# How often and how far will you travel for a single job ?



## drywallmike08 (May 27, 2010)

Work full time for a company. I also get a lot of side work ( nights and weekends ) for other builders. I've been doing small stuff for a guy for awhile now but the jobs keep getting further and further from home. He needs me to go do a bathroom 5 hour drive each way. At first I told him no. Then he called and said he can't find a local guy to do it and begged. I told him it's not gonna be cheap. He said it's no problem and reserved a motel room for me. I don't mind the jobs but I hate traveling. Also he never asks how much $ just sends a address and what it is. Always pays when I'm done. But also every job I've done for him he manages to always have a patch after I finish. So there's always a second or sometimes third trip witch he pays for. How far do you guys NORMALLY travel ?


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## icerock drywall (Nov 13, 2010)

drywallmike08 said:


> Work full time for a company. I also get a lot of side work ( nights and weekends ) for other builders. I've been doing small stuff for a guy for awhile now but the jobs keep getting further and further from home. He needs me to go do a bathroom 5 hour drive each way. At first I told him no. Then he called and said he can't find a local guy to do it and begged. I told him it's not gonna be cheap. He said it's no problem and reserved a motel room for me. I don't mind the jobs but I hate traveling. Also he never asks how much $ just sends a address and what it is. Always pays when I'm done. But also every job I've done for him he manages to always have a patch after I finish. So there's always a second or sometimes third trip witch he pays for. How far do you guys NORMALLY travel ?


 that would be a one day job. leave at 4:00 am and start work at 9:00am 3 coats and sand and wash done at 4:00 pm ...back home around 10:00 pm $ 1,800


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## drywallmike08 (May 27, 2010)

We do two coats and prime and texture. Normally a one day job but after a long drive then working I'm not driving back the same day !


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## icerock drywall (Nov 13, 2010)

drywallmike08 said:


> We do two coats and prime and texture. Normally a one day job but after a long drive then working I'm not driving back the same day !


I would charge him $2,000 then...but why texture?


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## drywallmike08 (May 27, 2010)

The rest of the house is textured. Almost everything here is texture.


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## McCallum and Sons (Nov 3, 2013)

I would think 10 hrs driving @ whatever wage you charge say $55.00, $550.00 12 hrs, tape, top, skim $660.00, material ? 150.00? mileage 350 mile @ .74 psi $260.00 add your time for mobilization/load up, extra for towing trailer (if applicable) $250 rt, sand/primer/TU $350,00 $2,220.00. But to answer your question, we travel wherever we have to. We had a build out contract on 80 small retail stores that were basically the same. Were in Oklahoma but over an 18 month span, we went to Wisconsin, Montana, Minnesota, Florida, South Carolina etc but I never had to actually go very much, but our guys did, but they were making serious bank


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## Empirical (May 13, 2014)

I sometimes do jobs for some of my builders or friends building second homes or hunting cabins in northern MI (about 4 hour drive), just for a break from the norm. Get a little work vacation! It just sucks when you get there and in the middle of the job one of your G/Cs calls and needs you to do a repair or walk a job. Then the vacation job becomes a rush and all you want is to be home.

I hope your getting compensated for the drive and not letting the guy get over on your kindness?


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## Mountain Man (Oct 28, 2012)

I'm staying in a cheap hotel as we speak. 2 1/2 hours from home, in another state, putting in 12 hour days on a nasty commercial (not my favorite) but whatever, I'm working. I work all over the are but not usuall much further than 3 hours away. It is what it is. If rather be working close to home but this popped up. Happy trails!!


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## keke (Mar 7, 2012)

drywallmike08 said:


> Work full time for a company. I also get a lot of side work ( nights and weekends ) for other builders. I've been doing small stuff for a guy for awhile now but the jobs keep getting further and further from home. He needs me to go do a bathroom 5 hour drive each way. At first I told him no. Then he called and said he can't find a local guy to do it and begged. I told him it's not gonna be cheap. He said it's no problem and reserved a motel room for me. I don't mind the jobs but I hate traveling. Also he never asks how much $ just sends a address and what it is. Always pays when I'm done. But also every job I've done for him he manages to always have a patch after I finish. So there's always a second or sometimes third trip witch he pays for. How far do you guys NORMALLY travel ?


I will be more then happy to have a deal like you-I travel every day 1hour
one way from my house to work(city)-this is mean just 8 ks - pay $15 for parking and get no many back :furious: this means you are a like guy and don't say no next time
not to mention I always late with the money


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## evolve991 (Jan 24, 2008)

icerock drywall said:


> that would be a one day job. leave at 4:00 am and start work at 9:00am 3 coats and sand and wash done at 4:00 pm ...back home around 10:00 pm $ 1,800


 
DAYYummmm That's it! This hanging crew is gonna start finishing too.


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## drywallmike08 (May 27, 2010)

The guy pays whatever I tell him no questions asked. He supply's all material even left a compressor on site for my hopper. I guess I'll keep doing it cuz he keeps me busy with side work. And I don't plan on being an employee to much longer !


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## keke (Mar 7, 2012)

drywallmike08 said:


> The guy pays whatever I tell him no questions asked. He supply's all material even left a compressor on site for my hopper. I guess I'll keep doing it cuz he keeps me busy with side work. And I don't plan on being an employee to much longer !


with such a good deal can't understand why you are still employee


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## Toontowntaper (Dec 16, 2012)

Drywallmike to answer this question would be I would travel around the world with my tools and would love to work with anyone of you guys


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## drywallmike08 (May 27, 2010)

Great answer. My only concern is I have a wife and the kids are getting to the age where they need me around more. Do I really want to use my spare time traveling ? I can always manage to find local stuff. I guess I also love a challenge.


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## drywallmike08 (May 27, 2010)

Well I'm here ! After mentioning it was gonna cost at least 150$ in fuel to drive over. He said oh no drive my truck it'll cost 50$ there and back. Score.... He even gave it to me with a full tank. I'll keep traveling for him.


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## drywallmike08 (May 27, 2010)

All done. I really enjoyed this job and the town was awesome


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## WhiteZone (May 22, 2014)

When I get offers for out of town work (120 miles or more round trip) I usually think of how there are sometimes days where I would gladly pay $100 for an extra hour of time with my family, so I usually pass.


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## keke (Mar 7, 2012)

Sunday traffic on the freeway ....c'mon guys.. bet there are better thing to do than driving around


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## JCD Constrn. (Aug 28, 2017)

Depends on how big of a job it is and if they have relationships with other potential clientele.


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## ChrisAPR (Sep 2, 2017)

Depends on the job. Here in montana I've traveled upwards of 5-6 hours before but rarely do it and prefer not to even with good money. It's got to be for a unique and important reason. Prefer to stay local, within an hour/hour and half radius. But our work with wedefineclean.net covers a lot of different situations, not always dealing with drywall...

So personal decision and determining how much you and the job are worth


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## CoralWurth (May 4, 2021)

Depends on the job.


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## ChurIAnus (May 4, 2021)

It seems to me that here depends on what you have. If you have a job where you always have to move, you sure will a lot of travel. It is usually quite interesting to travel so much, but it is still tiring and takes a lot of time for planning. Most of the time, you do the planning yourself, and for that, I can recommend African Jacana: Safety Reviews by Location Updated for 2021, where you can read the comments of others and their reviews about their trips to another country. It is pretty helpful to know when you will travel to foreign countries that you have not visited before.


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## 5StarCoLLC (May 7, 2021)

I work exclusivly out of town 25 days a month + My closest job might be 3 hours away but most the time it's 4-9 hours. I do it for the money, it's great but it's awful way to live life. I basicly live in my truck with my helper and go town to town to town and it sucks. Always missing your fam/kids. I wouldn't recommend it.. the town I live in isnt the largest here in Oregon and it's not easy to break in the local market and people here want everything for nothing, so I travel.


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## 5StarCoLLC (May 7, 2021)

McCallum and Sons said:


> I would think 10 hrs driving @ whatever wage you charge say $55.00, $550.00 12 hrs, tape, top, skim $660.00, material ? 150.00? mileage 350 mile @ .74 psi $260.00 add your time for mobilization/load up, extra for towing trailer (if applicable) $250 rt, sand/primer/TU $350,00 $2,220.00. But to answer your question, we travel wherever we have to. We had a build out contract on 80 small retail stores that were basically the same. Were in Oklahoma but over an 18 month span, we went to Wisconsin, Montana, Minnesota, Florida, South Carolina etc but I never had to actually go very much, but our guys did, but they were making serious bank


I am GC here in Oregon and Washington state. I had to get a license for both/ bond for both but my insurance did work for both so that was nice... with you working in all those states, did you have to get a license in each? Is there a way or loophole to not be licensed to in all the states? I get work from manufactured home companies and I try and stick to Oregon/WA but they do ask me to go to Cali, Nevada, Idaho etc but I decline because I'm sick of spending money to LLC in each state, bond in each state and test/license and fees in each state! LMK ! -Danny


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