Remodeling Article

[DonMirabito]

All,
Shawn McCadden had an article in the latest Remodeling that made some interesting suggestions for how to improve the remodeling industry. What do you all think about some of his suggestions?

Don

[Dancing Dan]

Don - I read the piece too. I had mixed feelings. I applaud Shawn's attempts to professionalize the industry but disagree with some of his prescriptions. More later.

[Stacey]

I totally agree with Shawn McCadden. I think the construction industry is an employment center of last resort for a lot of people. I'd like to add to the list of Shawn's to require criminal background checks for owners and employees. I'm personally tired of the creepy people in construction. There is a roofing, siding and window replacemet company here in town called Integrity Roofing. The owner is a child molester. All too often we get the worst of the worst in this business.

[DonMirabito]

Dan thanks for chiming in.
I don't know if ANY of his ideas would actually work.

For example stop giving away free estimates. OK, I don't follow that rule. I tried charging...I got no clients. Basically I have reverted to "free estimates", but proposals and designs/design services cost money. In answer to the free estimate, I think its about 10K or whatever. You want more then its a proposal and you pay me for my time. When EVERYONE in your market is free its really hard to not be free or you simply won't be called.

Stop using illegals...I don't never have, but there are plenty who do. Some who are so unscrupulous that AFTER the poor schmuck works they stiff'em. Go ahead and call the authorities your illegal. Nice guys...not.

Don't do work that is un-permitted. OK, I don't, never have, never will, but there are again plenty who do. Some who have even suggested as much on these fora and WE are supposed to be among the best... Some homeowners DON'T want to pull permits for whatever reasons...I walk away. As soon as something bad happens they will be the first to tell the authorities it was YOU who did the work! I don't need the money that bad.

Drop a dime on other contractors(?) who do work illegally, etc. Yeah, right! And the authorities don't already have enough to do. I mean you could keep MANY guys very busy chasing the weasels in my neck of the woods.

Demand that employees take pride in themselves and their appearance...ah huh... You tell the big dude with the tats, piercings and pony tail he has to clean up his act...;-) Oh yeah he is one of your best guys...and he is legal!!!

I do agree that we need to clean up the industry. However, that starts with raising the barriers to entry. A kind of un-american thing to do. Right now if you can breath you can be a contractor. That is NOT right. It seems most guys aren't really running a business so much as running a professional "practice". They are basically self-employed subcontracting out whatever they can't do themselves. If more of these guys worked for real contractors who ran businesses their compensation(wages and benefits) would be higher. It used to be that builders associations and unions would try to push regulations on the industry in such a way that only "the good guys" could become contractors. This gets complicated...I don't want to go down that road of union/non-union, etc.

OK, so who else has something to say about it...????

Don

[Top Notch]

Cleaning up the industry is a long way off. Anyone see a documentary called "Which Way Home"?

[carpenter97]

Don-
The only person you can change is yourself. While I too wish our industry wasn't the dumping ground of life's failures, it will never happen.

Maybe if a license was required...LOL!

I don't know what the "answer" is, but I feel your pain.

[philthegreek]

I don't know if these industries are necessarily the dumping ground, maybe the equivalent of the north pacific gyre though :) The only way it may happen is if we all band together and make it so. A restriction to entry may be a starting point. How much and how high?? I don't know, but maybe .......................... we can come together and discuss it. Not likely though, and that's the disappointing aspect.

phil

[philthegreek]

Top Notch,
Is this what you mean??

http://www.hbo.com/docs/docuseries/whichwayhome/

phil

[m beezo]

Having a starting point for a contractor would probably have not worked for me. At least not at first. My first year "in business" I was just trying to make a few dollars until my union job went off strike. I really was not doing a lot of building or anything like that. But I did quite a bit of painting. So you need a license for that also? I am sure the painters would say so.

Just where and who makes those decision would be critical.

I like the idea now but at the time I would probably have balked at the idea that before I could do some of the handyman stuff that I was doing I needed some sort of license. I usually took on jobs that most elderly folks could not do and I really did not think I was in business. More doing them a favor and getting paid for it. In fact some of my first jobs I did not tell the folks that I thought the job would be worth $500 or whatever amount. If they said they would pay me $500 I would say fine and take the job. Most of the time I was working for $15 an hour but not looking at it to be a lifetime commitment.

[philthegreek]

beezo,
Funny how life works that way sometimes ;-)
As i mentioned in the architects thread, CT is moving towards requiring contract law classes to get your HIC or GC license. I think it's a good idea. regardless of whether you are painting a bathroom or putting on an addition, understanding of contract requirements is the same. So this would be a good first step in a barrier to entry and weed out a lot of guys that don't or don't want to understand contracts and how they relate to contracting ;-)
From what I've seen around my area, that would eliminate 60% of the low-bid competition.
We have to carry liability, in some cases E&O, be bonded in many locales, and above all be adequately insured, not just the minimum. This cost money and those not willing to put up should not be allowed to ply their wares, plain and simple.
Will this require education?? yep! Should it cost?? I think so, it would be an investment in ones' self. Will it take time?? probably. That's all for now, babies screaming ;-)

phil

[Top Notch]

Thats it Phil. Did you catch any of it on HBO?

[philthegreek]

Nah, I do not get HBO, too expensive. I was hoping it would be released on HULU. Oh well.


phil