Are plumbers mighty residential tradespeople?

[Terry]

https://www.wsj.com/articles/why-pl...idential-tradespeople-of-them-all-11620306026

Are plumbers mighty residential tradespeople? If you have a Wall Street Journal account, please read this and let us know if that is true. I'm guessing it may be. After all, look at all the good advice we see here on these pages. It must be true.

 

[Sylvan]

Terry, I never could understand why a plumber would place a limit on their earning potential

My companies do commercial, industrial, institutional, residential, and fire suppression and heating and sewer and drain installations along with all aspects of maintaining them

Gas and steam fitting etc.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Fitter30]

Plumbing, hvac and electric are now essential. All trades are changing from material to tools to engineering to how to tweek out another dime of profit for the contractor by some using flat rate not t&m. Everybody think your 5 minutes away parts are in stock and your diagnostics are second nature. I was lucky worked contractor and a union that believes in education. It will be interesting with my two grandsons that i can't get them interested in the trades and working in mediocre jobs when the light bulb goes on.

 

[Terry]

It will be interesting with my two grandsons that i can't get them interested in the trades and working in mediocre jobs when the light bulb goes on.

You mean like working for minimum wage, 20 hours a week and living with mom? I had one of mine helping, installing with me one Summer. It didn't take though. I'm hoping though. When my youngest son graduated college, I had him buy a new car with payments. Then he had to get a good job. He does software.
I moved out of the house as soon as I could. I got married very young, and had a family two years after that.
My parents were twenty-six when they had their first. They did college first, I didn't. Recently my sister, eight years younger told me about the memories our teachers had of me. One said I was a genius with my writing. Funny, he flunked me. Back then they graded on their perceived potential and if they thought you weren't at your best, they graded you down. Heck, I was writing all the time, but some of it I would give to others and they would turn it in as theirs.
There are no limits to what you can do though when you get out on your own. And yes, like the WSJ mentions, we are very much needed.
We have mad skills. For sure.

 

[DIYorBust]

As a customer, I'd agree. This board sometimes makes it feel like there are tons of good plumbers who know what they're doing and spend their time thinking about details because that's what you get when you post a question here. Where I live, a decent plumber is hard to find. You can always get a good electrcian or HVAC or pretty much anything, but if you're lucky there's one plumber in town who's really good. It's hard work and it's a real skill. You have to solve problems, think in three dimensions, and really know a little engineering to be good.

 

[Sylvan]

Nothing beats a trade and if someone wants to learn as much as possible being trade-related their potential for income is unlimited

I am 73 and last week I did two water Jetting jobs outside leader lines and made $600.00 for less than 3 hours of work as both jobs were within 1/4 mile of my office

As an expert witness, I usually earn over $2,800 a day

The young man I hired 41/2 years ago I gave him 49% of my company and he is still waiting for his citizenship, he bought 3 houses, 3 vehicles including a Porche

As fewer people are learning the skills needed to do plumbing HVAC our income potential increases dramatically

The new gas regulations cost me a fortune to send employees to become certified and buying all the test equipment needed but the payback is unlimited.

We now do not only gas inspections we also do backflow testing and repair and replacement of these devices plus I do low-pressure boiler inspections and installations

The best part about this profession no one will ever learn it all so every day is a learning experience

My other company does strictly fire suppression in Manhattan and the last challenging job was on the 86th floor of the empire state building where a leak is not an option

If someone does not want to attend the brainwashing institutions AKA Schools they should consider sewer and drain cleaning as this is also an amazing opportunity to make a great living

I sold one of my General 92 machines with a 3/4" x 100-foot cable to a handyman for $1,500 he called me saying he did 3 jobs and the machine is now paid off

I have several machines for sale as we are upgrading all our machines and sold several water jetters

Even the small general handheld I am selling can actually pay for themselves the first time used

That sir is a profit-making machine

 

[Terry]

I was able to read the entire story on my cell phone out loud and we were laughing so much. Some of it even reminded me of a few customers I've had over the years. And Sylvan is right about the fact that you never stop learning. Always more to think about, new products coming on line, and even exploring vintage situations that you come across. Very funny article.

 

[Sylvan]

Terry on my resume (CD) I put still learning ....

 

[Master Plumber Mark]

Terry on my resume (CD) I put still learning ....

I am noticing in our small little back water town that my services are more in demand now than ever before....
I can only imagine the amount of work available in your city,,,,
( even though NYC is going to hell in a hand basket and you have to wear body armor.....)

We are sticking with home service work only and we have all the work we need to make a good living in po-dunky Indianapolis.... our biggest problem is finding people willing to actually show up every day...so we have stopped
trying to find them....

I cant bring myself to get involved with commercial jobs or even light commercial work even though we get calls constantly on emergency floods where they cannot find anyone willing to do the work... dont need it...

As time goes on, and everyone wants to sit with their thumbs up their asses working on computers from
home, I am seeing more and more demand for our services..... and now it seems that the price is no object....

I turned down 2 water heaters this weekend @1500 each, due to a sprained ankle, told them I could get to them on monday--- Many other plumbers are doing much higher prices compared to what I charge....

We talked recently at a supply house with another company and with all the work out there to do , their attitude today is if the people are willing to wait a month on you to do the job you quoted, that means you are too cheap.... If you lose one every so often that means you are high enough priced along with others and they just use someone else........WOW


I am taking off the weekend.... Sitting here with Advil and ice on the ankle today .



So What plans do you have this summer Terry??

 

[Sylvan]

We have been working 7 days a week and picked up more accounts including nursing homes

We rather pay overtime than trying to \find someone who actually works and shows up on time

Finding decent labor is a major problem and its getting worse

We have total morons graduating college with a masters degree in basket weaving

These morons laugh at their own stupidity .. This country is in deep trouble

 

[Sylvan]

 

[Sylvan]

 

[Sylvan]

NYU
Average annual cost
Before aid
$75,502
After aid
$42,397
Sylvan


Not doing politics here. Sorry.
I mean not sorry. Terry Love

 

[Terry]

Mark,
I plan on getting hiking in this Spring and Summer. I went skiing at Crystal Mountain on Mothers Day. Last day of the season for me.

Sylvan,
College did well for my kids Amy and Taylor. They chose what they were interested in. Isn't that what life is about?
My son James is doing sales for construction now. Mainly HVAC roof top units for high rise.
I have a brother that used to teach at Princeton. Now he has offices in Washington DC and Geneva Switzerland. Not teaching. Very involved with world politics.
My father had his doctorate in law from the UW. Became a judge.
Grandfather was superintendent of schools.
Uncle was a Colonel in the Air Force and also superintendent of schools.

The thing is, we all do different things for different reasons.
And I'm not a West versus East kind of guy. I like to travel around and meet people and see things.
In the Seattle area, my customers come from many parts of the world. I find it very interesting. When I broke into plumbing, many of my jobs were just a little East of Seattle in what is now Sammamish. Median household income for that city now is $174,003 per year. I think they're doing just fine.

 

[Master Plumber Mark]

We have been working 7 days a week and picked up more accounts including nursing homes

We rather pay overtime than trying to \find someone who actually works and shows up on time

Finding decent labor is a major problem and its getting worse

We have total morons graduating college with a masters degree in basket weaving

These morons laugh at their own stupidity .. This country is in deep trouble

Well, --- looking at the bigger picture ---- this is probably why they are just letting the spanish
and other immigrants just flood across the border...... We need bodies (slaves) to take the place of
all the baby boomers that expect to retire in the next 10 years......
If you dont fill these positions with people willing to do the manual labor jobs then their
is going to be a huge vacuum in the labor force with labor prices going through the roof
with people stealing folks from other companies ....
Our children dont want to be plumbers
or roofers or other hands on jobs so someone has got to fill that gap

I am not for or against this but its certainly going to change our culture if they allow 20million
un-documented souls into our country.... ..

 

[DIYorBust]

We need bodies (slaves) to take the place of
all the baby boomers that expect to retire in the next 10 years...... ..

I think that is the big picture in a way. Manufacturing is getting moved outside the US, and the labor here is getting substituted by immigrants. Many people I know would never dream of snaking a drain or changing valve, or even plunging a toilet. So they have a handyman from Guatamala come and do it for cash while they sit at the computer designing ads to sell sneakers that will be made in china. It doesn't seem sustainable.

 

[Fitter30]

Well, --- looking at the bigger picture ---- this is probably why they are just letting the spanish
and other immigrants just flood across the border...... We need bodies (slaves) to take the place of
all the baby boomers that expect to retire in the next 10 years......
If you dont fill these positions with people willing to do the manual labor jobs then their
is going to be a huge vacuum in the labor force with labor prices going through the roof
with people stealing folks from other companies ....
Our children dont want to be plumbers
or roofers or other hands on jobs so someone has got to fill that gap

I am not for or against this but its certainly going to change our culture if they allow 20million
un-documented souls into our country.... ..

And what i can see coming down the pike is labor for large construction projects. Where men are housed in tent cities, bussed to job site and fed communally. All on a work visa. 20 years ago ran a job in st louis a hy tech start up designing circuit boards for the net got most of their labor from india. People slept under their desks, meals were brought in, showers were in the office and groups of people were housed together in apartments. Your focus on people from this continent better look further east Indonesia they built United Arab Emirates, Cutter.

 

[Master Plumber Mark]

I think that is the big picture in a way. Manufacturing is getting moved outside the US, and the labor here is getting substituted by immigrants. Many people I know would never dream of snaking a drain or changing valve, or even plunging a toilet. So they have a handyman from Guatamala come and do it for cash while they sit at the computer designing ads to sell sneakers that will be made in china. It doesn't seem sustainable.

Everything will be ok once the "Green New Deal " kicks in and we all are driving electric cars...
dont worry....

 

[Terry]

I like reading Sylvan's comments on how much his guys are making. Not that I'm anywhere near that here. Heck, I drove into Seattle and must have spent 4 hours on a toilet replacement, and that didn't even include picking it up and disposing of it. I am not charging enough.
And when was the last time I needed screws into the floor to hold the toilet? I didn't have any.

I took the van with very little tools in it. I do that sometimes. I had to borrow this from the homeowner, I have never even seen a toilet bowl held down that way before. And heavy? Very heavy.
Last week I did something to my right wrist. Tuesday night picking up a bag of potato chips hurt. What is that? Like about 12 ounces? I went to my wrist chiro, he grabbed it and bent it a certain way and something clicked. I was fine after that.

 

[Jeff H Young]

I have Medical Drs in family Lawyers , Waitresses , plumbers carpenters, real estate agents, engineers, a hot tar roofer with a BA in buisness. Lazy people and go getters. As much as I love Plumbing Piping and Construction Trades Its not the only road to success. or for everyone
My Son graduated college in 2020 community college 2 years a state school for his last 2 not cheap but didnt totaly break the bank . I think he will be ok .
Do agree though most young people rather make 15 dollars an hour and not get hands dirty than make 3 or 4 times that amount and put in overtime forget about that too. come in on saturday for a lousy 5 or 6 hundred heck no