I would like to know how some of you go about scheduling vacation time and still minimize slack time on either end of it.
For example. I could look at my work schedule (proposed) and estimate that I will finish John’s project on Oct 15, thus planning vacation for the 16 thru the 23 and return to work (a new project) on the 24 or 25.
If I finish Johns project ahead of schedule, I have a couple of weeks to kill, or hopefully fill in with odds and ends. If I go over or if I need to, I’m screwed! How do you handle this?
On another hand entirely, lets say I don’t have a full year booked out………I want to plan to go away at some point and pick any date. How do you make your work schedule fit around the vacation date?
Needless to say, I appreciate all answers. I’m going to be here a bit in the next few weeks as I attempt to figure out how to stucture my business in a more business like fashion.
Eric
I Love A Hand That Meets My Own,
With A Hold That Causes Some Sensation.
Replies
I travel or vacation three or four times a year- sometimes three days sometimes three weeks. I just tell the client up front I am out of town these days and let them adjust accordingly.
I don't tear out daily services unless they have another resource or I can restore them in short order- in other words don't pull the only crapper friday at five...
eric.. i find out when we're going on vacation and put it on my calendar...
one of the things i promised my wife when we were dating.. that we'd travel.. and we do
i tell the customers.. .. suppose we start a job in April.. i say ... just to let you know.... i'll be in Ohio for the 2d week of August.. and that's where i'll be..
my guys will work without me.. or if i were working alone.. the job would go dormey while i'm gone.. maybe some subs would be there...
did you mark your calendar for Ohio yet ?.. not for one day in Ohio , either ...
last year it was two weeks in Ireland....
who knows.. we gotta make Australia oneadesedays.. that's gonna be two - three weeks.. probably three
is it easy.. hel* no.. but so what... just plan for it.. i suppose your jobs all just run like clockwork , hmmmmm.. i mean.. you don't wind up waiting for a drywall guy for two weeks ?
or somesuch ?
so what makes you indispensible ?.. why ?Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Probably left a little info out.............I'm me and my son (helper).
I go, the job is shut down.
I will not start a job and leave for a week, unless it's REALLY something where the ho won't miss me.
I do alot of kitchens and baths. Generally run 4-8 weeks.
Sorry Mr. Smith, you'll have to be with out a kitchen for an extra week cause I wanna play? If someone did that to me, I'd ring their neck!!
Duh.......what's goin on in OHIO the next fest?
EricI Love A Hand That Meets My Own,
With A Hold That Causes Some Sensation.
ain't gonna tell ya.. you won't take the time offMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
ain't gonna tell ya..
Pretty please...........I think that thread is over in the Shed, just that I haven't read it seein as I's being such a good boy eh Mikey??
Looks like no ones gonna answer my question.......if there is an answer...........what am I gonn tell DW??
EricI Love A Hand That Meets My Own,
With A Hold That Causes Some Sensation.
tell DW you've thought of the poifect vacation... a long weekend for two with some axe murderers you met on the net
in boootiful......... Toledo
in balmy ..... AugustMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
I'm not reading through 60 posts anywhere.............especially the Tav!!
(but I think I get it)
EricI Love A Hand That Meets My Own,
With A Hold That Causes Some Sensation.
Yeah do that (plan for the fest), then I could finally meet the infamous firebird, which evidently I didn't do at Mikes.
Nor qtrmg
Nor deisel
Damn, what'd I do..........pass out?
See you in august.
And to answer your question again, tell the wife to make the plans and reservations, you figure your job schedule accordingly.
Best of luck.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
Quittin' Time
I know that D and I were only there for the day..........probably did the formalities but with such time constictions.
Oh, wait, weren't you one of the guys that got taken away in the ambulance after a game of horshoes????
Maybe we can figure a way to pedal there, might be the only way the wife will bite.
How far is Ny from Toledo??lol
EricI Love A Hand That Meets My Own,
With A Hold That Causes Some Sensation.
pedal?
Get on one of those rails to trails in NY and head east. Good chance you'll end up going within a mile of the house. Slight detour, and off you go when she gets tired of the hospitality.
What, no cars in NY?
Take a train, it stops here in Toledo.
Be a pleasure to meet you. But no fighting!Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
Quittin' Time
pedal?
Been known to cover 60 to 100 miles aday by way of bicycle..............can't be all that far!
But no fighting!
With who?? I beg to know what it is you are refferring to?
I know already who ain't gonna show. I'm actually easy to get along with. I have feet, and they know how to walk away.........Really!
EricI Love A Hand That Meets My Own,
With A Hold That Causes Some Sensation.
Sorry Mr. Smith, you'll have to be with out a kitchen for an extra week cause I wanna play? If someone did that to me, I'd ring their neck!!
So what's the alternative?
I know what it was for me ... no vacations ...
My Mr Smith will have to wait ...
Jeff Buck Construction
Artistry in Carpentry
Pgh, PA
My Mr Smith will have to wait ...
Yeah Buckster...........there's a difference tween us. That's something I can't do.
What kind a vacation is that thinking about what ya left hanging??
I want a clean finish, and a clean start.
I want to be brain dead on vacation!
EricI Love A Hand That Meets My Own,
With A Hold That Causes Some Sensation.
Firebird,
That's something I can't do
At one time I couldn't walk, or talk, or ride a bike, or feed myself. But I learned how by trying. It is called growth. {G}
And yes, DR. and Mrs. Chiropractor did wait while their kitchen was torn up so I could go to the Remodelors show in Chicago. What helped was laying out on paper at what point their kitchen would be at when I left, and the proposed schedule after that to the point of being finished. And then sticking to that schedule as well as possible.
Bowz
Yeah Buckster...........there's a difference tween us. That's something I can't do.
Looks like we found something I'm better at!
my summer vacation job .... the HO's decided they wanted a custom steel rail for the basement stairs ... finally came in ... late ... installed when they weren't home ...
they come home ... the powder coated finish ... "wrong color".
I hear this right before lunch ... the last day I'm to be working. Supposed to be driving to Mikes starting about 7 pm that night.
I call the metal guy ... he says ... right color .. must look different than swatch.
So ... being the big time contractor I am ...
I ask him to handle it.
I'll be MIA ....
Brought the cell ... both him and customer know the number ...
they worked things out between themselves ... like adults.
Helped that me and the metal guy knew the customer was wrong ....
just wanted different color when they saw it installed ... by the time I got home ...
8 days later? .... it was already at the powder coaters getting a new color ...
Since I was planning on patching that hallway after the initial install then having the painter come back to hit that one last area .... I would have been sitting at home ...
missing yet another vacation ... with a job stopped dead ... as no useful work could get done until the rail was reinstalled!
Imagine that ... that'da sucked .. huh?
Instead ... I layed on a beach knowing full well my trusted sub and semi-rational customer would work things out ... and if they couldn't ... they'd both just have to wait till I came back ... tan. and happy.
I'm not that important.
No one is.
Prez Bush can run a war from a ranch in Texas .... so can I.
Figure out how to hook up a temp kitchen ... I've set them up everywhere ... or have the kid stay and have some fun on his own ...
Jeff
Buck Construction
Artistry in Carpentry
Pgh, PA
ok, you're hired.
Customer relations.
See you Monday am.
EricI Love A Hand That Meets My Own,
With A Hold That Causes Some Sensation.
See you Monday am.
Why ... U got plans to go on vacation Mon afternoon?
Jeff Buck Construction
Artistry in Carpentry
Pgh, PA
And Tim,
Thanks.....
I am capable of taking time off. That is not the problem. I'm just tring to figure out a better way to go about it with out loosing time on either side of it.
I'm really not inclined to leave a job, any job, but a especially any type of interior work. That's not fair to the client. It's not good relations in my book.
I can almost always push a job up a couple of weeks and go........don't doesn't help when buying airline tickets way in advance though.
Guess I'll just have to accept the extra time off, and find something constructive to do with it.
DW started this all by the way!
EricI Love A Hand That Meets My Own,
With A Hold That Causes Some Sensation.
In my experience, anyone good at their job takes vacations. Only bums don't take vacation.
Life is about ballance. Sometimes you have to party hard!!
The kitchen owner will survive another week.
U meant 3 or 4 times a month ... right?
Anyways Eric,
Just this past year did I put my foot down. I had tried for years like you may be thinking ... trying to find the perfect time .... even for smaller trips ...
Had tons "scheduled" .... was easy when the wife worked for the airlines and we flew stand by and could make last minute plans ... so it was easy to cancel all those last minute plans when the jobs never seemed to line up ...
This past year .... after missing 2 summer vacation plans the year before ... and the winter make-up plans .... I decided dammit ... my kid's going to the beach!
So I did what Mike said .... told the customer ... after we signed the contract! .... that I was scheduled to be away from X to X. As time got closer, I reminded him, we thought we'd have a few subs in around that same time ... but we actually finished a little ahead of the schedule and they had already come in ...
It was the worst possible time for me to leave ... heading right into the final stretch ... pretty much all my work to do ... no one else to fill in ...
and guess what? The customer survived.
He wasn't thrilled with the idea ... but I'd let him know well ahead of time ... and reminded him enough .... that when the time came he just kinda accepted it.
And ... we had a great freaking time!
Went to MikeFest ... then extended the trip and hit the Jersey Shore.
My kid swam in the ocean for the first time ... he loved it ...
and I'll never give a second thot about missing memmories like that again.
The break in for me was a short trip before that summer ... we had planned on going out to Cali to visit ... planned and put it off ... planned and put it off ...
Finally I told the wife just get the plane tickets .. if we buy them ... we won't cancel.
That remodel lived w/o me too ...
Just do it.
Jeff
Buck Construction
Artistry in Carpentry
Pgh, PA
6 or 8 times a year or so. who is countinggood to be medon't make me trot out the lost my house lost my marriage lost my viginity only took ten years to get back to square one and here i am story-i am tired and in no mood to lie cheat and stealbut i will if corneredso anyway firebird- the world turns in spite of your efforts- so go live cause trust me time don't give a rats #### and you wake up and your kids are grown and you're old and saying "but i got that job done on time!"
really doesn't seem so important
Fantastic!
Kind regards
Cliffy
what means this funny word 'vacation'? similar to all the rain days added up over the year?
Seriously, just plan on a shut down, and inform all involved in advance. They can deal without you for a week or so.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
I'll just do it>
ditto
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Ok youse guys........in case ya havnt figrd it out yet..........vacatuns sompin da wif made up.
Jus tryin to getalon..................
EricI Love A Hand That Meets My Own,
With A Hold That Causes Some Sensation.
since there ain't no wif...
don't know what vacations are..
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Those days are the days that the jobs from last year at my own house get done. They are the days that my girls get to spend some more time with me. Those are good days.
Have a good day
Cliffy
Before we let my wife plan the time off and set the dates, we would go.........or not, because of my work schedule. Now, she makes the dates, checks with me and I schedule my work around that. As has been said, don't start anything that won't take a week or whatever, break. Now if I could figure a way to nick each one of my generous customers for that paid vacation.......
And since it's in the business folder.........do any of you figure your wage according to what gerald and some others have written? And is the paid vacation figured in that hourly rate or that overhead percentage? I mean, with 32 yrs in the biz, much of it as a sole prop, should I not get at least 5/6 weeks paid vacation?
Yeah right........
sorry for the thread steal there.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
Quittin' Time
calvin...
if you assume 2000 hrs of production in a year ( you're dreaming , but so what ? )
i figure i'm good for about 1600 .. the rest is overhead....
that missing 400 hours might be books, or estimating .. or whatever.. it could be 120 hours of vacation
roll it into your rate... it's how real business's do it... why not pretend we're real business's ?
BTW... that's how SHazlett does it , too .... only he bases it all on about 900 hours
i'm still working on my 400 hour plan...... u no.?. 400 hrs of production... 1600 hours of other
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Edited 1/4/2005 6:31 pm ET by Mike Smith
Mike, I'm one of those charge what I think is fair and what the market might bear...........bad business you bet. I shouldn't own my own business, I will never get ahead.
I have not even listed my costs of doing business and figured out what I'm not making.
I should be shot.
But you are right on as far as the 1600 hrs..........and that's even a lucky bet, of real working hours. The rest of the time that isn't productive on the job is certainly a cost of doing business. As I divide, all it does is lower my hourly rate. The 10% I upcharge on all the costs of the job I used to look as the cream, now I see is only a last ditch attempt at making a comfortable wage.
Sorry for once again dragging this thread off the beaten path.Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
Quittin' Time
if you assume 2000 hrs of production in a year ( you're dreaming , but so what ? )
i figure i'm good for about 1600 .. the rest is overhead....
that missing 400 hours might be books, or estimating .. or whatever.. it could be 120 hours of vacation
roll it into your rate... it's how real business's do it... why not pretend we're real business's ?
Your getting ahead of me Mike.............that was gonna be NEXT Tuesdays question.
While we're here, please elaborate or explain that to me please.
Thanks,
EricI Love A Hand That Meets My Own,
With A Hold That Causes Some Sensation.
Calvin,
do any of you figure your wage according to what gerald and some others have written? And is the paid vacation figured in that hourly rate or that overhead percentage?
I pay myself a salary. So how it works for me is that I take time off as I need to, but still pay myself the same. My goal is to bill an average of 28 hrs per week, year round. That is 1456 hrs per year. Some years more, '04 was less. (1,276.25).
This allows for a couple long weekends, (Thurs noon Thru Mon.) and some flexible times during the week, and holidays. This last year I had a week gone for the Remodelors Show, and a week for other classes and conferences. In '03, DW and I went away for a week also.
As well as being able to drop my tools and go to my kids programs during the day. Only a few Saturdays til noon, and very little after supper stuff. It works for me, and my kids are not growing up without me.
So I guess I am rolling my paid vacation into my hourly rate.
Bowz
I would like to know how some of you go about scheduling vacation time and still minimize slack time on either end of it."
I dont know why you asked the question. You dont plan on changing . Just like Mike said , you wont take the time off.
I happen to be just like you and this thread hit home. This is one of the few things there is trouble over at the house .
I like to take time off when Ive got time off. If I hit a slack week and it suits me , Im gone. I didnt miss much that way. I hunt and fish . I like pulling a camper and going to the cabin both. Ive got four wheelers , boats , and now a jeep. I always worked up to it and then took off. I tried to plan it that I didnt miss a damn thing involving money. Vacations cost enough with out losing work. Thats one way of looking at it I believe in .
DW runs two companies and has to schedule to be off . [problem, she wants off with me ] HMM Special events that only happen once a year or farther out that are important such as Christmas , Thanksgiving , family reunion, classes and schools, Breaktime fests, etc. [Ive been right here since the spring of 98 and Ive never made a fest]
So it seems to be priorities doesnt it? I wouldnt take off on a kitchen or a bath job either. Nope I agree , I would not do it unless it was important enough. Your dads funeral, Christmas, thanksgiving with parents or children ? For your family ? Ruining your DWs vacation? Buck made a decision and put his feet down solid and said his son was going to the beach. I respect that , I really do. I didnt go to the fest last year because of me. I had Firebirdidous disease. I thought my town needed me here and I was being important . hahaha . Truth is no one cared, but me about it . Really. We talked about it and the mayor asked me if I cared if he was gone a week? I smiled and said , are you kidding ? He said I feel the same about you or anyone else around here. LOL. Most everyone understands vacations . Ive had tradesmen take them on me lots of times and I handled it . Had to, you cant fire someone for taking a vacation.
I would not intentionally leave someone with out a kitchen or an only bath unless it was emergency . Even then I would call someone in to finish. I agree with that , but you are missing out on life because of it . People like Mike Smith is smarter cause hes got it figgured out on ya. Maybe you could have an accomplice to your crimes that was your equal and you two could relive each other in case of emergency for each other. Would that work if the schedules didnt work out?
Tim Mooney
I've been at this a few years, and there is and will never be a good time to take a vacation.
However, life is short and your family is important.
If you wait for the perfect time, it won't happen, you'll look back in 25 or 30 years and regret not spending time with the family and not doing and seeing a few things for yourself.
The construction business is a tough demanding mistress, however, just like your clients you've earned some time off. Take it.
I set in advance 2, 5 day vacation periods a year. I do not tell my clients I'm going on vacation, I tell them I will be out of town. Just like I never mention the word profit, only overhead and supervision.
I also take a few long weekends, Monday or Friday off, when the opportunity presents itself.
Being a responsible business person does not require a life time of blind sacrifice. If your in this business, you and your family have earned some time off, take it, and more important enjoy it.