Managing Busy Season And Hanging Subs?

d's

Hey guys,

I'm wondering how other business owners manage their boarding crews/subbies.

I'm a 2-4 guy operation and we usually do both hang and finish but during this busy time of year I sub out the boarding and focus my crew on the taping. Some of the builders(generals) are catching wind of this and want to hire my hanger subbies directly, saying they're not supposed to sub to subbed subs!*#?

This is putting me in a position where I'm losing a margin on the boarding portion, allowing my subbies an opening to becoming competition, and losing control over the end quality of the job. On the plus side it's one less thing to worry about.

Anyone have any experience with this sort of dilemma?
Darren

Tony M

Surely you can subcontract as many times as you want. if any of my subbies went direct to the contractor in my jobs, OR the contractor approached my subbies directly, there would be arguements. It's unethical.

AARC Drywall

they are most likly under cutting you..

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Mike Finley

I have run into this issue too from our worker's comp insurance not allowing us to hire a sub who has subs under him.

MALCO.New.York

Unethical????

It is called Free Market Capitalism.


It is what allowed us ALL to be IN business.

You do not have to like it. But you DO have to deal with it!

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gregj

When you let a camel get his nose under the tent he is in the tent. When you bring in a sub there's always the danger that you are setting up competition. It's just the way it is. Be better than anyone else and twack that camels nose before he gets it under the tent.

theblones

in the uk it is illegal to use a sub contractors, sub contractors to work direct. I have let it happen and then billed the main contractor. i got paid aswell and they never tried it again.
usually the lower down the pay scale you are will reflect in how you can handle the pressures of doin a good job. they may work well with your supervision but when it comes to ordering materials and organising the next days work they fall apart and cut corners. the decent boys are usually happy where they are at the time and if they want in time will tell you their plans. i

Tony M

Where i'm from, if subbies go around poaching work, word soon gets round and they generally end up with f uck all

twilson

here it is not uncommon for the drywallers to sub out the boarding. However they usually do it with their regular subs.

If the customer wants his own crew to board and the drywaller contracter to finish ,the cost of finishing is the same as if he did both. This is because here you never know how good a job the boarders will do and how much extra time the mudders will spend fixing those mistakes.

Here you can do this because every crew is backed up 6-8 weeks

Snow Man

Some of the builders(generals) are catching wind of this and want to hire my hanger subbies directly, saying they're not supposed to sub to subbed subs!*#?

Your hands are full!

Your dealing with theives.

Your subbys or subby OBVIOUSLY was "squawiking" or "CHIRPING "me need mo coin....................

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d's

Thieves, competition, friends... It's hard to tell sometimes in business.

The builder is trying to save money
The sub is trying to make more money and keep busy
And I'm trying to keep it all together, make a living, and be fair.

Me thinks the following...

• The sub needs to decide either he wants to be a sub or run his own business (i.e. become competition).
• I need to tell the builder that I'll need to charge more money if I'm not using my own subs, and possibly refuse the work.
• I need to bring my sub on full time during the slower seasons and then let him run his own sub show when things are cranking.

Thanks to all for their views so far!
Darren

thom

d's, how would the gc know you hired subs to board if your guys didn't bring it up? Your subs are marketing themselves to the gc.

d's

I live in a small social town and the subbies, builders, and trades generally all know or know of one another.

Geez, I feel like I'm in a therapy session but this is helping.

It started like this... slow time of year and I didn't have enough work for my sub. My sub approached builders I hadn't worked with yet saying he'd do their hanging for cheap, the builders then called me to do the finishing. Now the builders want me to finish but want the same arrangement with the sub. Now that I'm busy I'm also using the sub AS A SUB with other builders and I don't want this **** show to spread!

I think my solution posted above is the answer. Yes? No? Farq?

D'S

taper71

A boarder who cannot finish is no competition. The boarder needs you or the builder needs you or someone else to finish. Start charging more , drop the builder, or make the builder wait for the finishing as a schedualing conflict because he took on a private boarder. They eventually see the light that it is easier and less headaches having one drywall contractor do it all.

Brock

My kinda guy

Adam in BC

I think its pretty cheesy when GC,s or homeowners try to cut out the middle men.

If they contact me first and ask permision to " use my guys" I will listen and sometimes allow it, however my guys are pretty clever and will charge that customer more per foot, after all, I do get a better price because of the volume of work I give them.

On the other hand if customer tries to hire my crews out from under me ,and cut me out of the picture that is totally unethical, and there would be hell to pay, heads would roll.

I find that the best way to deal with this is to explain to people that there is value in having a contractor like myself involved.

a: I measure the board and materials, supply tools, wcb, etc and my expertise helps avoid potential problems. without me there trying to do my job and they arent qualified.