2 Jobs Going At The Same Time?

Melissa

This question is mainly for the small guys- the one-man shows like us. We consist of my husband, a helper (a good friend, who we're trying to train well enough to run jobs on his own- although he doen't have a truck (has a car), so we're not sure how that's going to work), and some subs.

We always end up starting the next job before the first is finished, in order to keep everyone busy and the 2nd customer from having to wait too long, because the 1st ususally has a bunch of extras added on, and often all the little stuff at the end is just so time consuming for whatever reason (obviously I only know the business end ).

Sometimes, this can get us into a bit of trouble. My husbands day yesterday started with a call from customer A who was a bit pissy, and has every right to be, and ended with customer B who was a bit pissy also, actually called at 10:45 PM! (Not to mention me in the middle, because our kitchen is gutted too! )

Anyway, I guess what I'm asking, (sorry its getting so long!) is how do you manage it all? Do you run more than one job at a time? Or stick to just the one? And how does it work out for you?

Ken@K&R

Anyway you can send the helper on ahead of your husband to the 2nd job. I know the first part is normally demo work. Take him in the morning drop the tools he needs off and spell everything out that he needs to do. Sometimes I even hand them a list of things to get done. Then your husband can go to the 1st job and finish up.

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Ken

Glasshousebltr

I don't send unskilled help on the first day even to do demo. Retail customers get real damn goofy off first impressions.

If I have to use my unskilled help in anything alone, I tell them at all cost.... keep their mouth shut.

Bob

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Bob

IHI

I guess it depends on the size/scope of the work. When we do garages we typically have 2-3 going at once, weather pre forming for slab/pouring slab, erecting walls, etc...allows us to keep them rolling and customers happy, most of our customers will be easy going about time frames so long as they have a little something done ahead of time to show progress that's not interferring with their personal lives...they hate inconvinence, but most understand weather set backs so with garages at least it's easy to keep a few going at once.

Bathroom or room remodels are touch and go, I typically do not like to pull off until the final screw is driven or nail is shot. We try to make the customer feel like they are the only concern for us and once you start working for an hour here and move to the next job you lose ALL personal feel with the job and they start to feel "mass production". Maybe that's my downfall, but I'd rather push great customer experience/service than being spread too thin and having upset homies.

And for your own sanity, work on getting some sort of truck for that helper. Cars have no place in this business unless it's for estimating only.

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Ken@K&R

I had never thought about that. We usually sign the contract and never see the customers until colecting a payment. They give us keys, alarm codes, whatever is needed and head off to work themselves. We are from a more trusting area then usual I believe. One GC I work for fills his cargo trailer with tools and then lets the key sit on the toung for weeks until the job is done. We maybe the lucky ones because our unskilled help are in their 40's.

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RobertCDF

Where is this??? HOLY COW I would never think about doing that. Not even a key in a lockbox to the trailer. Maybe I am just a little paranoid.

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slowsol

This is a huge problem for us too. We are very small, and when trying to run more than one job we have some problems with time split. If we only run (like we are right now) then we have days that we are waiting on things, like rain, and have to take the day off (like today). But if we have two, the days off from one job never give us enough time for the other, and customers start to feel like they're getting the short end of the stick.

The only solution I can see is to hire more workers. That is our plan right now. We need someone with enough knowledge to run another job while I work on something different (and the boss takes care of the paperwork and other leads). There is that huge problem of finding skilled workers! Even if you can, then you have to be able to afford them!

Last year we had too many jobs going at once and had to give up a small addition right in the middle of the project. We felt terrible, but the boss talked it over with the homeowner and they understood. It was a huge problem with the inspector screwing us over and waiting on things that arrived late and turned out to be the wrong part. It's only happened once, but it only takes one brick to bring down the castle.

Mike Finley

One of the selling points I use currently that distinguishes me from the competition is that we work linearly on projects, I make it a point to tout to potential customers during the estimate process that we will start your job and work on it every day until it is done. Customers love to hear that, and at least 1/2 the time they will tell you about a horror story of somebody taking 2 months to paint 3 rooms of their house or how the time they hired this guy and he was only their 2 days a week. Unfortunately as I grow I doubt I will be able to continue to work that way.

I would say the bottom line for you, especially considering that you are obviously having trouble keeping all the balls in the air so to speak right now, based on your customers being pissed, is to really focus on communication with your customers. The adage under promise/over deliver really is an effective method of reducing the number of fires you have to put out during a project.

If you know you are going to be working more than one project at a time, I think you guys would avoid a lot of customer disappointment by outlining your process with your customers before the project kicks off. Have a pre-project meeting to go over all the details and do your best to avoid the customer having any surprises and nip in the bud any of your customers pre-conceived notions or unrealistic expectations.

In any business I have been involved with I have found it to be true that if a customer knows ahead of time his project might take 14 days to complete he will be fine with it taking 14 days. But if you promise him you can do it in 10 days and it ends up taking 11, most customers will consider it a broken promise and be disappointed.

Gordo

You have to decide which is more important to you, spend your time linearly on the job as Mike suggested or keep getting spread out. It sounds like, given your labor situation, you should stay focused on the job at hand until it is finished. You will find that you will have less call-backs/go -backs (which cost money) and your quality will show. The HO will see that quality. I have found that HO will even throw in some extra work (small stuff which can seem like a nuisance) that you can bundle in with your punch out list. The beauty of this "extra work" is you are making money on it while at the same time finishing your punch out. The key is charging the right price and understanding you will be working off the scale of economy (to your benefit). Staying focused will improve your companies moral and good standing with HO.

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Looks like some pros were here.

Teetorbilt

I'm like Mike but larger. I started out that way and it's tough but you soon develop a thick skin. I always picked on THEIR business sense and applied it to the problem at hand.

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JustRightCo

Don't get greedy or too excited, try and title your help like one to do demo and prep. This is what I now do right before finishing a job really finishing one day or two I have two guys one who does demo,clean up and prep area
the other one material purchase, last minute run around and the to do list, also goes over everthing with the homeowner before and after the demo.
by the time we arrive (next day or two never longer)all changes are known
last minute decision are taken care of and all material on site installation is now begining or half way. I mean it took time figuring who good for what tile so to speak but If you get them use to something it becomes like clock work.
Every ones different, but thats why we share opinions might work for you too...
hey teetorbilt am I outsourcing again!..

nadonailer

I am about to undertake my first '2 at a timers' . I just couldn't turn down this second job that came along and due to delays with the plans on the first job and all, I'll be starting 2 fairly large remodels at about the same time
So I'm going to try and have my subs at one job while I'm at the other and mainly just be honest and tell the homeowners what is going on, that I'm a one man show and I need to run two jobs once in a while to stay profitable etc...
I hope it works out!

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i_plant_art

DANG- if its that trust worth around there why dont he just set up in the front yard and leave it there til the job is done. Would save alot of time setting up and taking down ever day .... LOL

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Bjd

I try to keep the guys busy in a way of 2 - 3 jobs running at the same time, what I try to do is select 1 job the all of us will work, then as it progresses I will move 1 guy back to the last job for punch list, or finish whatever.
But yea keeping more than one running at a time can be quite hard, most of the ime I can keep up by starting earlier in the AM, as most of my work is comm, so we can work a much defferant time factor.
Starting at 4:00 am you can get 4 hours in and then move onto the 2nd job for 8:00, I tell ya its not fun but it does get stuff done.
I will sometimes start at 4:00 and let the guys come in at 8:30, I will work to 2:00 and let them go to 4:00 or 5:00. I like this a little better as I can think without any distracting from the help, and I find I can get a lot more done.

BJD

Grumpy

If you are using subs then I fail to see the problem. Subs install your husband supervises. Get more subs and alternate between jobs.

Last fall we had 4 crews working each day. Averaged throughout the year we have two crews working per day. However we are going to try to boost our average to 3 crews by increasing sales this year.

Melissa

He only uses subs for a couple of things and does everything else himself.

One of the jobs we've got going is a kitchen that was completely reconfigured by a designer. Plus they installed the cabinets which were the designers line, and lava rock countertops, anyway it was different than our usual kitchen. So a bit more time consuming. Plus some plumbing stuff were on backorder for another job, so things just got screwed up last week. Glad it's over! HA!!

Mike Finley

Melissa, one of the things I do is give the customer a time frame, say for example the customer knows we are going to take about 7 days to do their job. I give them a worst case scenario and explain if everything goes as planned we might be out in 6 days. If something comes along in regards to unforeseen problems we try to not let it effect the schedule, but if the customer starts changing things dramatically or adds a large amount of extra work turning the 7 day job into a 10 day job then it's fair game and up in the air whether they are going to get the extra 3 days of worth tacked on at the end of the 7 or get bumped to the end of our schedule and live in a kitchen or bathroom uncompleted till we get back to the job. That's just life in construction and the customer shouldn't be freaked out as long as we keep good communication going with them.

Mike Finley

As long as you don't over promise and give yourself some padding hopefully it all works out. If you under promise and over deliver your 2 customers hopefully will be happy as clams.

Greg Di

If you do bathrooms, you have to run more than one at a time because there is so much stop and go with inspections, subs, material, etc.

I started a bathroom last Wednesday and here was the sequence:

Wednesday: Demo sub was there from 9-7. I was there at 9 and came back at 7 to check up.
Thursday: Fixtures arrive. Plumber installs rough. I install new floor joists
Friday: Electrician starts rough. Plumber finishes rough. I install subfloor
Monday: Electrician finishes rough. I am doing touch-up framing. Electrical inspection fails because the inspector doesn't like the wire nuts used.
Tuesday: Plumber returns to do other work in the house not in the bathroom
Wednesday: I install new ceiling joists when I realize the ceiling is 3" out in 8'
Thursday: Electrical re-inspect. Pass.
Friday: Plumbing inspection. Had to wait over a week for that.
Monday: Insulate and block. Wait for inspection.


Most towns by me only inspect mechanicals on one or two days of the week and are booked for at least a week out. They won't sched an inspection before the permit is issued. I always tell customers that we are at the mercy of the town when it comes to scheduling. They understand.

Based on this, I have to have more than one job going at a time. In a bathroom, you can't have three trades working at the same time and most times, I'm never there more than 4 hours at a clip.

ABA Const

well 1st starting out you dont want to alienate customers so i understand you wanting to take more jobs, but at some point you either get bigger and start doing more jobs with more workers, or you stay small and just tell people they have to wait. I mean when i was a 2 man operation, i had customers that i would bid a job and tell them, i am busy, i can not work on your job till june. most of the customers would call me and say they were thinking about doing their kitchen or bath or whatever. so basiclly i had them get in a line, i would have a few jobs going on but basiclly i would work on 1 job till it was done. i was 6 months out on work for awhile.

but now i have gotten a little bigger, i have a couple of great guys working with me, and i have a few more tile guys, some cab guys, drywallers, electrician, plumber etc. so i can focus on doing more jobs. so it all depends on your cup of tea.