Any opinions on subbing from big boxes to get started in remodeling biz alone?
thanks in advance,
remodeler
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For somebody young, inexperienced, and without a client list or references, it would be a way to learn something.
Read that carefully. There is a lot hidden in that statement.
Excellence is its own reward!
It is one way to do it. I have been on both sides (big box management & sub) & it is always the same. The customer is always right and the box is not very likely to admit fault. Payments can be some what sporadic.
The up side is you can get your name out there & build a base. You will have to hustle to make a living as most of them have set pricing at a rate lower than it should be. They will tell you you can make out well on the up charges for a standard installation. Good luck. Most folks will claim they were told at the stare it would only cost this amount and they are not paying anything different. Guess who the store will back.
A better idea is find out what they sell but don't install. Make freinds with the manager in that department & let them know you will do the installs. You may be suprised how much business you get.
The big boxes don't charge enough for me to be a sub to them. In general, they charge the final customer about what I need to have as my gross for a job.
With that in mind, I've never even asked how much the big box gets to keep, and how much goes to the sub.
But I do wonder.....who is carrying the risk in those arrangements?
Absolutly NOT!
Don't travel that direction. You'll be starting out with a bad taste in yer mouth I'm betting.
they offer low quality to customers and low pay to the subs.
Nope, ut uh....don't go that route.
Find a job with a respected carp part time and do side jobs part time (let him know your intentions).
Be in love with your craft and don't bite more than you can chew....
Be realistic and pridefull (stay far away from the boxes my lil' brother)
Namaste'
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.
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It may not be a bad avenue to get the inside scoop on your future competition if you actually make it in this business.
Do you work well under very very intense pressure from customers who have no concept of construction? Expect bubble headed desk clerks who are pregnant with the assistant managers child to call you in a hormone rage to do the impossible immediately for nothing, because it's all your fault. (remember the one who's paying you is your customer)
A friend loved the 3:00 AM wake up call, 7 days a week, from their automated fax.
____________________________________________________________________If you were arrested for being a quality builder would there be enough evidence to convict you?
The only way to make money doing that is to have 3 or 4 crews working for you at an even lower piece price than you get and make it back on volume. If you do one job at a time you will be working for wages not profits. Bad idea. Big boxes could give a big $h!# about you in the long run.
You are responsible for picking up materials taking them to the job site. Removing the old stuff and bringing it back to there dump site (if they have one). Installing the product. Dealing with the customer who was "sold" by a salesmen who did not know anything about what he was selling. "Well the salesman said..................". Might as well change your name to RED because you will be putting out fires everyday! Then you have to pick up the check take it to the store, go through the big box paper trail and wait around for some jagoff to print your check. Which will be short for some BS reason, but "hey we'll get ya next time".
One good thing is you can learn there pricing structure which can be used to your advantage later on. If you have the patience of a saint and don't mind being exploited go for it.
The other foreman in our company went that route last year.
He does mainly kitchens and interior finish.
Claims he is making 30% more $ and working 30% less.
Apparrantly the local Blowes is short on qualified installers(not a dig on him he is truly a fine carp)
They also do most of the pricing for you, and he says they are usually pretty reasonable.
Probably beats unemployment, but I would feel bad about contributing to the demise of REAL lumberyards.
Mr T
Do not try this at home!
I am an Experienced Professional!
I know the pay from the big boxes is crappy and the other issues too, but if you can pay yourself wages and keep busy starting out it seems reasonable as an approach to quitting my job and going it my own. I figure it takes some time to come by good jobs, and working 50-55 hour weeks at a sitework / utility contractor won't get me there.
I would miss my steady salary. I would miss the respect I get from having multi-million a year in jobs to buy materials for - vendors jump through hoops. I remember when they wouldn't return phone calls when I was last on my own.
This time I will pay myself a salary. The ups and downs weren't fun last time. I would like to have more money in the bank and my wife more confident in the plan.
remodeler
when HD first moved into this area...I went in and sat thru the first half of a cattle call meeting.
Right before the break ..they said something about having to get them attached to your insurance ....I forget the particulars...but basically U pay for them to insure U.
At the break ...the guy said...If ya heard anything U didn't like leave now ....we're going to do the one on one's after the break .....
I left.
Called my insurance agent the next day and he said he'd heard about what they wanted.....and he advised all his clients not to work for them under that arrangement.
The arrangement they talked here at that time wasn't a strict "subcontractor" arrangement. I'd check that out ...se if things have changed....this was about 5 yrs ago.
Jeff
Buck Construction Pittsburgh,PA
Fine Carpentery.....While U Waite
re the insurance, my experience was the same, in my situation with home hardware, its totally different, thhey require basic liability, after that im on my own
my point is that doing sub work for a retailer has many advantages, my relationship with my biggest customer is ideal as far as im concerned
but home depot? forget it, they couldnt pay enoughcaulking is not a piece of trim
I didn't mean to post that to you
Your set up sounds ideal.
JeffBuck Construction Pittsburgh,PA
Fine Carpentery.....While U Waite