$20 bucks for Gas!!

Can I get $20 for gas!!!

Ok, so I have once again had to fire a sub and find another one. Good thing there are so many. What's good to know is that I'm not the only one who goes through this after reading so many posts on BP. I myself am a Sub-Contractor in the auto Industry. Before that I was a sub-contractor for installing hardwood floors. I was a 30% partner with a friend of mine. Before that I was employed doing flatwork.

None of these jobs paid/pay me BEFORE work is done! So why do so many subs expect to get paid BEFORE work is done??

My experience yesterday. I had a painter scheduled to start painting a property. I took the day off work to make sure everything was ready to go. I make a decent pay at my job and it costs me dearly to miss a day of work.

How it started. Last week my painter was suppose to finish mudding and sanding the drywall. He texts me Friday and says he'd rather not do the mudding. I said "OK".

So now I had to it myself and spent all weekend and every night after work at the property including yesterday to get the house ready for paint. The agreement was that he would start in the bedrooms while I was finishing up the living room sanding.

Tuesday night he texts me from a Black Sabbath concert and says he needs a draw after he starts painting the bedrooms or at least $20 for gas. I reminded him that I don't do draws. I told him if he wants to break his quote down per room that I will pay him for each room when it's done. He said "Ok".

Wednesday morning comes. I'm at the house by 7am and No painter!! 10:30am rolls around and I get a text message that says this... "I'll paint everything at once boss, ty".

I replied with "HUH?"

So now he isn't even coming to paint the bedrooms at this point. In fact, he didnt' know I was at the house and he didn't realize I had everything BUT the living ready for him to paint. So apparently he had enough money to go to a concert the night before but not enough money to come to work.

WHY DO SUBS DO THIS!!! If I didn't have the background of being a Sub then maybe I would have sympathy. My new painter asked for a draw. I said no! I paid for materials. You have nothing to buy. He replied saying they have expenses to get to work and I wouldn't understand the costs they have!!

Are you FREAKING KIDDING ME!!!!! ME the INVESTOR who PAYS the subs, PAYS for the property, PAYS holding costs, PAYS for inspections, has NO IDEA what they entail in costs!!!!!????

I should have explained to him that when I travel for my job I have to pay for the rental car, gas, food and hotel out of my own pocket. Sometimes even airfare. I have spent as much as $8000 a month when traveling for work (this was a longterm job in Mexico - 1 year- oh and I didn't get the money back for flying my wife back and forth with me). I don't get this money back for at least a month.

After this I was motivated to blog about this. I am so tired of subs who can't manage their money! They think THEY are the boss on MY project!!

So word of advice to all you Subs from a fellow Sub. Manage your money better. There is a thing called "cost-of-doing-business". You have to spend money to make it. It is NOT my responsibility or any other Investor OR home owners responsibility to make sure you have food and gas money. We pay you when the job is done and done correctly just how the rest of the world does it.

By the way, I pay for my materials. I pick them up or have them delivered. Sometimes my guys will pick it up at Will-Call or may need to pick up things I overlooked, unknowns, or items I am not familiar with. So their is no need for a "materials draw" either with my process. I refuse to pay someone to wander around home depot looking for materials. Items I don't get involved with are heating & Cooling, Plumbing, electrical and roofing. None of my contractors in these trades ask for a draw either. They buy everything, do the job, then I pay them. These trades have huge costs!!!

I can just see you Subs cringing right now, but I have been building a great team with this process. I get no materail markups, the job is done correct, fast, and they get repeat work. This is my business. I create great homes for people to live in. I will not work with hacks, lazy people, or liars. But thats just my $.02!!