2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Pretty good introduction by a decent writer, October 10, 2008
This review is from: How to Start a Home-Based Carpentry Business (Paperback)
The reviews here are inadequate and polarized so
I'll weigh-in and moderate a bit here.
My dad gave me this book many years ago when I
was making cabinets in my garage and wondering how
to get more work. The book is sort of geared towards
the guy who wants to start as a general contractor
but may not have the confidence or experience to
know if he can pull it off.
The author gives prudent advice - work for a contractor
and work your way up to lead carpenter and you'll
be pretty well informed about how to estimate jobs
and run a crew.
He covers must-have, nice-to-have, and specialized
tools in a sensible way. He covers local regulations,
marketing basics.
This isn't a complete guide to being a building
contractor and it is sort of written for the guy
who wants to "ease into it".
Some of the most prudent advice I have heard for the
guy starting out with a pickup and a few tools is to
get jobs hauling stuff to the dump. If you do
that your hauling customers will ask you if you can
fix things around the property and you are on your
way. Hauling can be more lucrative than you might
think as well - a hauling trailer can be a good investment.
I was always an intermittent carpenter because I
preferred building cabinets and furniture. I only
took carpentry jobs occasionally - usually in connection
with cabinet work at the same location.
This book is up-front: you can start small with a little
bit of gear and a good work ethic and build from there
by being responsive to the needs of your local economy.
Maybe there isn't much new construction but people need
things mended and are willing to pay cash daily... you
don't have to be a super-pro to get that kind of work
and make some money at it. You do need to be able to quote
a fair price and get along with clients however.
I liked this book. I'm sure there are better ones
out there but this one covered the basics. If you
want to be a licensed contractor you should probably
work under one for awhile or specialize in an area,
like maintenance painting and replacing rotted
facsia-boards, where the work isn't challenging and
it's easy to pick up the skills.
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