NBraun said:
In reply to Antihero (Forum Supporter) :
Yes, block foundation. Should have used the correct term.
I think I know this is the case. Just a hard pill to swallow when I currently enjoy having decent health insurance.
Honestly I was hoping I would be able to do it as a side gig until I was able to bring some money in. Simple handyman type stuff, that a couple of guys could do with the hopes to eventually growing.
It kinda illustrates what I'm saying, you very much need experience before jumping in.
Health insurance isn't impossible with the trades, I wouldn't let that stop you.
Handyman stuff doesn't really equate what you are leading towards either. There is a joke that says something like " I built a dog house now I'm a general contractor". These people are usually the scourge of the trades, I'm not saying you are that guy but it's something to think about.
Ive been doing this for about 2 decades now for myself and a while longer in the trades, while ymmv I can tell you that these are the things that I think you need to do differently to succeed in your idea. Im not trying to be a dick so if it comes across as that I'm sorry:
You need at least IMO 5 years experience in your trade before thinking about going off on your own, if you wanna just do it part time that means at least double that. I cannot stress this enough.....mistakes you make in construction are tangible real life things that can cost thousands and absolutely destroy you. They are not like other fields where a little mistake can be glossed over. Do a foundation a little bit wrong? The house going on it is out of square/out of level/not to plan and costs thousands to change. You have fundamentally changed the structure of a house. This is just an example of exactly how much goes into it. And if you screw up your reputation gets screwed up too and it costs you a lot in the long run.
Do not look at this as "a couple of guys". Start small and stay small-ish, it's the way to success. This is also why you need experience because if you only got 3 guys, everyone needs to be at peak efficiency. You usually don't need manpower, you need skill. I've poured 200- 300 yards of concrete with 5 guys before. That's 45k worth of concrete alone to give you an idea of scale.
You really need to work with someone in the trade of your choosing before going off on your own, I guarantee there is a looootttt you don't know in said trade that you absolutely need experience in. To me it sort of seems like you want to skip that step and go right into owning your own business. I have literally worked for a few guys that did it similar and failed hard, like......lost there homes, marriages and had to move hard.
The trades are a good thing to get into though, just do the hard work before getting to the harder work of doing it yourself. Like I said the trades are desperate for people, getting $40 an hour in a short time isn't impossible at all.