Contracts are for everyone.

Many years ago I was hired to do a remodelling job for a customer at a set price. I was new to running a business and never drew up a contract. I did the job that I was hired to do, everything went well, it looked great, but I had given the owner an estimated time that I figured it would take to complete the job. I worked extra hard on the project and finished it in half the amount of time that I had estimated it to take. When I called the owner to let him know I had completed the job, he was surprised I had finished it so soon. I scheduled to meet with him and his wife at the job site the following evening to get paid. When I arrived, they had been there for a while and had the chance to look over all that was done. They both were very pleased with the work and complimented my work repeatedly. I presented the bill to them and asked for the money due, which we had agreed to before work was done. He looked at it and said, I can not pay you this amount as you finished it in half the time, I will only pay you half this amount. At that moment, I learned a valuable lesson about contracts, they are for you as much as they are for your customer. Contracts are for the protection of both parties, without one you are screwed. I spent nearly 3 hours arguing with this customer and got no where, except that I was unhappy with them and they no longer liked me. I lost in two ways, one I did not get paid fairly for the work I did and two I had a customer that would never recommend my service to anyone else. Had I written the contract and had them sign it, I would never have had to spend all that time in argument, I would have been able to file a claim on it which I definitely would have won. My lesson-- always write a contract, no matter how much you may trust the party you are working for.

How things have changed

Not that long ago if I needed to make a phone call, I had to jump in the truck and find the nearest payphone. I would carry change for just that occasion. I wrote up all my invoices, bids, estimates and proposals by hand. I would draw up plans with paper and pencil. I would take pictures, then wait till the film was used up in the camera before taking it in to be developed. Then I might wait a week to get the pictures. My office consisted of a telephone mounted on the wall, the kitchen table, paper and pencil. Checks were written by hand. Times have changed. Now I have a desktop computer and a laptop, laser printer, picture printer, fax machine, scanner, digital camera, shredder, 4 cell phones, and more emails than I can handle. Software has eliminated so much work to minutes with chief architect, quick books accounting, picture programs and the list goes on and on. I now do my banking online without writing checks. Every resource available is at my fingertips. I remember thinking that our ancestors had it rough without running water and electricity, now my grandchildren think I had it rough without the computer age. If things have changed this much in 20 years, just think what the next 20 will bring.

Planning to build

This morning I received an e-mail from a prospective customer. They stated that they had found me as a preferred builder from an Internet plan service. I am always happy to get such e-mails and of course I responded. There are some things you need to consider though with building any project. First, it is impossible for any builder to give and accurate estimate of costs without viewing the actual site and meeting face to face with any prospective customer. By doing this it will give you a chance to see if you can work with this builder. You can see what type of truck he drives, how he dresses, what kind of personality he has. These will all become very important to you later if you hire this guy. Any changes to the plan can be gone over in detail, and you can express your expectations from him. Also, before an accurate price can be quoted a great deal of specifics need to be addressed, such as cabinetry, carpet selections, flooring, paint, fixtures... your choices can greatly affect the cost. Choice of a builder is an important one and referrals are an excellent place to start, but do your homework, find out what professional organizations your builder belongs to, and ask very specific questions, such as, when you start a project do you work on it everyday until completion? By doing this you can save yourself many headaches later on. Do your homework, select wisely, you will be glad you did.

Knives, fun to collect.

I am a bit of a collector of knives, pocket knives for the most part. After the hammer, I use my knife as much as any other tool. I like the self opening knives that open themselves with a flick of the wrist. I guess its a guy thing. I really enjoy practicing flicking my blade out and then back in with one hand. I also like to keep my knife really sharp, so I take my time in making sure it is very sharp. I, as a rule do not loan my knife to someone for fear they might hurt themselves with it. I purchased a spring assisted knife one day, but seldom carry it as I prefer others without that feature, for me the others work faster anyway. I carry knives in my truck in many different locations and almost always have one in my pocket. I also keep at least one on the bed stand and one in my wife's car for just in case. Knife's, like any other tool are hard to walk by where ever they might be sold, I guess that's good for business and the economy isn't it.

Thinking of remodelling?

If you have been thinking about remodelling for some time now and are not sure where to start or what can be done, don't feel alone. Many people look at their home and know they need to do something, but just don't know where to start.

Before you go out and hire and architect interior designer, I would consider looking for and experienced builder with a good reputation of being honest and helpful. Architects can be helpful, especially with design to make sure additions compliment the home instead of making it look like and awful after site. Your builder if any good at all should be able to tell you what options are available to compensate your needs, for a great savings to you. Unfortunately, the builder is sometimes the last person brought into the loop and really should be the first. A good builder can give many money saving suggestions for a fraction of the cost. He can also recommend a good architect to bring in when and if that is necessary. Interior designers should not be consulted in my opinion until the basic structure is complete. They can be very helpful with suggestions for trim, paint and general decor such as blinds and fixture selection. Take it slow at first and make decisions to hire based on solid recommendations from professional organizations such as Home Builders Associations and Chamber of Commerce or Better Business Bureau

Dealing with the cold

The cold of winter can be a challenge for many workers. Some, just can't bare the cold, others the cold never seems to bother. A part of that is our physical make-up, better blood circulation or something. I know that some workers just can't seem to stay warm, which for me personally is a puzzle because working in the cold has never been a problem, as a matter of fact, I find more work gets done in the cold than in the hot. But, if the cold is hard for you to tolerate, I have a few suggestions.

Try layering light weight clothes, not so many that you can't move, because if you put too much on and the clothes are too tight, and you'll cut off circulation anyway. For me, if the wind gets down my neck, that will put a chill on me quickly, so I always where a hooded jacket. Never wear more clothes than you need to stay comfortable, not hot! Too warm and you start sweating, then the wet undergarments get cold, and not too long after that, your cold. The two areas most people have trouble keeping warm are the feet and the hands. Wear a hat, most of your bodies heat exits the head, just as heat rises and leaves a building through the roof your body is no different. For the feet, I recommend wearing a good waterproofed boot along with a good pair of hunting socks should be enough, some require insulated. If your feet tend to get cold anyway, you might have to go to a boot with removable liner, if you use this option make sure to take the liner out every night and dry it completely. If one of those options do not work for you, then consider a pair of bib overalls, for me it must get below 0 degrees Fahrenheit to go to this option, just too warm! They do make an insulated pair as well, for the North Pole I believe! For the hands, a pair of jersey gloves is usually all that is required, but keep them dry. I start out the morning with the gloves and they are usually gone within an hour, they just get in the way for me. I do this: with your bare hands pick up some snow and make a snow ball, this should get your hands cold, then swing your arms quickly and hit your back, the right hand hits the left shoulder the left hand hits the right shoulder, then swing arms back out as though you are about to give someone a big hug, then repeat rapidly 6 to 10 times. This will cause blood to rush to your fingers and in a short time your hands will actually feel hot. It works for me every time, then my hands are warm the rest of the day. There are brands such as carhart that tend to be a better quality for warmth. Go out and enjoy the day, find what works best for you and use it.

Taking inventory

Each year I try to take the time to go through all my tools, write down what they are, their value and take a digital picture of each. I then store the picture on my computer but also send copies to my insurance agent for a record in case my computer should crash. By doing this it does several things. I find I bought more tools this past year than I thought I had. I realize that tools I had last year have come up missing. And, it helps me to make a list of tools that need repair, so I make a parts list so they can be ordered. Sometimes, I even find things I had forgotten I even had. This also gives me the opportunity to clean up and rearrange my tool shed to be more organized and easier to get to. As I go through each box, I inspect each tool, clean it and the case it is in, then make sure it actually runs. By doing this, I often find broken tools that employees did not report as broken. It really irks me when I get a tool out to use and find it broken and unusable. I usually find things such as drill bits, router bits, wrenches, and screw drivers stowed away in boxes that they don't belong in. This job usually takes a couple of days work before I am pleased with the organization and then maybe a day to repair tools. I usually do most of my tool repair myself for two reasons, one I like to do it and two it saves me money. Make it a habit to do this on a regular basis and you will save yourself time in the long run.