# Getting My Feet Wet



## evolve991 (Jan 24, 2008)

I've been self employed for 23 years but always subbed,never loaded a job or dealt with the contracts,etc.

You guys remember that referral you sent my way ?


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## evolve991 (Jan 24, 2008)

:thumbsup:


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## icerock drywall (Nov 13, 2010)

I can see trim tex all over that cool house!!!


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## gazman (Apr 29, 2011)

Looks like it's getting real :thumbsup:


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## MrWillys (Mar 10, 2014)

The math is spinning in my head just looking at the pictures. Wish I could be there.


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## thefinisher (Sep 2, 2011)

Looks like an interesting house.


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## moore (Dec 2, 2010)

I'm glad you got it!!:thumbup: Looks like fun!


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## evolve991 (Jan 24, 2008)

icerock drywall said:


> I can see trim tex all over that cool house!!!


Regular metal on the 90s but trim tex on the arches and round header. The homeowner bought 2 rolls of shim on a roll :thumbup: love it,never used it before,we had to scrounge luann and shingles to shim. We'll be buying the stuff now! 

Best finishers we know will be making our work look great:thumbsup:

Now if the truck would not break down and no circus disasters at home and the HO would stop having _our _kind of luck we could get rolling and done


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## evolve991 (Jan 24, 2008)

gazman said:


> Looks like it's getting real :thumbsup:


Oh yeah...'real' is a word for it I guess:jester:

Wasn't in great shape going in on this monster. I told the HO this. He said "I'm easy to work with" then the list of 'misunderstandings' started.....details that were "in the original bid" that weren't....assumptions on what drywallers are responsible for...'just one thing' to be done before it's "all ready to rock" in nearly every room....'aw ya got plenty to do' canned response to delays....addons and change orders and wants ' a break' since he's over budget, I already dropped the price at the start,gave up high pay for 2 vaulted ceilings and a high garage. All the reasons I never went all-in and stocked a job. Not a penny for material handling,hauling alot of the stuff to save him a buck. Don't get me too wrong he's a cool guy and he's cut me several draws to keep going but in the end I may as well have been subbing off my finisher and saving tankfuls of gas. 
Looking like our 'masterpiece' is our swan song. Truck falling apart, bro headed for 6 months in the Cecil Hilton unless he slaps 2Gs onto child support by Jan, I'm having a series of "throw my tools in the river" moments with no real bounce back to make me want to do this again. 

It's symetrical though....started with nothing and ending with nothing.....


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## evolve991 (Jan 24, 2008)

.........and still have the barrel and tilebacker to hang.....


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## moore (Dec 2, 2010)

Those damn garage doors !! I'd rather see a sheet of tyvek


Nice boarding Evolve !! It looks Sweet ! :thumbsup:


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## VANMAN (Jan 14, 2011)

Tell ur bro he is lucky!
I'm in for £50.000 I will be 60 years old by the time I pay it off!!:thumbup:


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## evolve991 (Jan 24, 2008)

Van he's in for 10 Grand total. Thats one kid. The mother of the other 2 signed off but the psycho biatch that tried to trap him into marriage with his 1st is a real pitbull and won't let go. That kid is 22 now.


Moore I agree man, we hate dropping door rails. Yeah the whole job looks great,and I don't usually brag, but the time we've taken and the breaks I've given combined with my situation are the perfect storm to put me out of business. I've been driving my daughters car to the job since our tools are already there because my truck is literally falling off the frame. I won't be making the money to fix it or have capital to keep going. Not to mention our 10th UNChristmas. I've had enough of making people with money happy while I stay in the hole living like a homeless(which I was TWICE) junkie. The butchers can have my share of the hanging after this. The real kicker is I knew this would happen if I took the job under my circumstances but everyone insisted it would work out. It has.....for them. Not for me. This is the final time I keep a smile on my face while some lucky bastid rapes me and acts like it's business as usual.:furious:


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## P.A. ROCKER (Jul 15, 2011)

It's looking great Evolve, thanks for posting.


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## VANMAN (Jan 14, 2011)

evolve991 said:


> Van he's in for 10 Grand total. Thats one kid. The mother of the other 2 signed off but the psycho biatch that tried to trap him into marriage with his 1st is a real pitbull and won't let go. That kid is 22 now.
> 
> 
> Moore I agree man, we hate dropping door rails. Yeah the whole job looks great,and I don't usually brag, but the time we've taken and the breaks I've given combined with my situation are the perfect storm to put me out of business. I've been driving my daughters car to the job since our tools are already there because my truck is literally falling off the frame. I won't be making the money to fix it or have capital to keep going. Not to mention our 10th UNChristmas. I've had enough of making people with money happy while I stay in the hole living like a homeless(which I was TWICE) junkie. The butchers can have my share of the hanging after this. The real kicker is I knew this would happen if I took the job under my circumstances but everyone insisted it would work out. It has.....for them. Not for me. This is the final time I keep a smile on my face while some lucky bastid rapes me and acts like it's business as usual.:furious:


Yea 1 kid for me also!
F*cking government I was fighting with so I was stupid really and should of payed up earlier!
Sh*t ur work looks good so u should be kept busy and making some cash!
I would love to follow behind ur boarding that's for sure!:thumbsup:
Don't get discouraged and keep at it as u r good!:thumbup:
Speaking of getting raped u should have seen what my x put on facebook!Could get her in the slammer for it but I'm keeping it incase there r more problems! Either that I take her out!:furious:


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## thefinisher (Sep 2, 2011)

Evolve, I hate to say it but there will be many more jobs like that if you decide to keep taking on the whole job. That is why my proposal is 2 pages long and lists out almost every scenario that could happen. that way I'm covered if they try to start stuff. You have to go into thinking they are going to screw you no matter what unless you have done many projects for them. Remember you are not friends with any of these people and they would just assume cut your price down and give it to the lowest bidder. From now on don't give any breaks and if they don't like your price then it wasn't meant to be. Also, never do the drywall for just a H/O. Make sure its a builder that knows what they are doing! HO's will try to nit pick you to death. You will find some people that will hire you knowing they will try and screw you. Then by the time you get a lawyer it will cost you more than you are trying to get. Some people are hoping for this that way you just walk away and they get a big discount..... What makes the trade fun is when you get a few select builders that know your price and know what kind of quality you provide. Then there is hardly any problems. If your having this many issues while your hanging, just wait until the finishers get there. Then wait when they want you to touch up every little thing and do patches for free  I believe you still have a long road on this job left


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## VANMAN (Jan 14, 2011)

thefinisher said:


> Evolve, I hate to say it but there will be many more jobs like that if you decide to keep taking on the whole job. That is why my proposal is 2 pages long and lists out almost every scenario that could happen. that way I'm covered if they try to start stuff. You have to go into thinking they are going to screw you no matter what unless you have done many projects for them. Remember you are not friends with any of these people and they would just assume cut your price down and give it to the lowest bidder. From now on don't give any breaks and if they don't like your price then it wasn't meant to be. Also, never do the drywall for just a H/O. Make sure its a builder that knows what they are doing! HO's will try to nit pick you to death. You will find some people that will hire you knowing they will try and screw you. Then by the time you get a lawyer it will cost you more than you are trying to get. Some people are hoping for this that way you just walk away and they get a big discount..... What makes the trade fun is when you get a few select builders that know your price and know what kind of quality you provide. Then there is hardly any problems. If your having this many issues while your hanging, just wait until the finishers get there. Then wait when they want you to touch up every little thing and do patches for free  I believe you still have a long road on this job left


I so much agree with u on the friends part!:thumbsup:
I'm called a moaning bastard by every1 I work for:thumbup:
I don't give a chit as I'm there to do a job not make friends! People realise this after a while and everything usually runs ok and I get what I want!
U have to stand up for urself or every1 will try take a dump on u!:furious:


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## MrWillys (Mar 10, 2014)

VANMAN said:


> I so much agree with u on the friends part!:thumbsup:
> I'm called a moaning bastard by every1 I work for:thumbup:
> I don't give a chit as I'm there to do a job not make friends! People realise this after a while and everything usually runs ok and I get what I want!
> U have to stand up for urself or every1 will try take a dump on u!:furious:


 That's my line, I'm here to make money and not friends.


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## VANMAN (Jan 14, 2011)

MrWillys said:


> That's my line, I'm here to make money and not friends.


Yup the less I c the home owner or the site manager the better for every1!:thumbup:


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## thefinisher (Sep 2, 2011)

Some of these people don't realize that we are a specialized trade. They think they know what is best or how drywall is supposed to be done. The truth is they know nothing. If you are taking on the whole job you will come into problems like this on every job almost. Sometimes being the DWC is a huge headache and can be really stressful. I have said it before, but just doing the labor is the easy part at times. At least then you can control most of the variables.


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## evolve991 (Jan 24, 2008)

Van: My bro didn't speak up for himself,he let them railroad him. The guy who reported him as making Rate pay @ 60 hours per week did not help.

Rocker: Thanks man

Finisher: Yeah I backed away from Package Deal years ago and just subbed out. IF I do Package,especially a house this size, I will be meticulous about every detail to the point of being insulting to thier intelligence!! 

I'm glad the HO isn't vicious,he's just disorganized and I miscalculated how long the delays would put us back. I should have pulled off and waited but wanted to keep everyone happy  MISTAKE #1

He says he flips houses so I gave him the benefit of doubt. This is his personal home, it'll be awesome when done but he's driven the subs out of thier minds. I just smiled and nodded,prefer not to jump on any gossip wagons but then again word of mouth is best gauge among us knuckledraggers. 

As for keeping at it...I'm not as young as I like to pretend and not sure how much longer I'm good for :whistling2: My idea was to start taking on our own jobs but not quite this d*mn big!!! We all want to do some of our own finishing, my bro even wants to try painting. Fewer jobs,better pay and less race for the rats.


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## chris (Apr 13, 2011)

Good looking work man:thumbsup: Your experience definitely shows. Sounds like the HO is just peticular about his OWN house because of all the flipping hes done.


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## evolve991 (Jan 24, 2008)

Well today tells whether I just got my feet wet or if I get SOAKED. Getting the Hanging draw today. Hard not to take things personal when you're Self Employed:yes:


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## thefinisher (Sep 2, 2011)

evolve991 said:


> Well today tells whether I just got my feet wet or if I get SOAKED. Getting the Hanging draw today. Hard not to take things personal when you're Self Employed:yes:


That last sentence is so true. I tend to take everything very personal. My only goal is to make sure our jobs come out better than the next company and to make sure the service is the best I can provide. Sometimes these people don't care about that. They will try to beat your price down and then beat you down in the process. It is just as bad when they are trying to micro manage YOUR job. At the end of the day, WE are the professionals. WE know our trade better than anyone. Sometimes you have to tell them that. Hope you are able stay "soaked" this upcoming year. It is better working for yourself in the long run.


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## evolve991 (Jan 24, 2008)

Very well said Finisher. Those types who don't care about quality are welcome to the butchers. We refuse to do nasty work regardless of pay or schedule. We just simply don't answer thier calls if we don't get paid on par with the quality.
It can be _very_ personal when you make HOs happy with good work and make GC/DCs a profit and _end up living in a dilapidated trailer with no heat,water or power_ all winter. Especially a winter like last year. Sorry....it's just hard to forget that....

Well...The current customer turned out to be a man of his word. We aren't _quite_ complete, he needs a few sheets of tilebacker,but he did pay us the Hanging Draw and didn't haggle or beat me down on price. Too bad the whole d*mn check is *gone* in bills and borrowed money but we did not get soaked. Now we hope he has some work in the future and will pay what we ask since we've proven we're skilled and trustworthy.


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## evolve991 (Jan 24, 2008)

and the finale


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## thefinisher (Sep 2, 2011)

Looks like a good Hanging job to me!


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