"Gotta Love this Economy" Topic

Last year I accepted bids to do some work on my house. They came back so high I decided to do the work myself.

This year I asked for bids on one of the jobs (didn't get around to doing it myself as my kid bought a house and my time was spent fixing up his place).

All the bits were 65% or less than last year. Some from the same folks. Plus I got them to do a bunch of other stuff just for the opportunity to have their bids accepted!

What a great economy!! Seems the building industry is going to be really reasonable for a while here. If you need a little work done on your abode, may I suggest you look into it at this time.

There goes all my Tax Refunds, Gift from the Government, and fun money . . . but at least I won't be stuck fixing the roof, messing with the vents and doing honey do's next year.

Oh yeah, made damn sure there were no illegal workers on the job as well.

mjc

I found the same thing. We've been doing some repairs on the house and it's a buyers market right now for home improvement. I'm going to go ahead and put in new flooring in the apartment in the Fall because everyone is hungry for work.

I have to agree, even here in Texas where they still seem to be building the prices have dropped. Reminds me, I need to hire somebody to lay some carpet.

LLC aka Ron

I'd rejoice with you if I didn't know that the reduction in bid amount probably signifies that that company is struggling to stay alive and probably had to lay off some of it's work force. Granted if has to be them or me that goes hungry I choose them…just don't think I'd brag about it.

Topkick,

The construction industry has become overrun with illegals in my neck of the woods. You will note, I made damn sure the guys working on my place were US citizens – company involved will be paying them benefits (how many construction workers do you know that get benefits?) and the workers will be paying taxes.

It may be a drop in the bucket but we have to start somewhere.

Yeah, I'll brag about it.

mjc

Wow, I wish it worked that way around here.

In this area, whenever you talk to a contractor about anything, they secretly put an invisible little dot on your cheek, so that the next time they talk to you, they can remember to raise the price by two grand. (Or, seeing some competitor's invisible dot, they raise it by three grand just to be on the safe side.)

Didn't mean to tick you off quidveritas. I know some guys who have spent a lifetime working hard and building up a business and now are having to lay off good people and may lose the business because people keep cancelling projects "because of the economy". Different sides of the same coin, I guess.

And for what it's worth – The illegals are a big part of the problem or to be more accurate the unscrupulous contractors who hire them for crap wages thus screwing both the trained worker and the illegal day laborer. On that issue we are in complete agreement.

[ The illegals are a big part of the problem or to be more accurate the unscrupulous contractors who hire them for crap wages thus screwing both the trained worker and the illegal day laborer. On that issue we are in complete agreement.]

Ultimately the blame has to fall on the customer who wants to save money by hiring the unscrupulous contractor.

It's like the people who moan about the decline of the local manufacturing industry and how it's not good that we have a massive trade deficit and buy everything from abroad, yet… Give them the choice between paying more and paying less, and suddenly their scruples and their eco-social concerns mysteriously vanish.

Sam -

You just described the Wal-mart Syndrome. Unfortunatley by the time people wake up the other businesses are gone.