How busy are you guys?

FloridaOrange

FloridaOrange

Plumbing Designer
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Just wondering how's everyones work load, New construction and service guys please chime in.

SW Florida residential market is dead, expected to last at least another 12 months. Commercial work is still moving, though large jobs in general are on hold. Our remodel/expansion market is decent but large jobs are far and few between.

I have a good friend out in Oklahoma (Tulsa I think) who has more work than he can handle. He's a master plumber who also builds new houses with his brother.

I've heard the Dallas area is still going strong.
 
avareage here for service work

I got out of the new constructioin a long time
ago ......for many reasons

Only service and repair for me....nothing else....
ever again.

the serivce work is fair in INDY...


the new work has totally crashed and burned. and I
am getting calls from the "dead wood"
plumbers who have been laid off wanting another job....


anybody in new construction can figure on a down turn
just about anywhere in the usa...

and when the dust settles, you can probably expect to do the very same size house you did this year for
30% less next year...

less work around and more plumbers available fighting for the same table scraps


service is the only way to survive the ups and downs


 
High water pressure

keeps me gainfully employed along with gas line leaks.

I bought 23 expansion tanks (20 sml 3 lge) and 20 PRV's tuesday.

Averaging 6 days a week and always nailing a service call or two on sundays.

After next wednesday I will have installed 7 PRV's and 12 expansion tanks in the past couple weeks. I did a full page ad regarding this topic and I'm cashing out like a gambler at a ******. marchmellow.gif
 
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Southern Utah, Mesquite or Las Vegas Nevada can't get enough commercial plumbers... Same for residential although Las Vegas has slowed down. If you are a pipe fitter this is the place to be. A pipe welder can walk into Las Vegas today and burn rod tomorrow...
 
Mark and RUGGED, same here.
I don't touch new construction...it's better for large shops looking to fill the schedule for payroll.
I do remodels and they are money makers...as well as service.
This time of year is always slow, experience has taught me to bank every dime I can when it's busy and enjoy the time when it's slow.
 
Here in Phoenix the new construction market has not crashed yet - still going strong (commercial) but in residential it has slowed markedly...
 
It seems all those advertising dollars are paying off right now. This is usually our slowest time with our northern friends being up north. We are about 6% above last year at this time.
 
GrumpyPlumber said:
I do remodels and they are money makers...as well as service.
Click to expand...


I turned down a real good office remodel involving putting in a kitchen, laundry area and other items. Probably 5 to 7 grand job but I am in no way set up to run that kind of work.

I could however pull permits and have someone else do it and make a dime but IF they catch you doing it, it's more than a slap on the wrist these days. I'll stick to just referring to another plumber. I'm banking favors and I have a better go at that than anything when it comes pinch time.

I got a horrible job to do monday and I don't even want to think about it; 1.5" main gas valve is defective, have to use a left/right coupling and nipple to make this repair and my horizontal is running right against the joists.

I figure the only I'm going to get this new valve in is to lower that pipe off the ceiling gradually over a period of twenty feet so that no fittings are stressed. I hate jobs like this but this customer just spent $1230 with me in the past 7 days.
 
RUGGED said:
I turned down a real good office remodel involving putting in a kitchen, laundry area and other items. Probably 5 to 7 grand job but I am in no way set up to run that kind of work.

I could however pull permits and have someone else do it and make a dime but IF they catch you doing it, it's more than a slap on the wrist these days. I'll stick to just referring to another plumber. I'm banking favors and I have a better go at that than anything when it comes pinch time.

I got a horrible job to do monday and I don't even want to think about it; 1.5" main gas valve is defective, have to use a left/right coupling and nipple to make this repair and my horizontal is running right against the joists.

I figure the only I'm going to get this new valve in is to lower that pipe off the ceiling gradually over a period of twenty feet so that no fittings are stressed. I hate jobs like this but this customer just spent $1230 with me in the past 7 days.
Click to expand...

I wish you were in my area...I like your thinking...it's either too busy or too slow so I do what I can to pass new customers onto friends and they in return.
As for the gas...You have a 700?
They run around 12-1500 new, but you can get a used for less.
You might get it off the joist far enough to cut in a union...left/right couplings aren't legal here.
 
I'll have to post a picture this weekend of our construction.
When I go down I-405 near Bellevue, I can quickly count 12 cranes for high rises.
Every cow pasture is sprouting homes and condos.
They just rolled out the Boeing 787 composite airplane, and Microsoft is building more and more office space.
The price of housing here, just goes up every month.
I'm feeling pretty good about it.
 
Terry said:
I'll have to post a picture this weekend of our construction.
When I go down I-405 near Bellevue, I can quickly count 12 cranes for high rises.
Every cow pasture is sprouting homes and condos.
They just rolled out the Boeing 787 composite airplane, and Microsoft is building more and more office space.
The price of housing here, just goes up every month.
I'm feeling pretty good about it.
Click to expand...

RUN!!!
I'm moving there!!!
 
GrumpyPlumber said:
As for the gas...You have a 700?
They run around 12-1500 new, but you can get a used for less.
You might get it off the joist far enough to cut in a union...left/right couplings aren't legal here.
Click to expand...


Shocking moment on this thread: I have no power equipment for pipe threading. :( I hand thread all of it including this 1.5" piping come monday. Takes some real good upper body strength to turn it. I've been doing this for years and until recently, rarely do gas lines and I've done 3 calls in the past two weeks. :confused:

What do you all use, companion flanges? I'd love to use them as it makes the job simplistic but they only allow that in commercial only. They figure some homeowner might borrow a nut and bolt out of the assembly to fix their lawnmower I guess. :eek:

I wish left/right couplings were illegal, they are hard to get started sometimes and your measurements need to be spot-on to keep it looking good. Unions are only allowed where they serve the appliance it feeds, not on a main line.
 
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very slow in INDY

the economy in INDY is going to implode...its just
a matter of when-- and I would LOVE TO BE IN SEATTLE

thanks to the Mayor and govenor raiseing property
taxes on every home-owner on average 90 to 500%

this city is going bankrupt due to corruption and total incompetence
and everyone is up in arms over watching their property taxes on an
average home worth 135k going from 2000 per year
up to 5000 per year and much more in many cases.

one fellows taxes in an expensive area of town
went from 2500 to 8900..!!!! He was on tv squealing .....
be cause he cant pay the tax and he cant sell the home either
with the taxes so high....



so right now no one is spending a dime more than they have to.
....even on service work.

everyone is stunned and in shock and awe at this large in crease and
debt that has been laid upon them and they dont know what to do....


two plumbers on the North side of town have
recently gone belly up and I went to the Auction one
of them had...been around since 1900 and lost his butt in new work
and commercial construction

I am thinking about buying his phone number and clients......
that is for sale, but I dont know what that would be worth



another plumber that has 35+ trucks recently closed two
branches and "consloidated" the office into one
central shop..... that is a bad sign

this big fellow sort of reminds me of an aircraft carrier with the deck full of
planes...... that is beginning to list to port....smoke comming out of the boilers....
this fellow spends at least 20k a month
on advertiseing and I know due to the property tax issues
that his phone still aint ringing...


I am watching to see when the boot is going to fall
for some of these big guys too... you just cant keep burning
money month after month waiting for things to resolve themselves
amongst corrupt politicians


The govenor (who is a rich weeine) just last week recinded the property tax hike
even though he caused the problem--now he is trying to make himself out to be
good guy....becasue he was afraid of the fallout ...
and their have been angry threats .....
they have 4 guards posted at the tax office....

but people still dont trust their government right now....

its a bad thing to be living in the middle of...



I am sitting here on Sat morning drinking coffe....
and I am very glad I dont have any overhead or
rotten employees bleeding me dry.
 
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