finally

[marklo154]

Finally i have a few houses to frame its been about 4 months i have to go out of town for them but i can`t wait to get back into the swing of things.

[Tim Uhler]

I'm glad to hear that. I hope it goes well. We were just about out of work, but it looks like we've got a custom to build. So Matt and I (had to let Kyle go for lack of work) will do the foundation, framing and siding and possibly work with our finish carp to do some trim.

That is great for us, we were down to 4 day work weeks to stretch work. We've also got two other customers interested in specs we have going, one finished the other close.

[bluemoose]

Tim,

When I was around Seattle in October of last year, it seemed like business was booming.

But maybe that was only commercial? I've never seen so many cranes all over a city.

We were putting a SieMatic kitchen display into a showroom for a new condo building in Bellevue. I wonder if they're having any luck pre-selling any of those...

Best of luck staying busy.

Adam

[David Meiland]

I think the funk is creeping this way. I have a fair amount of work booked but I also foresee some downtime this year. Maybe some work can get done on the shop or the house, if there's any money. Right now a lot of people are just spooked about the economy, whether or not anything is really happening to them.

[Tim Uhler]

Adam,

The governor gave a speech about how great the economy is overall here in WA, but the media I think has had some effect on the psychology.

We weren't getting any bites on anything for quite awhile. Then Sunday before last, we get a call for a presale, while my dad is out for his walk, a couple flags him down outside a home of ours that is nearly finished and they might want that house, they are moving from Idaho.

Yesterday a fireman from Enumclaw took a look around the area and might sign up one that is finished. The one spec my brother has sitting has had a ton of showings in the first two weeks of the year.

So it seems like there is just enough activity to keep the stress level from getting too high :-)

If we sell the Hawkstone house and/or Lot 38, then after this presale we just signed up, we'll put up a spec in this development or not, depends on the market at that point.

But if that happened, we'd have work through the summer. Right now it is just Matt and me, framing and siding, and Robin and Betto doing trim. Betto will be going back to Mexico for a few months starting in March, so that means that we'll only have 3 guys to keep busy.

On this next house, Matt and I will do the foundation, garage slab, framing and siding, and maybe some trim with Robin. I'd also like to start relearning how to do the exposed aggregate walkways and driveways. But that has been quite a few years.

[O'BrienConstruction]

Wow,
So its not just my area slowing. One of my best guys decided this past week after his wife left him that he was going back in the military to get away. Normally I would have done anything to make him stay, but we're slow as well so I almost said thank god even though I feel really bad for him and his marriage. Over the summer I was up to eight guys and busy. Over the last 3 months we've widdled down to 3. I just hired a friend that got out of the marines so now I'm back to 4. We're doing all our own sitework, formwork, concrete work, framing, siding, and even some roofing to stay busy. I really hope things change soon.