I'm high ballin - Contractor Talk - Professional Construction and Remodeling Forum

dirt diggler · 05-23-2007, 08:41 PM

two weeks ago i was ready to throw in the towel

figured i'd become a genuine high baller. Nothin to lose

many problems solved

mahlere · 05-23-2007, 08:48 PM

good for you...what's the worst that happens? you make more money with less work?

ruskent · 05-23-2007, 08:59 PM

I feel like throwing in the towel almost once a week!!!

tgeb · 05-23-2007, 09:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ruskent

I feel like throwing in the towel almost once a week!!!

Only once a week....I'm ready a couple times per day!

I usually get over it in a few minutes.....

Next day ..same thing!!

Tscarborough · 05-23-2007, 09:15 PM

I gave up buying jobs in the mid 1990's. Sales have only increased since then.

ruskent · 05-23-2007, 09:16 PM

I just lost a job for 5k where i was twice the price of the other 3 bids. The funny thing is, when i submitted the bid i felt my price was low and i was hoping i could make enough money on it!!

tgeb · 05-23-2007, 09:18 PM

I have been there.

Makes you wonder what the other guy is NOT including in his price, that you ARE.

**Ed the Roofer** · 05-24-2007, 12:05 AM

1. CONTRACTOR; A gambler who never gets to shuffle, cut or deal

2. BID OPENING; A poker game in which the losing hand wins

3. BID; A wild guess carried out to two decimal places

4. LOW BIDDER; A contractor who is wondering what he left out

5. ARCHITECTS ESTIMATE; The cost of construction in heaven

6. PROJECT MANAGER; The conductor of an orchestra in which every musician is in a different union

7. CRITICAL PATH METHOD; A management technique for losing your shirt under perfect control.

8. OSHA; A protective coating made by half-baking a mixture of fine print, red tape, split hairs and baloney -- usually applied at random with a shotgun

9. STRIKE; An effort to increase egg production by strangling the chicken

10. DELAYED PAYMENT; A tourniquet applied at the pockets

11. COMPLETION DATE; The point at which liquidated damages begin

12. AUDITORS; People who go in after the battle is lost and bayonet the wounded

13. LAWYERS; People who in after the auditors and strip the bodies

14. ARCHITECT; Anyone with a slide show and willing to drive more than 100 miles ** OR ** A person who lectures on '100 Ways to Make Love' but doesn't have a girlfriend.

Ed

mahlere · 05-24-2007, 05:05 AM

nice list ed...what's the phrase uttered by everyone at a bid opening?

S**T!

the losing bids say, "what did we do wrong", the winning bid says "what did i do wrong"

lukachuki · 05-24-2007, 08:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tscarborough

I gave up buying jobs in the mid 1990's. Sales have only increased since then.

I don't quite understand...could you be a little more specific please.

And yeah I've had a month were I've wanted to throw in the towel about every day...in fact I think i might look real good in an orange apron with my name scribbled out in black magic marker.

Thanks

lukachuki · 05-24-2007, 08:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dirt diggler

two weeks ago i was ready to throw in the towel

figured i'd become a genuine high baller. Nothin to lose

many problems solved

any problems

created?

Stone Mountain · 05-24-2007, 08:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lukachuki

I don't quite understand...could you be a little more specific please.

And yeah I've had a month were I've wanted to throw in the towel about every day...in fact I think i might look real good in an orange apron with my name scribbled out in black magic marker.

Thanks

Buying a job means giving or bidding a price too low for you to make a proper margin (profit) on it, just to get the work.

It took me years to realize that. This year the season got off to a slow start, but I kept my prices up. Customer after customer went elsewhere because of price. All the other companies paniced and went low, so now they are booked into July but all at low margins. Just as I was about to start dropping price to get some momentum going, we sold a deck, and then another deck, and then 30 more. All of them at my price.
Now that I'm booking into July myself, I am raising prices even more.

Stone Mountain · 05-24-2007, 08:15 AM

And for that matter, I have nearly thrown in the towel about 6000 times since I started this business! Actuually did once. I lasted about 1/2 a day.

lukachuki · 05-24-2007, 08:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stone Mountain

Buying a job means giving or bidding a price too low for you to make a proper margin (profit) on it, just to get the work.

It took me years to realize that. This year the season got off to a slow start, but I kept my prices up. Customer after customer went elsewhere because of price. All the other companies paniced and went low, so now they are booked into July but all at low margins. Just as I was about to start dropping price to get some momentum going, we sold a deck, and then another deck, and then 30 more. All of them at my price.
Now that I'm booking into July myself, I am raising prices even more.

Right on thats kinda what I thought but never used that term before. I have been dealing with a month of tire kickers who are just interested in getting a bunch of bids and then going with the lowest. I took an idea I got from Rusk on the bigger jobs I have been bidding and before I give away to much useful information that can be passed on to the next furball I get a retainer fee which I have arbitrarily set @ 2% of the projected cost. The one time that I have tried the customer went for it signed my form and wrote me a check, so we will see. At the very least I will be reimbursed for the time I spend drawing up plans etc plus they have made a financial commitment to my company which is a good thing.

stacker · 05-24-2007, 08:29 AM

i just got a restore job on a historical building.i had no idea how to bid the work.it might take 2 weeks to complete or a month.so i bid the job high,figuring if i got it i will make good money,if i didnt get it,it would be no big deal.
like i said i got it(only bidder,so i should have bid it higher).im getting to the point where i am not afraid to bid high on jobs.im tired of bidding bare bones and just paying my bills.

lukachuki · 05-24-2007, 08:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stacker

i just got a restore job on a historical building.i had no idea how to bid the work.it might take 2 weeks to complete or a month.so i bid the job high,figuring if i got it i will make good money,if i didnt get it,it would be no big deal.
like i said i got it(only bidder,so i should have bid it higher).im getting to the point where i am not afraid to bid high on jobs.im tired of bidding bare bones and just paying my bills.

I hear you! Have you looked at some of the stuff the government (NPS) has put out for doing historical restoration. It actually is helpful....let me dig a bit.

http://www.cr.nps.gov/hps/tps/briefs/presbhom.htm
Tucked in all of these briefs are some good articles related to restoring masonry.

**Ed the Roofer** · 05-24-2007, 10:04 AM

Doesn't it just get under your skin when these rookie OP's make a

dynamic 1st post and then don't follow up?

Just Kidding, Dirt. ( Or am I? Hmmmmm! )

Ed

dougchips · 05-24-2007, 10:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ed the Roofer

Doesn't it just get under your skin when these rookie OP's make a

dynamic 1st post and then don't follow up?

Just Kidding, Dirt. ( Or am I? Hmmmmm! )

Ed

Dirt has more threads then he has post~

Tscarborough · 05-24-2007, 05:30 PM

What I mean by "buying jobs" is doing them for less than I want.

stacker · 05-24-2007, 06:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lukachuki

I hear you! Have you looked at some of the stuff the government (NPS) has put out for doing historical restoration. It actually is helpful....let me dig a bit.

http://www.cr.nps.gov/hps/tps/briefs/presbhom.htm
Tucked in all of these briefs are some good articles related to restoring masonry.

thanks luka,ill check it out