So I’m in my early forties and like a lot of people my age, I am probably starting my mid-life crisis. Some people have affairs, some buy sports cars, others get tatoos and piercings. I want a career change. I know that the feeling will pass so I will just ride it out. In the meantime, I can always dream….
The thing I’d like to do right now is construction, specifically, small renovations and trim carpentry. I have the technical skills to do it but maybe not the business skills. I also know that changing careers is easier said than done. It’s even harder with the current economy. So even though I’m not actually planning on changing, I keep myself entertained by thinking about what it is I would do.
This afternoon, while watching “DIY Disaster” on TV, I had an idea. I’m not sure if it’s a good idea so I’m throwing it out for discussion.
I’m not sure what to call it but it would essentially be in-house training/help for the DYI. It would be geared towards the DYI who:
1. wants to do a project himself but doesn’t have the skills.
2. has some skills but needs help for the bigger projects.
3. Would like to take a night course or seminar but can’t find a relevant one.
4. Can’t afford a contractor to do the entire project.
For example, lets say the homeowner wants to drywall his basement but is not sure what to do. He would hire me to give him a hand. He would have the option of hiring me for one day to teach him how to drywall or he can hire me for the entire project and we would work together.
He wants to install hardwood flooring in his entire house…no problem. Hire me to do one or two rooms together and he will do the rest. I’ll show him how to level the subfloor, install the hardwood, install the baseboards, etc.
Is this a business model that has been tried before ? Can it work ? I can think of a few reasons why it would not. I can also think of a few why it would be a great idea. It could also be a way to fill in those slow times between full-fledged contracts.
What say you ?
Replies
Good Luck!
Every car, truck and tractor in America should run on natural gas- it's the future.
Well, it's not something that i will try myself, for now anyways. It's just one of those ideas that someone gets during a commercial break.
Why not try it as a side-line?
Every car, truck and tractor in America should run on natural gas- it's the future.
first have you ever worked a habitat house?great place to see how unhandy some can be.some people would have the patience to teach them others just throw up there hands and do it themselves[i'm in the latter group]
when i was building my house i was willing to tackle anything except: when it came time to hang the 12/13 pitch rafters 39' span,i just couldn't make my self get up there in the top and brace em off. even set up high one afternoon trying to get used to it,still didn't want to do it.
i found a guy that was experenced at climbing around in the top of rafters and he said sure i'll come help. so i set the bottoms while this half man, half ape hung around up at the peak bracing them off.i don't remember what he charged me for a days work, but i tipped him a couple hundred i was so happy to see them standing and no one hurt. [i still remember his bussiness name "wood butcher" i called him because i liked the humor of it]
so there probably is some market demand for helping a diy guy,but i think alot of diy'ers want to just jump in and see what happens,for better or worse.as far as seminars,hd does them every weekend.
YOU ONLY NEED TWO TOOLS IN LIFE - WD-40 AND DUCT TAPE. IF IT DOESN'T
MOVE AND SHOULD, USE THE WD-40. IF IT SHOULDN'T MOVE AND DOES, USE THE
DUCT TAPE.
I can just imagine the type of volunteers that Habitat for Humanity gets.
I do this type of in-house help for my BIL now. If I can teach him without losing my patience, I'm sure I can teach anybody :-)
As for the HD seminars, there's a big difference with seeing someone do it and doing it yourself. Why not learn in your own home, on your own project. A little like taking an upholstery class where you get to take your own piece of furniture to re-upholster.
Have you ever heard of ubuildit.com
There was a franchise here in Northern Colorado until a couple of years ago. Not sure what became of it.
The whole idea scares the tar outta me, but then, I'm not a people person.
The web site still exists but they appear to be consultants for DIY-GC (Do-It-Yourself-General Contracting)
I have the technical skills to do it but maybe not the business skills
That seems to be the way it goes....funny thing is, I have met far more skilled craftsmen who can't seem to hack it financially than vice versa. It almost seems like you can do far better if you have a good business head. Skill at the nuts and bolts of your trade is almost merely a bonus....jmho
Naive but refreshing !
Unfortunately that is true. Good business sense and salemanship can get you a long way...until someone notices.
And should I take on such an endeavour, I have enough sense to take some small business courses before hand.
Might be a good retirement project.
the need is there the problem is... the people that need you aren't smart enough to know it...
I have thought it would be a valuable service just to map out the natural order in which things should be done... ... just a simple roadmap... and no you can't paint the drywall before you hang it even if you will have fewer drips paint'n it lay'n flat...
getting your hands dirty help'n no... you'd be better off just doing the work without them... and then they'd want you to leave all your tools...
p
"and then they'd want you to leave all your tools"I helped a husband and wife do an addition. I didn't mind furnishing the larger tools, but they were too cheap to buy tool bags and the tools for them like speed squares etc. They were always bumming tools out of my bag. The wife also refused to name what she wanted to borrow. "I need to see your thingy." I bit my tounge several times and told her I have many things in my bag and it wastes time if she doesn't tell me exactly what she wanted to borrow.After about the fifth time, I unzipped my pants, reached into my BVDs and said,"Here's where I keep my thingy. Are you sure that is what you wanted to see."I've never heard anybody describe tools so precisely after that. I'm just glad she didn't call my bluff and then tell me she needed a full size version.
Just my experience, aside from your specific business plan (which I think has too much out of your control) - being a good businessman (9+ years as a GC, starting at MY MLC, at 35) was much harder than being a good craftsman. Probably because I found no joy and creativity in the accounting side, but you have to decide:
1) Are you in business to make money? or
2) Are you in business to build pretty things?
I had to struggle with the balance. Finding jobs and doing the work was never as challenging as running a business that would support a family day-in and day-out for nearly a decade.
That, and the construction outlook in my area, made me darned receptive when a cool professional engineering position came looking for me.
Now I'm just a dilettante; an inspired amateur.
Forrest
I'm in the small renovation business. The phrase that makes me run faster than anything is "I want you to help me ______" rather than "I want _____ done."
You end up with a strange relationship. You are hired help for people who you would never sign on to work for if they were contractors. Some folks get attached to some strange ideas and I get into arguments over some awfully strange stuff.
Who's the boss? Who's responsible? Some people have a problem with being told what to do by the person they are paying, but it's impossible to get anything done unless you do.
I think I would approach this as being a consultant only. Show them how or get hired to do a certain part but avoid working side by side with them like the plauge.
chucky,
Have you researched or given any thought to issues of liability should your student be hurt doing anything related to your instruction?A Great Place for Information, Comraderie, and a Sucker Punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
http://www.quittintime.com/
Researched, no. Thought, yes
There are two problems that easily come to mind with this idea.
The first is liability with respect to personal injury. I see two different scenarios here. Injury while I'm present and injury while I'm not. I'm not sure how different this would be from anyone teaching someone how to do something. A teacher in a trade school for example. I would of course talk to a lawyer who would likely tell me to get liability insurance...and lots of it.
The second would be liability/warranty due to the quality of the work. It would be prudent to outline exactly the extent of my responsability and scope of work. I show someone how to drywall one wall and he does the other three, then I am responsable for that single wall only.
On the issue of potential liability.....>>"There are two problems that easily come to mind with this idea."Two for you. For me, I can probably think of two hundred.Not the least of which is related to your customer's use of your tools -- whether or not you are present.If your customer (or your worst enemy, or your best friend) performs a thumbectomy with your zip tool, the liability could be yours, and could be huge.Even a broken fingernail could end up in court -- not likely, but possible. And it could end up in court after all the work is done, and you're just about to present your invoice........
Politics is the antithesis of problem solving.
I have done what you are describing a couple of times. Sometimes it works well, sometimes not.
The first time is still going well, we are 5 yrs into a major remodel that homeowners are doing with me as consultant/carpenter/general contractor/tool suppplier. This one started as a side job when I was working for a different GC.
The deal ws simple, in my opinion. I get paid for every minute that I am on the job. It didn't matter if we were discussing design ideas, framing something, or me showing them how to frame something.
I gave them a list of tools they needed to have, including toolbelts. These people have a clue!
I sell them the tools that I leave on the job, I buy back the tools when they are done with them, assuming they havent broken them.
I check everything before the next phase starts. It is rare that I don't "fix" something they have framed.
These folks gave my number to a few others and one of the jobs was a bear to complete. Would of been cheaper for these folks to pay me to do it then it was for them to pay me to teach them. They never complained about the bill, but I dreaded anytime I went to their house.
I can give you more details of the ups and downs of doing what you are thinking if you are interested.
I did learn that you have to make a decision on the very first meeting. You have to decide if the people can handle what they want to do, or if you should just shy away from the job for whatever reason you can think of. Some folks are lawyers cause they can't swing a hammer, I found the engineer was the worst to work with.
October 17th, 2009
Jeremy and Lisa
Was there ever any doubt?
I've had this type of arrangement with a handyman in my area, but it isn't typical for him or for most of the jobs for which I hire him. He normally works alone, but we get along well and I understand that he needs to paid for his time whether we are swinging hammers or talking. I research projects (sometimes endlessly) before we start them and we don't borrow each other's tools. I generally only ask for this arrangement where I want to learn a skill or it's simply going to be much quicker or easier with two sets of hands, not because I'm looking to save a lot of money. I like to think I'm a pretty good client, partly because I read FH and follow the discussions on BT. That being said, having helped many of my friends with their home improvement projects, I know that the success of our arrangement is the exception rather than the rule. I often get frustrated with my friends in those situations; I can't imagine a pro wanting to submit themselves to that regularly. By the way, thank you to all construction and trades people that share their knowledge on BT. It's greatly appreciated.
Haven't read the rest of the posts, but for me to do your plan would cause me to drink enough alcohol that my liver would jump out of my body and run away.l
So you're still on the fence with this one ? :-)
" It could also be a way to fill in those slow times between full-fledged contracts."
If you are at all competent, you will not have time between full fledged contracts.
If someone is trying to save money by doing it themselves, they won't be able (or willing) to pay you what you need to sustain yourself.
Your time and their money, those are the stumbling blocks to this business model.
This said, you can have a lot of fun helping others with their building projects. I have worked with most of my neighbors on a variety of projects and have helped my brother and two brothers in law to build their houses. I also have worked with Habitat for Humanity for many years. This is not work; it is a hobby. Don't mistake it for a going business.
Have an affair, it'll be cheaper in the long run ...
Jeff
Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
Be careful of what advice you give, i'd hate to see you give an electrical tutorial only to have the guy mess it up and burn down his house.
Family.....They're always there when they need you.
I've done many jobs for friends who pitched in to help and believe me , if they were not friends I would have pulled my hair out. the best your going to get out of a green horn is a sweeper and a gofer.
I also had a friend cut a small piece of his thumb off on my table saw. thats another issue altogether
in the end you will end up supplying all of the tools and doing 99% of the work
so do yourself a favor and offer some kind of incentive for them to clean up at the end of the day
I have two buds who don't know a thing about building. One won't listen to me no matter what I say, and the other hangs on my every word. It really doesn't bother me to watch the one guy eff up his house, and it'd bother me even less if I was getting paid. In both cases, when I "help them," I expect that to mean "do it for them." But it's a good time, they're able to help me out with other things, and when else can I work while drinking?
Insurance would be a farrgin nightmare-- but wth, if you are creative and a people person you just may be able to make it work. Better really know your stuff though!
Hey, you could also rent the tools to do it as well.
My buddy started a company called "Lets Landscape Together", it was franchised and nobody paid--so it went down. There is still one location in Burlington Ontario--they seem to do ok.
L
GardenStructure.com~Build for the Art of it! Decks Blog
This strikes me as one of those dumb ideas that could really work.
I think there's a market of people who have been primed by TV. I'd say they're a mixture of hobbyists and people who are fearful of contractors. I think you might find more real-life DIY disasters than you might expect.
Here are my thoughts on how to make it work:
- "Entertainment value only" must be your mantra (from a legal perspective). You cannot be liable for. . . well, for anything. For the job not getting done, ever. For the client burning down the house after being taught how to solder plumbing. And of course for injury. You cannot be a general contractor in this kind of arrangement.
If your lawyer can't make a bulletproof waiver for you: forget it.
- When you show up, the client rents your tools - all of them - and assumes the liability for the use and abuse of any tool he touches.
- While working alongside the client, he's helping you, not vice versa. I don't mean in a legal sense, but in an actual sense. Clients would want to see YOU do it, and emulate you. If he needs help, let him hire some temp labor or something.
- Clients can't call you after hours and pick your brain - at least not for free. You're acting as consult like a lawyer. It's not a flat fee. ;-) Because you know there will be a good number who will never be able to leave you alone.
I think this idea might actually fly. Yes, it will cost the client as much as not more as just hiring you to do the job, but they'll have build skills they could use on future projects.
I imagine that your typical time with a client would be on the order of one, possibly two days. After that, it gets pricey to hang out with someone, and who's off work anyways? Typical flow would look like this:
- Visit client, assess job. Discuss materials.
- Client procures materials in time for you to do the job.
- Show up for a day, teach the guy how to frame a wall or tape drywall or hang a door or whatever he's unsure about.
- Hit him up for money before you leave. ;-)
Naturally, the client will want more advice and input from you as the project progresses, even if he doesn't want to pay for a hands-on tutorial. You might look at charging for chat sessions.
Of course, you'd have to be a patient and encouraging person. And I really don't know about the legal side, how you can dispense advice without incurring liability. Definitely wouldn't be for everyone, but I can imagine really enjoying it.
All good points and probably how I would implement it if i were to do it. The main concern i would have is with liability. I'm not sure if having a client sign a waiver saying that i'm not responsable for anything would get me off the hook. I'd definitively want to get legal advice for this part.
Here is some one doing that.
http://www.constructioncoachesny.com/
Check their rates. Those will eliminate the people that just are trying to get things done cheaply.
I think that it can work, but it would take a someone with special people skills to be in control at all time although you are an "employee".
William the Geezer, the sequel to Billy the Kid - Shoe
thanks for that link. Here is a portion of their FAQ. I wonder what those reasons would be.
Q) What kind of help can I expect from an on-site Construction Coach?For a few reasons our Coaches aren't permitted to get dirty with the work itself. But most notably, the whole concept here is to help enable YOU to do it yourself, so if you're looking for someone else to do the work you're barking up the wrong tree. ...Our Project Coaches will provide demonstrations throughout a project, but beyond that all they bring is their knowledge, experience, and a healthy dose of positive support - you bring the rest.