Hows that recession going boys!!!!

[Jim Farrell Tiler]

things have slowed down here with several big contracts going belly up and the money men going bankrupt (seems that they dont actually have any real money) and the domestic work has slowed down with the pricing getting competitive (low) but there is still work about hows things stateside we get the odd news about every second house over there going up for mortgagee auction

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[Shooter]

Well Jim, I have lost quite a bit of very hard earned money and I am not too happy about it. But that doesn't make me any different from anyone else around here either, but it still doesn't make me happy. There are several good contracts available and no lack of work in the foreseeable future. But that would mean travel, and I was hoping to stay close to home to my family and young children, and go into semi-retirement. But now I am not too sure what the future holds. I could take several job opportunities stateside, but that would mean a total re-location from where I live now, and my wife having to move her practice. I am gonna wait and see what happens in the next few weeks. :(

[Jim Farrell Tiler]

family first i always say, and chasing work around the country usually ends in disaster, better the devil you know eh.

[Rob Z]

Hi Jim,

Even my best customer of all time, for whom every project was an open slate for me to do what I wished, has told me to cut back on the current project. :(

The bad news that there are a lot of people that are losing their houses. The good news is that there are still a lot of people that are making the mortgage payments and still in their houses. It hasn't gotten to the point of "every second house" yet. :eek:

[scuttlebuttrp]

Been fighting to keep working since the end of '06. Phone became extremely quiet around November last year. Mostly just calls wanting to know a price and then I'll call you tommorrow. They never call back. You wouldn't beleive how many rollover minutes I have built up.
But compared to others I know I'm doing great. I know guys that haven't worked in almost two years now except when I hired them to come help on some of my jobs. They did nothing but new construction for others and now can't seem to figure out how to meet contractors and homeowners at all.

[Mountain Tile]

Things are bad here, It just keeps getting slower and slower. I got a few jobs lined up, but nothing for a couple weeks. Last summer I turned work down every week, could'nt keep up, now it's dead. I waste so much time looking at jobs and working on qoutes that I don't get. Last year my percentage of jobs landed was about 75%, now it's like 10%

[cx]

Yeah, not at all good here in the USofA, Jim. Even those of us who were trying pretty hard not to do much work are seeing the need to take whatever work we can get. I wanted to be semi-retard like my hero JB, but when fifty-something percent of your nest egg disappears into thin air, makes a fella a lot less comfortable about his position, eh?

And while the "every second house" thing y'all hear about may be valid in small pockets around the country, it doesn't appear to be anything close to the norm, yet.

I think it's gonna look a lot more gloomy by this time next year, though. :(

My opinion; worth price charged.

[Levi the Tile Guy]

Same boat here in colorado. Stayed slammed until January of this year, since then have done one small job that another guy botched and I had to go tear out and fix. Numerous contractors rushed to get roofs on, and then closed the doors saying they will continue in spring. We'll see.

[cx]

Thought that drying-in and waiting for Spring was a normal sequence of construction for y'all out there in residential building, Levi. Not so?

[Levi the Tile Guy]

Thought that drying-in and waiting for Spring was a normal sequence of construction for y'all out there in residential building, Levi. Not so?

Not the last few years. Heck last January I took a huge T&G soffit, facia, and siding job in January in steamboat springs. When it wasn't snowing it averaged less than 10 deg. But normally winter is busy for me tile wise. All the new stuff starts in spring / summer so the indoor stuff can be wrapped up during the cold months. Thank god for bucket warmers

[Davestone]

Honestly...it's very close to 50% here.Which is about the percentage of jobs i get, the money i make compared to a few years back,the percentage of optimism i have compared to before, and the percentage of people i know losing everything.....other than that things are pretty good.:yeah:

[Rob Z]

BTW Jim, two of my customers are down in your neck of the woods right now on vacation. They just sent an email and said they are having a fine time. :tup1:

[Shaughnn]

Well, I hate to brighten your harsh folks, but I've actually got a little good news to share. Things have been pretty down up here in Seattle also, with a number of my suppliers laying off substantial chunks of their sales and warehouse staffs. This last February though, it seems like everyone has seen a big spike in the residential remodel clientele. Commercial is dead and will probably remain that way through NEXT year, as projects take a while to ramp back up after the money starts flowing again. But the occupied residential market looks like it's found some confidence. I got few calls each month from October through January, but I've had around 15 calls in February alone. I'm looking at late-May now where I was worried just a few weeks ago if I was going to have anything for late-March.
Maybe I'm too much of an optimist but I sincerely think that there is a light far off in the distance. We'll get there, but we're all going to have to do our part to meet it half-way.
Best of luck to everyone!,
Shaughnn

[Tilehelperdan]

I haven't worked in ten weeks and most of the setters are only getting 10-20 hours a week. I was supposed to go back when they started on a college dorm, but that plan changed and now they don't need a helper on the job. Residental is being bid so close that the shop is just eeking out a couple hundred on the jobs, so no room for me there.

Im actually looking at getting into concrete because there is a big highway project starting soon. Talked to the concrete BA and he said they are expecting a spike in work in the next couple months.

No kidding guys, im kinda scared. Unemployment is running out and I really don't want to have to sell my jeep. I have money saved, but that will only last three or four months with no cash comin in. :(

[sandbagger]

Maybe I'm too much of an optimist but I sincerely think that there is a light far off in the distance. I don't really think you're being too optimisitc, Shaughnn. There's a very simple thing called an "average" that comes into play. Over time averages tend to be remarkably consistent; even predictable. For example, Americans move - on average - every five years. We are far and a way the most mobile society in the world. Those moves alone mean a lot of remodeling and "fix up." No doubt people are moving less today than a year ago. But somewhere down the road the pent up demand will break loose. It always happens.

Same for remodeling. Those ugly kitchens are still ugly. Showers are still leaking. You can only put it off so long. Averages always win in the long run. :nod:

New construction? Obviously that is going to take longer to sort out. But that only means there will probably be more remodeling as people opt to just stay put for awhile. Averages always win.

[oogabooga]

Unfortunately we're headed down the same path as you guys in the US I think. New construction has almost come to a standstill. The wife and I get a weekly e-mail of new building consents from our local authority - it's dropped off dramatically. So far we've been very busy, but 6 to 12 months from now?:shrug:

Shops are closing down and some large companies are pulling out of NZ, the signs are not good. From what I hear many other countries are in the same boat, and that boat has sprung quite a few leaks:(. Those that manage to survive, I believe, will really prosper when things turn around.

Rob.

[tilelayer]

I'm with Shaughnn I think there's work, but you actually need to work to get it like the old days. People are so lazy and want everything handed to them, its the truth. For example i snow plow also i plowed last Monday and the other sub contractors park their trucks and hide and sleep while they are on the clock while I work every minute that I am paid, when the storm slowed down all the subs got sent home and the employees for the contractor continued to work will exept for me they let me stay on with the employees because they know i don't sleep on the job or plow slow.

Same with tiling alot of guys just want everything given to them. I think if you work a bit harder you can pull through and when things get better you will really be on top in the game.

[The Kid]

Things are looking up once again out here, sold 3 decent size jobs last week. Im gonna space em out alittle so things are steady. Im not sure if people are getting there taxs back or what but at least there is life out there.