be the time the holidays roll around and all work stops for 3 months.

If people come to u for your services why don't u charge more? Your customers must like the work you do but how price sensitive is your work? Raise your prices enough to make it worth your while and as the above posters say, include the price of transport in your quote. Then they can take it or leave it:)

Milt,

I really think this down turn in our economy is the weeding out period for the DIY turn Pros with a hammer and a truck. I Met a guy who claim he can product the best crown install (even big 7 or 8" crown) with a simple skill saw and some trick that he refuse to share. I am dumb but not that dumb. After the last one many of the good guys survived. I was a bit young, but did survived. Hang in there buddy. I know for a fact that there are many, many people who are willing to pay for this type of service and the type of work.

The thing I worry in our future is the ethnic issue. Around this town, many of the Latinos will not hire an American tradesmen or contractor, unless we are willing to compete against a low ball bid without lic. and use workmen that hang around the street corners looking for a days pay. They will more likely hire their own first. I am talking about the American born home owners that have a jobs. They know that someone without a Lic. and all the certs. to operate a business will under cut people like us. Plus, they can communicate with them. I am dealing with one right now in Bixby Knoll. I did a bunch of work for their families. the home owner wants me to go in for a kitchen, and bath remodel and fix a leaning foundation but want to have their handy man do most of the rough work under my permit. I am going to tell him to take a walk.

what about converting a Chevy Volt into a work truck?

Bixby Knolls? You are right in my back yard. I know what you mean about the people wanting to hire their own handyman but expect you to supervise, get them good prices on cabinets and millwork, hardware, plumbing etc.

I'd walk too if I were you. However, I would do some work directly for homeowners, but in this case it's not me they are talking to. :)

Bixby Knolls has some pretty wealthy families but they can be cheap as hell. However, I think a lot of them are having to bite the bullet a bit these days. The thing is, they shouldn't be fooking remodeling if money is that tight.

I picked up a door hanging gig today by referral in the same neighborhood. I'd say the job is on the sensitive side with lots of plants and super nice furnishings both inside and out. I can see the bozos setting their Makita battery charger on this guy's leather ottoman or not removing the smaller oriental rugs instead tromping on them with dirty boots. Of course I can see their chop saw set up on the teak patio table.

I'll see if I can make a little money this time. But clearly the end for me is around the corner and not far down the block.

Hang in there. We need tradesmen like yourself in this town. No one makes big cove cuts on the table saw any more. Most don't even know what the heck a cove is. God forbid if they have to lay out a elliptical head molding. Must run now, but will reply to this later.

Jeff

Hah! I remember the first time I saw an old guy make a cove on the table saw. I needed some and stopped into this small cabinet shop next to an old house. There were no HD's then and the "home stores didn't carry what I was looking for. It was the cove you use to cove a vinyl floor.

So, he pulls out some 5/4 stock, eyeballs his huge superleggera tapering jig for the fence and makes the cove. Then he rips the back edges at 45 and hands me exactly what I needed. I don't know why I've really ever needed a cove molding, but somehow I end up doing this once a year or so.

This client is a young man his late 30s and just closed escrow on the house. His handyman already had the place torn apart running all kinds of outlets off existing outlets. I put a stop to that crap right there. His handyman wanted to kill me on the spot. He's an engineer at Boeing. I restore his dad's grand old home in Pasadena along with a bunch of work around the same area for many of his relatives. Dad was one of the chief structural engineers on the C17 down there.

I quit doing work for designers and architects. The ones that I still do work for are the ones that are really honest and have been working for them from the beginning. A well established relationship is worth a lot more them money. 95% of our jobs are for home owners with us working along side their designers and architects. We don't own each other unlike some designers feel they have ownership over a certain trades people. Everything they produce have to go through the designer so they can approve and mark it up. If its a bad design, they blame you for poor workmanship. I still can't believe he actually ask me to over look his handyman. I am expecting to hear from his dad any day asking for forgiveness. He will smack him upside the head on this one. I ain't gonna back because I am throwing a hissy fit.

I know all about wealthy families that are cheap. My friend Richard always told me, "let someone else fook em'. they'll call you back after and pay it twice to get it done right". Money isn't tight with these guys. Plans are drawn and stamped by Dad's architect whom I know from their remodel.

What do you mean by sensitive? Heck tell them you will have to mask it off and they will have to pay for that. Is this up in Bixby Knolls? I bet you the table isn't Teak, if there is a table there.

I hope you make some money on this. Its no fun working for free or three bucks an hour at the end of the day. I have been there. Are Hose A and Hose B under cutting you that badly? Are people just not paying regular pricing for your service? How many door or window gigs do you get in a month? do you do any handyman type service just to keep current clients happy? I don't do any handyman type stuff unless they are past clients or a referral. We must commit to those just to keep peace. Hang in there. Let me know if you get that door job.

Jeff

What the heck is a Superleggera (super light) tapering jig. I know what a tapering jig is, but why super light?

Supperleggera is an old racer's term for something fancy or fast. I know what it means in Italian but amongst the old racer crowd it was just cool to say. Actually, the old boy probably didn't have a tapering jig, just a straight edge and 2 clamps.

Anyway, I'm sure I'm doing these doors. I'm just waiting for Ganahl Lumber to quote the doors and hardware. I had a wholesale door and window supplier, but as I told the story in another thread, I nearly burned their place down I was so pissed at them. So what I did burn was a bridge.

No matter, I don't need their horse sch!t. Skinny little fook there said he was going to escort me off the property if I showed up. With my shoulders in the condition they are in I have one good punch left. He doesn't qualify for me wasting my energy. I might see him at the lunch counter someday and he might start up. If he does, he's going face first into the salad bar.

Would you like pepperoncinis on that?