Hiring Practices/Costs Incurred

[Racer814]

Maybe, but I am VERY HAPPY at what I do ! What price do you put on happiness ? I'll bet the world that being happy gets you quite a bit LESS then $ 85,000. There is no realistic amount that could have cured those headaches !!

that last paragraph is most telling....congratulations on figuring out what it took me a long time to.. .[/

 

[Toolaholic]

Some Thoughts On Hiring

Hire sloooow, Fire FAST!

Whenever possible Hire for attitude ,train ,for skill.

I learned My trade in Mass,Boston, and Cape COD. Can't say enough about the
Young trades people coming out of Upper Cape Regonal trade school in Bourn Mass. This is a high school,trade school where kids decide to leave regular high school and enter into 1 of the building trades. This school builds non profit buildings. It's very serious and doesn't put up with B. S, Kids come out doing NEAT profesional work. I'm thinking of flying back there to interview some graduates. It's a bloody shame these places are almost gone!

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Cal]

First off ,,,,,,,,,,, RACER ,,, THOSE AREn'T ALL MY QUOTES !!!! DON'T PUT STUFF IN MY QUOTE AGAIN !!!!!

Were is this trade school and HOW can we as a group of professionals build these places for different cities ??

THAT JUST SOUNDS GREAT !!!! I would hire a kid / person right out from a school like that in a minute ! The young trade professionals ALL need a place like that !!!

BRAVO BOSTON !!

 

[Racer814]

take it easy cal...those ! are hurting my ears....simple mistake...wasnt trying to insinuate those were your words...I'll remove it ok?

 

[Racer814]

honestly cal...I was just trying to respond line by line to your post...what in the world was in there to get you that upset?........I certainly said nothing derogatory.....

 

[Master Plumber Mark]

an average service plumbing day

If I could hire someone to just do what
I do on average every day with misc calls....


today was more driveing than actual
work basically sitting on my braines all day
driveing and talking on the phone



Call #
1 de winterize house 70 (turn on water)

2 dewinterize house 95 (turn on water)

3 small repair to copper pipe 95

4 elements and t stats on ele heater 250

5 clean out top of heater rusted shut 150..

6 repair a copper tee in a basmeent 115

total gross today 775.
..materials 75.00
gas 50



That 25 per hour journeyman would probably be hideing reading a newspaper somewhere after call #3.....
( woldent want to make the SOB boss too much profit today, lol )


global satelite devices on their nextel cell phones is the only way to cure that problem.


I am very gald i dont have any of those headaches anymore.

and I feel very grateful that this
kind of gravey work just keeps rolling in

 

[Dunbar Plumbing]

I drummed work today to fill out the week. That wasn't hard along with the phone ringing for those wanting to spend.

Here's a call that makes me proud to say no:

"Hi, my name is so and so, I need a plumber. I'm on disability and I want you to cap the pipe off that is leaking under my sink so I can get the water back on to the rest of the house. I also need to know if I can be billed because I do not have any money right now to pay you."


Beautiful. At first I said I would take a post-dated check....but when she gave directions that led to a trailer park, I told her that my right finger just fell off and I have to head to hospital pronto and NO I cannot do the work.

Next customer called 20 minutes later wanting to schedule multiple plumbing repairs for later on in the week without even discussing rate of charge. Saweet!

 

[Kordts]

Rugged,
that's beautiful. I know not all trailer dwellers are poor, white trash, but enough are to justfy the stereotype, and the ones that aren't trash are usually just poor.

 

[Dunbar Plumbing]

Okay so I made up the right finger statement

Rugged,
that's beautiful. I know not all trailer dwellers are poor, white trash, but enough are to justfy the stereotype, and the ones that aren't trash are usually just poor.

Besides, which finger was the right finger?

Her attitude "expecting" me to accept delayed payment without knowing her from adam is what allowed me to turn the call down when she said it was a trailer. Told her I didn't have the specific fittings to fix her problem, referred her to a mobile home repair center down the road from her.

I don't accept broke people's word that they are going to pay me when I don't know them from a stranger walking down the street.

Conventional Wisdom clearly lets us know that there are thieves amoung us.

 

[SRdenny]

"Can't say enough about the young trades people coming out of Upper Cape Regonal trade school in Bourn Mass. This is a high school,trade school where kids decide to leave regular high school and enter into 1 of the building trades. This school builds non profit buildings. It's very serious and doesn't put up with B. S, Kids come out doing NEAT profesional work. I'm thinking of flying back there to interview some graduates."

Toolaholic, if I wasn't 3000 miles away, living in a place where $100K a year won't get you into a fixer upper on the wrong side of the tracks, I'd fly there too and see if I could sweet talk a few of that schools grads into relocating to my neck of the woods.

 

[lovetohelpya]

I just have to get away from pulling nearly 300 pounds up 17 steps, along with climbing numerous stairs in some homes I work for.

It's a growing pain I know I can't avoid on this one....it has to happen in the next 12-24 months. I'd rather go at it alone but I have to set myself up to earn a income without the hands moving solely.

I hear you with the 300 pound machine, dear. I'm a 29 year old WOMAN and I take the same thing up and down steps all day. I can say, though, once I switched over to the Spartan model 2001, things changed. It can be taken apart and brought inside in 2 pieces (yes, both trips you get the wheels and tread climber) so you don't need a 2nd man on the tricky stairs. Also, the weight is balanced towards the middle of the machine instead of the back which has saved my back. (BTW, the 2001 has the same power of the 1065, just quieter, has a drum-brake and is worth it's weight in gold.)

I'm taking over the family business and haven't yet found someone 100% trustworthy. There seems to be a big problem with either drugs or side-jobs. I have one other guy that works with me, on a very part-time basis, that I know I can trust more than the rest. I let him take whatever remodeling side jobs he wants, as long as it has nothing to do with plumbing. I also follow up with his work. I call it an after-job customer care call. I've caught many guys on side jobs doing this.

Good luck though, hope this helps...
Steph

 

[GrumpyPlumber]

My tankless biz is going nuts. Just did one today, and one on Tuesday.

Same here, our gas co offers a sweet rebate on them too, which is a great selling feature.
IF only the whole home models conveniently had a 1/2" supply like the tank they're replacing it would be sweeter....

 

[Kordts]

I hear ya. I wish I lived in Cali and could hang them on an exterior wall.