labor prices

Originally Posted by silverstilts

Boy am I glad you said you were done , what a relief , got tired of all the B.S. Bottom line you still admit to paying your guys less to keep them busy ,all the while you line your pockets, and you still make a PROFIT ? Are you buying your jobs ???? Something smells fishy , I charge a lot more (what I am truly worth because my employees and I have good work ethics in all aspects ) and pay my guys top dollar and , no I do not have time to sit on the couch and watch TV don't have time . I have been on both sides of the coin working for an employer like you thinking he is being fair while I bust my ass making him money , this is why i treat my guys the way I wanted to be treated !!!!! Have you ever actually worked yourself taping and finishing ????? Or are you just another entrepreneur ????? I actually work side by side with all my guys and then do all the paper work along with all the leg work Can you say the same ???? I doubt not. enough said....

Originally Posted by drywallntheblood

All I have to say is I am an owner/operator and I became an owner so that I could help teach other people a trade that they might have never had. As far as being a buisness man I am a human being first and in such I deal with people in the same manner. Sure my pockets are not lined with excess cash, but a sense of pride and dignity are worth ? Ya thats priceless. In my endeavors I have learned that people have the most respect for those that are right along side of them fighting the fight. I am not near as concerned about becoming rich as I am about connecting with the rest of humanity in a way that is productive to all. When I have extra or make extra I give it to my guys to let them know they are appreciated. Guess I won't ever be a Donald Trump, but in thought; I won't have to climb up on the backs of the less fortunate to establish that I am supperior. (I can live with that.)

Originally Posted by Custom Drywall Svc.

hahahha your kidding me right?

"charge more money"..........u think im one of these low bidders eh?

think again. im known to be one of the highest bidders in town....

let me rephrase: "ask me why im the most succesful drywall sub in town"

...

first of all, on cracker jack boxes, i make no less than 25 - 30% retained earnings

on custom homes, i make no less than 40% retained earnings. so, if you think im bidding houses at cost because i save on the labor, hahah....man, you got a thing or two to learn about how business and capitalism works.

if you want to think im one of these low bidders, think again. i dont stay in business to trade dollars or keep my guys busy.

ill say it a third time: "THIS IS A BUSINESS"

ill be honest......i dont consider myself a drywall sub-contractor.......im a business man.

people can say anything bad they want about me....i guarantee all the people saying bad things are EMPLOYEES. you wanna work under someone, its NEVER fair, sorry buddy -- thats life as an employee.

this is why you go into business YOURSELF.

Originally Posted by completely board

do you think you can say that the home owners get what they pay for with your drywall job.How long will the job last before cracking, 6 months?

Originally Posted by 1/2 irish

I am back...2 hrs later., after reading all 183 post/comments on this topic "labor prices". I got so engrossed to the different prices from different regions to see if I was in the ballpark w/ my prices and I am amazed at the up and down comments. Whewww...I had to read all the 183 postings to this topic because I wanted to learn and I got a headache but it was well worth it. It was like reading a Thriller and needed to get to the end to see what happens between everyone. I hope everyone kissed and made up.
Again, a wealth of very good infomation from all of you guys. Kudos to all.

Originally Posted by Custom Drywall Svc.

For my area (northern california), or just me at least... anything past .14 cents per board square foot is insane.

my usual pay rate is usually within .06c - .10c per sf......and if theres people out there that think thats ridiculously low, its not -- at least for my area.

heres my rule of thumb:

if its a standard floorplan (not too custom) with a flat 8' clng. plate ht, that can be hung for no more than .08 cents......i pay .06 cents. If you pay more than .08 cents, or your hangers demand more -- you're being taken advantage of.

and, for lack of a better word, im talkin 'rice and beans' hangers of course -- hey, its the name of the game :P ....my area is nothing but.

anyways, im dead serious....people can say whatever to me, im unfair to my hangers, im taking advantage of them, blah blah....

NO.

hey...i'm running a BUSINESS, people.

for the house i described above, considering TIMES LIKE THIS....as slow as the economy and new construction is, theres hangers lining up at my door that beg to hang a house for .06 cents or even for 9 bucks an hour.

theres people that even say to me, "wow...you're paying employees 1980s prices per sf"

well, hey........houses are selling for 1980's prices right NOW....am i wrong?

just think about that.

Also, custom homes....10' clng ht +.....i pay 10 - 12 cents........but as bad as times are now, my hangers can do it for .08cents. 2 years ago, i would pay .12 cents tops.

and if you guys are wondering, finishing is the same......actually, bottoms at .05 cents to rarely am i paying over .08cents.

intricate, 5000 sf+ custom homes, i pay 12cents.

custom hawk and troweled hand textures, im paying usually .08 - .11 cents.

smooth troweled hand textures, .10 - .13 cents.

machine applied spray texture i rarely go over .015 cents......yep, one and a half cents.


again people....this is in MY area....northern california...central valley to be more specific.

Originally Posted by Soultear

Sorry for the revive of an old post (starting in 2008), but couldn't help myself. This is by far the best read I have done in a long time. Heck, I registered to chime in some of my own thoughts.

So much info from 2 countries is astounding to find out what's happening in the United States. Here to in Canada is a bit of a recession, prices falling down as labor becomes cheaper and the demand for new homes almost becomes mute. @Taper71@ might have been working for .30-.35cents per square then in 2008 but I can say he "might" have taken a cut some time ago. I know I have. Especially in BC.

Immigration has taken a toll here too, furthering job stability and further cuts maybe in the near future for us Canucks. We to are not alone in this vicious cycle of "supply and demand". Just take a look at this beauty. Built late 70's early 80's 1100 sq/ft in my local area. You will have to copy and paste, don't know about hotlinking so I won't Who in their right mind would buy that?? High prices is stagnating the markets in Canada, and new buyers have to beware that interest rates are gonna climb. Just that site alone lists 200 +/- homes a day. Ouch. I know afew businesses here are buying jobs at cost to keep guys busy. One in particular (no names mentioned) is taking massive losses just to stay busy. $100000 here $250000 there etc etc. Not good.

What I have seen on the news that US might be going through another recession with a second wave of mortgage defaults?? If that is the case I hope all Drywall companies down there don't get hit to hard. I mean that, we all have to make a living. That's why I started doing insurance work, it might be recession proof but I don't think anything is depression proof.

Originally Posted by fenez

Even my best contractor called me today with a job and said "we have to work out a new number" I told him that quality will suffer because I have to maintain my gpm no matter what. He said and I quote "for the right price I can deal with it" This is a guy who charges big numbers for his work and is known for quality.

Originally Posted by vvdrywall

Custom Drywall....looks like your heading down the same path as EPD! I guess in your eyes, all good things must come to an end! Yes you are a buisness man...greedy to say the least! Have some integrity and try thinking about someone else besides yourself! I am a white Drywall Contractor that is still in buisness paying fair wages (.20 to hang, .15 to tape) I work for contractors that hire me because I am fair and honest and dont bother playing the "cut throat" game.

Originally Posted by 2buckcanuck

here's your link http://edmonton.kijiji.ca/f-real-est...Z35QQerrorIdZ1

Wow, $85,000 for a mobile home

Never be afraid to address a old thread........... Everyone's opinion counts here on DWT........ I forget who said that

Originally Posted by taper71

Soultear. I did take a pay cut but then I took a pay raise. What I think you are describing are the pay cuts that the DC s tried to enforce upon the ignorant and less experienced trades man with "OH its slowing Down " and the popular "We are getting throat cut by other drywall companies and to keep from losing more builders we have to drop your rates"
If you want to survive the greed generation you have to be smarter than them. I built reputations with builders and suppliers and have grown to be a man running a buisness rather than a Tradesman trying to be a buisness man.
With the cost of living here in Alberta you either get smarter or go broke . Either way it cannot continue and you better have some savings for when it Blows.

Originally Posted by taper71

Soultear. I did take a pay cut but then I took a pay raise. What I think you are describing are the pay cuts that the DC s tried to enforce upon the ignorant and less experienced trades man with "OH its slowing Down " and the popular "We are getting throat cut by other drywall companies and to keep from losing more builders we have to drop your rates"
If you want to survive the greed generation you have to be smarter than them. I built reputations with builders and suppliers and have grown to be a man running a buisness rather than a Tradesman trying to be a buisness man.
With the cost of living here in Alberta you either get smarter or go broke . Either way it cannot continue and you better have some savings for when it Blows.