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Posts posted by Spaulding Smails
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19 hours ago, Pescado_Rojo said:
Didn't we PM about this on the old site? I'm friends with his cousin. I haven't been to the new place yet, but that outhouse has saved me a couple times.
Ha! Yes we did. Good memory. I forgot about that. The old place was fine, but this one is a whole different level.
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Hopefully taking my son here in a few weeks. Need to firm up details. A good friend has this place on the LM at the north side of Baffin. Incredible place.
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1 hour ago, HouTex said:
Your stone work (which is nice) probably prevents it, but I used a saltwater chlorine generator and loved it for chlorinating my pool. If your stone is very hard it still might work. My coping was travertine and I sealed it well and never had a problem. I never needed a pool guy it was so low maintenance.
This is the exact reason we went with a traditional system instead of the saltwater.
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15 minutes ago, Gourmand said:
Weird, nobody goes to Ski Shores for the food so I'm not sure how that's going to work out right there.
Ski Shores had the best burgers in town before Austin Java bought them. At least, that was my opinion after being on the lake all day and drinking 18 Natural Lights in the sun. I went a few years back, and it just looked and felt sterile and contrived. Wasn't the same as the dive joint with a low ceiling, no AC and walk-up window.
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50 minutes ago, Your Mom said:
That's a nice looking pool. How much do you think you saved by GCing yourself? Were there any situations where you'd have been screwed over or made big mistakes without your construction background?
That's a good question. I think I saved about 20%. We had some wild estimates from other pool companies before we went this route. We had one company quote us $600K for the pool and pool house. We added a second structure (guest house) and I was able to do it for less than half that amount.
It was a unique circumstance where I had access to experienced pool guys for layout, excavation and stonework through a friend of mine. I basically used his guys on loaner for a few months and paid them hourly. He had a big slowdown in work, so it kept them busy and saved me some money.
Margins are surely higher in the pool business, but I know I probably paid a premium because I was a one-off client for the work that I subbed out. Pool rebar, pool plumbing, gunite and plaster were all trades that I don't use and didn't have relationships with. That stone work was very detailed and drove the cost up as well. If I had to build the same pool over again, I think I could do it for $20K less.
Like I said in the previous post, the start-up and verification that systems were installed correctly was (and still are) probably my biggest hurdle. I'm still not 100% sure on that front. It would be nice to be able to call someone to get it all set up. The biggest thing that my specific background helped with were the schedule / logistics (we did the whole thing in under 90 days... even with the Rona and the rain). We also had some tricky details with the stonework, and I spent a lot of time getting the foundation right, ensuring all of the elevations tied in correctly to the flatwork and adjacent structures (both new) and making sure that everything was cohesive. We also had a ton of drainage to re-route. Building a standalone pool on flat ground in an open area is pretty straightforward with good subs. It's all the other bullshit that makes it challenging.
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On 3/19/2020 at 11:17 AM, Reynolds Woodcock said:
I’ve increased my running to 5 miles every day, but am doing exactly zero strength or other exercises. My diet is definitely way worse, but cooking and drinking with my wife in the evenings is maybe the only enjoyable part of the day, so I’m not giving that up for the foreseeable future.
This is 100% me. My wife is a phenomenal cook, and loves to bake. So, I've upped the miles to offset. Over the last 45 days, I've run almost 250 miles. But, I've eaten dessert probably 43 of those 45 days and consumed alcohol 40 of the 45 days.
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1 hour ago, Quagmire said:
My pool has a pentair heat pump (no cooling though) . They are nice as they don’t cost as much to operate as gas but don’t heat as fast. Gas heater would probably cost 100 a day to operate. I barely notice a change in my electric bill when I run it for a few days.
I’m kinda surprised they would give you a heat pump with a spa . They won’t heat unless air temp is above 50 degrees , which when it’s really cold that’s when you want to use hot tub. I don’t have a hot tub so it’s not a big deal on my setup .
Mine takes around 24 hours to warm my pool around 20 degrees when it’s cool out. I just turn it on , the fan kicks in and it does a 5 minute count down before compressor kicks in and starts heating .We set it up so that the gas heater is primarily for the spa and the heat pump / chiller is primarily for the pool. The intent is that you quickly warm up just the spa for a few hours, but you run the heat pump to increase the temp of the pool during the shoulder months so we can use it longer. That's good to hear about the minimal impact on the electric bill.
The chiller portion was an upgrade. It may have been a bad decision, but we'll see. I have yet to talk to anyone who has any experience with it, and the limited reviews that I've seen online are all pretty pour. Definitely a roll of the dice. The pool is 75 right now, so I'm going to crank up the heat pump next week to see if we can get it up to the low 80s. Would like to have a pool in the 82-86 range for the duration of the summer.
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They're definitely around Central Texas in the wild. Just not very common. I saw one about six years ago along Onion Creek then another near my house about a year ago. There must've been a decent sized group of them at our deer lease when I was a kid because they were a pretty common occurrence when sitting in the deer stand. I don't think they're endangered, but certainly not common in this area. Cool find.
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Bump. Just filled up the new pool this weekend. Got the pumps running yesterday and first round of chemicals in. I GC'd this myself (I own a construction company). All in all, things went well, but I don't have the typical lifeline of a pool builder for some of the technical stuff and routine bullshit questions. Surly to the rescue.
-How long before swimming? Pool plumber said a week. Pool chemical lady said 30 days. Plaster guy said a few days. My kids are chomping at the bit to jump in.
-Any recommendations for Pentair Screenlogic Connect setup? Both the plumber and electrician weren't comfortable setting it up.
-Anyone have any experience with a heat/cool pump? I purchased a Pentair UltraTemp 140K BTU Heat & Cool Pump with the goal of cooling the pool down some during the summer months. Plumber did a great install, but admittedly had no experience using them or setting them up. The pool chemicaly lady confirmed that it is installed correctly, but also has no experience with this particular unit. Anyone have any info / feedback on this?
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1 hour ago, Reagan1k said:
Forgive me if this has been covered above. I lost track of this thread for a bit and haven't caught up.
Once a PPP loan has been issued, has there been a final determination with regard to whether subsequent payments to 1099 or subcontractor workers can be used in the evidence for loan forgiveness (do these payments count toward the "payroll costs")?
I know they were not considered for the calculation of the loan amount, but there was some debate as to whether they would be considered on the forgiveness part. TIA!
I am relatively certain that only W2 wages qualify for loan forgiveness. Rent, utilities and W2 wages. No 1099 / subcontractor costs.
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On 5/9/2020 at 3:47 AM, Carl Spackler said:
That's what you get for letting your wife drive your truck.
That's no joke. Of the 15 hours, she drove for one. And hit a damn turkey. Needless to say, she hasn't driven it since.
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13 hours ago, deadshank said:
So, I broke in the steering stabilizers today when I did a round trip from westside of Houston up to the Woodlands then to Beaumont and back to warehouse. Hit some pretty good construction bumps and areas where 18 wheelers have potted out the asphalt. Both of those types of road hazards are what cause the death wobble when hitting them in the 70 - 75 mph range.
No problems. The ride is much more firm and feels right. Glad I had the work done. Trailering this weekend with a small tractor on back will be the final test.
Nice. Thanks for the update. I ordered a Fox steering stabilizer yesterday. Going on next week. Thanks for the recommendation. I need to haul my Bobcat out to the ranch in a few weeks, so I want it on by then.
I also had to order a new grille. We drove to Telluride in my truck for spring break. Got to the mountain the day they closed it. Stayed a day so the kids could play in the sun, then turned around and did a cannonball run back home the next day. That was the first Monday as shit was going crazy because of the rona. I had to get a letter out to my employees, so my wife drove for about an hour or so near Hobbs, NM. And she managed to hit a turkey. In broad daylight. On a flat road. My grille was jacked (though not as bad as the turkey). At least it didn't hit the LED lights.
Putting on the new grille and adding some LED lights in the grille as well. I'm going to wait a few months before I explore a little lift and new shoes. May do a brush guard as well for future turkey encounters.
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2 hours ago, deadshank said:
2019 F350 going in today to get steering stabilizer installed. The death wobble appeared again Friday on way to Uvalde. Took truck back to dealer the first time. They appeared shocked, SHOCKED to hear of this unknown-to-them problem (even though its common knowledge). This time I passed up the dealer since they couldn't /didn't correct the issue the first time and now I'm going to my trusted guys at Master Hitch on Glenmont. They know what to do and will set things straight.
Will get a cell phone booster installed, as well.
Let me know how the ride improves. I have a 2019 F350 as well. About 50K miles. I've had the death wobble happen to me twice in the last month. I need to do something.
I have an extra truck at the shop, so I may drop mine off for a bit and go ahead do some other stuff as well. Brush guard, LED lights in the grill, little lift, new rims and 35s.
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37 minutes ago, ousuxndallas said:
Forgiveness calculation is easy. Do it by employee, not by your total payroll.
Max forgiveness for any individual employee will be capped at $1,923 per week ($100,000 / 52 weeks). Times 8 weeks is $15,385.
If the employee makes less than that, use actual.
If total wages is less than 75% of your loan amount, then forgiveness will be curtailed. The guidance for that curtailment should be forthcoming.
Proving up your payroll will be 941s and payroll stubs.Do you have verification from the SBA on that? I know the $100K cap was in place for the front-end calculation, but my CPA said it's not a limiting factor for how the PPP gets spent / forgiven. I have four employees making over $100K, and we're assuming (again based on my CPA's feedback) that it's 100% forgivable. I also paid Q1 bonuses using those funds under the premise that it will be forgivable. With some of my guys, that doesn't put them over $100K, but for three that are in the $80K-$90K range, that amount when tacked on to their normal wages in the 8 week timeframe would push them well over the $1,923/wk mark.
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36 minutes ago, orange dream said:
My best guess is if you had a fleet of vehicles / service trucks that the fuel costs for your fleet could be considered a utility. Just my guess, not advice.
I had a call with my CPA about 10 days ago. He indicated that, at that time, the SBA had not yet released specific guidelines and definitions for these expense categories. I asked him about a few items like fuel, and his advice was to not push it. Roll with what you're sure qualifies, and avoid raising any eyebrows or encouraging an audit. My immediate question was around cell phone service. I can see that as closer to the definition of "utilities" than fuel for vehicles and equipment. If anyone has more insight here, I'm all ears.
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On 4/24/2020 at 3:29 PM, Gil Bang said:
Fein.
Well I'll be damned. I've been in construction for 20+ years and I've never realized that I've been spelling that wrong. Damn, do I feel like a dumb ass.
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On 4/17/2020 at 3:42 PM, fattyflattie said:
So I've been doing a lot of researching the best feeders/blinds etc. I found myself a spot on a lease, finally, and am pretty much starting from scratch. Unfortunately, the guys that left both left to personal places, and took their kit to the new place, so no cheap deals on existing equipment. Seems the trend is going to stand and fill, or at least much shorter feeders, and away from tripods/barrels. I'm going to start with a new blind (and keep my current one at parents place) but have been going back and forth on size. I'll have some of the kids and wife at times now, so trying to nail down final dims, and will start the build. With WTI at $18, think I'm going to stick with a home jobber and spend on good windows and door, and potentially move up to something high end in a few years. If I have time, I'll build a steel platform, but may go wood legs this year, and have platform next. Thinking 10'. Have to go thru my old play truck at the folks' house and get some new tires/batt/etc and get it running. Lots to do and the time is flying. Oh yeah, I am going to do a cellular camera. I've checked the reviews over and over, but trust Surly heathens more. Yall have any recs? Open to any and all suggestions/lessons learned/etc.
Been hunting on invites for years, and somewhat steadily. But with kids starting to gain interest, it was time to get a place. 6 guns, and I know 5 of them well/family friends type. Should be a good experience.
Years ago, I built two blinds using masonry scaffolding as the base. I got some used scaffolding pretty cheap from a sub that was downsizing. 5' x 7' was the dimensions of the blind. Easily fit two adults. Built the walls at home, stacked them flat on a trailer with the scaffolding, then erected it and tied it all together with one other guy at my lease. Did the roof framing, decking and down corrugated tin on site. Pretty easy and pretty cheap and lasted for several years.
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19 hours ago, ROFL BOX said:
Cut the wood.
I've heard hedge trimmers work well.
In all seriousness, if your new appliance has a trim that's going to hide imperfections, just use a jigsaw or fine tool. If it's going to be visible, try to use a track saw of clamp a guide to the edge that you can use to run a straight line with a router. If it can be removed and you can work it on a bench then reinstall it, that would be ideal.
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1 hour ago, deadshank said:
All construction contractors are 30 days away from bankruptcy.
Yup. Or one big customer going tits up.
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13 hours ago, G650 said:
I'm with you on the receivables bit. Money has slowed to a trickle.
Our AR is up 27% MOM. On one hand, that's good because we're continuing to invoice. On the other hand, it's bad because we went from 21% past due to 36% past due. Money has definitely slowed. I've had two commercial clients (one hospitality, one personal services) ask for extended terms or at least deferred payments. We extended terms by 30 days for each but told them an intent to lien would be filed if we didn't receive payment.
Earlier this month, we waived the processing fee for all clients. This has helped keep cash flow in check, but has degraded margins. I'm guessing our AR would be up closer to 40% if we hadn't taken those measures. That's not an option for all businesses, but may be a viable alternative if anyone needs an boost to cash flow.
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Can you send pics of the interior and exterior of the existing door? You may want to consider that you'll probably have to re-mortise for hinges on the existing jamb, so replacing trim and lowering the header with a strip of 1X material would be pretty simple as long as your interior and exterior conditions don't cause that to open a can of worms.
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29 minutes ago, Chewbacca said:
Why?
I'm a CPA and have been running small businesses (first for others, now for myself) for over 20 years. Unless you're talking about having multiple entities (in which case you absolutely need separate accounts), or unless you're talking about lawyers who are required to physically keep retainers separate from operating funds, I see no reason to have more accounts that absolutely necessary.
I think it depends on your business. We now maintain at least six accounts at all times. Usually more.
Operations - All deposits and payables to vendors / subs flow through this account.
Expense - Our employees have debit cards for small purchases where we don't have an account. We keep the account that those cards are linked to separate to make it easier to reconcile and to prevent a runaway train if fraud occurs.
Payroll - Funds are transferred from operations to payroll then to our payroll processing company. Makes it super easy for payroll reporting calculations.
Capital Investments - This is our slush fund. We maintain a minimum balance here, and we take a "rake" of profits every quarter. We use this for purchases of vehicles, equipment, etc.
Owner Equity - Remaining excess profits flow through here on a quarterly basis. It gets disbursed to me and my partners annually and we hold back a portion for taxes.
PPP - We now have a PPP account. I transferred all of our PPP proceeds to this account. I just transferred my full payroll burden to the payroll account from here yesterday. Will do the same on subsequent payroll runs, mortgage and utilities. We'll keep a separate folder for these expenses, but it will make it nice and clean so that those funds don't get lumped in with our operational cash flow.
We also create separate accounts for any job over $100K where we're the primary GC. This allows us to prevent "robbing Peter to pay Paul" on jobs. We keep job profits in there for one year to cover any warranty expenditures, then one year after completion, we close the account and transfer any remaining profits to the owner equity account.
Multiple accounts can be a pain from a banking and reconciliation standpoint, but it absolutely helps us keep everything in the correct bucket and gives me a good snapshot of cash flow on a real time basis.
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On 4/12/2020 at 4:15 PM, Onboard 2.0 said:
This has been one of the projects over the the Covid 19 season:
The 2 original sets of rear sliding doors, and sidelites on the house never had a roof over them, so they were already beginning to suck when we bought the house. The beams were a bit undersized, so they were starting to sag a bit. With a bit of time on my hands the last few weeks, I finally got around to replacing them with new French style doors, and fixed sidelites.
I bought the new French doors as returned items, so I got both of them for what one set would have cost.
Then a glass vendor I work with had 4 pieces of insulated glass left over from a project. I got all four for just about what one of them would have cost.
I field built sashes, and frames for the insulated glass panels.
I ripped out the existing sets of sliding doors, and repaired all the rot I found in the sills. The rear wall of the house was supported at 4 points (one at each corner of the 10' wide sliding glass door openings). The center wall section between the original sets of doors had the most point load, and actually settled about an 1" over 30 + years.
Using French style doors allowed me to add (2) sets of additional posts to each set of doors, so the load gets divided into 4 smaller loads. New oil rubbed bronze hardware. I think the whole thing ended up costing around $3,800. Retail would have been $6,000 for materials, and add another 25% or so for labor.
The original sliders are the set to the right.
This is damn fine work. And, it looks like you didn't even fuck up your wood floors! You saved a shit ton of money and the work is excellent from what I can see.
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Our funds hit this afternoon.
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Yes: Pools are worth it....
in Can You Help Me With This?
Posted
That seems pretty high. I would guess $125/SF for the pool (assuming average depth, normal tile, coping, no huge equipment upgrades, etc). Add $15K for the spa. So, I think your $80K budget is reasonable. Do you have crazy logistical challenges like a steep hill or did you add any other flatwork or outbuildings that would drive the price up?