All Forum Posts by: Dalton Smith

@Mike Reynolds Sounds great! I'm redoing the bathrooms at Metro Church Henderson right now. Come drop in and we'll shake hands and get coffee.

@Ross Bowman That's a hard one. I'd say...build a relationship with one lead guy and show consistency. Try to keep the same guy busy as much a you are possible and show him that you are dedicated to keeping him as the lead man on your job. Then let him have the responsibility of choosing the crews. Pay him what is fair, and give him gas money or lunch money occasionally. In my experience that goes a long way. Most of the time these guys are living hand to mouth, and a little compassion can buy you a ton of loyalty. That in turn will give you priority in his schedule, and more than a one look quality check. On a side note...You must do this while not becoming his/her friend. That will ruin a good lead guy everytime.

@Marian Allen I think adding sqft. to any home is a good idea. The trap I see a lot of people get into is that they fix a place nice enough for THEM to live in. It's important to remember that not everyone needs or even wants the quality of living space that you may currently have. So do the bare basics and leave it to the renter to make the aesthetic improvements. Also, remember that basements are mold traps, so ventilate, ventilate, ventilate. Tie the HVAC into the main home so the air is dried constantly down there. It'll need a return to the main room and a designated HVAC line. Feel free to contact me with any questions you have about the conversion.

@Eric James Honestly, as bad as it sounds, I get my best deals from Lowes. You must use the Pro Services department and build a relationship with that team. The Henderson Lowes will price match any offer I bring them. If I spend over $1500 they send the purchase to corporate for an extra discount. It only takes a minute or two. The more I spend, the more I save, so I try to get everything I can all at once. I also use the QSP to save 5% across the board on top of the bulk discount (also only takes a minute). If you're going to be your own contractor you are going to have to learn to squeeze the suppliers hard and pit them against each other. They wont offer discounts, but they will compete if you do the legwork.

I am a general contractor in east Texas. I’m looking to meet investors and build business relationships. I am offering a lifetime of knowledge for anyone with a question for a general contractor. I am a top performer in my industry and I am known for taking the hard jobs. I am always on time and under budget. I can almost guarantee I have experience in whatever question you may have. So fire away!

@Megan Dettenmaier I am a contractor. No, that is not your responsibility

@Kay C. I am a contractor in Texas. The market is crazy here. People are literally lined up around the block to buy a house. If I had a good investor, a house could be built and sold for top dollar really quickly.

@Joe White I am an online contracting consultant. Feel free to reach out with any building/remodel questions.