[mercenary]

Hey Fellow Contractors,

I am new to the construction business and I approach this field with great serioiusness. I intend to make enough money so I can road race crotch-rockets, skydive, build a house for my parents, and support my beliefs.

I have just started working for a finish carpenter and ,I must say, it is a very meticulous field of contracting. Before I joined the guy I work for now, I did farm work, painting, demo work, tapping for maple syrup, and other odd jobs that made me money.

I know that there are two types of contractors in this world and I try to avoid the bad ones who set bad examples with how they present themselves and their business. I plan to present myself as a polite and courtious contractor who will provide the necessary contracor skills when needed. I plan to not take any crap from homeowners who plan to steal from me my work and skills for nothing; and I plan to only take advice from THE BEST and THE MOST SUCCESSFUL contractors in all fields.

I joined this site for a specific reason:
To get as much logical information from more learned contractors as I possibly can so I can move forward in the field of general contracting.

Any help, when asked, will be greatly appreciated.

Ben

 

[SLSTech]

Welcome to CT Ben, a few quick words of advice; put your location in your profile - this will help with answering geographical questions better; be honest - don't try to present yourself differently than you are; drop the GC tag - for now I would go with Trim guy, remodler or something related to what you are working on.

Good luck

 

[Kent Whitten]

Before I joined the guy I work for now, I did farm work, painting, demo work, tapping for maple syrup, and other odd jobs that made me money.

details please. tell us all about it.

 

[ChrWright]

Pace yourself... you've got more than enough time to become jaded and cynical... :laughing:

Welcome Ben.

 

[mercenary]

I want to be a GC. I work for a trim/general contractor so I labeled myself after him. He's my best mentor, but even he doesn't know everything. As far as being jaded and cynical, I hope i never reach that point although i may get flusterd from time to time. I plan to have good business where I can weed out the bad and take in the good. But I know what you mean. I see a lot of those kind of contractors and it sickens me to see the really sour ones.

As far as being a farm hand,painting, demo work, and maple syrup tapping...well...the maple syrup tapping and processing speaks for itself, as does the farm hand. Demo work consisted of walls, brick, drywall, floors, wood and concrete, concrete stairs,( oh yeah...the jack-hammer is the best tool i have ever used...LOTS OF FUN!!!), and some bathroom demos. Have cleaned two houses from top to bottom (32 truck loads to the dump...WOW was that fun.)...I do mean gutted when I say cleaned.

I will give my location when I need help for my area. My mentor knows most of the best suppliers in my area and I am very catious of how I present myself on the computer, so that is out of the Q...srry ma bru.

I have painted a lot of walls, and i have stained a few decks. I have helped install a door, three double-hung windows, and two bay windows.

I hope I can do good.

"Don't be afraid to give up the good for the great"
- John D. Rockefeller

Cheers.

Ben

 

[ChrWright]

As was mentioned, flesh out your profile a little more. You'll find you're taken more seriously.

How old are you Ben?

 

[WarnerConstInc.]

What color are your eyes?

 

[silvertree]

Whatta ya mean "Jaded and cynical"?

I'm not jaded ya young pup, just nail it and let the painters make it pretty.

 

[mercenary]

I'm 18...what else should I say in my profile?...inform me...I only right the truth. I don't lie on here. What would I be doing here otherwise?...If I lie I really won't profit. Kinda stupid. No, I'll stick to taking advice rather than bragging about what I've done.

Cheers

Ben

P.S. what does my eyes have to do with construction?

 

[SLSTech]

I want to be a GC. I work for a trim/general contractor so I labeled myself after him...

I will give my location when I need help for my area. My mentor knows most of the best suppliers in my area and I am very cautious of how I present myself on the computer, so that is out of the Q...srry ma bru...

The first item - coming across as a GC will get you a completely different answer than if you are listed as a trim guy. (i.e. hire a sub that knows what he doing as compared to well the red wire gets hooked up on the left side on this...)

Location - I can understand that, we are not looking for your home address, but a state / territory would be cool. Best practices vary greatly by region.

 

[mercenary]

Ah now I see...thank you for clarifying on those subjects. As far as GC goes, I want to be good in all fields. I want to be able to build a house by myself if I wanted to. I know GC may sound like a generalization but i want every skill in this field...I will learn them little by little...most will be self- taught so advice is very welcomed.

I'm in the upstate New York region. I do contracting work in Albany and Menands. I do not intend to stay in New York as I do not like this state...AT ALLLL!

Ben

 

[ChrWright]

I know you mentioned working with your friend... but one of the best things you can do to reach your goal is find an awesome builder/GC to work for and learn from. You'll learn ten times faster than you would on your own---especially if you're as eager and passionate about learning as you appear to be.

 

[mercenary]

Thanks for the advice ChrWright...I planned on doing it after I got out of college. My parents only pay for the As I get so the rest I pay for...so i don't want people to get the idea I'm a spoiled brat ridding his parent's money. But...Yeah, definitely...I will do that...

Cheers ma bru.

Ben

 

[loneframer]

Welcome Merc, keep in mind, as you pursue knowledge, that for every correct way to do something, there are many alternatives that are not wrong. I have worked with a lot of different carpenters with different ideas of the perfect procedures. Some were into production and others perfection. I have taken from both worlds and try to walk the line between both. As your skills progress, you will find that everything you experience will affect who you become. Even some of the worst carpenters I have ever met taught me something useful.

 

[oldfrt]

I plan to only take advice from THE BEST and THE MOST SUCCESSFUL contractors in all fields.

I LIKETHIS KID ALREADY'!

You came to the right place,you'll just have to sort through some of the chatter.

Welcome Merc, keep in mind, as you pursue knowledge, that for every correct way to do something, there are many alternatives that are not wrong. I have worked with a lot of different carpenters with different ideas of the perfect procedures. Some were into production and others perfection. I have taken from both worlds and try to walk the line between both. As your skills progress, you will find that everything you experience will affect who you become. Even some of the worst carpenters I have ever met taught me something useful.

Best advice yet for someone your age ,your current experience, and motivation.

It ain't gonna happen tomorrow,so enjoy the experiences and keep your eyes and ears open,as well as your mind.

 

[woodchuck2]

Welcome to the site. "It ain't gonna happen tomorrow,so enjoy the experiences and keep your eyes and ears open,as well as your mind." oldfrt said it best imo. Being your own boss can get you down on somedays and other days you may be sitting on top of the world and it is what you make of it. Start small and work your way up, the best advice i can give is keep yourself debt free and at least keep your debts small. Huge debt will keep you working 24-7 and make you unhappy.

 

[mmike032]

my advice:
stay in school

 

[thursday]

Hello Ben and Welcome to the forum. Hope you find success here.

Nice meeting you.

 

[Benoakley]

Hi Ben , Welcome to CT.

Nice meeting you.