Andy's Adventures in the Construction Business

AndyG

Because some other guys are perverts
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My faithful and amazing lead carpenter, and friend, Harold, was in a bad wreck early last Monday morning, broke his lumbar, and is on the edge of paralysis- The situation is so serious the doctors and hospital insisted on surgery this week to get him out of the danger zone….despite having no health insurance.

In addition to financially helping with consequences of the accident and his pay, We are committed to doing all we can for as long as we can to get him through this- We don’t know the length it will take for him to recover or the extent of his recovery. Like myself he is approaching 60 and he has worked long and hard and it had already taken a toll on him before the accident.

To say there is a shortage of qualified people in the construction business is an understatement. It has changed my world immediately- We don’t have a single guy that even comes close to the experience this man has.

So here are some amazing ramifications-



First- over the years I was pretty frustrated that a lot of the guys did not take my lead in terms of tool organization work ethic and jobsite cleanliness. I could not figure out for the life of me why I couldn’t get the results I wanted. I was sure I set the example. So here is the deal-

When I had to step into the role of active lead everything immediately changed for the better. Why? Well I was amazed to realize that all of my workers did not look at me as the senior lead- Harold has the most experience and the guys followed his pattern- For years they have seen me as the finance department and grumpy quality control. Harold is not as I am uptight about all those details and never will be - But I know it’s good for business and I will never back away from high standards of cleanliness and performance. I think the thing that I’m learning is true leadership is a little bit different than owning the company.

Next, It is amazing how crystal clear it made the immediacy to do some things I’ve wanted to do for a long time- Sort of like the old adage knowing you’re going to get executed in two weeks clarifies everything - I have been able to radically change our path, In terms of the kind of jobs that we take. Fortunately I had already signed quite a few that were right in line with our new direction at the same time it has made everything crystal clear what is going to be best -

We are going in the direction of full house remodels with no one occupying the residence so we are free to come and go, This will be about 80% of our work with the other 20% to keep and maintain clients and occasionally meet new customers to sustain a customer base.

We are also going to negotiate trade rates with our fellow tradespeople to keep our costs on the significant jobs down- In exchange for that all the work that comes to us that we don’t accept we’re going to direct them where they can contract it out directly and charge their full rate.

Also work that comes that does not burden the company- Like a driveway- That is purely sent to one subcontractor- Is going to be priced and managed by my assistant with him getting up to 50% of the profit as a bonus and the remainder going to Harold or a fund for him and his family- We have to accept the fact that he may not even make it through the surgery without paralysis and we don’t know if he’ll ever make it back to work- What we do know is that he enabled my company to reach the market in a way it never had and our gratitude will be shown as long as we are here.

Right now the most stressful part of this is the level of competency of some of the workers that I’ve hired to replace him and technically they’re not replacing him they are helping me to replace him- One in particular has construction experience- bless his heart he cannot come close to keeping up with the speed that I like to work at. It is not egotistical - it is just that I’m a fast paced person and I have thought through the project in detail and the task at hand and when I get to the job I don’t need to meditate on every door swing, header size or layout decision. And realistically in construction a lot of the speed does not come from how fast you nail
things but how fast you make decisions. Plus I don’t have to ask the boss. @Hog can tell you I sorta get into what I’m doing at the time 🤣.

I’m not the best teacher, I’m too fast to learn from, and need helpers to pay close attention to where things are going.

Another thing that has happened is I’ve had the opportunity to hire some Hispanic (Mexican) guys and that has been a lot of fun- The dad is super nice and wants to work and make money in the two young sons aren’t afraid to work at all even though they don’t speak much English- And the odd result of that is they have to pay close attention and they are right there with you. The more I watch them the more I see the potential to create something really beautiful- And we are working on helping them get some English lessons that their dad wants them to get. Plus they don’t stand around and talk. I have no problem with people from other countries being here- To be fair about it we just showed up- It has just been so long everyone forgot that.

Anyway wish me luck and I am open to any ideas do any of you guys have in a situation like this. The best thing that I can think of is to rest and not get myself or anyone else hurt, be efficient and just take it one day at a time. I do spend a section of my day supporting other workers on other jobs or meeting clients so that I’m not constantly stopping and starting when I’m wearing my toolbelt.


Thanks for reading,
Andy
 
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I feel you about jobs with no clients home during regular business hours. I hate starting work on a vaccine case,cold storage or ac when a hospital or store is closing for the night.and jobs at homes where idiots won't just let me get it done.

Sorry about your lead. Why didn't he have some kind of obamacare bs?
 
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I feel you about jobs with no clients home during regular business hours. I hate starting work on a vaccine case,cold storage or ac when a hospital or store is closing for the night.and jobs at homes where idiots won't just let me get it done.

Sorry about your lead. Why didn't he have some kind of obamacare bs?

Well the laws for insurers are pretty bad in Alabama but he makes enough money and all that sometimes people just don’t let the money go to the right things- Or even attempt to apply- Especially if they had tax issues in the past.
 
Andy my prayers and thoughts for Harold's complete recovery. That was an amazing post, my hat is off to you and everything you said in a most thoughtful way. Loved reading it, just amazing. I really hope and wish for Harold's successful recovery and comeback. And thank you for helping him as you are, that speaks volumes about you. :love:
 
Andy my prayers and thoughts for Harold's complete recovery. That was an amazing post, my hat is off to you and everything you said in a most thoughtful way. Loved reading it, just amazing. I really hope and wish for Harold's successful recovery and comeback. And thank you for helping him as you are, that speaks volumes about you. :love: 🇺🇸

Thanks tons Jerry- the older I get the more I see life’s curve balls- all I know is keep swinging, and don’t quit the game when you miss or ground out.
 
I feel ya. Sounds like you're doing the right thing and are on the right path. Good help is hard to find and I don't envy you in your search for another lead!
 
I feel ya. Sounds like you're doing the right thing and are on the right path. Good help is hard to find and I don't envy you in your search for another lead!

My answer was be the lead- simply be the change I want to see.

We have been so busy teaching people to pursue academic careers to afford these homes, we taught no one to build them.

Today a guy asked if I wanted a 5 1/4” x 14” piece of blocking cut out of a 2x4. Dude. What size is a 2x4? I’d like to see that.



I got a concussion yesterday- raised up into a cabinet- we build strong cabinets.

Today I shot ring shank framing nail in my hand.

Right now- I am in a machine I bought that makes all that go away- a 2003 Rubicon. I can’t tell you the feeling after a long day- and this one day is still pulling on me because my son lost my tractor key- to drive with top down. Love these things.

Let’s hope Harolds’ surgery goes great tomorrow.
 
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my son lost my tractor key

Most tractors don't have vehicle-specific keys, so you can get a replacement over the counter, usually pretty cheap.

I got a concussion yesterday- raised up into a cabinet- we build strong cabinets.

Today I shot ring shank framing nail in my hand.

Andy, it sounds like you need to slow down a bit before you commit a fatal error (not joking here)! I know that when I start making more mistakes that hurt (literally), it's usually a sign to take a break and collect myself. Don't work yourself to an early grave, my friend!

Let’s hope Harolds’ surgery goes great tomorrow.

Prayers for Harold's recovery on the way! And prayers for Andy's sanity on the way, too!
 
Terrible, fortunately the guys under me have had no bad accidents. I coordinate repairs of all sorts for a large vacation town. We are far from people who want to work hourly (for what they are actually worth) and sun contractors are hard to find also. I am very fortunate to have a crew that is consistent and reliable, they know what our standards are and know I will make them fix it if it is wrong, most importantly they know the needs and expectations of our clients and our ceo.
What helped us was me having each of the guys bid the same jobs for T&M so I could see what they thought it would take, then I would let them know how long it would take me. (I have been at it a while too so everything is just fluid and second nature.) Then we discussed the time difference.
It will come together, just slow down enough to let it fit together. You know there will be issues, so just try to be somewhat prepared.
Hope it sorts itself out and your guy heals up fast.
 
Most tractors don't have vehicle-specific keys, so you can get a replacement over the counter, usually pretty cheap.



Andy, it sounds like you need to slow down a bit before you commit a fatal error (not joking here)! I know that when I start making more mistakes that hurt (literally), it's usually a sign to take a break and collect myself. Don't work yourself to an early grave, my friend!



Prayers for Harold's recovery on the way! And prayers for Andy's sanity on the way, too!

Thank you and you were 100% correct I was working fast- and a little bit aggravated- We have a customer that has mental/emotional illness and she was yanking my chain- Ma’am let me get this correct- It has taken you five months after we started this job to figure out how you move the drawers and doors laid out in your vanity, Then when I can finally take the final measurements you change the door casing that is next to the vanity and I have to start all the way over due to different overlay- And now me immediately not coming back to remeasure is ridiculous??

Anyway it is my fault for letting her get to me.

Bless her heart they are really good people and I have tried to be very kind to her. Her son was murdered because he was messing with a married woman. I am not sure if she will ever be much better.

The aggravation with the key was the fact that he did not tell me he did not have it in his possession and we were going to get it at nine at night because the guy with the gooseneck was available and I’ll find out after two or three days that he could have told me- that was garbage. I’m trying so hard to teach my son the open and honest communication is the best way to go and working ahead to solve a problem gives you more options because you have more time.

His surgery went well today and we have hope that he’s on the road to recovery.

I really appreciate you guys caring enough to read and respond.

This is going to sound weird but when you go through things like this as a business owner nobody really wants to hear it around you and it is a lonely road sometimes- Even if you tell people you’re still dealing with the consequences of the problems very personally. Nobody else is responsible for that bank account but me.
 
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Thank you and you were 100% correct I was working fast- and a little bit aggravated- We have a customer that has mental/emotional illness and she was yanking my chain- Ma’am let me get this correct- It has taken you five months after we started this job to figure out how you move the drawers and doors laid out in your vanity, Then when I can finally take the final measurements you change the door casing that is next to the vanity and I have to start all the way over due to different overlay- And now me immediately not coming back to remeasure is ridiculous??

Anyway it is my fault for letting her get to me.

Bless her heart they are really good people and I have tried to be very kind to her. Her son was murdered because he was messing with a married woman. I am not sure if she will ever be much better.

The aggravation with the key was the fact that he did not tell me he did not have it in his possession and we were going to get it at nine at night because the guy with the gooseneck was available and I’ll find out after two or three days that he could have told me- that was garbage. I’m trying so hard to teach my son the open and honest communication is the best way to go and working ahead to solve a problem gives you more options because you have more time.

His surgery went well today and we have hope that he’s on the road to recovery.

I really appreciate you guys caring enough to read and respond.

This is going to sound weird but when you go through things like this as a business owner nobody really wants to hear it around you and it is a lonely road sometimes- Even if you tell people you’re still dealing with the consequences of the problems very personally. Nobody else is responsible for that bank account butt me.

Good news about Harrold!!!!
 
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What helped us was me having each of the guys bid the same jobs for T&M so I could see what they thought it would take, then I would let them know how long it would take me. (I have been at it a while too so everything is just fluid and second nature.) Then we discussed the time difference.
It will come together, just slow down enough to let it fit together. You know there will be issues, so just try to be somewhat prepared.
Hope it sorts itself out and your guy heals up fast.

Love this. Thank you. You know I got to thinking this morning everything to be too good too fast- Basically none of us of have ever worked together and we’re going to have to get a rhythm and that takes a little bit of time.

Thanks for the encouraging post.

I actually really enjoy working with these Hispanic guys because they don’t talk unnecessarily- A work day will be very unproductive quick if people don’t focus on the task at hand.
 
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We have been so busy teaching people to pursue academic careers to afford these homes, we taught no one to build them.

Truth. Having kids I totally understand why every generation has tried to set their kids up to have a better life. Hell, I'd be happy if mine just match mine. But there's got to be a balance. I could have been a textbook example of this issue, as the son of an attorney who was the son of a banker who was the son of a farmer. But I'm blessed that even as each of my predecessors prepared their kids for a more "academic" career, they still provided the balance by teaching the value of working with your hands. As a result I may sit at a computer all day to buy the roof over my head but it's no big thing to spend a weekend building a fence, fix my vehicles, or turn a 65 year old oak tree into firewood. My neighbor is a nice guy around my age, makes a bunch of money in natural gas trading and comes from a well off family, but bless him... He lives in 2 acres in the country and I haven't seen him do one darn thing himself.
 
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Truth. Having kids I totally understand why every generation has tried to set their kids up to have a better life. Hell, I'd be happy if mine just match mine. But there's got to be a balance. I could have been a textbook example of this issue, as the son of an attorney who was the son of a banker who was the son of a farmer. But I'm blessed that even as each of my predecessors prepared their kids for a more "academic" career, they still provided the balance by teaching the value of working with your hands. As a result I may sit at a computer all day to buy the roof over my head but it's no big thing to spend a weekend building a fence, fix my vehicles, or turn a 65 year old oak tree into firewood. My neighbor is a nice guy around my age, makes a bunch of money in natural gas trading and comes from a well off family, but bless him... He lives in 2 acres in the country and I haven't seen him do one darn thing himself.

Very well said- I grew up around some extremely well rounded people and it was impressive to see guys that could run a small manufacturing plant and build their own home. Every guy had a tractor, Was a pretty good golfer or avid fisherman- Played community softball maybe- I had one neighbor who was just a complete renaissance man and was pretty accomplished at about everything he tackled from playing ping-pong to the bass guitar.

Self-sufficiency has been replaced by prosperity and the check method- people write a check for whatever happens.

The awesome thing about teaching a kid how to take care of themselves is it will help them when money is tight and it will help them to have more money later- Plus it will help them to understand what is involved in doing things when they get prices from others for work to be performed. That keeps them from paying $25,000 for a $13,000 driveway one day.
 
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I still shake my head about the time the neighbor's kid was absolutely AMAZED that I knew how to change a motor in a bathroom fan!

He was probably amazed if you were wearing a skirt- and on a ladder😆😆😆
 
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