Kinda miss my old job

[lenny]

I recently was able to do some drywall hanging and finishing. A buddy of mine is building a house and I was offered an opportunity to hang the sheetrock and finish tape it, prime house and finish paint on ceiling. I had been hanging and taping sheetrock for just over to 20 years before moving to the UP where I have not strung a case of tape through the old bazooka in years. Truth is I actually enjoyed the project and wish I lived in an area where I could continue to make a decent living. No doubt it's hard work but it's a way to stay thin and in shape, make decent money. Now I have the old wheels spinning again,,,,hm,,,,what to do?

 

[garyl62]

Looks good Lenny, rounded corners with base blocks? You'll be the guy I call if I ever have a job big enough to make it worth your while.

 

[polarisrider1]

Lenny, we got tons of work here in the western lower. Big shortage of siders. Big shortage of English speaking drywallers too. I can hook you up. Builder said to me today that he needs 15 more trim guys. We got Ernie and Tom from Escanaba. Great guys and honest, good workers. Let me know. I will email you contacts. All high end jobs.

 

[Deleted member 10829]

Nice work Lenny! You can't move away from the snow.

 

[Skylar]

Didn't you move up there to get away from the rat race?

 

[lenny]

Didn't you move up there to get away from the rat race?

I did but it's tough Skylar. I wanna get ahead in life and now we just get by. I am not gonna make a rash decision and get out of the UP any time soon but I do need to consider the few options I do have and sheetrock is by best skill

 

[ezra]

do u network around lakewoods and other big cabin areas ?
I have people who pay me windshield time meals etc etc what ever away from home money I want to travel to there cabins and work.
guys with skill and that will show up and do the work in cabin country are gold.

 

[lenny]

do u network around lakewoods and other big cabin areas ?
I have people who pay me windshield time meals etc etc what ever away from home money I want to travel to there cabins and work.
guys with skill and that will show up and do the work in cabin country are gold.

no but it's a great idea.

 

[Skylar]

I did but it's tough Skylar. I wanna get ahead in life and now we just get by. I am not gonna make a rash decision and get out of the UP any time soon but I do need to consider the few options I do have and sheetrock is by best skill

Understood Lenny. Anyway you could spend 3-4 months making good coin, and then get back to the U.P.?

 

[polarisrider1]

Lenny, we are only 4 hours south of the UP (Saint Ignace). Like Ezra says get yourself hooked up. Mi Tec has big dollar employees who make a base to start off of. I go after anything on water. They got the coin. Especially the year rounders on water. Myself, I would do a five year/ ten year plan. Grab all you can because this upturn can stop as fast as it has started.

 

[lenny]

Skylar, now your talking, that was my first thought!

- - - Updated - - -

Lenny, we are only 4 hours south of the UP (Saint Ignace). Like Ezra says get yourself hooked up. Mi Tec has big dollar employees who make a base to start off of. I go after anything on water. They got the coin. Especially the year rounders on water. Myself, I would do a five year/ ten year plan. Grab all you can because this upturn can stop as fast as it has started.

I like the way your thinking

 

[whitedust]

I did but it's tough Skylar. I wanna get ahead in life and now we just get by. I am not gonna make a rash decision and get out of the UP any time soon but I do need to consider the few options I do have and sheetrock is by best skill

Lenny you have done very well already as far as UP or northern WI goes most don't get by & end up treading water then end up hiding in clear sight....I'm sure you know what I mean. If you can traval & don't mind being away from home & family you do have options elsewhere. My neighbor has his famaily & house in Phelps & works 5 day week in Appleton area just could not make it here & meet goals in his early 50s. I feel your pain.

 

[arcticgeorge]

Nice Lenny! Is that the final mud on the ceiling?.....Ii am doing all the drywall in my place at the moment and I went with the skim coat on the ceilings to hide everything......Sucks cause i put it on too thick and am sanding my arse off!....I told the wife if there's one thing i would have liked to sub out is the drywall work! ...... My boss may branch into the drywall biz cause there's really only one company that specializes around here and they're from Hurley.

 

[ezra]

Nice Lenny! Is that the final mud on the ceiling?.....Ii am doing all the drywall in my place at the moment and I went with the skim coat on the ceilings to hide everything......Sucks cause i put it on too thick and am sanding my arse off!....I told the wife if there's one thing i would have liked to sub out is the drywall work! ...... My boss may branch into the drywall biz cause there's really only one company that specializes around here and they're from Hurley.

any thing but a 10 sheet job and I am out way cheaper to sub it out.
if rock is on site I only pay 15 bucks a sheet hung and finished they buy mud.
I have been doing hand textured ceilings on 90% of my jobs for yrs
use a pool trowel very light skim over whole thing about 5x5 area at a time . then just light drag pool trowel in swirls and drags. then dry and knock down nubs done.
no sanding 2 hack coats and a skim and loos great .
I have sold many muti million buck homes on doing whole house more or less venetian plaster look.
also works great on the dreaded non sized wall paper gigs .oil base prime text paint done.

 

[lenny]

Nice Lenny! Is that the final mud on the ceiling?.....Ii am doing all the drywall in my place at the moment and I went with the skim coat on the ceilings to hide everything......Sucks cause i put it on too thick and am sanding my arse off!....I told the wife if there's one thing i would have liked to sub out is the drywall work! ...... My boss may branch into the drywall biz cause there's really only one company that specializes around here and they're from Hurley.

yes, that was the final coat on the ceiling. There are applications that a total skim is necessary but on this place we were using flat ceiling paint it's not necessary if you understand flat joints. I backfill all joints before I tape, than tape, than 8" knife coat (usually 8"auto box but box needed repair,) light sand, 10" auto box, light sandthan 12"auto box. All butt joints get a ton of attention and are done totally different than flat joints to avoid being crowned and seen.

You know, there is a product called "USG first coat" that is formulated to give a uniform surface to avoid flashing. It contains drywall compound and you roll it on as a primer. Menards sells it for about $50 a 5 gallon pail. When I was working as a union finisher we did a ton of commercial when the residential housing boom was thinning. We did big jobs like Wal-marts, banks, hospitals, office building. Some of the generals contractors understood and paid us to total skim all drywall surface to avoid flashing but it wasn't necessary because we had to 2 coat everything and things were not flat so you still saw a bunch of high spots depending on the finisher and his personal technique, or how the hanger installed sheetrock on steel studs, which could be a real problem if you screwed the open side of the stud first twisting the stud and creating a uneven match between sheets stood up. I'm rambling now but understanding flatness is critical to hiding all joints. Most people can hide factory beveled joints but not many people can hide butt ends properly, they think they can but put some egg shell or satin on with some natural light and lookout. If you look in the first pic you can see I left the butt joints on the wall near the inside and out side corner because there is a lot of natural light right there and they hide better when not in the middle of a field sheet.

 

[ezra]

BTW how many real estate agents have your number in the fr of there rolodex? they are huge. I know a lot of guys don't like to deal with handyman work. but it is a huge part of my business and I try to put 1 day a week aside just for it.
U get your service call fee try to make it 2x your hourly rate.
some days I pump out 5 handy man jobs and most handy man work pays cash.
and guess who the home owner calls first any time they need a large job on the home.
heck all the guys I know who told me for yrs handy man work was a waste were all calling me for work in 08 and 09. it was the 1 side of my business that grew in those yrs and was a god sent being not many people were feeling like dropping 12 to 80k on a bathroom at that time.
BTW any one know of a good guy .poss good kid wanting and willing to learn in west metro MN looking for work give me a shout

 

[Admin]

Don't be afraid to move north another 30-40 miles. Same great snow, whole different economy. You do not need to live in Houghton to take advantage of it's financial assets. It's not a boomtown, but much different from much of the rest of the UP financially.

-John

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

Don't even need to move can just commute up to the Houghton/Hancock area as many people from down this way do.

 

[joks79]

Lenny,
I am getting quotes on a drywall finishing project for my addition. I'm near Trenary. Its a 30x30 addition. let me know if you want to travel

 

[goofy600]

Lenny get your name out down in the Cisco chain area (watersmeet, Lando lakes area there is some money on the chain. Not that I'm on the chain or have money but when I needed drywall work I had to bring a guy in from three lakes wi
Area just to get it done, and he wasn't that reliable at the time. I think if you get your name out as a drywall guy and are willing to travel couple hours at the most you can get work. The biggest thing I've found in the northwoods is finding
I lot of motivated people to work. Don't get me wrong thee are people willing to work just hard to find at times, but if you want to I think you can find work up there and still live the good life.
Oh ya and lake gogebic area.