Greetings, Keith Long here with Thunderheart Flooring out of Greeley, Colorado.
I welcome anyone, contractor or not, to read these posts. Since the format for these posts is a contractor blog, I focus on what I do as a contractor pertaining to subfloor preparation, installation, sand, stain, finish (leading by example), or what I believe are important mindsets or practices for me to have (also leading by example).
I want to make a point of distinction—my writing style of “I did this, then I did that…”, and “I believe this is important… I read this book and found value in it…” could come across as self-centered since it’s all "I, I, I…" "Me, me, me…"
My point is, the reason I am out of bed at 5 a.m. this morning and sharing my thoughts with you all on this blog post is because I care about your success. I consciously choose to say, “I do this… I read that…” instead of, “You should do this… You should read that… ” specifically because I don’t believe it’s my right to tell you or anyone else what to do.
I’m leading by example. If you see something I say or do as possibly having some significance to your life or business, feel free to take that lead. I welcome anyone to try the techniques I implement in my business—if desired. I also welcome anyone to read the books I mention that I have read and benefited from. However, I have no vested interest in cramming this information down anyone’s throat. It’s here for anyone who wants it.
The way I see wood floor contracting, showing up on time and maintaining a clean job site is 90 percent of being successful in this industry. Over the course of the next several posts, let’s delve deep into the other 10 percent, as I show you, in detail, what steps I take, and what order I take them in, to convert this space into hardwood flooring:
All of the work I contract for and perform is remodel. I work for exactly zero new construction builders at this stage in my career. [Note from the editor: See Keith's article, "How I Ditched the New Construction Blues" and his video post on the same topic.] This has been the case for a few years now. My reasoning for this is because I have learned that some of the general contractors in my area that are building new homes cause scheduling problems by booking a start date with my company, then repeatedly attempting to push the start date back because some other trade didn’t get done on time.
I work for exactly zero new construction builders at this stage in my career.
Other general contractors have plenty of jobs and could keep a flooring contractor busy, but they don’t have furnaces installed, and in some instances the HVAC duct work has not even been run yet. They don’t want to acclimate the hardwood flooring, since as soon as the painters leave, they expect the hardwood flooring contractor to come in and start laying wood. Many of these homes don’t even have a front doorknob or a deadbolt installed—just two holes and that little white plastic piece that comes from the factory to stick through where the doorknob should latch to keep it closed.
Other general contractors in my area seem to run a little tighter ship, but experience has taught me the vast majority of them are extremely price-sensitive. They are willing to sever the relationship with my company, a known quantity as far as reliability to show up and complete the job on time with excellent craftsmanship, for an unknown quantity that is willing to do the job for $0.05 per square foot less than what I charge.
It didn’t seem to matter which category these general contractors were in, my experience was that when it came to collection of final payment, it was like pulling teeth. I didn’t enjoy feeling as if I had to get an Act of Congress to pass each time I wanted to get paid for jobs I had done and done correctly.
I have touched all these hot stoves in my career thus far and have been burned by each one of them. I want to put out high-quality work in a realistic time frame and be well-compensated for it. Going back to a hot stove, putting my hand on it and becoming burned as a result doesn’t get me there. So, I work for no general contractors in my area.
I have found that remodel work is satisfying and does get my company to where it wants to go. It allows me to provide a necessary service to people who are grateful for the cleanliness and attention to detail. They gladly pay well and on time as soon as the job is complete, since that is the expectation that has been set. They’re excited to see the improvements take place in their home. It gives me lots of satisfaction to work with homeowners.
Let’s pick it up next week as I get specific about what I do, and what order I do it in to remove carpet and prepare the subfloor.
Until then, stay sharp!
