Reduction In Labor Rate!

buddy110

We lowered out prices for everything but windows this year, 12%. We felt it was necassary to just keep our crews busy. They will be going back up next spring

KentWhitten

In a general sense, yeah. Small communities, so everyone knows everyone in a basic sense. Very agricultural area. Winter time, they receive a whole lot more snow than we do. Housing is usually inexpensive.

Although some unusual things in Aroostook County have happened. That's where Huber started and if I'm not mistaken, still does produce Advantech, IMO one of the best sheet materials for construction. Loring Air Force Base used to be huge back in the day. It was the first place in the US a missile from Russia was supposed to strike since it was the closest over the North Pole

And some international biathlon thing. You know.....cross country skiing and target practice.

I was born in Houlton, my dad worked at the airport. It's desolate up there. Beautiful though. Lots of potatoes to pick, lots of blueberries, the Allagash, Moosehead Lake....all very pristine.

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Custom Cabinetry - Portland, Cape Elizabeth, Scarborough, Kennebunkport, Yarmouth, Falmouth, Cumberland, Ogunquit, Maine

Salmon Falls Cabinetry

oldfrt

Did some camping up there,15 miles fron Canada.
Rafted out to an Island on Third Roach Pond.
Not desolate enough,since the Park rangers landed a seaplane on the pond to fine us for no fishing lic.

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naptown CR

that's funny Every year we go to maine for vacation and every year my wife or someone gets nailed by fish and game for someting or other. Last year it was for a milfoil sticker that is required whenever your boat is in fresh water. They have like 4 guys to cover half the state and we always run into them. We're about on a first name basis now.

KentWhitten

You guys wearing yankees hats or something?

I know one of the game wardens. IMO, he has one of the most desirable jobs in the world.

Milfoil is a big thing here along with illegal fish stocking. Awhile back, they confiscated some guys Koi in a fish tank in his restaurant. It's an illegal fish species. It's a different world here. I like it though. I tend to send the Massachusetts people to Ogunquit (they seem to have a high ratio of the gay community there ) I send the New yorkers to Rumford

Sorry man, I hijacked your thread. Sorry to hear you had to drop your prices. Keep your chin up.

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Custom Cabinetry - Portland, Cape Elizabeth, Scarborough, Kennebunkport, Yarmouth, Falmouth, Cumberland, Ogunquit, Maine

Salmon Falls Cabinetry

mnjconstruction

Its a totaly different world up here. I make between 65-75k a year on the contruction side of the company,and thats considered very good money. average job up here pays around 20-25k. I have a cousin that is a roofing contractor in new york. he cant imagine doing a roof for 250 a sq. But on the other had i can't imagine paying 500k for a house. It kind of all equals out to the same. I have a very nice 4 bedroom 2 bath remodeled farm house. has a attached 2 car. a seperate 3 bay shop. sitting on 12 acres. great views. I paid 45k. I'm sure in most other areas you couldnt even get a mobile home for that.

up here most of us dable in a little bit of everything. Although construction has always been my main thing. I also own a building and property maintenance company. along with some rental properties, we do ok.

to me the reduction was not a bad thing. winters are usally dead up here with no contruction work going on. so for me to get this winter work was like getting a bonus. Not the best money, but I would rather have a thousand bucks a week or so coming in then not at all.

joasis

If the cost of living is low, then it matters not what others think. You have only to please yourself.

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IHI

The one thing i've learned after talking to people in person locally wiht successful businesses and online keyboard wizards is "dont whore yourself out" just to try and drum up work...it has a ripple effect, ESSPECIALLY when you later try to raise rates back upto where they were-WHY?

Well, word will spread quickly, call joe blow, he's waay cheaper than the other two guys that bid. So then next spring when you try to raise your rates you'll still be geting referrals from the people freinds you whored out to and they EXPECT..or better yet, DEMAND you work for cut throat wages and will hold everybody else that looks at the job to bid for cut throat wages also. So essentially you just played into lowering "market rates" to your local economy since now everybody will have to play by these standards in order to sell a job since most consumers in our day to day jobs could give two chits about quality...just the bottom line.

Did your insurance rates go down? did your monthly bills as in home/utilities/shop rent/tires/oil/tools cost/repair, etc. etc...go down-NOPE, i think it's safe to say all our rates either held fast or went up....and yet, your lowering wages?? I kinda started to live by the credo: "I can stay at home and go broke, why would i want to go and and work at it"

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