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Welcome to the Builder Hacks podcast, your go to destination for cutting edge strategies, time tested systems, and invaluable insights to revolutionize your construction business and elevate your life. Join your host, Nate Piper and Keith Mills. Seasoned contractors who are not just in the trenches, but are also pioneering the future of the industry through Concord University. In each episode, we dive deep into the minds of the industry’s most accomplished building professionals, uncovering their secrets to success and sharing actionable tips to help you thrive.
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Whether you’re a seasoned veteran or just starting out, our goal is to empower you to build a brighter future for yourself and for America. Tune in. Level up and let’s build a better tomorrow together. This is the Builder Hacks podcast. Build your future building America. So Nate this podcast this week what we want to talk about. So is what trades are there in residential construction.
00:00:55:25 – 00:01:13:25
So because I’m sure everybody’s got, you know, 1 or 2 of them in their head that whenever you say residential construction, they’re like, oh, that’s what that means. And you and I know that there’s so many more. So why don’t you go ahead and run us through what are some of the trades that if someone was in residential construction, that could be an option for them?
00:01:13:27 – 00:01:49:06
Well, let’s start off with, the obviously obvious ones. Right. You’ve got roofer, you’ve got windows, you’ve got siding, brick or, masonry, Florida stucco. you’ve got framing, you’ve got, insulation, drywall, you’ve got electricity, you’ve got plumbing, you’ve got Hvac, you’ve got flooring, you’ve got countertops, you’ve got cabinets, you’ve got, baseboards and trim.
00:01:49:08 – 00:02:23:11
You have doors, you’ve got, landscaping, you’ve got, stairwell or stairs, you’ve got, iron bars, iron welding. You’ve got concrete for driveways. We’ve got I mean, the list just got irrigation, fencing. But we just came by painters. You forgot about painters, painter, caulking, paint making. What a name. That’s it. You know, I mean, there’s probably a list of about 70 trades that could fit inside of a house.
00:02:23:12 – 00:03:02:08
You know, those are just the main ones. And then you have specialty trades, right? You got like, shower enclosures and glass and shower and faucets and so many and exhaust fans and you name it, there’s like even an even appliance install. So yeah. Yeah, I mean we just keep going on and on and on about like there’s probably 70 ish trades or people that are doing work that are doing their function of work, and not all of them cross train or, or understand each other, but everybody’s got their little lane that they go.
00:03:02:08 – 00:03:22:29
But you can go through about 70 different positions that are needed inside of a house. So when you look at or when you think about all of those now, and this is like one of those key questions on right now, what are some of the differences between them, like what makes a good framer. well, you can’t be afraid of heights.
00:03:22:29 – 00:03:38:20
That’s the one. Yeah, yeah, I, I had a great I had a great guy. I love the I love the cut wood was kind of bad, but he didn’t want to go up on a ladder. So, he’s he’s the all time cut guy, then is what he is. He’s the all time I stand by the by the trash stuff, and I just cut throw lumber in the in the trash.
00:03:38:20 – 00:03:54:11
I throw a rope at the guys, you know that, you know, you gotta be able to, you know, have pretty much a good mass that be able to read the plans. when you say a good math set, Nate, what does that actually. Cause, I mean, that’s a I know people that are like, oh, crap, I’m a horrible.
00:03:54:11 – 00:04:09:01
And I like, I even give the example of my daughter. Well, you know, whenever you say mass, she’s like, oh God, though, because that was she did it in school, but she did it in school because you had to do it in school. So it was really what it came down to. What does that really mean for someone who’s going to be in the industry?
00:04:09:03 – 00:04:39:07
Yeah, I mean, it it means, you know, adding, subtracting, multiplication, multiplication, and a little bit of geometry. That’s really what it is. You have to understand angles in order to make the cuts. Right. And you have to understand how to add, you know, fractions, you know, an eight, the three fours, 5/16. You have to be able to understand, you know, the math component that goes along with how to how to make something precise and fit.
00:04:39:11 – 00:05:03:05
And it’s not overly complicated. You’re not doing trigonometry, you’re not doing, any of these other high level math. I mean, you really or fifth grade math? Calculus. Nate, I know calculus. I mean, you can get into that later on, but do you want to be the engineer or the architect? Yeah. Yeah, but you want to, you know, figure out what the weight load is, but that’s not really you’re going to be your job unless you want to go down that path.
00:05:03:05 – 00:05:20:26
And that might be a path that you go down. But you have to learn to love that kind of stuff. Get there, get there. But it and even then you got a calculator. So in today’s world, that’s exactly the computer will do a lot of it for a computer. And and that’s part of it. But starting off to be a framer, you can’t be afraid.
00:05:21:02 – 00:05:44:26
You can’t be afraid of heights. Probably a fifth grade math level that you’ve you’ve mastered, right. You don’t want to just be, you know, oh, I want you know, I did I pass fifth grade, so I’m good at math. No, you need to understand those concepts. multiplying, dividing fractions, a little bit of geometry. So you know what’s a right angle and what’s 45 degrees and 90 degrees?
00:05:44:26 – 00:06:08:17
180 degrees. So you can fit these pieces together, and you got to know how to use the air compressor and the nail gun. And airframe. But. And Esau and Esau. Yeah. Usually there’s one cut guy. Usually. Yes. He’s the guy that doesn’t like being up on heights. So he’s the guy that that that master mass. Yeah. Yeah, well that’s it.
00:06:08:17 – 00:06:26:29
He’s the guy that’s mastered the angles because whenever they go ahead and tell him they want a plumb gut. So yeah, he knows exactly what that means. I always love it when I go on a job site and there’s there’s some old guy and he’s not cutting wood. Yeah. Or on a sawhorse, but he’s he’s got it on his foot and he’s lifting it up and he’s running and he does cuts through it.
00:06:26:29 – 00:06:44:03
I, I feel sorry for his toes. What, that, you know, because, so if you’re listening to this, that’s not the ideal OSHA approved way to cut a piece of wood. Not at all. You know, but that’s always the old school guy that’s been doing it for 40 years. And you’re not going to change him. Yeah, yeah, he’s being lazy.
00:06:44:03 – 00:07:10:02
He doesn’t want to take it out to the side. Works because I. I’m not sure I can do that right here while I’m on top of the top plate. So leaning against the trust that there’s no decking on top of. Yeah. Yeah. No tie off. No. You know those little harnesses. And whenever we look at like. So if I’m not good at math Nate whenever I come into this, is that going to be something that’s going to hold me back or is this something that, like, you learn math like that, you learn math is a learnable skill.
00:07:10:05 – 00:07:41:04
Everybody learns it and everybody starts off and they all suck in the beginning. And I’m serious. Like they all suck. I mean, I can tell I can take somebody who went to college, did trigonometry, did the whole thing, and I say, hey, go take this piece of wood and cut it so it fits this wall. The very first thing that they do is they go in there, they measure the wall, then they come back to the saw, and then they cut the saw, or they cut the wood and they go back to the wall and they realize that’s either a too long or be too short, and they can’t figure it out.
00:07:41:04 – 00:07:57:12
They’re like, well, I measured it, but it doesn’t fit. Well. It didn’t take into consideration the saw blade. Yep. That’s the first one. Right. Like wasn’t that they don’t take it or they don’t know how to read the like the little numbers on the tape measure. Right. That’s that’s the challenge I see more often is that they don’t know what the graduations on the tape measure.
00:07:57:12 – 00:08:12:08
And that’s an experience thing if you haven’t seen that and like and I’ll say it in today’s education world, like I remember whenever I went to school, you, you had the 12 inch wooden roller. So you actually had to learn to read to a certain. It was like I think they were down to maybe the 16th of it was a really detailed one.
00:08:12:11 – 00:08:27:08
So now, like the tape measures that I have and probably the ones you have, I’ve got a framing tape, measurements. My tall guys always give me a hard time because they’ll say, can I borrow your tape for a second? And I hand on my 35ft tape and they’re like, this thing’s fricking huge. I’m like, I measure more than 24in at a time, guys.
00:08:27:09 – 00:08:53:03
Yeah. That’s it. Yeah. But they’re really detailed on those. Like I think mine goes down and it’s either the 32nd or 64th. So on the graduations. Not that I typically use that because you get the I need 5/8 heavy. So yeah. And that is what you get. Well I mean my I think mine’s a 16th right. Or it might be a 32nd, but still it’s just understanding like those little lines mean something right.
00:08:53:05 – 00:09:14:19
And and making sure that, that the end of the tape measure goes all the way to the end of the wall and where you need it to be, like, those are the things. So, so in framing, we always say measure twice. It cut once, right? Because if you cut it too short you can’t grow wood back. So well and actually in that case, anything that you’re cutting because tile is the same way.
00:09:14:25 – 00:09:29:25
So we always one of the first things we always tell the electrical apprentices to do is just go out and get the wire stretcher because somebody cut the wire too short. So the type of thing you need to go out to the man, go get me the wire stretchers so that we can pull that in. What’s it look like?
00:09:29:25 – 00:09:50:13
You’ll know when you see it, I promise. There’s nothing. Yeah, there’s nothing else in the van. It looks like 35 minutes later. I can’t find it. We’re looking everywhere. You hear all the guys laughing because we got the joke plate. Yeah. For. For all of you that have been in sports and had those, what what was used to be referred to as hazing, and you’re not allowed to say it that way anymore.
00:09:50:15 – 00:10:06:13
So that’s just part of learning the industry and everybody giving you a hard time because it goes ahead and forms a bond in the community that actually ends up happening with the people you’re working with. But, you know, it’s it’s one of the things we all have to go down this path, earn our stripes, you know? So, so all right, so outside of that, then.
00:10:06:13 – 00:10:21:27
All right. So we talked a little bit about framer. Right. So what about let’s say I want to be a flooring person, whether it’s a tall guy or a wood floor guy or whatever the case. What what do I need to, you know, what am I going to experience? What do I need to be good at to be able to be someone like that?
00:10:21:29 – 00:10:45:07
flooring. You got to be comfortable to get down on your knees and have knee pain, you know, because you’re going to be moving in number one, have knee pads, have knee pads. I mean I spent I spent a few years doing, you know, flooring and kind of laying all those pieces in and really it’s like you got to understand what the what the substrate is or what you’re putting the forum down.
00:10:45:07 – 00:11:06:12
All right. And then you have to figure out if it’s going to be tile, if it’s going to be carpet, if it’s going to be wood, what what is the material that you’re working with. Because each one of those materials is a little bit different. And you’ve got to be able to, identify like, okay, I can lay carpet on this concrete, no problem.
00:11:06:14 – 00:11:23:20
But if I lay a wood floor or tile product on there, I need to make sure that it’s level or it’s got, you know, sanded down. It’s not buffed. And so there’s a lot of these different things that you have to look at or know the material that you’re using to install so that you can make sure that you’re in alignment.
00:11:23:20 – 00:11:43:08
Because for in the one of those pieces where if you’re off by, you know, an eighth of an inch on one end, you’ll be off by two inches at the end of the run. And so then your flooring will curve and it’s going to look like crap. So, and you can’t always blame that on the framer, which is the first place the flooring guys get all the framing off.
00:11:43:10 – 00:12:16:05
Yeah, yeah, we blame the flamer for everything because our first guy. Yeah, well, actually, we blame the concrete guy for everything is what it comes down to down here. But he’s a person. We play the rough head plumber for that point, not putting the stack pipe where it needed to be. You know? okay. I mean, we all it the thing about construction is that it is a handful of systems being put together to make one uniform whole, right.
00:12:16:05 – 00:12:40:15
Or, or building. And it’s all of these things working together is what makes it a successful build. And the problem that comes into is that to make all those things work successfully and everything the line up, people have to pay attention and pay attention to detail is going to be key for a lot trader. It’s key and especially for someone starting out.
00:12:40:17 – 00:13:12:00
My best advice that I would give someone starting out is like observe, pay attention, try to do what everybody else is doing exactly the same way, and you need to find someone that’s going to be able to teach you, the slow path to be able to be successful. If they’re just wanting you to throw it and run and do go and be, you’re going to have a lot of a lot of hard times trying to figure out like, what is the exact thing I need to be doing at the exact time that it.
00:13:12:02 – 00:13:30:02
And it’s I think that’s a great key because there’s a lot of people, and this is something that you’ve just got to be aware of when you get in the industry, when you start asking whoever you’re working with, you’ve got to be able to figure this out on your own. Some people are very good at what they do, and some people are good at what they do, and they’re able to teach and train somebody else to be able to do it, to.
00:13:30:04 – 00:13:45:24
And it’s it’s no different than anywhere you might go and find a job, you know, somebody who’s explaining the job to you might be excellent and going ahead and training while someone else is like, I this is just what I do. It’s just figure it out. Well, that’s what it comes down to. And that when you get that person, it’s going to be a challenge.
00:13:45:24 – 00:13:58:15
And you’re always, if you go to work for a bigger company and that’s who’s supposed to be training you, you know, ask them if there’s someone else that could train you, you know, let them know, hey, I’m looking to learn as much as I possibly can. I’m looking to learn the details, the whys, the thought process behind things.
00:13:58:15 – 00:14:12:02
That way I can make things work out. If it’s a business owner for the company or a supervisor, they’ll love to hear that from you because of the fact that that’s the type of employee they’re looking to have done. They’re looking to train because then you’re going to be valuable to them as opposed to the person that’s in there.
00:14:12:02 – 00:14:27:14
And hey, the guy didn’t teach me anything. And it’s like I kind of half assed my way through. This is what it comes down to, because I was the training that I got. And then the result is reflects that training. And then the issue ends up becoming is that’s the work you’ve got. And now they’ve got to go ahead and be responsible for that work.
00:14:27:17 – 00:14:38:01
and it’s ask lots of questions. I mean, that’s, that’s really what it comes down to in the beginning, I would say ask a lot of questions after the first week.
00:14:38:03 – 00:15:03:21
You’re right, number one, don’t say anything. Watch everything and ask little bitty questions here and there. And then after a week, after a week of being on the site, then then ask questions. But people were. Or at least that it’s been my experience. The supervisors want you to pay attention to what others are doing, and then start to mimic or start to feel like you’re there.
00:15:03:24 – 00:15:28:28
And these guys that are that are artists and that’s what they are, right there. Artists. Every last one of these trades is an artist. They are a professional artist that’s doing work, and that’s how I view them, is that it’s it’s but it’s trade has something unique that is for them that they do that is amazing. And it it comes together.
00:15:29:01 – 00:15:54:15
But what they can’t do is get out of their artistry, then try to teach somebody who’s not paying attention to what they’re doing and and then that throws off their artistry. So if you watch what they’re doing and then you, then you’ll ask better questions after watching them. And then they don’t have a problem answering those questions. But if you’re like, hey, what’s this and what’s that and what’s this?
00:15:54:15 – 00:16:16:06
And how does this work? And you’re pushing them. They get really frustrated because they can’t do what they’re doing because you’re asking too many questions. So I would I would hold off for at least a week before you ask any questions and just watch. Because and I think the other part that goes, well, I think that’s a great point, Nate, is you’ve got to get a little bit of knowledge about whatever it is.
00:16:16:12 – 00:16:28:22
The other part that I think goes with that is just do what they tell you to do. Yeah. Because at the same time they want to see that, hey, I’m going to put the effort and I’m going to bust my butt. I’m going to take care of whatever you tell me to do. I’m gonna do it exactly the way you told me to do it.
00:16:28:27 – 00:16:47:12
So then do that consistently. Because when they see that, then they’re more encouraged to take that time with you and explain things to. It’s like, all right, you listen to the basic stuff in the beginning for the first week and just did it now and did it well. So that’s the thing. Do I mean, it’s, you know, I’ve always learned and I’ve always my mom always went ahead and put that out to me.
00:16:47:12 – 00:17:10:08
Whatever you do, no matter what it is. So whether you’re cleaning that toilet or whether you’re going ahead and doing something very technical and very specific, so as you do it to the highest level of your ability, no matter what, so you don’t half ass anything through the process. and every, every job on a, I mean, like, even my, even the laborers that are working for my guys on the job sites that are going around and cleaning stuff up at the end of the day, you know, what’s one of the most important things?
00:17:10:08 – 00:17:26:23
Make sure you get every nail and screw off of somebody’s driveway. And if you don’t do that, well, I guess that can be a huge challenge. So with a homeowner who’s pulling into the driveway that night, punctures their tire and comes out to a flat tire the next morning as you guys are rolling up, because you’re getting the finger pointed at you.
00:17:26:25 – 00:17:43:02
So whether it’s our fault or not, they may have picked it up someplace else, but we are the likely culprit in their mind now. And it’s it’s the little things. And that’s the part that people miss. It’s like, I want to get on to the big stuff. I want to be doing all, you know, do all the little things well, and you’ll do the big things well as they come to you.
00:17:43:05 – 00:18:06:16
Absolutely. And that is so, so if you’re looking across the board Nate. So and someone’s coming into the industry, should they go ahead and like attempt to hop into, you know, being a mason then going on learning framing, then going ahead and learning how to be the trim carpenter and then learning. Or should they stick with one. So and ride that out for a certain amount of time?
00:18:06:18 – 00:18:35:16
That’s a great question. I’ve seen I’ve seen guys do it both ways. I think the, the biggest component there is kind of figuring out what thing that they like doing the best. And when you get into it, you don’t know what you’re going to like, and you need to be able to try some different things, but you have to be good enough at what you’re doing.
00:18:35:19 – 00:18:57:22
Well, let me take this back. If you have an opportunity to get into the trades anywhere, take advantage, right? Dive into it. I don’t care if it’s sweeping floors, I don’t care what it is I take advantage of. Don’t go, go get into it. Go be a part of it. And in that transition, you’ll start to pick up different things that will, entice you, right?
00:18:57:22 – 00:19:16:01
Or make you think about like, well, how does that work? And how does this and, and and you start going down this path. So anywhere that you can get into the trades, get into it. Then once you’ve gotten into it, then you got to get to a point where you’ve got enough skills that you’re halfway not to suck.
00:19:16:03 – 00:19:36:05
Right? As probably the best way to like, right. you’ve got a few months underneath your belt. You showed up to work. You understand how to use this one tool? Maybe it’s a hammer, maybe it’s a sword. Maybe it’s a screwdriver. Maybe it’s, a drill. Whatever it is you’ve got, you’ve got halfway decent. You understand what that tool is?
00:19:36:05 – 00:20:00:02
You understand what it does, then experience some of the other things, like go and look at it, observe it. When you’re on a jobsite, you’re exposed to four or 5 or 6 different trades all at the same time. Even if the guys aren’t there, you get to see it and you might be doing some physical labor, carrying something in and out of a project, but you get to see what other guys are carrying in and out of a project.
00:20:00:02 – 00:20:24:08
And how did how do they structure their van or their work vehicle, and how do they how do they show up and what kind of clothes do they were and what what, you know, and all of these things start to play into what you want your next venture to be. And I and I would encourage that wholeheartedly for people to kind of get in, test the waters, but you can’t test the waters until you’ve actually stuck your toe into the water.
00:20:24:10 – 00:20:47:29
So do that first and then transition through. But, you know, one of the easiest things that people will say that they want to get into is painting, right? They want to go and I want to be a painter. Well, I wouldn’t recommend starting off as a painter. I would probably recommend starting off with something else. I’d probably say, well, why do you say that name?
00:20:48:01 – 00:21:13:24
Painting is a lot harder than what people think it’s. Painting is not a let me slap some this color on a wall or I mean, it is. It is attention to detail. It is it is a specialty art. And I mean that wholeheartedly. Everybody thinks that they can do DIY. I go down to Home Depot, Lowe’s and get a, you know, gallon of paint and go paint their bedroom.
00:21:13:26 – 00:21:37:10
The reality of it is, is when you’re doing it as a profession, you spend the first 90% of your time doing prep work, and then you do 10% of the time doing painting. And it is the hardest thing to figure out at, to learn that that little blue tape line that they’re putting down, it has to be 100% perfect in that corner.
00:21:37:13 – 00:22:01:00
Or are you going to bleed over onto the other wall and and not just and not just perfect. It’s got to be perfect and perfectly adhered to. Yeah. It doesn’t. Right underneath the tape. Right, right. And painters are very particular. And you’re not going to get a lot of yeah. You’re not going to get a lot of leeway or any grace with a, with a master painter.
00:22:01:00 – 00:22:21:27
He, he is going to be very short, very sharp. He is going to, to stab you where you, where you wish you hadn’t. And, and so there is no forgiveness there because that is a final that is a finish. Right. And that’s that actually that brings up a good point. Whenever you look at it neat because you’ve got the finished trades, which painting is one and that’s what you’re talking about.
00:22:22:04 – 00:22:41:03
And then you’ve got your rust in there. You’re starting trades. Well what’s the difference between the two for people that are listening. So the ruffians or all the stuff that just has to work, right. You have to have framing or you can’t have a structure, you have to have insulation or, you know, thought, you have to have drywall.
00:22:41:03 – 00:23:08:10
Right? Like these are these are like the roughest stuff. The finishing pieces are the final touches. Right? It’s the light fixtures. It’s the, the painting. It’s the flooring. It’s the the final thing that people are seeing has to be that, that perfect finished product. So kind of like basically so rough and stuff is the stuff that the homeowner, when they get into the home, is it really going to see where your finished stuff is?
00:23:08:10 – 00:23:35:03
Everything that they actually look at for construction, because it’s what they see, what they see, and in it they and they evaluate the quality of the build on the finish. It’s, not on the rough in on the finishes. You could have a perfect rough end and the finishes are, okay. They’re going to think the entire house is built like crap.
00:23:35:05 – 00:24:00:22
Yeah. And. What you really want is that you want the rough and stuff to be perfect, and and it usually is. And then the finish has to be perfect. And then they have a good, a good feeling about their home or their or their building that they’re, that they have. And that’s another big point where there’s a difference between commercial and residential.
00:24:00:25 – 00:24:28:03
Because I get into this all the time. Where we do, we do commercial, we do residential by commercial guys. They just run and gun and and it’s it’s over. Right? It’s like we’re in, we’re out or over and they don’t pay attention to like the small little details, but they don’t care. And their tenants don’t care because most of the time it’s going to a business that’s going to be used and abused, and nobody has an emotional attachment to it.
00:24:28:06 – 00:24:52:06
In residential, there’s an emotional attachment to their home. That’s their whole that’s their pride. That’s their that’s their investment. Right. They they worked hard to be able to buy something that they can now live in. That’s theirs. Right. So there is an emotional attachment there. And and so there is two different things between commercial and residential and the residential side.
00:24:52:06 – 00:25:14:04
The finish trades are absolutely crucial. I actually pay my finished trades better than both guys pay their first trades, because I want them to understand, like I respect you as as a finisher because you finish out the project the way that it’s supposed to, and you give the right appearance and the right feeling and the right perception.
00:25:14:06 – 00:25:32:16
so get back to the very beginning. Don’t start off and make it. So if you’re if you looked at the trades that are in the residential construction industry and you were going to start somewhere, what trade would you recommend to start with? And after you give yours, I’m going to go ahead and give you what mine what my viewpoint on that one is.
00:25:32:21 – 00:25:58:13
So well, what trade would you say. Hey, if I’m new into construction I want to get an idea of how this all works. Which tree would you start with? I’m probably a Shockey with this one. I would start off with insulation. Right? Yeah. Why is that? Well, because I’m right in the middle. I get to see what, a frame structure looks like and all the things that go inside the wall.
00:25:58:13 – 00:26:22:16
Cavities. I can’t hardly mess it up. because all I’m doing is putting insulation in a wall or in the ceiling. I blow it, and you would think that they couldn’t hardly mess that up. unless you miss all cavity, that’s crucial. But but it’s it’s. You’re not having to introduce all your math skills. You’re not having to lift, you know, heavy pieces of of anything.
00:26:22:18 – 00:26:47:04
And you get exposed to it at a different level, where you get to see the beginning phases before you go into finishes, which helps you understand the finishes of how everything comes together. Because then you understand my framing structures are either 16 or 24in off center. I have plumbing lines that go with a standard, standard pattern. My electrical lines are in the standard pattern.
00:26:47:04 – 00:27:14:08
All these are part of a code, right where you get to learn about the code book, the International Building Code, and and it gives you so much exposure on the front end with minimal pieces that are going to be, detrimental to your career and a god. So gives you an opportunity to say like, I wouldn’t mind trying out framing or I wouldn’t mind trying out plumbing, or I wouldn’t mind trying out electrical or I wouldn’t mind putting, putting drywall up.
00:27:14:08 – 00:27:35:23
Finally, I put everything else in there. I just want to put drywall on the wall. It gives you exposure to different things at an early point. And so, that’d probably be where I would I would recommend you. Right? You definitely surprised me with that one. I was not expecting that. And it’s I like that answer though too, because like, even for us down here and I don’t know whether it’s as much for you, it all depends on the type of insulation that you do.
00:27:35:25 – 00:27:54:17
Yeah. Like we always have. We always have front end some way, whether we’re batting the walls. So we’re putting five foil over top of the block walls or whatever the case may be. So you’ve got it there. And then our insulators are back at the end. Also to go ahead and blow insulation for the wall. And you have blown a lot of times people will go ahead and bat their ceilings and stuff like that, and then they’ll have to worry about the blown.
00:27:54:17 – 00:28:15:13
That all depends on on your construction type and what you choose to do. but that in that case, if you’re doing that, then you would actually get to see both. Although typically my insulation guys, you’ve got a batting crew and you’ve got a blown crew. So they’re two different crews. But in that case, though, you would be able to if you worked at the insulation company, get to experience both of those and see both sides of that, so I do.
00:28:15:13 – 00:28:31:09
That’s an interesting piece because like my thought process on that was framing was the one. And I’m very partial to that because that’s what I started to as far as that forecast. Yet at the same time, a lot of the same things you were talking about, it’s the same way because you get to see how the structure comes together from.
00:28:31:13 – 00:28:54:13
For us, Masons are always the ones that start everything for us, with footers and a lot of times block walls now and then you start working from there for the framer and they literally go ahead and frame everything up. They’re the ones that actually set what the structure is going to look like on the inside. And a lot of times on the outside, depending on what you’ve got going on and at the same time, they’re going to be back at some point to punch out the house right before insulation, actually.
00:28:54:16 – 00:29:07:19
and then that’s when you get the chance to go ahead and see. So those type of things and you get to learn as a framer through that process. Because if you don’t go ahead and put the AC platform at the right height. So inside the AC closet, guess what? You can have to come back and do that.
00:29:07:24 – 00:29:29:18
So if you don’t go and put the blocking in for the cabinets so that one of the cabinet guys are coming in and then you understand, hey, they need cabinet blocking here. Because you know, at that 54in that’s the bottom of my upper cabinet. So 96 if I’m running 42 inch cabinets so or 84 if I’m running 30 inch cabinets, whatever the case might be, you get to learn how I a lot of the other trades start to come together.
00:29:29:18 – 00:29:45:11
You’ve got to run, you know, you’ve got to run furring strips down around the bottom so that the trim guys have something to nail the base off to whenever they’re going. And with block walls, I mean, there’s so many different pieces that you can learn. You see what the window guys, how they install the windows, which I mean, you know, and you got to get the doors right for the two guys to put the doors.
00:29:45:11 – 00:30:06:21
And so it’s like you get that overall, same thing. You get to see how they get everything installed on the rough inside. Well, and that’s to me it’s a great thing. And like my I will say this like my framers do my Hardie board siding. So and then also do my TNG tongue and groove ceilings. So whenever we do that so those guys get the C even on the thinner side of things, how things come together too.
00:30:06:25 – 00:30:22:02
So depending on what we’re doing as far as those pieces go, but yeah, I definitely agree with you getting in somewhere where you get to see a little bit of both sides. So or at least that opportune time where you get to see everybody who’s already roughed everything in and you get to see how they did their stuff, gives you that good thing.
00:30:22:02 – 00:30:37:17
Now, like for me on the I also look at the structural side of things. I think that the framers, you actually get to learn how it all goes together to be effective. Yeah. On that side of things. And you get more of that detail behind it. so that’s that’s the reason why I would say framer, but I think either of those I think it’s a good thing.
00:30:37:19 – 00:30:55:06
But the framer, there’s a lot more things you can mess up. There’s no question about it. so you’re right, the insulation on that end, a lot less challenges. You’ve got to worry about jacking up in the house that someone is going to be catching your butt about. Well, and when you start thinking about it, you know there is no bad place to start, right?
00:30:55:08 – 00:31:20:15
You know, it’s just where do you fit in like this? It moving along with it, kind of pull it all together. But there is no bad place to start. Even if you get a job as a painter and as an assistant, there is walk slowly and speak less, you know, because painters, painters are, you know, they’re they’re required to go fast.
00:31:20:17 – 00:31:40:06
They they have to be perfect. And, you know, there’s a skill there in the prep work. and it and it fits some people really well. So even though I said don’t start off painter, but if that’s your passion go forward. You can anybody can handle it and anybody can do it if you’re detail oriented. So and that’s like one of your strong suits.
00:31:40:06 – 00:31:57:00
You already know that about yourself. A lot of the finished trades, that’s exactly what you need is someone that’s highly detail oriented. Because like Nate said earlier, that’s what every homeowner sees. That’s the part of the house that they look at every day, you know? So if that’s something that you love getting into one of those trades and learning that though can do really well for you.
00:31:57:00 – 00:32:16:29
So because it’s going to be right up your alley, you’re going to like it because it is a detail oriented piece. You’re going to be working with somebody provided they’re a good craftsman who is very detail oriented also, which means the two you speak the same language or communicate more effectively, so on. That’s one of the things that I do when I’m doing inspections is when before we’re we’re ready to release it out to the homeowner.
00:32:17:02 – 00:32:56:00
I go into the master bathroom, I go to the toilet room, and I put the toilet seat down. I put the lid down, and I and I sit there for like three minutes, right? And I look around everywhere around that area, and there’s always something behind the door or all the baseboard or whatever. And I and those are things, and I’m working like, you guys are going to fix all of this stuff up because I have learned that is where the, the, the, the master of the house is going to sit, and that is going to be what their view is, and they’re going to nitpick everything that they see from that location.
00:32:56:04 – 00:33:13:05
So you you go sit on their throne and then you identify all the things that are wrong in that area and fix them. Yep. And that’s a and it’s funny because I actually that’s a great point as far as that part goes, because that’s what most people spend a good portion of the time where there’s nothing else to focus on except what’s right around them.
00:33:13:07 – 00:33:29:16
Yeah. and then the other piece that goes with it is I always look at the foyer. So I want to know in, in the house, though, because whenever every homeowner comes in the house, if they, if they come in the house and then they stand in the foyer and they’re just start picking out things that need to be taken care of, well, that’s going to turn into the walk from hell.
00:33:29:21 – 00:33:48:03
So we say, because of the fact that that they’re same impression, they didn’t do a good job with this. I need to be on heightened alert. I need to pick out everything to get it all taken care of. That’s what I always tell all of my guys. I’m like, if we walk out of the foyer and we’ve got less than three items, it’s going to be an easy walk for if we go more than three items, get ready kids.
00:33:48:03 – 00:34:14:09
So it’s going to look like someone came in with a blue tape gun and spread it all over the place. The blue sea. Yeah. Are you guys. I don’t understand what we’re talking about. whenever you’re doing, like, a finished product block, especially on a new home, they always do a buyer walk. And in doing that buyer walk, they give, the future new homeowner a roll of blue tape, and they say, okay, if you got any blemishes.
00:34:14:12 – 00:34:39:02
Yeah, that’s right. Yeah. We say if you see anything, any blemishes, here’s your blue tape market. This is your one time to pick out your spots and get them correct. You know, and you’d you’d be amazed by how many people come through and just see a wall. It just I don’t like the texture. And just do it a million times.
00:34:39:02 – 00:35:12:08
Okay. so what, we’re not going to get into that part of this, this episode today because, that’s a whole other conversation feature, not a road. But what we are talking about is there are opportunities. There’s a million opportunities. There is more opportunities than you can even think. There are opportunities. And the construction industry needs people to come in that are willing to put in the time and effort and energy to help move along our society and also to evolve their new career.
00:35:12:08 – 00:35:37:12
So come on board and and join in on the leading America’s, train. The the re influence America with our new construction trades. And it’s a that’s a great piece and realize this is the one I will say this this is one industry where whatever trade you walk into, if you decide that that isn’t the trade for you, the one big key point would be because of the fact that you’ve already worked in the industry.
00:35:37:12 – 00:35:54:22
Other trades will hire you because you’ve already got a base and a foundation. They’ll hire you like that. That’s a that’s a great place to be able to walk in and have a wide variety of opportunities open and just start. I’ve got like, I’ve got my tall guy right now was a trim guy at one point. So it was a do you still install different flooring?
00:35:54:26 – 00:36:09:18
So he used to be a painter. Well used to I mean there’s so many different things. I used to be a framer. So he’s done so many different things throughout his life. Well, as he’s gone through this now and he’s he’s in flooring now and he keeps telling me he’s tired of flooring. we’ll see whether he changes out of flooring or not.
00:36:09:18 – 00:36:27:00
I think he’s getting a little older. And I think it’s just that’s where he’s going to be. That was what it comes down to. And at the same point, you do have a lot of opportunity. And that is the one thing like Nate was talking about. We want you to realize when you step in the construction now, whether it’s residential or commercial, obviously Nate and I are bigger on the residential side, or at least I know I’m huge on the residential side because that’s what I do.
00:36:27:05 – 00:36:48:11
I love, I love residential, I love it because I, I like knowing that I’m helping somebody with their investment of their home. And when you do it right, they love you for it. And I love doing it right. So this is your opportunity if you’re interested in this. So start reaching out to trades. Reach out to Nate or I will give you some guidance.
00:36:48:18 – 00:37:06:16
So you never know. He might do a quick chat with you to find out what your interests are and things like that, and then give you a little guidance on what’s right. You should go. So whether it’s coming to something like Concord University with us, or whether it’s going to work with somebody in your local area and or a combination of the two, which would get you the biggest bang for your buck, that something would definitely be able to help you out with, for sure.
00:37:06:18 – 00:37:21:12
Well, stay tuned, so make sure to tune in on the next episode. So I think the next one will probably be talking a little bit about money. So since people tend to like, you know what, hey, these trades are awesome, but what does that mean to me financially? How am I taking care of me and my family? We’ll go ahead and make sure to go ahead and talk about that on the next one.
00:37:21:18 – 00:37:38:02
I like money, everybody does that, or at least everybody that I’m aware of being a business owner, so loves that that fact and what that’s going to mean to them and what that means for their life. Make sure to tune in to the next Builder Hacks podcast.
