These last couple of weeks I’ve started working with a local general contractor.
In the past I’ve stayed away from them, because as residential painting contractor in San Diego I generally found it much more rewarding to work directly for the homeowners.
Whenever I’ve painted kitchen cabinets, refinished kitchen cabinets, or done interior work, it’s generally been a nicer experience to just have the place to myself to work in, w/o having to share it with a number of other workmen who are practicing their trade!
Often , general contractors maximize their profit by minimizing mine, so all that work I put into painting the interior is not as handsomely rewarded, plus, being the last link in a long line of tradesmen, sometimes the drywall people delay me, or worse yet, I have to come back and paint the walls again for free!
But this experience has been more rewarding. Instead of trying to squeeze me for every dime he can make on me, Mark is happy to have you onboard, and understands the value of remunerating you for your painting professionalism. Another plus is meeting other dedicated professionals that can become a resource for when customers in the future inquire about their trades as needed.
A big advantage of working with someone in the same field of construction, is that they don’t have false expectations, and they fully understand the process that needs to take place.
I also especially like working on older houses, and this one dates back to the 1920s, so it offers me an opportunity to add my skill to a home that has been built with special care, when there was more pride in craftsmanship, and all the walls were put up by hand. I love the real wood floors that were built into homes back then, something not even money can buy today! The older wood windows are also some of my favorites, though painting them takes special skill, window glazing is now a thing of the past with the fashionable vinyl that never needs painting, their double panes, tinted glass and smooth operation they are more adept at keeping out the weather and the noise.
It’s like the difference between driving a brand-new computerized car or an old classic that you have to shift through the gears and interpret what the engine is telling you through its sounds…
