What today won't bring.......

Well, it has been one of them weeks. Work has been slow here and I finally got a few calls last week for estimates. I was pretty sure I would get a couple of them.....but now I am not so sure I will get any of them.

I bid a small 19 square ranch with 2 layers of tear off with 30 Year O/C. I bid it at $3900 hoping to get it....the guy called me yesterday to let me know he was hiring someone else...I asked him how bad I got beat on the bid and he said by over $500, close to $1000!! How can someone do this job for $3000 or so?? Must be someone just supplementing their unemployment check!!

I hope I dont have to bid against them all summer........

2ndgen Said:

twill59 Said: Yes it is open season. And guess who is NOT the hunter, but the hunted? I dont know if it will be worth even putting gas in my truck this year.

Oh wait, gas is going up. FIRST time in my roofing career that it has me concerned. Prolly cause I might not be working. So THIS is how the other half live.....

True, but now, Im like this prey...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNGGbozilko

:angry:

Now theres justice!! :laugh:

twill59 Said: Yes it is open season. And guess who is NOT the hunter, but the hunted? I dont know if it will be worth even putting gas in my truck this year.

Oh wait, gas is going up. FIRST time in my roofing career that it has me concerned. Prolly cause I might not be working. So THIS is how the other half live.....

True, but now, I'm like this prey...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNGGbozilko

:angry:

RandyB1986 Said: Well, it has been one of them weeks. Work has been slow here and I finally got a few calls last week for estimates. I was pretty sure I would get a couple of them.....but now I am not so sure I will get any of them.

I bid a small 19 square ranch with 2 layers of tear off with 30 Year O/C. I bid it at $3900 hoping to get it....the guy called me yesterday to let me know he was hiring someone else...I asked him how bad I got beat on the bid and he said by over $500, close to $1000!! How can someone do this job for $3000 or so?? Must be someone just supplementing their unemployment check!!

I hope I dont have to bid against them all summer........

Material, easily $2,000. Dumping, regional prices, but about $200. max. 2 days labor/2 men, say 1 helper at $160. + labor of bidder. Expenses for those two days (rent, gas, insurances, cell, etc...), maybe $300.

Looks like that "roofer" will clear about $340. in two days. Which will promptly go right to the Meth dealer.

Tuff it out Randy. Hang in there.

TRG.......thanks, I needed that.

Yeah Roofguy....the storm chasers killed us here the last 5-6 years. I remember in 1993 when I went in business for myself, we had gotten a hail storm and I quit my job as a golf course supt. and within 3 weeks I had enough work booked to last the next year!! I was chittin in tall cotton.

Fast forward to today and when a storm hits we better get what we can get in the first week, because after that the chasers invade with huge groups of canvassers....the illegals follow......and the work is half ass done in less than 3 months.

With a little luck, maybe the IRS and DOL will help us out someday soon. If they would only make these pimps classify 1099 subs as employees, make us all pay W/C........things would seem more fair.

I found out one reason I got beat on the price...I used my suppliers price on O/C shingles instead of the box stores. $80 a square has a hard time pricing against $55 a square, thats 25%+. I was at a disadvantage from the start!

That burns me up......

This is nothing new guys. Been going on since the beginning of time. lol I combat this by focusing on the upperscale areas and avoiding the others. I decline to bid on roughly 25% of the leeds that come in due to being out of my service area. The driving time, gas, etc. is too high and the return is too low. I stick to the jobs that are close by and not as price competitive. No this does not entirely eliminate the price wars and i don't think thats even possible no matter what. But being the local company with an excellent reputation and an office in a prime location in the center of the upperscale areas for more than 15 years is a big advantage. I dont try to gouge customers for ridiculous profits and im not a lowballer either. My goal is to be the middle bid. Offering top quality service before, during and after the sale for a "FAIR" price.

That's why the good lord made the insurance companies for lol.If it weren't for them we would be starving here.We almost never hear back on our estimates from the customers who pay cash.

I'm hitting 40% over my competitors and I'm at 1990 prices. They are working for nothing or they are not paying comp.& insurance. Bid a reflash on a Huge chimney on a slate roof in a valley. very labor intensive with a lot of soldering at $1500.00 and the guys said He's going to price shop.

i hope thats not a sign of things to come around here. i would have bid the job at $4700.00 Might have went down to $4500.00 if i needed work bad. i usually get most of the ones i bid on.

years ago, when I'd post something like this, "they'd" say I didn't know how to sell......

But me being in Michigan, the first state to go into the bad times, I know thats not true. Its a hard fight, looking back, probably not worth it. Probably better to put your time, money and energy into something else. good luck.