# Contractor Warehouse



## KEPC (Jan 13, 2010)

I am finally getting a work shop. :clap: If all goes well, closing is this week. Title search came out clean, with the exception of a couple municipal liens.

Since I started the company 6 years ago, there were two days that I had been looking forward to and this is one of them.

I will be be able to streamline my entire operation. 

this is what it looks like now.




























Within the next month, this is what I will do to it.










Within the year, this is what I plan to do with it. I need a bigger office because I do plan on hiring a full time sales rep. I plan on having the office upstairs. 










The ability to receive material in a work shop days or weeks in advance will really assist my scheduling. 

My guys and I also lose a lot of time taking trash to the transfer center. I throw away and give so much metal that it is ridiculous. I just don't have place to store it and take it to a recycle center. In a given month, there is about $700 to $2000 worth of scrap metal that i throw away. That could be money in my pocket. 

paying $250 for 2 tons which include delivery.... is a great deal for me. The amount I will save on gas will also be significant. 

any of you guys have pictures of your shop?

I'd like to get some ideas?


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## griz (Nov 26, 2009)

Ambitious project. Good luck.

Recycling metal has often been hit & miss.
Don't forget handling & transportation costs.


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## KEPC (Jan 13, 2010)

griz said:


> Ambitious project. Good luck.
> 
> Recycling metal has often been hit & miss.
> Don't forget handling & transportation costs.


There are literally 3-4 transfer centers within a 5 mile radius so the transport is not a problem. I am not going to make it a business, but if it can pay my monthly insurance, one less expense without doing much.


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## A. Spruce (Aug 6, 2010)

My electrician did a similar thing, taking a sows ear and turning it into a silk purse. Well, by sparky standards anyway ... :blink::laughing::laughing:


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## A. Spruce (Aug 6, 2010)

KEPC said:


> There are literally 3-4 transfer centers within a 5 mile radius so the transport is not a problem. I am not going to make it a business, but if it can pay my monthly insurance, one less expense without doing much.


One of my contractor buddies started recycling their own metals, even bought a wire stripper for the job. They're making money off of what used to cost them to haul.

With any luck you'll be able to construct some storage bins to hold your recyclables then only have to haul them when the bin is full. If you produce enough scrap, you may be able to have a recycler supply you with dumpsters at no charge. Call around and see what's available in your area.


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## KEPC (Jan 13, 2010)

A. Spruce said:


> One of my contractor buddies started recycling their own metals, even bought a wire stripper for the job. They're making money off of what used to cost them to haul.
> 
> With any luck you'll be able to construct some storage bins to hold your recyclables then only have to haul them when the bin is full. *If you produce enough scrap, you may be able to have a recycler supply you with dumpsters at no charge*. Call around and see what's available in your area.


that is the plan.... the amount of fencing, siding, and cast iron fixtures that we scrap... it really adds up.


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## Mike Finley (Apr 28, 2004)

griz said:


> Ambitious project. Good luck.
> 
> Recycling metal has often been hit & miss.
> Don't forget handling & transportation costs.


Exactly.

I'd have to say a better plan might be to grow the business to the point money from scrap was irrelevant and insignificant.

But congrats on the new shop, that's awesome.


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## KEPC (Jan 13, 2010)

Mike Finley said:


> Exactly.
> 
> I'd have to say a better plan might be to grow the business to the point money from scrap was irrelevant and insignificant.
> 
> But congrats on the new shop, that's awesome.


The scrap is irrelevant and insignificant and it doesn't affect my business one iota but if I can get $7-10K out of it in a year, would you take it? :whistling


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## A. Spruce (Aug 6, 2010)

KEPC said:


> The scrap is irrelevant and insignificant and it doesn't affect my business one iota but if I can get $7-10K out of it in a year, would you take it? :whistling


Yes, I'll take it. Please make the check payable to A. Spruce ... :clap::laughing:


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## Mike Finley (Apr 28, 2004)

KEPC said:


> The scrap is irrelevant and insignificant and it doesn't affect my business one iota but if I can get $7-10K out of it in a year, would you take it? :whistling


Probably not. Now understand what you're trying to make it sound like, is its a free 7-10k with no opportunity cost attached to it. Maybe you're scraping steel buildings or something and are in an unusual situation. But I've never seen anybody who didn't have opportunity cost associated with scrap.

I base my take on the dozens and dozens of past 'scrappers' I know who taught how lucrative scrap can be. I've never seen a single one of them who would have made more money screwing around with scrap, then instead focusing on their business and increases sales 10% that year instead.

Like I said, maybe you have a unique situation. I've never seen anybody in remodeling who wastes time with scarp come out ahead. I'm sure this will raise some hackles and spruce will probably blow his top over it.

To me it's no different then the guys who have a truck sign that says

Mike's Decks, fences, landscaping, car wash, pet walking, BBQ...

Let the ripping begin, I don't expect it to make sense 

But again, congrats on the shop, it's a big step in the right direction


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## The Coastal Craftsman (Jun 29, 2009)

We used to scrap all the copper we had at the end of the year and it was enough to fill up a building 60ftx20ft but the only way you could come out ahead on it with the time involved with stripping it down and sorting it was to do it in your own time and the odd day you finish early. It was a nice little bonus at the end of the year but if I added up the time involved to collect, store, strip down, sort and take to the scrap yard i would have been better of working in that time. We could have taken it as it was to the scrap yard but the value was much less than clean sorted copper, brass and bronze.


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## KnottyWoodwork (May 23, 2010)

Nice job on the shop, I like the open air feeling it has! Definately run progress pics on it! Maybe hang them in frames on the walls, for everyone to see. It's always cool seeing how people take pride in their shop, gives the customers a little extra fuzzy feeling!

Far as the recycling, even if you break even.. it's better than trashing it all. helping the mother earth and all that... Now you can be a "green" builder! lol


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## Osito (Mar 4, 2008)

Sorry way too much snow for me!!:clap:


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## A. Spruce (Aug 6, 2010)

Mike Finley said:


> I'm sure this will raise some hackles and spruce will probably blow his top over it.


It never ends with you, does it.


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## KEPC (Jan 13, 2010)

Mike Finley said:


> Probably not. Now understand what you're trying to make it sound like, is its a free 7-10k with no opportunity cost attached to it. Maybe you're scraping steel buildings or something and are in an unusual situation. But I've never seen anybody who didn't have opportunity cost associated with scrap.


I am not making it sound like anything. You are assuming too much. 

I am not going to spend one minute stripping wires. I am not going to spend one minute separating ferrous and non ferrous. I am not driving around looking for scrap. 

I am simply going to perform the _exact_ same function that I am currently doing, but rather than spending on transfer fees, I can collect. 

I don't know how else to explain it. 



> I base my take on the dozens and dozens of past 'scrappers' I know who taught how lucrative scrap can be. I've never seen a single one of them who would have made more money screwing around with scrap, then instead focusing on their business and increases sales 10% that year instead.
> 
> Like I said, maybe you have a unique situation. I've never seen anybody in remodeling who wastes time with scarp come out ahead.


Again, I am not in the business of scrapping. 

I just happen to come across a lot of it because of the type of jobs we do. On job sites where we can bring a container, I dump it in there. On jobs where I have to haul away all the trash, I throw it away at the transfer centers. 



> But again, congrats on the shop, it's a big step in the right direction


Thank you.


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## KEPC (Jan 13, 2010)

KnottyWoodwork said:


> Nice job on the shop, I like the open air feeling it has! Definately run progress pics on it! Maybe hang them in frames on the walls, for everyone to see. It's always cool seeing how people take pride in their shop, gives the customers a little extra fuzzy feeling!
> 
> Far as the recycling, even if you break even.. it's better than trashing it all. helping the mother earth and all that... Now you can be a "green" builder! lol


I also like the open air feel to it :thumbsup:


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## Ashcon (Apr 28, 2009)

Nice job Kpec congrats on the new shop:thumbup:.

I wish I could say it were in my near future, I hope that everything goes the way you plan. It will be cool to see progress pictures.

Congrats Chad


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## TNTRenovate (Aug 19, 2010)

I have a local scrapper haul all my metal away. He will take anything that clinks. I have no cost or time invested. In fact, it saves me money by not having to haul it away myself or take up precious dumpster space.

Congrats on the space, I am jealous...someday!


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## CJ21 (Aug 11, 2007)

Looks like you got a lot of work ahead. :thumbup:


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## Morning Wood (Jan 12, 2008)

You have some work ahead of you. I like what you're doing with re scrap metal. Good for old mother earth. Congrats.


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## CookeCarpentry (Feb 26, 2009)

WarnerConstInc. said:


> Put that in your pipe and smoke it Finley.:laughing:


My new quote!


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## KEPC (Jan 13, 2010)

HandyHails said:


> Is it really worth saving the old walls?


I believe it is. 

If I were to tear it down and build from the ground up, the process take a lot longer and cost me more money. 

I would have to get a new soil test done, hire an architect, submit the plans (which could takes months), go through a zoning hearing (and possibly have folks from the community want something for their approval). There are like 4-5 mom and pop churches right there and a bunch of these are always looking to get crap done for "free" and they use zone hearings to make their case. They go through their whole spiel if I am going to hire folks from the community, if I am going to donate money to local organizations. Been there done that.... 

The prefer to be under the radar. I don't want any hassles or headaches. All the building department needs to know that I am putting on a new roof and applying for a general rehab permit. $50 bucks and I am kosher!


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## KEPC (Jan 13, 2010)

CookeCarpentry said:


> Looks like North Philly....


Its west philly, not to far from the Zoo... near 76.


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## dnconstruction (Apr 5, 2007)

You better keep on eye on your employees because you have one slacking smoking and talking on his cell phone on the side of the dumpster in your first drawing!


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