Contractor to Contractor: The Five Questions That Really Matter for Interior Contractors

In residential, we hang and finish drywall and texture ceilings. Before the crash, we did much more new housing than we do now. Remodeling and additions make up the bulk of our residential work these days. In commercial, we frame, hang and finish drywall, insulate, and install acoustic ceilings. Some contractors paint, some do finish trim, and others do flooring, but primarily the package is the first four.

Framing may be wood but typically it is metal. Walls may be load-bearing, curtain wall, or partition. Exterior substrates commonly fall within our skill set. Metal roof framing falls more and more within our purview. Although there are plenty of specialized insulation contractors out there, because of its integral relationship with the "first side, second side" drywall installation process, fiberglass batts, and vapor barriers are nearly always ours to do. Acoustic ceilings, like radius and arched partitions, are becoming more and more exotic. The skill set required for the variables you encounter installing ceilings includes a sharp mind and an eye for finish detail.

Don’t lose sight of your work as a part of the bigger picture. No mud man is going to fix sloppy framing, no painter will repair poor miters or out-of-square grid. While framing, keep the hanger in mind. While hanging, keep the finisher in mind. While finishing, keep the painter in mind. While installing ceilings, keep the owner/end user in mind.

Add to this all the coordination you must do with the general contractor and the other sub trades, and the challenges facing the interior contractor and his crew are not slight.

Well, no and yes. No, in that anybody with some experience, a few tools, and a truck can make a start of it, but not many make a go of it. I personally know many guys who are in and out of the business all the time. They have the desire but not the skill set or business savvy. Yes, it is difficult to establish yourself and stay in business. Cultivating relationships with customers, estimating, buying materials, scheduling jobs and manpower, and managing cash flow lack glamour but are essential to success. Most of the interior contractors I know, including me, came up through the trades. None of what we do is rocket science, but there are so many things to know that I would recommend at least 10 years in the trade before you take the plunge (the first four learning the trade and the next six learning people and the business).

The short answer is always yes. But, no, I do not need your cousin to hold the dumb end of the tape. We have plenty of untrained help already. Good help, trained help, reliable help that shows up every day and produces quality work in quantity is ALWAYS in short supply. The ambitious, conscientious types typically turn into contractors themselves. Pay your workers well. Treat them with respect. Give them incentive to take care of you and help to grow your business. Some companies like to hire only skilled journeymen while others train their workers in-house. Regardless, get and keep good help. It can make or break your business.

Honestly, right now it is making money. There are many competing business philosophies that generate income, but not every contractor can live with or is wired to operate in the most lucrative ways. Sound business principles always apply, but matters of conscience make a difference in the bottom line as well. Some jobs I just will not do and in some business practices I will not participate. In this current environment, it seems we are all in a race to the bottom. I, for one, do not want to get there first. I tried cutting my rates to the bone, but it just meant finishing the job in the red. I can do that without those slim margins. Making money keeps us in the game, but the true name of the game is relationships. Young or new contractors often have to "buy" a job to get their foot in the door, but after they prove themselves often they can relax their margins a bit and focus on serving their customers’ needs. I try to stay close to the market, but I do not want to be low every time. If you have established yourself, you have the luxury of being a known commodity, a go-to guy. Price gets you in the door, but relationships keep the door open. Never forget that.

For me, it is the work itself. I like building things, but lingering after the final clean out, looking over the freshly completed job, knowing you have overcome obstacles, delays, and technical difficulties and helped to solve someone’s problem and helped someone to grow, expand, and realize a dream is the essence of what we do. We solve problems. We are a solution. That is very satisfying.