Colorado work

[CabinetGuy]

Hi All,

Growing tired of what San Diego has become. Seriously considering a move to Colorado. Looking at area around Longmont / Boulder.

I am a general contractor here, but would consider working as a high end finish guy / cabinet installer for someone with an established base in the area.

Are there enough wealthy areas close in to this affordable area to live to make it workable?

Also any input on the standard of living and family friendliness of the area would be appreciated!

Thanks!

Dan

[Mark G]

These numbers are a few years old but useful for comparing areas:

www.epodunk.com

[joseph]

Wow,I left 10 years ago,place was growing so fast .I found lots of low wages and unexperienced new contractors to work with and for .
But there were some real good carpenters /builders around .I saw there work .
wish i could say more . Boulder has lots of money .
though I read someplace when the morgage problems hit parts of Denver were highest on the list of foreclosures . All that area is seemily one of the same now ,A vast sea of houses. I had no shortages of decks to build .

[m beezo]

You want to leave the area that has almost the same temperature year round? Much colder there than in San Diego. My brother works the Longmont area as a concrete guy. He tells of lots of work if you want to work for $18 to 25 an hour for most workers. There are lots of packing plants in the area and lots of migrant workers who come in for 6 to 9 months and then go home. Packing plants will often employee one family member and the others will work in construction, landscaping, concrete, drywall. I will have to ask about finish work.

He does talk about the larger houses being built and I have never asked a lot about the inside trim work. He mostly talks about the large foyers and family room, bonus rooms that the folks after buying the house do not have the means to fill with furniture. So I am guessing that some of the nicer details may come in later after they have been in the house for a few years.

[Ben B.]

I have heard that the Longmont/Boulder area is in the middle of a slowdown. The resort and destination towns are still going pretty strong. I live in an area that many are retiring to and are building their dream homes. It has slowed here some but I am staying busy.

[joeframer]

I'm a framing, remodel and ext. trim contractor in the Boulder area my family and I live in live in old town Longmont. It has slowed down for sure but we have managed to work for some of the higher end contractors.They seem to keep busy but we need to have a fair amount of filler work between larger jobs.We like it here and there is always a nice view.

[Toolwhore]

CabinetGuy,

RE; "tired of what San Diego has become." Amen to that, brother! If you end up going, your gonna need some winter gear. I spent 15 yrs. in the Rockies, and loved everything about it, except the 8 months of winter gets old after awhile, especially if work gets slow. (the reason I came back to S.D. in '04) Great fishin' and huntin' though!

[CabinetGuy]

Thanks for the responses guys.

I grew up in Chicago, so winter, while not my most favorite time of the year to work, is still enjoyable to me.

I would imagine that most of the country is slowing down a bit right now as well, so that is to be expected.

I do try to keep my work in the upper tier and have been lucky that that market at least in So CAl never seems to be hit nearly as hard as the middle end of the market does.

Joe, is it reasonable to live in Longmont and commute to the high end areas? Would this be Boulder or do you need to go up to the resort areas? How about Denver? Also, will my sprinter do it or will I have to go back to a 4WD Pick up? (It would kill me to give up the sprinter!)

Thanks again!
Dan

[Harringtonjason]

From longmont you are only 5 minutes from Niwot. Thats where most of the starter castles were going up when I lived in Boulder. Plus 15 minutes to Boulder. You've got more builder friendly areas like Broomfield just a little farther down the road. Fort Collins to the north has it's share of decent housing as well. Plus the foot hills around the area has a nice mix. My family lives in the area and are involved in the construction field, but we don't really talk shop much. I am thinking of going home for christmas and will bring up the current trends.

I have been thinking of going back, and personally would not worry about the economy in doing so. If you are good you will create a market.

Jason