Do we have any on the board? I'm considering getting into the field, most likely as a project manager for an established custom home builder. I think it might be difficult to do with the current housing market, at least in my area, but it's a line of work that I really enjoy and at the age of 40 I'm feeling like I want to move my career in a direction that aligns more with what I really love to do vs just what I know, am good at and have done most of my life. I have some general and some specific questions I'd like to ask anyone in the field before I go cold calling builders looking for a job. If anyone here has some insight and is willing to help, I'd appreciate the chance to chat a bit. Please send me a DM if you're willing to provide some feedback.
FWIW, I'm relatively inexperienced, but not completely. I took over the contracting of a house we built back in 2017-18 at the end because it was more or less a disaster and I was tired of dealing with the contractor and also having to deal with the subs myself. I cut out the middle man and finished it on my own.
Then in 2021 we decided to build again and I contracted it myself rather successfully. I do have a lot to learn with regards to the specifics of construction, but I'm very good with the basics and I'm good at handling clients as well as coordinating subs, staying on schedule and within the budget. I finished our house in the same amount of time as a couple other big custom builders who were building in our neighborhood and almost every sub I worked with was surprised that I wasn't a home builder and impressed with my organization and attention to detail. I had several tell me that I should get into the business because they enjoyed working with me much more than many of the builders in the area.
I'd prefer to build specs to learn as I go, but the current market here is not favorable for that so I feel my only options are to try and become a custom builder after building 1.25 houses (and not being great at customer aquisition), or to get on with someone where I can be useful but also soak up some knowledge. I also have been building private water systems for homeowners and landowners since I was a kid, but professionally since about 2009. I've designed and installed several rainwater collection systems, both potable and non-potable, as well as a ton of wells and water filtration systems and many of these jobs have been in conjunction with new builds and contractors. So generally speaking I've been in construction most of my life, just not home building, which is what I really enjoy and want to focus on if I can make it happen.
FWIW, I'm relatively inexperienced, but not completely. I took over the contracting of a house we built back in 2017-18 at the end because it was more or less a disaster and I was tired of dealing with the contractor and also having to deal with the subs myself. I cut out the middle man and finished it on my own.
Then in 2021 we decided to build again and I contracted it myself rather successfully. I do have a lot to learn with regards to the specifics of construction, but I'm very good with the basics and I'm good at handling clients as well as coordinating subs, staying on schedule and within the budget. I finished our house in the same amount of time as a couple other big custom builders who were building in our neighborhood and almost every sub I worked with was surprised that I wasn't a home builder and impressed with my organization and attention to detail. I had several tell me that I should get into the business because they enjoyed working with me much more than many of the builders in the area.
I'd prefer to build specs to learn as I go, but the current market here is not favorable for that so I feel my only options are to try and become a custom builder after building 1.25 houses (and not being great at customer aquisition), or to get on with someone where I can be useful but also soak up some knowledge. I also have been building private water systems for homeowners and landowners since I was a kid, but professionally since about 2009. I've designed and installed several rainwater collection systems, both potable and non-potable, as well as a ton of wells and water filtration systems and many of these jobs have been in conjunction with new builds and contractors. So generally speaking I've been in construction most of my life, just not home building, which is what I really enjoy and want to focus on if I can make it happen.
