The Construction Life

We have a great show for our listeners, let’s talk about buying that second property for yourself or to rent out, a place to getaway, a place to experience, a place to fixer upper. Steve is an expert in purchasing these types of properties and he has a lot of great information to share.

Find Steve @steve.haid on IG his website www.stevehaid.com his email [email protected] and his phone number 416 277-6604

The wine is on the table, a bottle for each of the three nationalities represented on the show today, Portugal, Italy and Germany.

On with the show.

There is a massive push for 30- and 40-year-olds to purchase fixer upper waterfront cottages from the aging population. You would be surprised, there are a lot of cottages on the market. Steve recently purchased his own place up there last year, a 1900 two story that needs a lot of construction love and right off the bat, Steve’s budget doesn’t line up with construction reality, but the guys discuss what it would really cost and what type of contractor you will attract the lower your budget goes. You honestly get what you paid for.

Steve walks the listeners through the key steps involved in purchasing that property and it might not be a cottage on the lake, it could be rural, it could be a condo as the market grows up in cottage country. Steve is talking about a potential 20-30% return on your real estate investment. The conversation deviates into Manny never wanting to own a place up there himself because Manny is not an outdoorsy kind of guy and you will never catch Manny portaging or shitting in a thunderbox. The guys talk about working with all of the governing agencies up there and how particular they are when it comes to shorelines, wildlife and wearing camouflage pants.

We discuss tech and how everyone is now on wifi and data networks and how those details are assisting with security and home office functionality for cottage owners. Then Steve hijacks the conversation back to his own place and asks how long the renovation will take, Steve thinks a month, that way he can disappear to Costa Rica and return to a completed reno, not the case as Manny and John enlighten Steve on the truths of timelines. Steve speaks openly about how badly clients up in cottage country desperately want a “hands off” experience and want the contractor to take full responsibility over everything from the permits to design. John and Manny even suggest Steve should consider renovating his home into a passive home, especially after hearing that Steve spends over $1000 per month on electric heat.

So much to consider when it comes to cottage country living. Thanks so much Steve for walking us through the ups and downs of cottage purchasing, renovating, and living. John shares his latest and greatest phrase…Skills to pay the Bills. Use it guys.

Thank you to John my Guest CoHost from @craftandclerk and @stonesthrowconstruction and www.craftandclerk.com and www.stonesthrowconstruction.com

Want a sticker, contact Manny at [email protected] or [email protected] or DM Manny @hardcorerenos He will mail you a sticker free of charge anywhere in the world.

This is The Construction Life

www.theconstructionlife.com

We open the show with a phone call to Adrian in Calgary Alberta chatting with him from @uniqueprojectsyyc giving our listeners a brief glimpse into what the great folks out west are doing with @buildersandbrews along with @brookwright_construction stay tuned for a whole show with them. There is a lot more to share on the great construction and contractors going on across Canada.

After the call with Adrian we shift gears on the already scheduled Q&A show Jim and Manny had planned, Jim wants to say something about a good friend he recently lost from Covid and work related unawareness regarding PPE back in the day. Due to not wearing the proper respirators, Jim’s friends was recently diagnosed with damage to 50% of his lungs from all of that overhead hammer drilling into concrete and silica dust inhaled over the years of working. Jim is asking that every tradesperson wear the proper PPE, all the GC’s make sure everyone is wearing the proper PPE, all the tradespeople make sure your coworkers are all wearing the proper PPE. The only person that will truly help you, is yourself.

Stay safe on the job site. It’s a very long Construction Life.

A bunch of shout outs from our listeners, @upperlevelfinishes @vkum @renosbybill @brollyrenos @filjuliao @schaeferwm @buildingpassive @youngelectric @btlcontracting @byurbangray @newwaycontractors Thank you so much for listening and sharing the show with so many other tradespeople, like-minded people that truly want to change the industry.

Questions from so many listeners, @neilrmols @carpentermuncey @electricallocal69 @propertyrehab @symmetreerenos @nw_kitchenandbathsplus @ygjaws @jpaulitzki So many great questions and Jim and Manny try to answer all of them to the best they can and hey everyone that listens, Jim and Manny may not always be right but they may offer up some ideas that could point you in the right direction. It truly is about adding more into the industry and making this Construction Life stronger and better.

Jim and Manny discuss, trades talking crap, working in construction is it all worth it, finding your price for your skills, side hustles should you, should GC’s have a test to pass, dealing with clients that only want to hire the low bid, using Tyvek on the backside of a basement framing wall and our thoughts, red seal certification and is it worth it, another great show and another great listeners with everyday construction life questions.

Jim shares a great story from one of his earlier clients, the president of a bank and how he could have built whatever he wanted but that’s not what this client wanted. Another great show with a mixed bag of construction topics.

Thanks for all the support, the kind words, the emails and messages about our little podcast. The word is spreading, tell your friends, family, subtrades, suppliers, tell everyone and anyone about The Construction Life.

Want a sticker, contact Manny at [email protected] or [email protected] or DM Manny @hardcorerenos He will mail you a sticker free of charge anywhere in the world.

Don’t forget to find Jim @carukhallconstruction www.carukhall.com [email protected] 416 546-8602. Lastly, find Manny @hardcorerenos www.hardcorerenos.com and [email protected] 416 433-5737

This is The Construction Life

www.theconstructionlife.com

Mike opens up the show with a funny onsite story that involves this opening song, the avocado!!! We have Mike and Jessica from Belley Renovations, find them on IG @belleyrenovations and www.belleyrenovations.com Navigating the wonderful world of dream kitchen and bathrooms.

There is a lot of thought put into the design and functionality of bathrooms and women dictate the start and finish line on that design and function. Manny just lets it all out and starts the conversation down a very interesting path discussing the luxury bathroom. We dive deep into the myth about “she” has the final say, Mike and Jessica agree that it doesn’t exist any longer. This show is revealing a number of ways to approach your current and new clients, pay close attention to the cues.

We are recording the podcast at their home that is under renovations, shoemakers at their best. We get right into waterproofing and how it’s just put into the budget, not even giving the client any opportunity to question proper waterproofing for all of their wet areas. Construction is in the family, Mom was a site super for track residential, Grand Dad was a plumber, Uncle in HVAC, Dad was an Electrician, another Uncle that does Finish Carpentry, and Mike never thought he would get into construction and hated construction and during the family get togethers, it was always construction talk at the dinner table. Mike went into the culinary arts and cooking in some of the finest restaurants and was one of the best moves Mike ever made. The comparisons of being in culinary to construction are so similar and Mike learned a lot and it all prepared him for construction.

Shout out to @livingstoncabintry and @binnerswasteremoval

We dive into all types of good and some bad plumbing fixtures, why they work with for them and their clients. Our last conversation is about food, what tradespeople are eating and why and what they should be considering for lunch, breakfast and snacks during the workday and how Uber Eats isn’t really helping the industry and how it’s adding to social pressures to today’s generations. Things get a little heated in the kitchen. We discuss what tradespeople eat, what they put inside their bodies, how what you eat makes you the person you are on so many levels and it really is about a lifestyle, Mike and Jessica are Vegans and it’s something to consider for your construction life.

Thanks Jessica and Mike from @belleyrenovations for such an amazing talk about cooking, construction and caring. Keep up the awesomeness.

Thanks for all the support, the kind words, the emails and messages about our little podcast. The word is spreading, tell your friends, family, subtrades, suppliers, tell everyone and anyone about The Construction Life.

Want a sticker, contact Manny at [email protected] or [email protected] or DM Manny @hardcorerenos He will mail you a sticker free of charge anywhere in the world.

Don’t forget to find Jim @carukhallconstruction www.carukhall.com [email protected] 416 546-8602. Lastly, find Manny @hardcorerenos www.hardcorerenos.com and [email protected] 416 433-5737

This is The Construction Life

www.theconstructionlife.com

We have an amazing show today, we have a very special guest, Matthew Bradley from OYAP. Matt works for the TDSB for the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program Department. Before OYAP he was a carpentry teacher, before that he was carpenter, before that he was a cabinet maker, and from leaving high school Matt went to study philosophy in university and not really knowing why he did that. LOL.

Matt began his career in finance in the UK but working in finance wasn’t satisfying. Left London and moved to Calgary and transitioned from finance to web, and all of this relates to his construction path. A failure in the web allowed Matthew to be packaged out and use that money to study cabinet making at Humber College.

Now Matthew began his construction career, working on all sorts of projects and learning so much more. From there with the help of his wife who discovered teaching and went through the programs to be able to teach. Matt has gotten a very good perspective on tradespeople getting in, staying in and thriving in the construction industry. We discuss the entire program and how to find the right apprentice for the right employer and it’s truly the employers that OYAP needs more of, they have plenty of students with the desire to work.

We discuss taking the students on after the coop period and making them your employee. The students are PPE prepared and aware, they arrive on site ready and safe. They are informed of the latest tools and toys but they need a jobsite to keep learning. All of this is funded by the Ministry of Labour Training and Skills Development, one great thing the MOL is doing for construction. A recent approval by the MOL are construction coaches, this is an amazing new platform for all students.

There are 144 different trades that these students can study for, we typically know about the most popular ones but there are so many more. We discuss the Step In Construction program, a hugely successful program within OYAP. So much to learn about the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program and I am sure Matt will be back one day. Watch for Jim and Manny to do more work with OYAP.

Thank you so much Matt for shining a lot of light on teaching, apprenticeships, the construction industry and more. Really appreciate it. Find Matt at www.oyaptdsb.com and oyap.com is the provincial site www.oyaptdsb.com/employers[email protected] 647 467-9744 and on social IG and Twitter @tdsboyap

Thanks for all the support, the kind words, the emails and messages about our little podcast. The word is spreading, tell your friends, family, subtrades, suppliers, tell everyone and anyone about The Construction Life.

Want a sticker, contact Manny at [email protected] or [email protected] or DM Manny @hardcorerenos He will mail you a sticker free of charge anywhere in the world.

Don’t forget to find Jim @carukhallconstruction www.carukhall.com [email protected] 416 546-8602. Lastly, find Manny @hardcorerenos www.hardcorerenos.com and [email protected] 416 433-5737

This is The Construction Life

www.theconstructionlife.com

Very explicit conversations in this show and a few jabs at DeWalt and Milwaukee.

Let’s open the show with some Shabba and some reggae from Carlos and this is how as all construction podcasts should open. LOVE IT!! We have a special Co Host to join Manny, John from Craft And Clerk proposed the idea of joining the show and here we are. Manny is interested in doing more Co-Hosting, so anyone interested in filling in the seat, please reach out to Manny.

Carlos a little nervous to be on the show opens up as the bottles of wine go down. We get off to a slow start but boy does the conversation ramp up fast.

Right out of high school Carlos got into landscaping, choose a hard career path and loved it. A decade and half of working for others Carlos made the move to go out on his own and he chose early 2020 to make the move, right smack at the start of the pandemic. Talk about a challenge? Most of his friends, family and coworkers told him to wait, not to take the risk, Carlos listened but he still moved forward, and he had a great start to his new business.

We get talking costs to run a business and what to expect with the crews and even going as far as discussing Uber Eats and all of those fees vs losing a guy to go get coffee and lunch. Things get heated and not from the microwave. Carlos was very lucky out the gate, his first job was in a higher end neighborhood of Toronto and we joke about that area.

John takes the show to a side tangent by asking Manny all the behind-the-scenes work involved with The Construction Life podcast and what Manny goes through on a daily basis, on the job site, running the business, producing the podcast and more.

We discuss ways to optimize your mind, your brain functions, how to be more mentally aleart and Manny discusses Brain Fog, eating coconut oil, mixing in MCT oil and Ghee Butter into his morning coffee and making his Bulletproof coffee, look it up guys, it will help you mentally and physically.

Back to landscaping.

We discuss the many ways your new business can and should be profitable, it’s important to have those goals but they need to always be attached to profit. We discuss tools, all kinds of tools, we even get a chance to upset every tool brand in the process and then the conversation turns to electric pick-up trucks and can of worms explodes. We end the show on quite the porta potty story and a brand new iPhone.

What a great show and thank you Carlos for sharing your ups and downs and all the best to you and your new business.

Give Carlos a follow, contact him for your next landscape project, @cavemen_landscapes and follow John @stonesthrowconstruction doing more tham just landscaping www.stonesthrowconstruction.com and please contact him to organize your business with @craftandclerk and www.craftandclerk.com Thanks John for being my cohost on The Construction life.

Thanks for all the support, the kind words, the emails and messages about our little podcast. The word is spreading, tell your friends, family, subtrades, suppliers, tell everyone and anyone about The Construction Life.

Want a sticker, contact Manny at [email protected] or [email protected] or DM Manny @hardcorerenos He will mail you a sticker free of charge anywhere in the world.

This is The Construction Life

www.theconstructionlife.com

The show opens with a mic check and a bottle of wine, Pinot Grigio this round. Back at the evening podcast recording session and Jim and Manny are answering a lot of listener questions. We have a great show for everyone, talking about all details of construction and Mr. Smith returns with more information from the wonderful world of the Ontario Building Code.

Let’s open the show with a classic scenario where a sprayfoam trade is being asked by the client to provide documentation for her occupancy final but the client never paid the GC but the GC paid the spray foam out of his pocket and we are asked what should the spray foam trade do now that the GC has submitted a legal claim against the client?

And now the questions.

Do we struggle not being on the tools?

Jobsite vacuums?

Jobsite garbage, who is responsible?

Are GC’s expected to shovel snow off driveways?

Trade hovering, should you or shouldn’t you?

Should you commit time to social media?

When designer ideas don’t and can’t match real onsite construction, how to handle that?

When does the finished flooring get installed? Before or after trim?

Trades and the GC are not allowed to speak to the clients directly and without the designer?

Why do custom trades expect payment asap, the e transfer has to happen right away?

Mr. Smith got back to our last show and he has some very interesting replies and a few more questions and Jim brings up more questions.

What if the homeowner doesn’t want the inspector on their property?

Why do inspector question manufacture specs?

Who pays for inspector’s wage?

Why do we need to and must build to the exact way it is drawn?

Why are permitted drawings issued and not approved?

As much as contractors as inspectors to have on site experience well contractors should have building code experience, two-way street?

Back to other listeners and more questions.

What should a new guy start at regarding wage?

How accurate can young tradespeople get with their quoting?

Jim and Manny wrap up the show discussing the “association” a new endeavor that Jim and Manny are preparing to begin, a new way to change the construction industry.

Thank you everyone for listening and the everyday support.

Don’t forget the Shout Outs - @elitecustommillwork @whiteoak.construction @kestrelrenovations @upperlevelfinishes @pacificwildgeneralcontracting @foamit.ca @fortunatos_ @customandqualityinc @blders.ca @procustompainting @timberwolf.carpentry

Thanks for all the support, the kind words, the emails and messages about our little podcast. The word is spreading, tell your friends, family, subtrades, suppliers, tell everyone and anyone about The Construction Life.

Want a sticker, contact Manny at [email protected] or DM Manny @hardcorerenos He will mail you a sticker free of charge anywhere in the world.

Don’t forget to find Jim @carukhallconstruction www.carukhall.com [email protected] 416 546-8602. Lastly, find Manny @hardcorerenos www.hardcorerenos.com and [email protected] 416 433-5737

This is The Construction Life

www.theconstructionlife.com

What a great show we have today, Edward talks to us about being taught all the wrong lessons and he will be the first to admit the stereotype behind Asians and construction, how it’s always fast and cheap is the best and only way to renovate.

Edward talks about going to post school, leaving in his 2nd year, he didn’t think school was right for him, but he did end up finding a network of likeminded tradespeople that he eventually turned into Ridgewood. Edward felt school was too simplified and they needed to teach him more and more about all aspects of construction.

The guys go through a gambit of different construction topics from building a brand, building wealth, setbacks, people complaining, millennials and establishing money after you have gotten close to establishing your brand. We discuss entry level pay rates and what the new trades should be asking for and the why behind the rate, more importantly the opportunities behind that rate. Edward reveals some of his epic downs and ups in his construction career and as he states, the ups only happen because of the downs, embrace those losses and build from them.

Lastly we have the 12 questions of construction.

Thank you, Edward for being on the show and all the best with all your endeavors. Find Edward through Ridgewood Building Group at www.ridgewoodbuildinggroup.ca and on IG @ridgewood_group and email at [email protected].

Thanks for all the support, the kind words, the emails and messages about our little podcast. The word is spreading, tell your friends, family, subtrades, suppliers, tell everyone and anyone about The Construction Life.

Want a sticker, contact Manny at [email protected] or DM Manny @hardcorerenos He will mail you a sticker free of charge anywhere in the world.

Don’t forget to find Jim @carukhallconstruction www.carukhall.com [email protected] 416 546-8602. Lastly, find Manny @hardcorerenos www.hardcorerenos.com and [email protected] 416 433-5737

This is The Construction Life

www.theconstructionlife.com

We turn the topics over to our listeners and they have sent in great questions for Jim and Manny to answer and they don’t hold back. From dealing with Building Inspectors to how to price low to high end jobs, to what can trade schools do better when educating for RED Seal, to losing out on the job, to shadowing other contractors, to how to set your pricing and is pricing a constant evolving thing, to clients not willing to pay that final payment, to staying a sole proprietor or make the move to incorporation, to going back in time to our early years in construction and what we would do differently and the same. Manny shares the continuing Toronto Hydro Saga and something interesting came up on site, a construction life lesson regarding book smarts vs on site smarts. And our good friend Nick Andrew sends Jim and Manny a DM over IG as we are recording, just in time to make it into this week’s show and the guys are presented with a great question Nick asks, don’t want to miss this final segment of the show.

Lastly, the show ends with Jim and Manny’s perspective on Valentine’s Day, the guys couldn’t be more different.

Have a listen to another great show.

Thanks to all the listeners for all the great questions. Jamie from @rabenbuilt

Joe Rosselli @rossellirenovations @brock.peel Travis D from @black_bronco_construction Kevin from @pardely_woodworking and @I.westminster.purcell

Thanks for all the support, the kind words, the emails and messages about our little podcast. The word is spreading, tell your friends, family, subtrades, suppliers, tell everyone and anyone about The Construction Life.

Don’t forget to find Jim @carukhallconstruction www.carukhall.com [email protected] 416 546-8602. Lastly, find Manny @hardcorerenos www.hardcorerenos.com and [email protected] 416 433-5737

This is The Construction Life

www.theconstructionlife.com

Something a little different on today’s show, Jim and Manny just rapid fire the topics and discuss a variety pack of construction hits and misses. We open the show with a little DATA on our followers and how much we have grown since launching the show back in 2019, over 150,000 total downloads with an average of 17,000 downloads per month, with May of 2020 being our biggest month ever, over 30,000 downloads. Thank You to all of our listeners and spreading the word, letting everyone know about The Construction Life and how we have great, honest, interesting, passionate conversations about construction.

Jim gets right into the permit process and how the “C” word is killing the slow and steady workflow currently going on, the government needs to address our concerns otherwise construction is heading into a slow period this year. Jim is optimistic that things will get better but there needs to be a give and take on ours and the governments sides to continue the construction growth.

Jim and Manny dive deep into what your profit should be, what percentage should your business be looking at? These are key points for any contractor and business owner. Talking 20 points for 100K or smaller renos but then closer to 15-12 points for million-dollar projects and that could drop to 8%. You have to be aware of every penny being spent and how those pennies take away from those profits.

Cost of materials and how that could contribute to clients not moving forward, thinking things will get cheaper and favor the homeowner which both Jim and Manny disagree with, costs will always go up.

Jim and Manny discuss how the younger trades can make the right choice when it comes to, who to work for, who will teach me, guide me, help me move forward on my construction career path. What a great question and a huge concern of many young trades out there. Great story about a sheet metal great friend of Jim’s with 4 thumbs, crusty as hell but would teach you the hard lessons.

Leads us to on site etiquette, what a world of worms that opens up. We discuss how clients always leave an empty coffee cup mess after a site meeting. We discuss music on site and music levels. We discuss how GC’s should be charging clients for parking tickets. Then we talk about not getting paid by clients, by GC’s and how to handle those situations. What a great show we have touching upon a number on construction details.

We wrap up the show with a little bit on the reno TV industry, the so-called influencers on social media and how the real construction world isn’t the way these people who say they represent us, really don’t because they really don’t live a real construction life. Stand up and be a man and if they want to talk smack about anyone, say it to their face.

Thank you again to all of the Listeners and followers, thank you so much for making our little construction podcast one of the best shows online.

Don’t forget to find Jim @carukhallconstruction www.carukhall.com [email protected] 416 546-8602. Lastly, find Manny @hardcorerenos www.hardcorerenos.com and [email protected] 416 433-5737

This is The Construction Life

www.theconstructionlife.com

We open the show with a few construction terms and the origins of these terms, from Journeyman, the imperial measurements to plumb.

Let’s get talking about your next construction office space, the Oakville location has 18, 746 square feet with 63 private offices, 3 boardrooms, a café, a lounge, and a flexible workspace. There are currently 5 locations in the GTA, this Oakville location, 3 in Mississauga and 1 in Richmond Hill with more expansion into Etobicoke, Ottawa, and out West into BC coming in the next few years. Ventures X is a global brand and well worth enquiring about the option to start your next construction officer space with them.

The freedom to have a private office space, have access to the café, lounge area, free parking, set up boardroom presentations with clients, tradespeople, architects, and designers, a professional business address. Plus, the added advantage of flexibility of term, you can rent a space for as little as 60 days, there are no long-term leases here. You don’t have to worry about those fixed costs, heat, hydro, wifi that is all included in the space.

Signing up to one location allows you to access the other locations globally, now that makes a lot of sense when you have clients across the Greater Toronto Area and can schedule meetings closer to you, or closer to your client. Even get a virtual office and use VenturesX professional address to run your business.

We wrap up the show with the guests turning the questions onto Manny and asking him his thoughts on some great details of construction, things that have not been expressed before.

Reach out to Joe and Trevor at the following info. www.venturesxcanada.ca find them on Social Media @venturesxoakville reach them at 289 644-2393 and email [email protected]

Don’t forget to find Jim @carukhallconstruction www.carukhall.com [email protected] 416 546-8602. Lastly, find Manny @hardcorerenos www.hardcorerenos.com and [email protected] 416 433-5737

This is The Construction Life

www.theconstructionlife.com