s/o Tradespeople

[fairfarmhand]

The other thread has veered off topic, so I thought we could discuss it further here to not annoy the OP.

 

What is your experience with tradespeople?

 

Do you care if your children venture into a trade?

 

What is the outlook in your area for trades?

 

 

[fairfarmhand]

Personally for us, we have the best luck with hiring older tradesmen. The kicker is this. They seem to work in groups of older guys. These guys work SO well together, but they don't have young apprentices (not sure why?) Two guys framed and roofed our two story garage in about 6 days work. They don't show up and fidde around either. I never walk outside that they're chatting. They're measuring and cutting and hammering.

 

Most of the best tradespeople are older.

 

I'd LOVE for my kids to go into a trade!

 

One thing I see, is that people seem to be too impatient to wait for the best workers to fit them into the schedule, so they hire a less experienced person and regret it.

 

Another thing is that we've found that a good contractor pays for himself. He gets the job done quickly with quality workers, and he'll catch the mistakes right off the bat.

[Halftime Hope]

The other thread has veered off topic, so I thought we could discuss it further here to not annoy the OP.

 

What is your experience with tradespeople?

 

Do you care if your children venture into a trade?

 

What is the outlook in your area for trades?

 

Can I chime in?  ;-)   (I'm breathing air again...the fire-breathing part is over.)

 

I already answered the first one, but I'd sum it up by saying that I've had tradespeople do a really good job, and some have been spectacularly bad.

 

I'd love it if each of my children knew a trade.  They are generally handy and are not afraid to try DIY, but only two out of three know a trade, and one only about halfway.  I've always thought that a person would benefit by having multiple ways to earn a living, and having practical skills and knowledge to barter with is prudent.

 

I can't see very many of today's trades disappearing any time soon.  (As sure as I say that, someone will think of one.) The building trades are in great demand in my area, and builders have a hard time hanging on to their crews.

 

 

 

Edited August 6, 2017 by Halftime Hope

[Rosie_0801]

I consider my ex's job a white collar trade and wish he'd teach dd.

 

Trades are good. Even if one is unemployed at any point, one still has the skills to do something productive or create their own job.

 

I'm in a small, rural town. That means there is plenty of work for tradesmen, but it doesn't follow that there are plenty of vacancies available. I assume most get their own businesses going because they already live here and know their customers.

[Ausmumof3]

My oldest ds will probably go into a trade. He's talented at making and fixing things. His academic skills are a little less. Most of the men in our extended family are either in a trade or started out that way. They all either run their own business or have been promoted to some level of management. The income is good. The only downside is that the physically heavy work gets harder with age.

[SKL]

I've had good and bad tradespeople, so I won't judge them as a class.  :)  The first time I had a plumber out, he was so rude and condescending and stupid, I started thinking maybe this is how they are.  But since then I've had two plumbers who are sweet and helpful.  Well, they will be called next time.  So I'd like to think that in the long run, the good guys will win out.  :)

 

I have only girls, and I honestly don't know if they have the same earning capacity as males in the "trades."  I don't recall ever meeting or hearing of a woman plumber or similar.  I'm not sure why, but maybe it's because women are not taken seriously in the business.  If so, then no, I don't want my daughters to go into the "trades."  Not that they have indicated an interest in that thus far.

 

Maybe women don't go into the trades because it's not something their folks involved them in as kids.  Personally I know as much about plumbing as any lay person, because I watched my dad (note, not my mom) fix stuff.  I don't know how common that is among girls, even today.  My own girls don't clamor to watch or help me when I troubleshoot a toilet problem.  :P

[rose]

My oldest ds is most going to end up in a trade as well. He is very handy and bright but with his learning disabilities I doubt that he could handle a standard college nor would he want to. I would guess that he'll be a mechanic of some sort or and electrician or perhaps a computer technician. I'm happy for any of those options.

 

Tradesmen are just hit and miss. Some are lazy, some are great. They're a necessary part of any society and the need for them will just never go away. Someone always needs to be able to fix things that are broken or have specialized construction skills. I certainly don't want to learn how to wire my house, frame it, install a window, fix my computer or plumbing or my car.

 

Have any of you seen this site: http://bluecollarhomeschool.weebly.com/ ?

 

 

[Annie G]

I wish my son would go into a trade. 

 

In my area the outlook seems to be good. 

 

I have had excellent experiences with tradespeople. I generally hire folks who run their own business, not a chain. I have relationships with a plumber, carpenter, drywall guy, tile guy, etc.  What I love is that when I need, for instance, a plumber, I can call my guy and leave a message and I know he's going to get to me asap and he knows what I like. I don't want the cheapest fixtures, I want things cleaned up, and he knows which door to use and not to let my cat out. 

 

The only problem I have around here is with exterior painters. They can't paint from about October until April and they get booked up quickly and don't seem to be good about giving quotes. This spring we had a painter recommended and he came by and looked at our trim and said he'd send us a quote but he was booked until next year. Never got a quote. That happened last year with a different painter. 

[gardenmom5]

my experiences are generally fine. I would recommend those who wish to go into one still get a good handle on business and finance/bookkeeping classes.  they will be running a business - they need to know how to do their books - and keep records.

[Junie]

Ds16 is not interested in a trade.

 

I would not want my daughters to go into a trade that would require them to go into other people's houses.

[Mergath]

Ds16 is not interested in a trade.

 

I would not want my daughters to go into a trade that would require them to go into other people's houses.

Why? That's a new one for me.

[Junie]

Why? That's a new one for me.

 

 

Many tradespeople work alone and it just doesn't seem safe to me somehow.  They would be at the mercy of the homeowner to be treated with respect.

 

If one of my daughters wanted to go into HVAC or appliance repair or whatever I would like to believe that I would support them in it, but I wouldn't recommend it to them.

[Petrichor]

I wish I had learned enough to be able to repair things at home and on the car without having to do a ton of research, only to have my repair job be a disaster (seems to happen every time we try to fix something). 

 

I wouldn't have a problem with my kids pursuing a trade professionally. DH might. We both, at this point, expect them to pursue college degrees in things like engineering or computer sci. They are still young though.  :D  

[SereneHome]

The other thread has veered off topic, so I thought we could discuss it further here to not annoy the OP.

 

What is your experience with tradespeople?

 

Do you care if your children venture into a trade?

 

What is the outlook in your area for trades?

 

My experience is not good at all!  And that includes the time when I was rehabbing houses.

 

I wouldn't mind at all for my kids to go into trade but I will make they understand that physical labor brings certain challenges and will encourage them to either own their own business eventually or have a back up plan

 

I live in fancy-shmancy area and there is a lot of "construction" going on - people are building and updating and rebuilding - I don't think there will be any shortage of need any time soon

[heartlikealion]

I have not had the best luck. I really want to educate myself to do more for myself because I hate relying on people (in general, not because someone is good or bad at their job).

 

We have this one vent by our fridge in the ceiling. When we moved in, it was loose. We tried to fix it but it really just needed replaced. I talked to one of the maintenance guys (who works with A/C units) and he put a vent plate that is the wrong style for that area. He screwed it in and it was supposedly secure. Now it's hanging down a bit on one side. Like no one seems to know how to secure this thing properly lol.

 

If my child wanted to go into a trade and it seemed like he could do it long-term then fine. Or even short term I guess would be okay as long as he was aware and tried to think of alternatives later? But I might urge him to study something else, too. I don't know. I always worry about physical jobs being too much on the body as you get older. Like what happens to your eyes if you're a welder too long.

 

I have a lot of respect for trades people that do their jobs well and also don't make a mess in the process Lol (like the worker that thought it was okay to use my handtowel to wipe paint off and then toss it behind my toilet like I wouldn't notice).

 

I wish I knew carpentry. That interests me. I am thinking of taking a workshop at Home Depot soon.

 

 

 

 

[Deb in NZ]

The other thread has veered off topic, so I thought we could discuss it further here to not annoy the OP.

 

What is your experience with tradespeople?

 

Dh is a builder.

Ds#1 is a Heavy Fabricator / Welder.

Ds#2 works part time as a builder/labourer while at uni.

​DD did a cadetship on tall ships after finishing her degree.  Does that count as a trade?

Most of our friends have at least one person in their family in the trades.

 

Do you care if your children venture into a trade?

 

All 3 of our dc were encouraged to pursue jobs that interested them, could provide a steady income, that they had some skill/talent in, and looked to have a good outlook in the near future.  All 3 dc know that it is highly unlikely that they will only work in one job their whole working lifetime, so having a variety of skills / qualifications was encouraged.  Ds#2 has arranged to work this summer as a shepherd, something he has no experience in but sees as complementing his previous 2 summers farm work if he heads off overseas after uni.  He's heard that NZ farmers are really sought after overseas.  

 

What is the outlook in your area for trades?

 

NZ is crying out for more qualified tradesmen.  It takes 3-5 years to complete an apprenticeship, so there is no overnight fix.  Ds#1has friends who went off to Australia after completing their apprenticeship & are making big money now.  Dh has no problem picking up work if he wants it.  He's actually turning down work as he is finishing up  our renovations.  Subbies (electricians, plumbers, plasters, painters, etc.) all are in high demand.  In Auckland & Christchurch the demand is higher than the supply.  Other trades have good employment outlooks as well.  Many NZ tradesmen find that they are sought after to work overseas as well.  DH spent 26 years working in the Pacific Islands, in some amazing places.

 

Edited August 6, 2017 by Deb in NZ

[MaeFlowers]

My experience varies. We have been pretty lucky in terms of home repairs because we know people (friends/family). However, I have had bad experiences. My MIL has literally given up on hiring people and does everything herself. (She lives in a different state.)

 

I have a respect for trades people. I would have no problem with my dc going into trade work. It's honest work and can be quite lucrative. There will always be a need for trades people on some level.

 

As for the other thread, I get it. Society seems to be plaqued with people who dont take pride in their work. From fry cooks to doctors...

[Arctic Bunny]

It ticks our parents off to no end that we half-jokingly say we want one kid to be a plumber and the other an electrician. And yet MIL has a jealousy issue with the branch of the family that are all plumbers and own their own business. Nobody else has multiple (amazing) homes and dream vacations, etc!

The kids, however, have their own dreams that do not include a trade. Sigh.

I really think it wouldn't be a bad idea to learn a trade instead of a couple of gap years, then be able to work your way through school.

[Carrie12345]

I haven't had the greatest luck, myself.  The biggest job we had done had people showing up/not showing up whenever, and the quality of the work was on the lower end.  I had them fix the bigger issues, but we continue to live with the smaller ones years later, because I just wanted to get them off my property and out of my life.

 

I do love my chimney sweep!

 

If my kids wanted to go into trades, that'd be fine by me. But I would encourage them to own their own businesses.

[Guest]

Well, I am married to Blue Collar Guy, so my experience with tradespeople is different. 😉 My Dh is a Master Plumber who also can do/does other aspects of construction. He can do pretty much any facet of construction.

 

It has made a good living for us, so I can't complain, and it is clearly what DH is well-suited for in every way. However, I would not urge my kids to be tradespeople. If one of them wanted to be, I would still prefer they go to college as well. One of the reasons I wouldn't encourage it was one I talked about in a different thread recently. Working in trades is physically hard. It takes a toll on one's body, sometimes to a severe level. It also can be more difficult to grow as a person if your work is always cutting you off from other people.

[kewb]

 

What is your experience with tradespeople?

Some excellent and some terrible (as in had to get a lawyer involved, terrible). A good Craftsman is worth their weight in gold.

 

Do you care if your children venture into a trade? If they had an apptitude for a trade and they loved the trade then they should pursue it.

 

What is the outlook in your area for trades? I would say most people look down on trades. Which is unfortunate, since these same people need the trades people when something goes wrong in their home or with their car.

[Guest]

I don't really have a "my area" to speculate about the future of tradework in.

 

My experience has been mixed.

 

I would **love** for my kids to learn a trade, with the caveat that I would be very worried about the toll it could take on them physically. I have known a great many people whose bodies just get work down to the nub and by the time they retire, they can't really use them well anymore. Obviously, that depends on the trade.

[DawnM]

Dh's dad was an electrician.  He worked for a large company and eventually became a supervisor.  I am not really a "go into business for yourself" type, so I would want my kids to fully understand the risks involved before starting.  Retirement, health benefits, money fluctuating every month, etc....

 

I wouldn't stop them, and couldn't, but I wouldn't strongly encourage it either.

 

So far, my kids aren't looking at any trades fields, or maybe I should ask for a defining of the word TRADE.

[elegantlion]

Well, I am married to Blue Collar Guy, so my experience with tradespeople is different. 😉 My Dh is a Master Plumber who also can do/does other aspects of construction. He can do pretty much any facet of construction.

 

It has made a good living for us, so I can't complain, and it is clearly what DH is well-suited for in every way. However, I would not urge my kids to be tradespeople. If one of them wanted to be, I would still prefer they go to college as well. One of the reasons I wouldn't encourage it was one I talked about in a different thread recently. Working in trades is physically hard. It takes a toll on one's body, sometimes to a severe level. It also can be more difficult to grow as a person if your work is always cutting you off from other people.

 

I *was* married to a blue collar guy and despite his other issues, he was a gifted carpenter.  and a big :iagree:  to the bolded. I also despise the broad sweeping generalizations of tradespeople. Are we talking Bob Vila type of tradesperson or Joe the carpenter who thinks he can do anything because he picked up a hammer and bought a truck? It's like generalizing all of public school as either good or bad, just don't. 

 

He had good and bad experiences with subcontractors, clients, and individual jobs. The truth is that dealing with a construction project is not magic. It's one to many people really working hard and trying to deal with unknowns, like walls that aren't square, surprise damage behind walls that increase job costs, and a host of other issues that may not be readily apparent when they start. 

 

We also lived in two areas of the country. One, tradespeople were treated with respect and it was a viable job alternative. Lots of people were self-employed, sole proprietor type of business where their expertise was appreciated and paid accordingly. Our church parking lot on Sunday was full of trucks with trade logo emblazoned on the side. 

 

The other area was a challenge because anyone who did not attend college or could not get a job after high school picked up that hammer. They sold themselves as qualified (insert trade*) and they weren't. Ex had to deal with several subcontractors like that and it did become harder to find quality workers. He ended up finding a couple of loyal individuals and trained them in the field. It slowed his jobs down, which slows down everything else, client satisfaction, income for us, etc. There were times when me and ds would pitch in doing non-specialized work to help him keep on schedule.

 

As to whether I'd suggest it for ds, never. Ex had some college, no degree and the one time he seriously considered it, his business was so busy, he literally had no time. By his late 40s, his body was slowing down being self-employed was no longer an option. At 56, he's now on partial disability because he only knows construction and he physically cannot compete with younger workers for the jobs. In his early 40s, he tried to find jobs with larger construction firms, possible union commercial companies. There were some places where he could not even get an interview because, guess what, they wanted a degree of some kind.

 

Ds was hauling around siding at age 3. He learned to hammer at 18 months old. He has no desire to go into the construction field. He has some of ex's giftings in the sense he can visualize things spatially a lot better, he's using that for other abstract things like math and physics. If I had a child who wanted to go into the trades, I would still suggest at least an AA degree, preferably a Bachelor's in something field related. My school has a Construction Engineering Technology degree. If they want to be self-employed, I would suggest business. 

 

If they have a degree and decide that the trades are not for them when they're 30 or 40, then they have that degree. It's easier to shift fields with a degree as a foundation. 

 

I think part of the problem with trades in our area is that this area is still on the upward swing from the economic collapse of 2008. Wages for trades have not increased. Ex was making the same wage in 2010 as he was in the 1990s. Why work so physically hard for $8 -$12/ hour as an entry wage when you can do almost get the same wage in a restaurant or retail? Experienced wages are not that much more and unionized carpenters are not a big thing around here. People that used to support themselves by only doing one aspect of construction (again, excepting plumbers and electricians and maybe some cabinet makers) are doing more parts of the job. 

 

It is hard to find quality tradespeople. It's hard to find good (insert whatever occupation). I've had more bad experiences with doctors than tradespeople. 

 

 

 

*Excepting plumbers and electricians, those are generally more regulated fields. 

Edited August 6, 2017 by elegantlion

[Amy in NH]

My dad was an electrician when I was a young child.

My s-dad was a master pipefitter until he retired.

DH is a carpenter/cabinetmaker who has lots of mad skillz in other areas as well.

DS#3 will be an electrician and/or HVAC tech.

 

When hiring other tradespeople, it is super-helpful to know who's who in the business and have contacts.  If you're looking for someone to do xyz job, ask for a referral from the guy who did a good job on zyx job, even if he is a different trade.

Edited August 6, 2017 by Amy in NH

[Caroline]

We are more likely to hire a contractor for a job than individual tradespeople. (I think...) For example, last year we had our back patio, deck, and yard done. So I hired a landscaper and he has people who do all the different parts for him--demo, deck, etc. We big puffy heart LOVE what they did. It was amazing work. The people who did the work were great. We live out there whenever the weather is halfway decent.

 

We hire people to paint, lay tile, redo a bathroom, etc. We hire through one guy, and our neighborhood pretty much keeps him and his crews in business. After one paint job, he came to check it out and made the crew come back and redo parts of it.

 

We have a plumber that we use. We have an electrician that we use. We have an HVAC company that we use. We have used all these guys for 20 years now. And we recommend them to other people all the time.

 

I doubt my kids will go into trades. My oldest has already graduated college and has a full time mechanical engineering design and manufacturing job. My next one wants to design rockets. The next one wants to go to engineering school and then law school. The last one wants to be a mechanical engineer because he mechanical engineer big brother just bought a cool car.

 

We have had great people work on our house, yard, and cars. We do pay premium rates. We couldn't live without these people. I mean, my DH can replace the innerd of a toilet. We can paint. Heck, I even know how to hang drywall. But I would rather pay people to do these things for me. And I am willing to pay them well.

 

I think what ElegantLion said is absolutely true--often some guy and his hammer calls himself a carpenter. Taking a Saturday class at Home Depot does not make you a tradesman. Buying a white van and a ladder doesn't make you a painter.

 

Now I'm off to watch my kids swim in our neighbor's new pool that was designed and installed by the same landscaper who did my patio. It's absolutely gorgeous.

[Carol in Cal.]

Our experience with tradespeople varies, but in general they are not great at sticking to schedules.

 

I think these are good fields to the extent that they can't be outsourced.  Also, many trades are unionized with good benefits and pensions, which is increasingly rare these days outside of government jobs.  

[umsami]

99% of my experience with tradespeople has been wonderful.  I would love any of my children to learn a trade, if that was their passion.  

[creekland]

The other area was a challenge because anyone who did not attend college or could not get a job after high school picked up that hammer. They sold themselves as qualified (insert trade*) and they weren't.  

 

This is the problem.  A tradesman who loves his job and is skilled at it is awesome.  A tradesman who is in the job because he can't do anything else and someone handed him a hammer and truck - not so much.

 

The reason older tradesmen tend to be better is because they've been able to support themselves on the job via their good work.  My FIL had tons of work (construction, plumbing, handyman) into his early 80s - all word of mouth - because he had tons of experience and talent for the job.  He loved it.  Still would if his health issues didn't hamper him (he's 89 now).  Fortunately, he taught hubby how to do many things.  We rarely need outside help to fix something.  ;)

[Soror]

We do most of our work on our own as dh learned various skills from his Dad and on the job. Dh is quite skilled with mechanical and electrical things, basic building he can do as well, anything big he hires out. On the things we've hired out we've generally had good luck but we went with people that were highly recommended by people we knew and had many years experience.

 

I have mixed feelings about encouraging my children to enter the trades profession. I have several friends with husbands who do various trades. On the plus side, they have done well financially. But there is the stress of uneven pay, private pay insurance, taking care of your own retirement, and the body physically breaking down. Too many people end up skipping needed medical care because they can't afford it :(

 

If any of my children end up interested in a trade I guess I'd try to stress compound interest and saving even more. I'm also hoping that we have national healthcare at some point soon so they don't have to worry about health care. 

[Bluegoat]

I would be thrilled if my kids went into trades.  I can easily imagine ds might, though he is still little so other talents may show themselves.  And while dd12 is quite intellectual, she is also good with her hands and enjoys things like sewing and jewelry making.

 

I mentioned in the other thread that my mom has found good people by asking around for the contractor in homes she thought were well done.  She gets to know the guys, and takes recommendations from them, too.  

 

The outlook here for trades is mixed, at the moment.  For a while it was high, as a lot of trades went out west to work in the oil fields, but many have now returned.  They are building ships here at the moment so there are jobs for machinists and pipe fitters and such.  But, most of the established trades I know are never out of work - even if they cannot get a salaried position, they can often get all they want independently.

 

I have a few good tradesmen in my extended family, and artisans (in fact I think there is some cross-over between the two groups) and they were pushed to university.  My uncle, who is retirement age now, only went briefly and then did other things, but to a lot of people he seems like "university material" rather than like their vision of a tradesmen - he writes poetry and fiction and songs, he sings in a choir and plays the guitar, he's very well read and knowledgable about politics and so on.  My cousin who is an electrician is younger and now teaching at the trade school.  He has a degree in history.  

 

I do think that people like them are pushed into white collar work and it ends up being detrimental to skilled trade work.  And to the people, as well, I don't think either would be very happy with office type work.

[Bluegoat]

I've had good and bad tradespeople, so I won't judge them as a class.  :)  The first time I had a plumber out, he was so rude and condescending and stupid, I started thinking maybe this is how they are.  But since then I've had two plumbers who are sweet and helpful.  Well, they will be called next time.  So I'd like to think that in the long run, the good guys will win out.  :)

 

I have only girls, and I honestly don't know if they have the same earning capacity as males in the "trades."  I don't recall ever meeting or hearing of a woman plumber or similar.  I'm not sure why, but maybe it's because women are not taken seriously in the business.  If so, then no, I don't want my daughters to go into the "trades."  Not that they have indicated an interest in that thus far.

 

Maybe women don't go into the trades because it's not something their folks involved them in as kids.  Personally I know as much about plumbing as any lay person, because I watched my dad (note, not my mom) fix stuff.  I don't know how common that is among girls, even today.  My own girls don't clamor to watch or help me when I troubleshoot a toilet problem.  :p

 

Women can do really well in trades, and often good scholarships are available as well.  I have some distant cousins where the whole family went into trades - one girl into specialized carpentry, and a boy and girl into welding.

[Χά�ων]

We cannot find a plumber for anything! Our centuries old house has all the plumbing ever run (they just built walls with the old lines running through) and the weirdest gas line either of us have ever seen.

 

DH and I have the skill set to remove the old plumbing and move the gas and water lines, but because of how previous owners (who were either idiots or lazy) did things, we need a really good plumber who knows their stuff to come in and be able to say if we are correct or not.

[PeachyDoodle]

My dad owns a home improvement company (which he actually runs from our basement -- loooong story). He got his start in construction and then worked in sales and management for HVAC and electrical contracting companies until he was laid off at the age of 49 and decided to go into business for himself.

 

Hands down, the hardest part of his job is keeping qualified, honest, and reliable employees. He has more work than he can ever get to. He works really hard to provide the best possible service to his customers; that's important to him, and he's won a number of awards for it. But finding people who know what they are doing and who are willing to show up on time, do a good job, etc. is extremely difficult. There just don't seem to be very many people (especially younger people) interested in this type of work.

 

I would be thrilled for one or both of my kids to learn a trade. I think it's an especially good path for DS, who doesn't seem as academically minded as DD -- although he's only 6 so too early to tell for sure. I hate that my dad will probably retire before DS is old enough to really learn from and work with him. DS loves going down to the office and "helping" or going on calls with Grandad. :001_tt1:

 

I wish DH or I knew a trade, particularly carpentry, or at least had better basic handyman skills. I am working on this. I am a perfectionist and sometimes it's hard for me to just try something for fear I'll mess it up, but these skills really have to be learned hands-on.

[SKL]

Many tradespeople work alone and it just doesn't seem safe to me somehow.  They would be at the mercy of the homeowner to be treated with respect.

 

If one of my daughters wanted to go into HVAC or appliance repair or whatever I would like to believe that I would support them in it, but I wouldn't recommend it to them.

 

This goes for males or females, depending on the area.

 

My dad used to fix TVs back in the day when you called a repairman home for that.  He stopped doing repairs on the "East Side" after an incident.  Seems the woman who called him had very recently been raped and beaten by a strange man in her home.  She was scared to death that any man might rape her.  She held a loaded gun on my dad the entire time he did the job.

 

I have to admit I haven't thought about the safety issue with women doing house calls.  Then again, one of my kids wants to be a cop and the other wants to be a spy, so I guess they are open to a bit of risk in their careers.  That said, I admit it is something to consider.

[Junie]

This goes for males or females, depending on the area.

 

My dad used to fix TVs back in the day when you called a repairman home for that.  He stopped doing repairs on the "East Side" after an incident.  Seems the woman who called him had very recently been raped and beaten by a strange man in her home.  She was scared to death that any man might rape her.  She held a loaded gun on my dad the entire time he did the job.

 

I have to admit I haven't thought about the safety issue with women doing house calls.  Then again, one of my kids wants to be a cop and the other wants to be a spy, so I guess they are open to a bit of risk in their careers.  That said, I admit it is something to consider.

 

Yes, I agree.  I only have one son and five daughters.  My son has chosen to major in law enforcement, so I'm not worried about keeping him safe.

 

I have no problem with the girls learning a trade vs. going to college.  I do want them to have some way to support themselves.

[Χά�ων]

As I think about it I can see DS learning a trade just by pursuing his interests. I am using a welding class at the vocational training center as the carrot to get through certain school work.

[Guinevere]

I read about a school in Texas in a low income area. Most of the kids graduate, and then live in poverty because it is just how it is there. They started teaching the kids a trade in high school, so they were immediately employable after graduation. Also, the ones that wanted to go to college had a way to pay for it. I thought that was a brilliant idea.

[SereneHome]

My dad was an electrician when I was a young child.

My s-dad was a master pipefitter until he retired.

DH is a carpenter/cabinetmaker who has lots of mad skillz in other areas as well.

DS#3 will be an electrician and/or HVAC tech.

 

When hiring other tradespeople, it is super-helpful to know who's who in the business and have contacts.  If you're looking for someone to do xyz job, ask for a referral from the guy who did a good job on zyx job, even if he is a different trade.

 

I wonder how far from me you guys live LOL

[MommyLiberty5013]

Many tradespeople work alone and it just doesn't seem safe to me somehow.  They would be at the mercy of the homeowner to be treated with respect.

 

If one of my daughters wanted to go into HVAC or appliance repair or whatever I would like to believe that I would support them in it, but I wouldn't recommend it to them.

I agree with you. Anyone, male or female, can be unsafe somewhere, but women are targets more then men.

 

As an interesting aside, but still related, our recent REA who helped us sell our house last year and buy the one we are in now does work all over the metropolitan area here including staying late at night at Parade of Homes houses. She carries concealed. I was sort of shocked to learn that (it came out in the normal course of conversation as we spent a lot of time with her). Her DH works in LE and she just decided that the long hours, at night, in public with massive-sized open homes, meant she could be at risk. Incidentally, she also had/has an on-going problem with a man in her neighborhood peeping into her home at night. But this is exactly the issue women could face going solo into a private place/residence.

[Ausmumof3]

Many tradespeople work alone and it just doesn't seem safe to me somehow. They would be at the mercy of the homeowner to be treated with respect.

 

If one of my daughters wanted to go into HVAC or appliance repair or whatever I would like to believe that I would support them in it, but I wouldn't recommend it to them.

There is actually a service over here that is all female trades so that women who don't want a man in their house don't have to. It's kind of weird to me but I guess everyone has different life experiences.

[Katy]

I encourage kids to consider jobs that earn more than $60,000 when they are done learning the job.  That includes plenty of trade jobs.  Having said that, if I had a kid seriously interested in a trade I would probably enroll them in the local high school rather than home school them. The school here has dual enrollment "career" tech programs that give credit at the community college for trade training programs, so kids can enter with the entire first year there done, or in certain areas, be job-ready by graduation.  Obviously with some trades there is still several years of apprenticeship before you step up in pay grades or take certification exams, I include the apprenticeship as education time when evaluating a job.

 

We've found several times that hiring a contractor can make a job faster, easier, and cheaper than DIY'ing it.  It really depends on what the job is, and the availability of finding a good contractor.  I highly recommend asking for a realtor's recommendation (assuming you like your realtor). At the same time, I've seen family members get totally scammed, to the point that for the most part either I or DH knows the "best" standard way to do something in our area before we hire a job out.

 

The best example of saving money I've personally had was in having a contractor tear out an old (dangerous) patio cover and deck, and put a new deck over the entire previous area.  The contractor saved us about $200 over doing the job ourselves (he selected materials that were more efficient yet better quality than we would have chosen AND he got a huge contractor's discount on the lumber), and it was done quickly and was better quality that something we would DIY.  I think the contractor was not making much profit, he was mostly interested in filling a two week gap in "big" jobs with the little deck project so his favorite crew wouldn't need to be off work. The fact that we discussed adding an addition onto the house later may have also encouraged him to give us the most favorable rate. We weren't being manipulative when we did that, we literally wanted a quote because we saw if we had another 200 + square feet in our neighborhood that seemed to bump a home's value up into another price bracket in our neighborhood at the time.

[SKL]

Yeah, DIY beyond a certain point isn't an option for me, because I don't have that kind of time.  I will tinker and fix what I can in a short time, but if it involves renting big tools or taking half the house apart etc., forget it.

 

I've had some problems with trusting the wrong people.  But they did come back multiple times to fix things that weren't right.  (Still not perfect though.)

 

The worst problems I've had were with delivery / installation people hired by vendors.  I'm not sure whether they were lazy or ignorant or what.

[Soror]

I encourage kids to consider jobs that earn more than $60,000 when they are done learning the job.  That includes plenty of trade jobs.  Having said that, if I had a kid seriously interested in a trade I would probably enroll them in the local high school rather than home school them. The school here has dual enrollment "career" tech programs that give credit at the community college for trade training programs, so kids can enter with the entire first year there done, or in certain areas, be job-ready by graduation.  Obviously with some trades there is still several years of apprenticeship before you step up in pay grades or take certification exams, I include the apprenticeship as education time when evaluating a job.

I've already thought about ds (and perhaps the girls too) going to the local VoTech. They offer hands-on classes in several fields including carpentry (the kids build a house every year), computers, welding, mechanics, nurses aide, and I can't remember what else. Seems like a great way to get some practical knowledge and experience and decide if you want to pursue a particular career. Ds loves tinkering so could see him really enjoying something like that. Dd1 surprised me by saying she wanted to be an engineer the other day, she's never mentioned anything like that previously, so who knows maybe she would like to try something like that out too. They start that program in the 11th grade doing that alongside CC classes might very well be a good fit.

[Annie G]

 

 

The worst problems I've had were with delivery / installation people hired by vendors.  I'm not sure whether they were lazy or ignorant or what.

 

Some of the delivery/installation guys hired by our local Home Depot and Lowe's are awful.  We had a problem with one crew damaging our property and HD said it's between us and them. Nope, you guys hired them, you fix this problem.  They did, and refunded our delivery/installation charge also, but it was iffy for a while. 

[Dmmetler]

One of the neatest combos I've seen is that we have one tech magnet program in the same high school with a trades magnet program. So, you have the kids learning automotive repair, welding, and construction mixed with the kids learning computer coding and robotics. That makes sense to me.

 

I can't see DD going into the comstruction trades. She's a klutz :). However, Herpetology isn't exactly a white collar field-it just requires a white collar education :). I am also encouraging her to do the Texas A&M Vet tech program designed for 4H while in high school, because it's a useful skill set and, while not the best paying career, a reasonable one that can be compatible with being at home with kids more. I would love to see my bonus kid go into a trade. I think she could be really really good at something like doing custom tiling or possibly even masonry. She's meticulous and artistic. And she's not traditionally academic.

[MBM]

The other thread has veered off topic, so I thought we could discuss it further here to not annoy the OP.

 

What is your experience with tradespeople?

 

Do you care if your children venture into a trade?

 

What is the outlook in your area for trades?

Our experience has been mixed. Some tradespeople have done excellent work while others have done abysmal work. In our experience, paying more did not lead to better work. Some of the best work was done by the less expensive tradespeople. They had very good reputations and reviews, worked efficiently and were nice to have around.

 

I usually do my own work nowadays just because I'm pretty good and am persnickety. I've done just about everything except HVAC and plumbing although dh and I replaced the kitchen plumbing this past year. We're moving into plumbing territory, I guess. We can do basic electrical work, too.

 

This year, I'll be remodeling part of a bathroom and then gutting our kitchen.

 

I wouldn't mind if my kids went into the trades. The youngest already acts as the contractor for his dilapidated frat house and has done a good job fixing things himself or finding people who can. All of our kids can do basic remodeling work because they grew up helping.

 

Tradespeople in the Chicago area can do very well.

[FaithManor]

Most people here go into trades. The market is saturated and the economy very poor so they are chronically underemployed and all uninsured which is a bad deal. We know a roofer going bankrupt having recently fallen off a roof onto a driveway and breaking his back among other things. No medical insurance, not enough income to buy on the marketplace.

 

Going into trades is a very be idea here.

[rainbowmama]

My husband is an estimator and project manager for a construction company as well as works construction in the trades. It has worked very well for us. If our kids wanted to join the trades, we would be thrilled, though we would strongly, strongly recommend that they only do it if they are doing it through a paid, union apprenticeship and are committed to living in this area or another area that has a strong union like where we live.

[Minerva]

I had such a good experience with a tradesman I married him.  :001_wub: