Info on How to Start a Construction Contractor Business

[Iceweasel]

i think 2500 is a killer idea...and sellable but i think you need to branch out...make it a multi use idea....keep it simple....sell the containers....
buy cheap and let the next buyer do whatever they want with the containers...400 sq ft of storage for 6.25 per sq ft is a damn steal...

so lets go to 10 bucks a square ft....4 k for a storage unit is still a great price....they are rodent proof....rainproof etc

The best thing in the long run is to be able to afford a piece of land and stack some of these on top of each other and build an apartment building for a bunch of residual income.

Oh fuck. You really are dreaming.

 

[Fueri]

I'd put together a full BOM, down to every screw.

Now you know the actual costs, can standardize production so it's little more than assembly and buy your materials in bulk.

On a completely different tangent, you could create a kit, stick it in the container and ship that and the container with cutouts or whatever for Windows and other services to diy-ers or franchisees. You build nothing....

 

[strollingbones]

pod housing is the new trend....you could do a cluster type living area...but then you got to buy land etc....that is a lot of money...

i could see that....a communal kitchen, laundry and living area with container bedrooms clustered around it

 

[Lewdog]

okay all this math is making me dizzy...so you want to do this for 100 per square ft?

to me that is do able....lets run this by grumpy.....big sigh...well you are gonna have a hard time selling by looking at it that way....and now we are fighting lol....he just keep saying you cant look at it that way

Is that quoting just labor or is he trying to say materials and labor? I'm almost positive I could do my two bedroom design with a toilet, shower insert, stove, and the ductless HVAC unit... spray insulation, and laminate flooring for under $20,000 with labor.

 

[Lewdog]

i think 2500 is a killer idea...and sellable but i think you need to branch out...make it a multi use idea....keep it simple....sell the containers....
buy cheap and let the next buyer do whatever they want with the containers...400 sq ft of storage for 6.25 per sq ft is a damn steal...

so lets go to 10 bucks a square ft....4 k for a storage unit is still a great price....they are rodent proof....rainproof etc

The best thing in the long run is to be able to afford a piece of land and stack some of these on top of each other and build an apartment building for a bunch of residual income.

Oh fuck. You really are dreaming.

You've not done the research I have. They have these in other parts of the world. They just haven't become popular here yet.

 

[strollingbones]

it would all depend on labor costs....i dont think you could do that around here...and one variable ...what if they mexicans do all go back...labor costs will go up

 

[Lewdog]

I'd put together a full BOM, down to every screw.

Now you know the actual costs, can standardize production so it's little more than assembly and buy your materials in bulk.

On a completely different tangent, you could create a kit, stick it in the container and ship that and the container with cutouts or whatever for Windows and other services to diy-ers or franchisees. You build nothing....

If you look hard enough they even sell fully built shipping container houses on eBay... not kidding.

40'' Luxury Expandable Hotel Design Prefabricated Container House | eBay

 

[Fueri]

Yeah, I've seen designs for homes and other building that use multiple containers to increase square footage. Some of those are actually pretty nice.

 

[strollingbones]

do you have the cash to set a house up....people arent going to go for the artist concept they will need to see one....

 

[Lewdog]

do you have the cash to set a house up....people arent going to go for the artist concept they will need to see one....

Yeah that's a problem, I have a friend that has land that said I could pay him a small monthly fee to build one there, but unless I got everything together and got a small business loan I don't see that part happening. Having a walk through home would be ideal... though I know people have used not only artist renderings and floor plans, but models and now they can do 3D videos.

 

[Lewdog]

Well I went ahead and bought the domain www.Kentuckycontainerhomes.com just in case I do come up with a way to do this.

 

[Penelope]

This is like asking legal advice on a forum. You'll get lots of opinion but only a lawyer that knows the specific law can help. If there is a licensing body in your state that's who you need to contact.

I personally don't think your idea makes good sense. It's going to be a LOT of labor to make a container desirable to live in. Cutting metal and installing doors and windows alone is going to be a hefty expense with high skilled labor. Then the walls, insulation, plumbing, electrical. Plumbing and electrical would need to be licensed work here and they don't work cheap in wood framed homes. All installation is going to be exponentially more involved with heavy gauge steel. IF you could find anyone willing to do it.

Everything will need to pass federal, state and local codes and in the final analysis you are just building a better mouse trap and people worried about it are buying tried and true stick homes.

These buildings are becoming very popular... and aren't anywhere near as expensive as you are making it out to be. Plus you have to remember they are only 40 foot long, we aren't talking about a huge house to do all this work.

How different is that from a self contained camper with a few slide outs?

 

[Lewdog]

This is like asking legal advice on a forum. You'll get lots of opinion but only a lawyer that knows the specific law can help. If there is a licensing body in your state that's who you need to contact.

I personally don't think your idea makes good sense. It's going to be a LOT of labor to make a container desirable to live in. Cutting metal and installing doors and windows alone is going to be a hefty expense with high skilled labor. Then the walls, insulation, plumbing, electrical. Plumbing and electrical would need to be licensed work here and they don't work cheap in wood framed homes. All installation is going to be exponentially more involved with heavy gauge steel. IF you could find anyone willing to do it.

Everything will need to pass federal, state and local codes and in the final analysis you are just building a better mouse trap and people worried about it are buying tried and true stick homes.

These buildings are becoming very popular... and aren't anywhere near as expensive as you are making it out to be. Plus you have to remember they are only 40 foot long, we aren't talking about a huge house to do all this work.

How different is that from a self contained camper with a few slide outs?

They are much much sturdier. These containers are made to withstand the horrible weather of the open ocean... and made to carry tons of cargo.

 

[strollingbones]

good move on the domain name......if you fail someone might buy the domain

 

[Rob37]

If you are going to be a construction contractor then you need to start smoking pot and throw away your schedule books and time keeping devices. Also, take all of your record keeping books and software and trash them. It is also a good idea to purchase a new social security number and birth certificate so you can Fake your own death when all the lawsuits and IRS audits start getting to be too much for you.