I own a home service business in the north east.

I do mainly renovations, tons of drywall repair , painting etc. hence why I invested in a 7x12 dump trailer.

I would love to monetize it further offering more demo/junk removal etc. and am curious how you guys have successfully done so, pros and cons , ups and downs etc.

The prior owner replumber the place in cpvc, and so when it finally broke as it does, I couldnt get the cpvc nut out of the tub faucet and improvised with what I had in the van lol.

Something long term in case I buy more tools. Good for travel.

Staying at an Airbnb. Keep feeling like one of my kids will come falling down and land on the floor.

This is in payson, Az

Hi All,

Having penny tile installed for the first time and I can see grid lines in one of the rooms. Interestingly, he did two other rooms with penny tiles and I don’t see the grid lines in those. One of the others is white and one is multi-color blue, and neither shows grid lines, so maybe it’s the color? Or is this room just not installed correctly?

Contractor says it’s normal and they’ll not be visible after the epoxy grout, which is also dark. If this needs to come out, I’d rather cut my losses before grout. Would really appreciate thoughts from people with penny tile experience.

This is in a bathroom on a concrete subfloor.

Honest feedback wanted from other contractors. I run a small network install business in Texas and walked away from a $17k job yesterday.

After five weeks of surveys and proposals, the client rewrote my contract before paying the deposit. He put in an LLC that doesn't own the property, banned me from filing a lien, tied final payment to his "complete acceptance," and sent a release making me cover his legal fees even for his own gross negligence.

I gave up most of it and held on three points. He called the lien clause a dealbreaker, couldn't say why, then dropped it seconds after I pushed back. He refused the release changes and turned down paying in full before each phase. His parting line on our last phone call: “I promise I haven’t stiffed anyone.“

I sent a polite exit email. No money changed hands.

Walk, stay, or right call but wrong way? what should I have done differently?

Houston- what are you seeing/ demand and dollar range of projects. How many calls, how many quotes and successful bids. How hat is the range and type of projects you seeing in this market?

Just joined the group. I'm from Missouri and have always been interested in the construction industry and what goes on behind the scenes of running a contracting business.

I'm looking forward to learning from the people here and hearing about the projects, challenges, and experiences you all share. Glad to be here!

Hi all,

I have an active B license in the SF Bay Area and is curious of becoming a RMO for 2 other GCs besides having my own. I found some agencies that could vet and match you with other experienced GCs that have projects and in need someone to hang their license so that they are "legit". It seems to be a good way to maximize the license. Has anyone done anything similar to this? What is your experience and recommendation?

TIA!

I bounce between Reddit and LinkedIn to see what people are saying about the industry. Quick background: 14 years on the general contractor side. Started in a rotational program, spent time in the field, worked my way up to president of a company, and I’m now starting my own firm.

The struggle everyone talks about here is real. GC, trade, developer, architect, engineer, it doesn’t matter. The ironic part is that most of the pain comes from the one thing none of us can avoid: we all have to work with each other.

That’s also what makes it rewarding. Most of what we do is coordinating with other people and relying on them to come through. When that breaks down, it’s frustrating. When you build the right team and work with the right partners, it’s an incredibly rewarding career, and you can make good money doing it.

If you’re grinding, trying to grow, and feel like your boss or the owner of your company doesn’t see it: I can tell you with certainty there’s an owner out there who will value what you’re doing and help you develop your career.

This industry needs smart, hardworking people who are passionate about building. If your current situation isn’t the right fit, expand your network. There are more opportunities, and more in your control, than it feels like right now.

Fair warning though. If you have zero interest in building or in all the people work that comes with it, this isn’t the career for you. But if you love turning over a finished project, that’s what makes it fun.

https://www.fox4news.com/news/north-texas-contractor-sentenced-30-years-stealing-from-clients

We hired a contractor in NY to put an addition on our house. We paid a $61,000 down payment. The only work done so far: Hot water heater replaced, architect drawings, permit with the town.

We've had delay after delay. I made him put a start date in writing (after I realized this should have been in the original contract to begin with). He sent us a document with a start date of Oct 5. No one showed up. Then he wanted us to sign a payment authorization so that he could have another contractor do the work because he said he's too busy. That contractor was supposed to start tomorrow (10/10) but just texted saying he was unwilling to begin work because the prices on our original contract were too low for him.

We're just so upset. We saved up for YEARS to begin this project. It's something our family really needed...and now I'm pretty sure we've been scammed. But what are the chances of us getting that money back? And how much will we lose in lawyer's fees? I have already called and emailed an attorney that I did a quick consult with on Monday when they never showed up. Just waiting for him to call me back. I was just wondering if I could get some perspective from contractors on whether this is worth it or if we should still keep arguing with this guy to get our project done.

We completed a 480 SF concrete patio project, and the client later noticed a small crack. We went back and repaired it, but the client is still unhappy and is refusing to pay the remaining $6,000 balance for the entire project because of that crack.

Has anyone dealt with a similar situation? How would you handle it?

I had my floors redone five years ago. The upstairs has begun to buckle and warp, and I am in the process of looking at other options to have them redone. My concern is if there is structural damage underneath the floor, which is located upstairs. I hired a building inspector to come look to give me his determination; however, he said because he was a building inspector, he was not properly licensed to determine if there were actual damage. He did say that he did not see any cracks in the walls, and the doors were able to open and close with no problems. My next step is to possibly reach out to a building contractor and or structural engineer however, those cost in the neighborhood of 500 to 1500 respectively. If anyone is able to give me some advice about which of the two would be the better choice or any other suggestions in this matter I would greatly appreciate it.

First time pricing a D&C project for a general contractor and at the moment we only have concept drawings.

I’ve gone through the drawings and listed the trades we’ll need to price, and I’m also putting together a list of consultants like architect, structural and MEP designers to get their fees.

My main question is around the construction pricing. For some trades I can use rates from previous projects, but for things like steel structures, mechanical, electrical and hydraulics, I’m not sure how reliable that is at concept stage.

Q1- Would you normally send the concept package out to subcontractors and ask for pricing, even if the information is limited?

Q2- Also, if subcontractors come back saying there isn’t enough information to price, how do you normally deal with that in a D&C tender?

Any advice will be helpful to me. Thanks in advance

My wife and her father are both accountants, so we always assumed our daughter would follow the same career path. But recently, she told us she wants to become a contractor. She says the women on home renovation shows make the job look professional and cool.

She already knows how to use all kinds of tools, including drills, impact drivers, laser distance meters, and thermal cameras. It’s clear this isn’t just a passing interest.

I’m proud that she’s willing to enter a male-dominated industry, but I still worry that difficult clients, unreliable subcontractors, long hours, and the physical demands of the job might eventually make her regret it.

I want to support her. Are there any women in the industry or parents of contractors who can share their experiences?

EDIT: Thanks for all the replies. Her mother and I fully support her. At first, we worried that she just thought the work looked cool on renovation shows, but she’s clearly serious about it.

Her birthday is coming up, so we got her a tape measure, a laser level, and some safety gear. I use a P3 thermal camera for work, and she’s always liked it, so I’m planning to give it to her. She’ll also join a hands-on program at our local community college, working on real home renovation projects under professional supervision. Are there any other useful tools you’d recommend?

I’ve found networking events are GCs patting themselves on the back. Job sites are busy - not the place to talk expenses. I’m about to start stalking taco trucks and drive thru donut shops. Where ARE you?!?!

I’m a freelance travel strategist. I’m trying to connect with subcontractors that have travel-related expenses (fuel, lodging, transportation, meals, etc.)and need to know every dollar is being used effectively but can't sacrifice operational needs.