Seen any signs of work picking up?
- Thread starter Mule
- Start date
- Status
ultramegabob
Senior Member
- Location
- Indiana
I have kept fairly steady all winter doing commercial work, I have had alot of calls the last couple of weeks for people shopping residential projects.
ishium 80439
Senior Member
I don't know if this will be a long term trend but I am coming off of a slow winter/fall. I had a few things going on to keep me in the steady but slow category and over the past week I am now at the point where I don't know how I am going to get it all done w/o ticking somebody off.
On the flip side I was talking to a buddy of mine who is an EC in CT and he said he is dead slow, maybe one or two calls a week if he is lucky.
On the flip side I was talking to a buddy of mine who is an EC in CT and he said he is dead slow, maybe one or two calls a week if he is lucky.
CopperTone
Senior Member
- Location
- MetroWest, MA
I've actually called my own phone a couple of times to be sure it worked.
I've seen more projects go out to bid lately but there have been 20-30 EC's bidding on them which tells me it is still dead around here. When it was busy busy you'd have 2-3 EC's bid on those jobs
I've seen more projects go out to bid lately but there have been 20-30 EC's bidding on them which tells me it is still dead around here. When it was busy busy you'd have 2-3 EC's bid on those jobs
Rewire
Senior Member
- Location
- Lake of the Ozarks
Alot of the stuff we bid on last month are ready to start we just landed three this week and I have four sets of house plans,spring has sprung.
- Location
- Massachusetts
Whats a trillion or two between friends. :roll:
The heck with it , I am just going to lay in bed till things get better.
hardworkingstiff
Senior Member
- Location
- Wilmington, NC
LOL, that's kind of what I've been doing for the last 8-months (less a 1-month period of work 60 hours a week).
Rewire
Senior Member
- Location
- Lake of the Ozarks
Now Mule nobody here has acused you of running a business....:grin:
Falling out my chair................
Hey....Im learning.....SLoW, but Im learning....................
Race to the bottom
Race to the bottom
My two best customers in the last few months have been taken away by outfits under bidding me by half with the idea of "trying to keep their guys busy". Both customers looked at my prices and asked why they are so high? My answer was I lowered my prices 20% due to the economic climate. My material costs have not gone down, insurance has not gone down, my taxes sure have not gone down, etc.
The only thing I can cut is my labor costs and my cost of living has not gone down. This race to the bottom to "keep my guys busy" stuff is not helping anyone. Please please! Hold the line on your prices!!!
Race to the bottom
My two best customers in the last few months have been taken away by outfits under bidding me by half with the idea of "trying to keep their guys busy". Both customers looked at my prices and asked why they are so high? My answer was I lowered my prices 20% due to the economic climate. My material costs have not gone down, insurance has not gone down, my taxes sure have not gone down, etc.
The only thing I can cut is my labor costs and my cost of living has not gone down. This race to the bottom to "keep my guys busy" stuff is not helping anyone. Please please! Hold the line on your prices!!!
So your saying that if the job cost is say, $10,000 for labor and materials, you usually charge $20,000? Did I understand that correctly? Then to boot, you were 20% greater than that? $24,000?
Not talking about you, or judging your comments at all, but if I did that, I would be out of business like really fast.................................
Dnkldorf
Senior Member
There is a certain crowd here, who are claiming that everyone should raise their prices, and work less.
You will definitely work less. That is for sure.
Eating and paying bills are optional.
RJohnsonMasterElectrician
Senior Member
- Location
- Right now ??, previously VT
these guys that are low bAlling the other contractors most likely wont be around at the end. You cant break even (change money) and stay in business operating costs will eventually catch up to you. I knew of some landscapers doing that fall of 08, yard clean ups, snow plowing and then spring clean ups, 2 went out of business by summer of 09.
ptonsparky
Tom
- Occupation
- EC - retired
ptonsparky
Tom
- Occupation
- EC - retired
I have been fairly busy all winter with one project so haven't really cared about to many phone calls. One of my suppliers just told me they had an average Jan and a well above Feb with prospects of a very good 09.
Pierre C Belarge
Senior Member
- Location
- Westchester County, New York
I have had conversations with a couple of the local supply houses...they are having just as hard a time collecting $$ as the contractors are.
RJohnsonMasterElectrician
Senior Member
- Location
- Right now ??, previously VT
I don't see my typo? must be blind.
I'm gonna have to go with predicting their future
No I don't and never did low ball. My price is my price. I lost many jobs being to high, but I got more work and kept going.
When I,m figuring a job I'm doing it with a Master Elec. doing the work at my hourly rate. When the other contractor is bidding, estimating work he is figuring 1 Journeyman and maybe an apprentice. I would almost guarantee both those hourly rates don't match mine so there is where the difference is
Right now in AZ, my friends own a drywall co. and have since like mid 80's. They get the best price for drywall here in the valley, and there losing jobs due to material cost go figure.
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