Thursday, February 9, 2012
Sunday, January 22, 2012
We are all surviving The Great Recession, more or less.
In Colorado, most any wholesaler or competitor that we know will disagree that we are not still in a recession. We still hear widely varying reports from contractors on how much work is out there. I am interested in how the times have changed us humans, so I will share some of my observations. Homeowners are interested in incredible deals for cheap. This is hard on everybody. There are hidden ways that manufacturers are cheapening their products to survive, e.g. narrowing their warranty, making their products smaller, or reducing staff. It drives wages down and forces contractors to cut corners. We know one contractor that removed the word “Quality” from his company name as he felt that potential customers would assume his prices would be too high. Many contractors get a job, and since they and their crew have been idle, start the job immediately. Any delays due to weather, special orders, etc. are painful. We hear of many job cancellations, even after homeowners have signed contracts.
Oddly, though people are intensely careful about their spending, careful planning is not common. Siding choices many times change after one type has been purchased and delivered. Homeowners often become angry if they have to pay for their own mistakes. Many contractors and homeowners are trying to shift the design portion of jobs to us, because we are “free” and then it is our fault if the material list is incorrect. PDF’s have replaced blueprints, that just a couple of years ago were an automatic part of the deal. This makes it easy for the building owner to transfer any printing prices to bidders.
One profound change that has occurred is that many people’s time has lost much of its value. To me this is a disturbing change, as many we meet will get twice as many bids for labor and material, for jobs that they may not even be serious about! This puts pressure on contractors to quote lots of jobs hoping to get a few. It puts pressure on us to split our time between serious business and unprofitable efforts, without appearing rude.
Luckily most of the people we meet are friendly and honest. We appreciate your loyalty; it keeps us here!
Oddly, though people are intensely careful about their spending, careful planning is not common. Siding choices many times change after one type has been purchased and delivered. Homeowners often become angry if they have to pay for their own mistakes. Many contractors and homeowners are trying to shift the design portion of jobs to us, because we are “free” and then it is our fault if the material list is incorrect. PDF’s have replaced blueprints, that just a couple of years ago were an automatic part of the deal. This makes it easy for the building owner to transfer any printing prices to bidders.
One profound change that has occurred is that many people’s time has lost much of its value. To me this is a disturbing change, as many we meet will get twice as many bids for labor and material, for jobs that they may not even be serious about! This puts pressure on contractors to quote lots of jobs hoping to get a few. It puts pressure on us to split our time between serious business and unprofitable efforts, without appearing rude.
Luckily most of the people we meet are friendly and honest. We appreciate your loyalty; it keeps us here!
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
How To Tell A Real Lumberyard
A real lumberyard:
>Carries wood up to 20’
>The staff knows how to read a tape measure
>Special orders aren’t a special hassle, but welcomed
>Carries lumber grades for their usefulness, not a grade enabling a low price
>Delivers at a reasonable rate within a same or next day basis
>Helps you load your materials
>Has extensive experience selling materials, not just extensive experience
>Goes by a name, not a employee number
>Carries an extensive inventory – not just the “key” items
Want to shop at a real lumberyard? Stop by today!
>Carries wood up to 20’>The staff knows how to read a tape measure
>Special orders aren’t a special hassle, but welcomed
>Carries lumber grades for their usefulness, not a grade enabling a low price
>Delivers at a reasonable rate within a same or next day basis
>Helps you load your materials
>Has extensive experience selling materials, not just extensive experience
>Goes by a name, not a employee number
>Carries an extensive inventory – not just the “key” items
Want to shop at a real lumberyard? Stop by today!
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
TREX
This is not to be interpreted as a warranty nor should any of these hints override any of Trex’s own instructions. Please refer to their full instructions or call 1-800-BUY-TREX or access www.trex.com Decking material should be AT least the newer versions of “1x” or 2x material (Trex or otherwise). Trex is NOT structural and should not be used for supporting posts, joists or beams. Save the 1x for trim, fascia etc. We suggest that you ALWAYS use the 2x6 boards on stairs. Prevent waviness or “warping” of Trex by storing as flat as possible. Placing it directly on a driveway is a popular and certainly adequate method. However, the preferred method of storage is to lay the Trex across multiple “stickers”, that are approximately 24” apart (2x4’s or other scraps of lumber placed underneath to hold and support the product off the ground). Do not use treated lumber for this purpose as it can stain the Trex. Avoid laying Trex directly on rock or gravel beds or other irregular surface to prevent any marring of the product.COLORS
ALL
Trex colors fade somewhat. These hues: Madeira Red, Woodland Brown and
Saddle Brown fade a very nominal 3-5%. In essence, they’ll remain the
same color. Winchester Gray will change to a medium-gray. Regardless of
their beginning status, all boards of the same color will eventually
fade to a similar color. Each piece of Trex has red or black printing
along the side of the board. This will indicate the source of that
particular board including the plant, shift and year manufactured. We
recommend that you re-cut both ends of each piece of Trex to obtain a
clean crisp end. We recommend that you
keep at least one end “scrap” for possible reference in theunlikely event of a warranty claim. Always verify that the entire shipment you receive is the same color, BEFORE the project begins. Remember some of the pieces you receive may have faded more than others. Although Trex is a man-made material, each batch (this can mean different lengths or sizes) may start out as slightly different colors due to the manufacturing and distribution/ storage/handling process. Not to worry though, all will fade to the same general hue. Please allow approximately two months for Trex to attain its final color.
keep at least one end “scrap” for possible reference in theunlikely event of a warranty claim. Always verify that the entire shipment you receive is the same color, BEFORE the project begins. Remember some of the pieces you receive may have faded more than others. Although Trex is a man-made material, each batch (this can mean different lengths or sizes) may start out as slightly different colors due to the manufacturing and distribution/ storage/handling process. Not to worry though, all will fade to the same general hue. Please allow approximately two months for Trex to attain its final color.
The New Transcends version of Trex are colorfast in
the following colors: TreeHouse, Gravel Path, Firepit, Vintage Lantern,
Lava Rock and Spiced Rum.
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