Thanks to all. I am just now getting back to this. Paperwork of any sort is not my strong point. Neither is billing. much to the aggravation of my wife.

I am in Iowa, a state that has stricter rules than the feds. The state requires that I am required to send a final report to the homeowners after I do any work on a house built after 1978. This...

Making light of a mess. Start over

Every homey dopey and blowes sells every tool that one needs to get started in this business along with a business credit card that anyone can qualify for. Both of these stores also offer install...

I need to replace a window sill that was originally made of southern yellow pine. It was damaged by years of water leakage. Water has been stopped years ago but the damaged sill remains. What...

Sounds like I need to vacation where you work

Dont forget to protect the toilet if you decide to break it. At least shut off the water. A friend of mine had a chunk of cast iron break the tank on a toilet without turning off the water and it...

How does the porcelean hold up

Am I the slow one here or is that Kregs old card?

Seriously who uses these things? A landscape guy? Definately not a real Carpenter. Everytime I go the store there is a newer bigger fatter tape that takes a trailer to haul around and has a hook on...

The worst part about this is that all the old timers that I would love to email this link to dont know what an email is

I assumed that they were all working on the same platform, but I have made ASSumptions before and we all know how well that can work.

Doing some window replacements out of town. Hate to say it but the foam gun will be in action.The local yard carries great stuff cans and I jhave the OSI gun. Are the two compatible or should I stock...

Trust me I earned it. And I still have my ID (Expired) but it works.

Also lowes gives a ten percent discount to veterans who can prove that they really are. Some of the cashiers are clueless but I have always gotten it when I asked.

This is a contractor that I do a fair amount of work for and our families run in the same social circle. After going through my own records as well as the bank statements to make absolutely sure that...

One more question for you. What does one do about a 1099 sent to them that is for the incorrect amount? I have one guy that I do work for that admits that his record keeping is a wreck and he has...

True I should have gotten their information ahead of time, and sometimes the need to push ahead on a job will make you forget that when you have a guy that you know does good work at a decent price...

Joe, what is the proper way to deal with not having a subs information to give them a 1099?
I know that idealy they would fill out a w9 ahead of being paid for the first job and then I would have...

I got that same Bosch a few months ago and I love it. I use it for everyday work. However for HEAVY use I still prefer the wormdrive so I dont know how it would hold up if used for heavy framing...

A funny thing I just remembered. My uncle is a small contractor in Georgia. His son in law works is a tech for a phone company there and he is one of the "its not my money guys". When his van goes up...

There are two types of guys that drive company vehicles.

The type who thinks "hey its not my car" This guy drives it like he stole it, never checks the oil, doesn't care if the tires are bald, and...

When figuring job costs in a bid or estimate I figure it cost me around 50 cents a mile to drive my truck. That covers me driving it to the job the fuel and the maintenance. If I am towing a trailer...

Low cost and bullet proof go together like leather and silk. If a customer like the one described is actually concerned for the safety of his employees he should understand that. The glass is...

It is funny isn't it when you get used to working alone all the time you get to the point that you second guess yourself about what you are doing and how other tradesmen are doing it.