Just wondering what it’s like around the rest of the world. In the UK a contractor working for home owners had better have work lined up for the summer because there is very little new work commissioned at that time. In fact we are just starting to come into our busy period, everybody wants their projects finished before Christmas, but doesn’t start thinking about getting contractors in until after the kids have gone back to school!
John
editted for speling
Edited 8/31/2003 8:20:02 AM ET by john
Replies
I find a lot of seasonal issues with my contracting as well. A record keeping program I first used years ago,(Quicken), help me keep track of my construction purchases. This was back then just a glorified check book ledger. But I soon realized if I was faithful to the memo entries I could track things like lumber verses hardware or plumbing verses electric as an example.
What I didn't expect in the third year I had a very convincing show of my slow times. When the started to show, when they sped up and all in contrast to the holidays and events of the world.
I found a lull after Christmas with a slow increase to our tax filings. A busy moderate spring with a lull in the public schools go to vacation and then a heavy burst of activity around the holidays ending a week after Thanksgiving.
This knowledge helped me change the times I advertised and planning of larger projects for patient clients.
This program and many others now are much more complicated and helpful but I pride myself of being able to, at the time finding a great unintended use for this program.
Bob
Edited as will fer spelink
Edited 8/31/2003 1:33:09 PM ET by JAGWAH
I used to work in the Helena, Montana area. Work would often be slow until the first bit of snow (usually about this time of year) and then the phone would ring morning and night!
Any jackass can kick down a barn, but it takes a carpenter to build one.
I'm starting to get quite a bit of work now. As soon as the weather gets cooler and the kids are back in school the phone starts ringing.
John
No rhyme or reason here on the North Shore of Long Island (NY).
My building inspector was here today to inspect a foundation I just finished and he told me it doesnt "ever" get slow.
The amt of building around here is absolutly amazing.
Be well
andy
The way we regard death is critical to the way we experiance life.
When your fear of death changes, the way you live your life changes.
http://CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
I used to get a "sprng rush" of work around March wehn peaople started thinking about coming up for the summer and they had the taxes all figured out.
About three years ago, my spring rush started in november and it hasn't let up since then..
Excellence is its own reward!
The amt of building around here is absolutly amazing.
The amount of people out there is amazing! I know you aren't in "the city", but if I draw a 15 mile radius circle around my house there are about 5,000 people. I know that's a lot, but I live right in the population center of our area. ; )Any jackass can kick down a barn, but it takes a carpenter to build one.
i don't have that trouble and i live in bucks (high wycombe).
ok i'm a 1 man band, but i just sign them up and put them in the queue.
i've always got at least 3 months work on, and i just tell people they are in the line of who payts the deposit first.
the job i started in july i did all the ground works while the people were on holiday, good job too as we had 50 tonnes of earth on the front drive from the dig.
aleks
There's a season to this game?? And I've been working non-stop for 15 years!! Whens that bad days fishing I keep hearing about??
It's definitely seasonal here in Illinois. There's always a rush in the fall (about this time) as people try to get things under roof before winter hits. It will carry us through October and November.
We generally have to lay people off in the winter. Unfortunately, this often hits right before Christmas. January and February are notoriously slow. But we take advantage of it to do software training, computer upgrades, add new shop equipment, etc.
March is quoting season, when everyone pulls a page out of a plan book and brings it in for a quote.
April and May things are generally picking up. The office wants to build every order we get as soon as it comes in so they can get a jump on summer. The yard fills up with trusses until June or so.
Sometimes there's a minor slump in August when people with kids seem to take their vacations. And there seem to be a lot more mistakes in August, as people are burned out.
Each of these seasonal changes are dependent on the weather. Rain and snow hold the trump card.
Which brings us right back to this time of year.......
An empty stomach is not a good political advisor [Albert Einstein]