How Do You Compete.

stacker

just got off the phone with a contractor building a new house about 20 miles from me.he called to let me know the brick for his house would be there tommorow.there is another house being built in the same area that i bid and didnt get.i bid the house at 55 cents per brick plus extras(labor only)when i was talking to the contractor of the house i got,he told me that the other contractor is using a crew from okc,and they are coming in to lay his at 35 cents.that they are bringing in a crew of 18.6 masons and 12 tenders.now from okc to this job is 180 miles.the crew is mexican,and im not downgrading them in anyway.i just dont understand how they can come in here and make money at 35 cents and have to drive 180 miles.my contractor told me that they are not going to use any lentels over the windows. that house has a huge front window with an arch,he was told it was going to be free floating.above the arch is a gable that is going to be bricked.i personally dont see how his vinyl window with hold ip to the weight.all i can say is he is going to get what he pays for.and you can bet your last dollar,i will do everything i can to make sure the house i am bricking will top notch and second to none.

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jvcstone

In my experience, the ONLY way to compete with the lowballers is to consistantly maintain high quality work. I always figured that even though I wasn't getting the volumn of work, what I did get paid well enough for me to take my time and do things right. ( didn't do much brick work--about 90% stone). Besides, it's better to be broke and go fishing than to bust a** on a job and still be broke when it's finished.

JVC

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John VanCamp
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dirt diggler

sounds good on paper ...

but that sounds even better in real life




there's nothing worse than gettin behind the 8 ball ...

dirt diggler

Stacker - i dunno


but that's certainly not a "you-specific" dillemma

I don't see it going away


I think it's evolution ... and the next generation will kind of tell the tale in which direction it all goes








they can get credit cards ...

won't be long till they can get licensed & insured ....

Tscarborough

You don't compete agains't them, if possible. You have to do better work for reasonable rates and accept that you will lose to lowballers.

As for the lintels, so long as the windows are arched, no problem. For flat topped windows, they will have to use lintels or jack arches at the very least.

williefb

The situation mentioned is just like every other business. Eventually you have to be willing to take less per job (in your case $/brick) and do a lot more. It happened to my family years ago in a grocery business, it happens to farmers and eventually almost every business. Margins just get thinner over time. It stinks but it's capitalism and I still believe in capitalism.

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Willie

tkle

We have to become a third world country in order to compete.The manufacturing has left and construction is on it's way.

JasontheMason

I dont really try and compete, I do the best work that I am able too at a resbonile price. And yea there is people like who you are talking about around me, but you win some you lose some.

stacker

no i dont have to take less per brick.the only time i will lower my price is for volume.say for example,i get $2.50 a sq ft for phoney stone for lets say 1000 ft.if that job was to be 2000 or even 2500 ft i would more than likely drop my price to $2.25 or even $2.00.same way with brick.if i bid a 20,000 brick job and a 10,000 brick job i might lower my price by a nickle.
that is the only time i lower my prices.if the time comes where i have to lower my prices to pick up jobs,i will put my equipment on mothballs and go work commerical for $25.00 an hour and have no headaches.

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life is short,do your masonry naked!!
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Subia29

Let them have it!! Out here in California it's worse. Cutthrouts from the border come out with a wheelbarrows and shovels and do it for nothing.I agree with your first post.Quality sells itself and they will get what they pay for.I used to asked the same questions .How do I compete with these Mexicans?How the heck do they make any money?They dont!Out there where they're from life is different.They're use to making $120 per week.Out here Contractors pick these guys for $7 to $8 per hour as layers in training (Line mules)and to them thats a gold mine. These guys are hard workers,some of them are stubborn, and some of pick up fast.As far as competing with them,I cant remember whose quote in one of Buissness threads."If Price is the factor over Quality,then you need to go with those other guys"

6stringmason

Same here stacker.

So far we've been lucky in my neck of the woods as to illegal labor not having an impact on construction pricing (knock on wood).

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CJKarl

Maybe the cold will keep them out.

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There's Always A Market For Quality
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