The States seems to be getting better, we are seeing more calls from the south than the year before. Ontario seems to have fallen off a cliff since they brought in a new tax on renovations. Houses over $300,000 now has an extra 8% tax on the price… and we can’t write off our mortgage interest.
BC is picking up since they repealed that tax… (I think they did anyhow).
I understand multi unit dwellings are going up more often everywhere.
How is your local economy?
L
Replies
Hey Lawrence
Couldn't be worse.
Well, I guess it could. Given more time and less confidence.
But I have had a fairly decent year considering the huge influx in those that ply the carpentry trade. What do you think all the small builders and their layed off employees get into in times like these? Throw in the layed off auto workers and the moonlighting firemen and you've got an idea of the volume of competition.
A good start with a whole house reno back in January hasn't been repeated in volume. One thing that has increased is repairs. All the rot that was left unnoticed or unseen seems to be the call now. I bet half the volume this year has been repairs.
A very nice kitchen job has been pushed back to the first of the year because of slow decision making................at least that's my hope. The customer is very serious, but does take time in finalizing an idea. Right now, waiting on a call about my bath bid.
Just finished several rot repairs and am on my way to take a look at another. Failed faux stucco board...............
This is in NW Oh., the underbelly of the stagnant auto industry. Hope the new year brings some bright spots.
In 2nd or 3rd gear
but would rather be in 4th or even overdrive. Could be worse, could be in neutral or even reverse.
There is definitely a new normal. A lot of work is preservation/maintenance/repair. People know they can't sell their house, so it needs to be maintained. For the most part they aren't planning on doing luxury improvements, with a few exceptions. A short piece I read yesterday--which sounds about right to me--is that unemployment will drop to 9% next year and 8% in 2012. So, a couple more years of slow times, at least.
yessir-moving through traffic..........
You do get to see more when you're not traveling the super highway.............
2nd or 3rd
Stay tight with those in the financial biz... you need a little bump downwards that lasts a month or two and you will see some high end cash flowing. For the last year or two they have been making piles off their investments and they have been letting it ride. I think you will see them spending when this giant rally corrects...
Hopefully they can keep crashing the dollar so that the jobs come back. China is inflating... so is India... things may get back in our favor soon.
What State are u in David?
L
The Dow
has been defying gravity. It looks good when I open my retirement statements lately. Are you saying that when the rally ends, people will spend on construction?
I'm in WA, in an area of second/retirement homes. High-end property is not selling at all.
I'm making more in my
retirement account in a week than I'm contributing in a month right now.
The DOW is up, it's slowly been coming to light that companies have been hording cash.
I've got a theory but it's better suited for the Tavern.
The past year or so
has been pretty good in terms of opening brokerage statements.
The reality is that a lot of U.S. corporations are doing well in other countries. Their customers there are buying more than they are here. And, they've streamlined their operations during the recession so that less labor is needed, as well as off-shoring more work.
Hey Calv... sorry about that
they took off the default notification so I didn't know anyone commented--have I mentioned I really hate this new format they have here.
I sure miss all you guys. I am spending so much time editing to get ahead of the curve that I don't get back here often enough.
Give me a few pictures and I will do a couple of articles on your stuff on the carpentry contractor blog... I need content, you need work, and we'll link that to your site to help you rank better.
When it comes to decks, fences, pergolas... you and I should talk about summer work soon. We are making it real cheap to get started these days.
And of course you guys are more than good enough for responses.... geez ;O)
L
This is probably the slowest year I've ever had, but things have picked up quite a bit in the last month or so. I now have enough work to get me into January, and customers are talking of a bathroom remodel and a small addition for sometime next year.
Engineering and Architectural are starting up
I read in one of the journals that design agreements, have been going up for the last three months, and are at the highest level since 2006. So, there is the potential of new work in the pipeline.
I was talking to the VP of our biggest building materials company (SW Florida) He says they called the bottom in Jan 10 and things are getting better but nowhere near the good times of a few years ago.
Florida...
I would agree. Florida is on fire. Our builder in South Florida has been running for weeks. Doesn't even have time to send photos and every couple of days we send a spillover lead when they couldn't answer the phone. Florida is looking good. It had the deepest decline--so will also have a good pitch of ascent. Many builders left for better markets at the depth of it--smells like opportunity to me.
L
New York State
Here in Southern New York, it is still slow. Biz has picked up a little, but many more people going after it. I think to get the job you have to work like you did when you first got started. You have to do most of the work yourself, as there is not enough in the current pricing to pay subs their profit. At 63 tears old, I am not going to help with the foundation, frame, roof, side, etc. I thought that I could bow out graefully and at my own speed. I do enjoy the Social Security check that shows up each month. First time in 0ver 40 years that I have had steady money coming in. I guess it is time to sell off the equipment I am not going to use, like scaffolding, sell the house,move on the boat and follow the sun.
NY-- East Coast
New York State seems a little slow to me--for the number of visits we get from the state, there are fewer leads than I would expect. This is the first time we have had a builder in the area, so I expect it will pick up when it warms up for our stuff.
Lots of leads in DC, Maryland and NC, and I know it is still cold there. Could be a barometer for our biz there.
I agree--I can't imagine up to my knees in mud forming footings, or running along a ridge or humping trusses into place at 60. This is when you should be able to delegate.
A boat sounds like a great idea... park it somewhere in florida near an urban center and take only small jobs. I've always thought it might be nice to use a bus... like a traveler.
As the economy tightens, the marketing that was worthwhile doesn't work so well anymore.
L
Down Under, we're doing well...
Interesting to read how it's going over in the states a few years back. We had the mining boom which allowed for major growth here. But recent things are much quieter. Land has got cheaper but still not easy for first home owners hey...