Another Day, Another Dollar

I know I've said this before, but Saturdays are busy. What's more, we are seeing a surge in interest in our homes that exceeds even optimistic projections. Why - I think because we have a good idea, and keep working hard. Tuesday I have a new 'project manager' starting, that I am hoping can help us manage the office and field work of the business. A tall task, but the time has come to hire a overseer of sorts. What's interesting about this time when I sent out feelers for help, the response I got was much more talented than before - and I think the reason is because the building industry is seeing a true slowdown. Since we are busier than ever, we have been able to find talented persons who have been gainfully and happily employed over the last few years, only to see that work dry up. Today was filled with site meetings, with both subcontractors, existing clients who we are building for, and for prospective clients who are scouting the area. Tomorrow the future owner of Cottage 6 is coming up, meeting me at Good Old Things in Scranton PA where we are trying to find a large unique salvaged window to serve as his second floor gateway to his exquisite 6 acre backyard. From there back to the house to decipher a few design ideas before he heads out for a few months to make a movie. Rumor has it next week will be 50 degrees, after 10 days of very cold weather hovering near zero degrees. That may sound good to you, but what it means to me is MUD. Inside the houses, on the tools, on the porches, on the materials, on the boots. It's been a trying winter on our houses. Rain, snow, ice buildup. So far so good, because even though I sit by the phone like the Maytag mechanic, we really don't get many emergency calls. This round of brutal weather has played havoc with people's electronic low heat sensors, but for the most part, our 30 houses around the county seem to be holding up excellently.