I own a remodeling business, my former business partner moved to Texas about 15 years ago and started a restoration company that does extremely well. He’s asked me to come be apart of it several times but my whole family is here (in VA). While I don’t make nearly as much as I would there, leaving everything I know and live behind for more money isn’t what I think will bring any happiness. As far as business goes, running a company takes a lot of business know how, which he has, but one of the most important things I learned from an old school contractor in my town years ago, was that to be successful, you have to know your limits and admit when you aren’t good at certain things, and hire people that do know those things. Next, customers will always be a pain in the ass to some degree. Every now and then you get the unicorns that just love everything you do and give you no problems along the way, but they’re few and far between. With the experience you have, if it were me, I’d at least consider becoming a part of it, bc to answer your question, selling a restoration company is absolutely feasible, especially with a good name and reliable employees. Tough decision, but it seems as though you could potentially come in as the management your dad needs.

No one truly successful became that way without some failures along the way.

I’ve been turning down quite a few jobs in the last six to eight months, which I didn’t do before, and swore I’d never do. But I feel like it’s better to say “I can’t get to that as soon as you’d like” than to promise what I can’t possibly deliver. I know a lot of guys that take everything that comes along and they end up pissing off customers and sometimes facing lawsuits.

So if I’m doing work as the general contractor, most work is from people relocating or buying a new house, or also selling the one they’re in, which I attribute a lot to realtors that refer me. I do a lot of sub work also, but most of that is from other contractors and their investors that concentrate on flips, mostly.

Actually when a contract is involved, people typically like that better so they have a legal document. I’m in Lynchburg, and everyone around here does so much on handshakes, which I’ll do for other contractors that I know and I’ve worked with for years, but anyone unfamiliar I’m writing a contract every time. But it helps when the customer already knows what they want and the price is close to what they expect. But all in all I don’t think it’s changed much from what I can tell, except homeowners are more cautious bc it seems the “fly by nights” and sketchy guys were so abundant for a while that people are afraid they could get screwed.

Small construction/remodel business here in VA since 2005, and honestly this is the busiest year I’ve had since before 2008 hit. Hope you guys all see it turn back up.

You should be charging at the very least, double that much.