labor prices

Custom Drywall Svc.

well, i wouldnt use the term that i 'got em by the balls'.....but heres an important tid bit i SHOULD mention.

out of my 50 employees, half of them.......have been with our company 15 - 25 years plus.

thats something very important i shouldve pointed out......and THOSE guys, make great salaries.......its the younger bucks i start out low. i like to watch an employee on a trial period of 3-4 houses/jobs....to see how they perform and if they can produce.

all these variables dictate how much that employee is worth.

and even when i say 'low', hell......i start NO ONE at my company for less than three dollars above the current minimum wage for the state of california!!!

wow, some slave trader i am.

taper71

Man do you even read what you wrote down or maybe your buisness man attitude is still in high gear trying to win over the honest folk. Go back and read through your first posts. 8 cents or less you f*****n lier. Now your are trying to say that you pay your guys fair.

quotes
"Sorry to offend you, but hey....this is just my reality. whiteboys try to work for me.......then turnaround and say, "well....im a journeyman, and i need at least $25 per hour plus benefits"

seems like everyones a 'journeyman' nowadays.....

my finisher Hector makes $15 an hour, 6 - 8 cents piecework......ANNNNND is TWICE as good and fast as any whiteboys i seen." "On good jobs, i can as well make 50% return on MY product." "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." "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."



My all time favorite which shows your true colors: Quote " hey, its a cold world.....act accordingly"

You are nothing but a crook who is contributing to the ruin of the economy of your country. Economies do not run on the very few rich people that take the wages from the guys doing the actual work. People like you profit from the poor and keep them poor so as not to be able to even buy the neccessities of life. Like I said earlier there is a special place in hell for you.

Custom Drywall Svc.

hah, bottomline.......i did NOT tell you the pay scales of EVERY SINGLE of my employees, you can imagine how long THAT post would be.

but the thing im trying to get across, is that my guys work for that little piece work, but end up averaging more than 25 per hour.......

when i say journeyman wanna work for 25 per hour, they wanna spend an entire 8 hours taping a cracker jack 8' ht house.......


get it yet???

why would i pay someone per hour thats gonna MILK the job like crazy???

i dont pay ANY FINISHERS per hour. im 'sorry' if i wasnt more detailed....

Taper71, again, you gotta understand im trying to summarize and make a point.....im not here to lay out each and every pay scale of my employees....im sure you can understand, since i put it this way.

the only people i pay per hour are laborers and a couple of my hanging crews who are still a bit new.

when a hanger, finisher gets skilled enough, they go into piecework for me..........because even THEY are smart enough to realize their true individual or crews potential.........

why spend 8 hrs making 200 bucks a day, if you can spend 5-6 hrs?

and yes, i still stick to what i said.....its a cold world..........it IS my friend, especially now.

the drywall market in my area is SO competitive you would not believe. THIS is how i get by, and continue to run my business. would you rather have me shutdown and tell my 50+ employees to pack up and leave?

i may pay low, but i keep them busy with volume.....

maybe this is why you probably work 1-2 jobs per month....but hey, you get the price you want, right? i bet you have plenty of time to sit on the couch and count that extra money you made, right?

any of my guys will tell you, ANY of them.......theyd rather work for less, but stay busy week to week.



hahhaha, anyways Taper71....im done talkin to you man........i cant believe i already wasted this much breath trying to explain to you what its like on the otherside of the table.

youll never get it......youll never understand.......you have the mindset of an employee. sorry.

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....

marinerito

this is america you do not like comeback to europe



business is business

Custom Drywall Svc.

thank you.

pretty funny how simple this concept is. yet, the stilts and taper71 just simply do not get it.

business IS business. i would be lying if i said i wasnt in this to make the most money i can, and get out.

and no stilts, im not simply an entrepreneur, but a hustler.....i.e., i make the best situation i can out of the circumstances im given...no matter WHAT.

no i dont work alongside my men...i USED to when i was just starting out, working my AZZ off......but i look at it like this:

are you going to be a business owner.....or an employee........choose one.

i feel, if you have to work alongside your men, you either bid the job wrong and have to save it yourself, or your hearts in the wrong place...as in, youd rather work labor then do business.


as marinereto says....

if you dont like it, go somewhere else....this is freakin America for cryin out loud.

think about it. this is not communism.

Custom Drywall Svc.

man, honestly....your quite an idiot. why?

first off......buying my jobs? i told you, i charge HIGH. im not a low baller.

and second......read my reply above.

if your on the job, AND doin the paperwork, boy you do not know how to run a business my friend, hahahha.....

what you said above is proof enough how you have the entirely wrong mentality.

again, choose one: do you want to be a business owner, or an employee.

silverstilts

This will be the last reply on this subject for me, I will not lower myself to your standards , Yes i do know how to run a very successful business (35 yrs. and still can out work and run guys twice as young )and second you still avoided have you ever worked worked or are you just a want a be & know it all ???? Any successful person running a business in the construction trade knows what I am getting at haven't you figured it out yet??? And since you now admit to not charging cheap for your work how is it you still admit to paying low wages ,,,,, good grief DON'T YOU GET IT ????? NOT TO BRIGHT I WOULD SAY!!! I think a lot who read this will also agree how all you do is talk in circles

Custom Drywall Svc.

talking in circles, you could call it that. i call it reiterating my point over and over because ppl you like just dont get it.

also, i did answer your question, and even referenced it above. please bother reading before you criticize.

i USED to work with my guys when i was first starting out with the business, i had to...to cut down on workers comp, etc when i didnt know that much yet just starting out.

so, im sorry if you did not catch that my friend....this is now the 2nd time ive repeated myself.....

again, u call it talking in circles, i call it repeating what you missed the first time around....


shall i continue in another circle? u gonna ask me this question again?

dont try to play this game.....of me not knowing what it is like to be working in the drywall industry. if so, ur right i wouldnt have room to talk, but i paid my dues and have a terrible back to prove it (you satisfied yet?).

im sorry if you feel i still have to work to make myself valid in this discussion.

THE REASON I FORMED MY OWN BUSINESS IS TO NOT PHYSICALLY WORK ANYMORE.

again my friend you just do-not-get-it.

please do not force me to reply....if you say you wanna stop, then stop. dont type out a reply that you KNOW i cant leave alone.

we will not agree as i dont with others on here, and its as simple as that.

everyone measures success in different ways, you apparently measure success by sticking true to your craftsmanship, paying what your men deserve and i COMMEND you for that....i honestly do.

i measure success in terms of money, and how well i run my business, sorry. i am not in love with the drywall industry as many people are on here...i used it as a vehicle to get me higher places. as of now, im more into real estate and property development than drywall. you gonna criticize me for that now?

so all in all i consider myself very successful, just as im sure you do, but just in different ways. doesnt mean either of us is wrong.

goodbye and good luck.

Custom Drywall Svc.

whoa, i forgot to get to the charging cheap part, hahhaha.....how could i let this get by.


AHEM.......again, read my above posts.

just because i save on the labor doesnt mean i charge cheap for my jobs.

its the opposite. i save on labor, and charge HIGH for my jobs.

this...is how im succesful. i finished a job last week that i billed out for around 40k......it cost me only 16k to do the job....even after overhead considered.

i made over 50% retained earnings.

you call it lining my pockets, i call it being a good business man.

there was a no license company that bid the job 10k lower then me....but the builder knew he was a joke because the owner gave him the bid while he was in his work clothes with drywall mud all over him......unprofessional.

am i saying this is you? no.......but this is what i mean when i feel if you still need to work on the jobs with your guys as an 'owner'........than ur not running your business right. it just doesnt make sense, and some builders and clients will pick up on that.


even back in the day when i was working alongside my men, i had a shower at my office.

id work from 5am - noon on my jobs as a finisher. 1230 go to the office, take a shower. put on more professional, clean attire...then go out and meet builders, clients and basically get work. this was my routine for years before my company shot off.

THIS was 'my' hustle..........not tellin u to do it, but hey....it worked for me to get me where i am today.

Mudstar

you are an idiot! did I say that out loud?

silverstilts

could not have said it better thanks.....

brdn_drywall

its pretty shocking and really unbelievable the footage rates that are paid in your large american markets, i grew up and started working in a larger market (winnipeg google it and laugh small by most of your populations) and know about being competitive when theres hundreds of other companies to bid against i moved to a smaller market(brandon mb. google it and laugh harder) i work mainly for a large developer i get .29 for boarding .51 taping and everyone else outside the developer is.35 boarding .60 taping, the quality of life for alot of you guys down south must be unimaginable i will pray for you all to get jobs out of the drywall sector so that the illegals can kill each other for their rediculas prices.

joepro0000

Hey Custom Drywall,

I mis-understood you when I said you was a low-baller, I thought you was charging cheap. If your still charging alot, and not hurting people like me and u, business owners who deal with GCs and homeowners, then I have no problem what you want to pay your workers. I do agree on the "American" Guys, they always don't work out for me neither. Last american framer I had was a meth addict, who did his work, but had to take cigarette breaks every 30 mins, and ask for pay advances. But don't get me wrong, I did have my share of lazy spanish workers, when I turn my back they stayed sleeping in closets. Those are the people who will be hurting in this industry. The people who don't like to work. Plus, most people I know who been finishing for over 15 years ither have their own business know or are working as supers. You body can only take so much.

One last thing, I do have a Bahamien finisher who is fast and works great, better than the mexicans, and can speak english if I need to leave him by himself on a job site. Uses stilts too. So anyone can do this work, as long as your not lazy, and complaining. Make a 100.00 -150.00 a day don't complain.

Custom Drywall Svc.

i completely agree.

ANY good finisher of mine (two) knows that they can EASILY make $1,000 + in piecework PER WEEK....thats 50k + a year......of course, this is all during a busy season, when 'times were good' before this housing slump.

nonetheless, that is GOOD money anyway u cut it.

my star finisher, freakin guy pulled in 1200 bucks in piecework 2 weeks ago......and 950 bucks this last week

what is wrong with that??? ANNND i pay him .06 - .08 cents per house.
this guy NEVER whines....strong as a fkkn bull. and i treat him well...he gets paid gas, AND health coverage for him, his wife, and 2 kids.

he tells me all the time how other drywall companies offer him .10-12 cents per house.........and hes smart enough to KNOW that they cant pay that forever, and will eventually lay him off. hes seen it happen too many times. hes not just loyal, but smart.

hey, i may pay my guys low...but i keep them busy....and provide them food on the their table...but ONLY if they can do the same for me. thats how it works.

this finisher has been with us for 17 years by the way.

and i couldnt agree more with what you said on how anyone can do this work....as long as theyre not lazy.

Also, you couldnt be more dead on about how people who have been finishing for 15 years now have either started their own business, or promoted to a super...

SERIOUSLY....this is the concept i was trying to get across to everyone crucifying me for trying to run a profitable business. all the criticism seemed to be coming from these 'career finishers' :P

are you guys seriously CAREER finishers or something??? its one thing if you truly enjoy finishing, and dont mind doing it the rest of your life, but if your seriously trying to make REAL money and think you can achieve that by being a career finisher, haha....sorry, but good luck. unless you're my rockstar finisher which i mentioned above you have a slim chance of making over 50k annually.


.......again, START YOUR OWN BUSINESS. the u.s. is definitely not stopping you....if you live elsewhere, good luck.


and joepro....im glad we see eye to eye now. and no, i am not a 'low-baller' on my prices.....i DO believe as you do, that WE are responsible for the 'markets' in our areas.....that it is our responsibility to maintain a profitable market for this type of business.....because if you're not owning your own business to make money, then brutha, what are you even IN IT for. i can honestly say that in my area, theres only a handful of us who try to maintain this....while theres at least 20 other smaller drywall companies out there who simply bid work at cost. this trend is completely ruining the market.....i seriously CANNOT BELIEVE some of the prices companies are charging now. i got beat on a small commercial job last week by 5 grand people.............my price was 8k.......while joe blow drywall was freakin 3 grand........how you gonna compete? then the builder of course thinks im trying to price gouge him. absolutely ridiculous....it would take me 3 GRAND alone in labor and materials for that stupid job.

but there is good news in my area......a drywall company (i wont name names, even though im dying too) is finally getting there due justice and karma.

this particular company was beating EVERYONE in my area......word of mouth was everywhere that these guys were practically buying jobs.

and again, soon as we got wind of the prices, we were amazed.....literally at COST..............seemingly.

well, as i said, justice finally happend. i just learned last week that they are pretty much ruined as a company. nearly ALL their jobs in the past year are cracking....

and im not talking your standard, year end drywall cracks, etc....

im talkin, 95% of the seams in ALL their jobs are showing....heres what happend...

instead of doing a standard level 4, 5 finish......this company was skimping on the labor and material....

standard procedure for finishing was one coat of quickset over the tape.....light touch-up..........AND THATS IT.

they would texture right after that step.....

anyways, pretty ridiculous huh? now we all know why they could charge so cheap for their jobs........they practically only would used one full coat.

disgusting isnt it?

theyre done though....so at least we'll have them out of our town. out of all the low ballers however...these guys HAD to be the worst....just notorious nearly within the regional industry.

anyways, long story short....i agree wholly with joepro.

thank you. im glad at least 2 ppl in this forum agree with me now

haha.

taper71

blah blah blah. You could fertilize fields with the crap that comes out of your mouth.

Runrun

The fact of the matter is drywall is what it is.
A trade that dose not require certification.
Most cities don’t have a quality inspection of any kind maybe a nailing inspection that’s it. So you get a lot of guys winging it and working for cheep, that’s just the way it is.
That’s the industry we bought in to so love or leave it its not going to change.

Custom Drywall Svc.

wow....there's actually some rational thinking, realistic people on this forum after all.



................

crashinco

hey guys move to colorado these guys are treat you right i get .21 to hang and .33 to finish up here but good help is hard to find.

S&SDRYWALL

Not much money in drywall anymore