General Contractors And... Their Attitudes

Bsecdone

GC's seem to be soem of the craftiest people around. ( no offense). But they seem to have the I'm better than you thing going on, I can yell at you cause " I got ya money, fool" thingy. They lie a ton & Sometimes, I swear they get the I'm your daddy complex and go a little too far.

I work for abotu 3-5 small general contractor I work for here in Denver. They all lie, to customers about why they are not at their jobs. (aka there is one gay gc, who constantly tells people his daugter is in cancer rehab He doesn't even have any family)

This same guy will call me on a Sunday and yell, beg, scream and anything else he can to get me to work/start on a project.
I always tell him NO.

But, it is annoying that he thinks things like this are ok. I wonder if the rest of you have to deal with this kind of stuff/attitudes. I don't want to piss someone off and loose the work. But, the I'm bigger than u thing gets old. Fast

MattCoops

seems like you're the one bitching,

why don't you just not work for these people

you could always try marketing your company to get your own work

or find one good GC

I assure you, they aren't all bad guys

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AtlanticWBConst

Simple rule we have: We don't work for Jack a$$es.

I am a GC, and I do not believe in yelling at any sub....and I never have.
I want to be professional and extend that courtesy to others. Even If I hired them and they are working for me, I consider us all on the same team...working together to get a job done. If a sub rubs me the wrong way, has an attitude, cuts corners, doesn't return phone calls, etc .....I just won't use them anymore.
My theory is: good luck to you in the way your have chosen to conduct your business....
The subs I have now, I repeatedly use. They are professional and do quality work. They make my life easier and I appreciate it.

I didn't enter this field years ago to create stress for myself...or for others. If you have to resort to yelling, then you are conducting business with your emotions. That is just plain stupid and foolish.

There's a way to get things done without having to yell. The 'simpletons', impatient, and 'non-thinking'..... like to resort to the easist & laziest route of communication....'yelling'....instead of using their 'noggin' to figure out a way to intelligently communicate their point about an issue ....

Tip...next time someone yells at you:
1.) Let them go off, and don't say a word. When they're done, say ina very calm voice: "Are you finished?"
2.) Then calmy add: "Why are you yelling?"

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AirPro

It is just as easy for a subcontractor to fire a GC as it is for a GC to fire a sub. This goes for anyone you do work for.

BABuilders

i find this to be very true!

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KentWhitten

I do hope you guys mean either before or after the job is done because this is serious litigation, firing subs during a project or quitting. It's not the same as being an employee.

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dirt diggler

i don't yell


i treat everyone with respect.

and in general, I am proud of most of them and their work.

they do not have to work for me. I am not God and they could easily refuse to work for me for ANY reason in the world.

SPCarpentry

When I GC I treat my subs with respect. I also let them do their jobs the way they know best as long as it meets code and isn't shabby or cutting corners to make it easier (lazy) for them. When I get hired as a sub, I like the GC to have trust in me enough to let me do my job and not continue to question my methods, slowing me down and costing me money. I have known my HVAC guy since grade school. When I use him at my house he gets his rates. When he has me do work at his house (I try not to!) I have to deal with his wife who continues to think she can pay me $15 hr like his help. He asked me to install some new storm doors. I said sure just tell the wife ahead of time that it's going to cost x amount of dollars or she can do it!

I think a lot of GC's don't even have a clue how to perform the work themselves. I think they are pencil pushers who are also snake oil salesmen.

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woodmagman

Mr.bsdone...did your family, not tell you to set your sights a little higher when chosing the people you associate with...if you aspire to be better then be with better.

Bsecdone

Point well taken. Just starting out is a little scary and I take every chance for work I can. I am learning quickly that not everyone is worth my time or the headaches..

tcleve4911

Too many GC wannabe's are watching DIY Flip this House stuff. Those a$$holes have no business being in the business because they are only out for the $$$.
Successful GC's create families of subs that all know & work well with each other.
Tell the yeller to go back to the playground & come back after time out.

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pstorey

I work with 3 different gc's and I have to admit we had some dicey times early on but we earned their respect by being flexible and accommodating when needed and generally doing whatever it takes to make them and us look good in the eyes of the HO's. Thats not to say I haven't left some GC's in my dust when they've been disrespectful to me or my crew. We'll finish the job but thats the last time we'll work for them and I make sure they know that. Life is too short and there's too much work out there to waste your time with loser gc's

concretemasonry

A lot of residential/small commercial GCs and builders are not really contractors. They are phone jockeys using someone elses money and experience with little or no risk.

If you took their phone away, they would be out of business - that is how close to construction they are.

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Dick

Engineer, designer and consultant recently active domestically and internationally on construction and design in about 35 countries.

Heritage

I'm a GC and I agree that arrogance is a common trait in a lot of GC's. Most of those people never had a thing growing up, are self made, and now they think the world owes them something.

Give me a break. This industry is filled to the rim with uneducated, uncultured, lazy, nagging tards. They give the rest of us in the industry a bad name.

Those GC's are just petty a$$es and not worth your time. F 'em. Move on and find the good ones. The good ones need you (if you are good at what you do) as much as you need them. I'm still weeding out some of my subs, my electrician and carpenter I've known for years and we have established a great relationship on and off the work site. I pay them what they are worth, they in turn pump out great work everytime. Everybody wins.

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georgia dawg

I saw a "flip this house" show where this guy Anoldo or something knocked an ice cream cone out of one of his subs hands cause he was taking a break. Man, my subs woulda beat the s*** out of me if I'd done that. I do occasionally see a newbie with money that thinks they know everything because they got their first construction loan, but I usually don't see the same guy around after a season or two. Word gets around fast in my neck of the woods.

Show respect, get respect. Thats my motto.

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"How much per sq.ft? Well.. gimme $1K and I can build a shed. Gimme $1M and I can build the same size shed with gold plating and encrusted diamonds."

Mike Finley

Never burn a bridge. That's good advice to GCs and Sub-contractors.

Never burn a bridge. People you see on the way up can be the same ones you might see on the way down.

The other thing I know is it's a small world, and if you end up being around for any amount of time, eventually you will run into the same people again, however it might be 6 years later and the tables might be very much turned.

Tscarborough

I get yelled at sometimes on the phone. I just hang up. Oddly, no one yells at me in person, even those who I hung up on.

POOLMANinCT

be polite, do good work, get your money, repeat.....

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eeCurtis

I had to chuckle at this as a GC myself. Currently in Alberta, our extreme boom has left us short of labour. The question we get asked all the time is "can't find anyone to work, huh?".

Not a problem, because we have always treated trades with respect. I have found very few people out to do a bad job, so everyone gets the benefit of the doubt.

tnt specialty

Bsecdone;

I'm a GC as well as subcontractor in the same area.

I believe it's the fact that Colorado has no contractor licensing, that breeds these generaly unethical/unscrupulous type of operations.

Coming from a state, 15 years ago, that has contractor licensing, I can say that with the utmost confidence.

Your absolutely correct in your Colorado, GC assesments. I try to keep my sub-contracting to a minimum in Colorado. Most residential, (homebuilders), GC's, are scum. JMHO.