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The last of the Dinosaurs

comments (2) March 9th, 2011 in Reader's Gallery

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The Moore Project
Architect: John Richert, owner of Crossroads Blue Sky

This was one of the last rear projection cabinets I reluctantly built. The pocket doors stuck way out when open, and the lower drawers were huge like bunk beds. Looked like a Buick leaning against the wall.

Just like they wanted. Not one of my favorites but a nice way to show a few pictures of the rest of the house.

This project included installing a new kitchen, 5 bathrooms, a custom walk in master closet and pantry, 2 mantles, a locker cabinet, a home theater cabinet, a TV cabinet, built in book cases, a wine room, arched door trim and columns, tall 3 pc. base and 2 pc. 4 1/4” poplar crown, picture mold and chair rail, stair rails and 8 ft tall, 1 3/4” 4 panel poplar doors with 6 7/8” jams. VERY HEAVY!

What a blast! Everybody had a good time working on this one. Great clients too.

But, after this one, I think I am done bidding on framing houses. It’s my own job or Trim and cabinetry only.

Not complaining one bit,
I just can’t compete with European contractors that pay their 24 yr. old lead carpenter 18.00 an hour.
That’s what I pay my laborer! I can spend 12-16 hours on a complicated framing estimate like this and not get the job because I’m 2000.00 higher than my polish friend.

Most of my crew specializes in trim and cabinetry and average between 25- 32.00 an hour. They are better framers and know how important it is so the doors, cabinets, hardware and trim go in smoothly and on time.
But, we all want to make 75 grand a year with a company truck, paid vaca, and bennies and this is what happens.
Building in America has changed.

Instead of pulling out what hair I have left, I have adapted a new concept.

You can have two guys that have the same skills but they are not worth the same. It has less to do with speed and everything to do with FINISHING.
So I like to also categorize a worker as a starter, a “middler”, and a finisher. Like the guy that is a good trimmer but leaves 3 things incomplete for the punch list or worse, someone else has to roll out tools and finish it (a sin).

He may be a good finish carpenter and fast but he is not a finisher, the most important category.
If you identify the middler, check your expectations, manage the critical path while using it as an opportunity to teach with kindness, it changes everything. Everybody wants to learn but nobody likes to be yelled at.
But, If they don’t care, that’s different.

The European framers on this house, great guys by the way, could be considered middlers.
Nothing wrong with that.

”The world needs ditch diggers too.” _- Caddy Shack

Instead of cursing them under my breath afterwards, during the whole trim job, dealing with out of plumb door jams and out of square vanity walls, no blocking for cabinets, crown and towel bars, badly crowned or warped studs in the kitchen wall, I go there before the drywall is installed and check every door cripple and header height.
I have a big 3×4 ft folding framing square for the bathroom corners, and I string line the middle of the kitchen walls. I became the finisher and now I “own” the job. No one else to blame.

This takes about 1-2 hours and I offer it for free. (include it in my bid under misc.).

I imagine we all have a little middler in us. But, with kindness, and by example our peers should lead our young apprentices to be finishers on the job and therefore, in life.

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posted in: Reader's Gallery, cabinet, Buick

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