[PPro]

Well this forum is kind of dead, so I figured we could have a place to talk about the day after we get home.

I'll start...

Today I worked on a coffered ceiling at a nicer production-house subdivision. It has 9 squares on the ceiling and continues to matching beams on the walls. The walls are bowed like crazy so putting the trim on the walls wasn't my favorite thing in the world. Its all getting stained too, in a house full of painted trim. I wouldn't do it that way, but hey, I'm not living there. I'm pretty sure I overheard the super say they homeowner is paying $9500 extra for this one room, which is about 20 x 15. I'll post pics when we're finished (prob tomorrow).

Anyone else care to share?

 

[Humble Abode]

Do you have to be a carpenter to participate?

 

[PPro]

Nah.

 

[PPro]

Pictures!

Ceiling is finished, finally. I think it came out nice. They'll be staining it a dark cherry color.

 

[Mike Finley]

Ceiling looks great!

Project yesterday was to pick up 2 laborers from labor agency. The three of us gutted the bathroom, and tore out the tile in the kitchen. The out with the old is over with and the in with the new will begin in about 1 week.

Todays project was picking up 2 customers tile from the tile manufacturer, ordering a shower surround, tracking down a flexible cement backer board for working on a radius. Met the wife for lunch downtown, then delivered the bathtub and tile to the project above and then bought misc supplies and packed the truck up for tommorow morning to begin a 4 day project tearing out an existing shower and installing a new custom tile shower, new shower doors and doing a retexture of knock down in their 2nd bathroom. At 6:00 pm tonight I have an appointment off my new kitchens and kitchen counter tops ad that I placed last week for a counters estimate.

 

[IHI]

That ceiling looks amazing..Great Job!! :Thumbs:

Fired the dumbazz that you guys may have remembered I was telling you about a while back.

This morning went to rehab for the knee while my brother and a new helper went over to start a bathroom gut on 2nd story of old rickety house, plumber ws supposed to be there right at 8 to cap off water supply lines since there were no shut offs. 8:30 brother called said floor was completely rottten (which I knew) and plumber had found lead pipe so entire floor needed to be pulled to redo waste lines and there was no way toilet could be reinstalled today given time restraint since all plumber had scheduled here ws capping off lines and no more. Talked with homies and I agree to split cost of prta potty if we could leave toilet off for the 1 week rental period so we did'nt have to keep pulling it to work around stuff and frame in stub walls.

Went to sign contract for deck we're building 2 blocks from this bathroom project-homeowner asked me to stick around since he was B-B-Qing ribs...so I did and they were great!!, then took material back from preivious 2 jobs and bought more for current bathroom job. Dropped off bill for bathroom we just finihsed yesterday. Went back to bathroom we're gutting to check progress-slow as hell as usual since I'm not doing myself!! Lined up electrician to get the rough in done first part of next week (got lucky as they had romex already and not knob and tube), ordered new linolium for this bathroom, then started the hunt for a 4'6" bathtub and surround. Nobody carries fiberglass, 1 center had a cast iron unit but would require the use of the cheezy 1/8" thick fiberglass 5 peice surround which I refuse to use. custom ordered units take 2 weeks so plumber is checking to see if his place can get a tub/3 peice surround quicker. the stair way going to upstairs is only 32" wide and kitchen cabinets stick 1/4 of the way into stair area so just getting yourself up there is a major PITA, much less this new tub (1 peice surround is not an option), all the drywall will have to be cut in half to try and make the tight bend so we'll be tapping joints like crazy

Took wife and kid to downtown event, food was seriously overpriced as well as rides for the kids. Then went back to check status of bathroom gut so plumber can just walk in tomorrow and get his part done, 8 pm still no guys back with my truck, nobody answering the cell phones, finally 8:30 brother rolls up and I come unglued thinking they've still benn gutting this GDamn bathroom for 12hrs , but said they were dont as 6pm and were giving out business cards and talking to some folks visiting the "new" helpers house when brother dropped new guy off. Still got in his ass about being slow and told him to start stepping up the pace....helpers/workers suck azz is all I can say...wish I was in a position to fire everybody and go back at it alone to start making some money again!! I'm losing patience in a hurry since I know how long every aspect takes me to do and it takes them twice as long if not 3x's as long!!!

Tonight confirmed 2 other jobs, called to try and get some of my tools back lent out 2 months ago i will be needing soon, cant get ahold of other fella with my extension ladders, sent out 3 more estimate...and here it is midnight and I'm still awake typing on here LOL!!

 

[PPro]

Jeez, you guys are way too busy.

Thanks for the comments on the ceiling. The builder came in and bitched about the shadowlines being too big. He told us to do half inch, so we did. Afterwards he swears he said 3/16. It still looks good to me, I actually like the shadowlines bigger.

I took the day off today. I was supposed to get directions to this new house we're doing last night. Guy never called, was supposed to call this morning. Its now 10:15 and I haven't heard from him. I said screw it. Long weekend for me, yay.

Today I'll go hunt for some sidejobs, maybe post a few flyers around here. Its hard, a lot of people aren't willing to give me a second look because I'm only 19. I built a pretty nice portfolio of the work I've done or worked on, and it still isn't helping. Trying to seal a deal over the phone usually doesn't work either. I dunno, guess I'll just keep trying. Maybe have a friend of mine actually go talk to the customers, hes older.

And just because I took a bunch of pics yesterday, here's a rail the friend I talked about above did and a built in mantle surround I built.

 

[bergenbldr]

I would suggest hiring someone much older, this will ease customers problems with your age.

 

[Mike Finley]

Counters estimate went well, Corian counters, custom tumbled stone back splash. She needs to touch base with hubby this weekend, if I don't hear from her by late Monday, I will recontact and sweeten her job by throwing in a nice fancy edge detail up grade from the simple eased edge that was originally quoted. I can get 5 different free edge details with what she wants, but the customer doesn't know that.

 

[PPro]

I would suggest hiring someone much older, this will ease customers problems with your age.

The guy I mentioned in my posts above is 30. I've been working with him for quite a while now. The problem is that he's already too busy to go find that much work. If I were to land a job, I would be employing him (IE, not a partnership). Hes a better carpenter as he has 10+ years on me, but I'm smarter and we both know it! I would only have him come in to do the railing, everything else I would do.

BTW- My day off was nice. :Thumbs:

 

[bergenbldr]

The guy I mentioned in my posts above is 30. I've been working with him for quite a while now. The problem is that he's already too busy to go find that much work. If I were to land a job, I would be employing him (IE, not a partnership). Hes a better carpenter as he has 10+ years on me, but I'm smarter and we both know it! I would only have him come in to do the railing, everything else I would do.

BTW- My day off was nice. :Thumbs:

Some customers think a contractors age has a direct link to his abilitys. I myself have run into this,was thinking about dying hair gray for more credibility.Seriously,some also see this as thier way to leverage a discount.

 

[747]

What a ceiling like that called. I want one! :Thumbs:

 

[PPro]

It's called a Coffered Ceiling. You don't have to continue it down the walls if you dont want to, but most do.

For the right price I'll come to IL and put one up for ya.

Bergenbldr- Yeah, its hard. In my short time working I'm already the manager of 3 paintball stores. I do all the ordering and other budget stuff for them, usually handling about 20k a week. I've been doing that since I was 16. I also like to think I have a better grip on reality then most my age, judging from the people I went to highschool with. I just wish customers would realize that some 'kids' really can be able to do nice work, with a good work ethic. I just need to land a few jobs to get some references. After that, hopefully it will be easier. I forget who posted it, but someone on here had pics of an entertainment center and dresser built by two highschool shop students, and the work was amazing.

To stay on topic- Today I'm working at the paintball store. (If you call sitting online 'working' )

 

[mobjack68]

Got to the job only to find the customer was extremely unhappy with the trim finish I added to the top of the staircase. The customer had originally wanted a 40" stair tread, so the top riser was added at 40". When the stairs were completed the carpenter ended up w/ 36" treads to match up with the 36" pocket door onto the 2nd floor (still with a 40" riser, top one only) Tried to finish out the riser with an extension of the 2nd floor nosing and some corbels to make it look like the nosing was being supported. She couldn't tell me exactly what she wanted and when I had finished (about 12 hours worth) she let me in quick time, she wasn't happy. I asked her what she really wanted, she said "rip it out, I want it plastered" Here we go again....
mobjack68

 

[King of Crown]

Mob got any pictures?

 

[mab123]

How rough has your day been? Does it beat mine?

Doing some Studding and pipe boxing around a walk in shower tray. We'd already completed the property the previous week but the frigging council changed their minds and decided to change it from a 700*900 shower tray. So we had to rip out and start again

Anyways the pump for the shower was decided to be put underneath it and the boss says it needs to be accessible. Seeing as the bathroom is so godamn small and the pedestal/sink is to the left of the shower tray we had to make it accessible from the front, slightly underneath the shower to the left. Never encountering this before my foreman tells me to cut a 8"x 5" square hole in the half inch ply pipebox & make it so the square can be fixed/removed with screws if ever needed. Almost as if the showers doomed to screw up on us.

Now I can't help but bloody think how bad all this is going to look after its tiled and theres a big 8"x5" tiled access panel underneath the shower with screw heads showing or covered with white caps.

And if the shower does go wrong how hard it is to get the access panel unscrewed and out to get at the pump after its been grouted and no doubt covered in adhesive as the tiler will be p'd off.

Have you ever heard of such a monstrousity?

 

[mobjack68]

Mob got any pictures?

Hey King, Yes, I have some pics...after the tearout/before the plaster and after the plaster/final trim. Got pics, lost my ISP about 3 weeks ago (home connection) I get some of this done on my coffee break at work, I will get the pics posted over the holidays when I have access...
mobjack68