Home and Auto Decorative Concrete - Page 3

rico · 07-09-2014, 03:01 PM

tl;dr....beat ya to it.

So, a month and a half ago, my best friend and I began a decorative concrete business. We put decorative concrete on the existing concrete of basements, patios, porches, sidewalks, car ports, driveways, garages, etc...anything with existing concrete, really.

You can check out the link to some of the work we've done at http://decorateyourconcrete.wordpress.com.

Are any of you familiar with this sort of work? If so, chime in with whatever insight/comments you may have...

Anyways. Starting this up and paying to advertise when we don't have an abundance to begin with (since we are just starting out) has been...strenuous. Dealing with the people has been strenuous as well. I mean, some of the shit we've dealt with already with people has just been mind-numbing. We literally have the lowest prices that you can find, pretty much anywhere...since we are just starting out and do not have employees to pay...it's just my best friend and I doing the work. Our prices generally range from $4-5 per square foot and the standard prices for it are $7-10 per square foot. However, with our prices being so low, people are STILL being scared off and seemingly make the decision to not move forward when we give them their quotes. People also will sit there and bicker with us about the prices, prior to coming to an agreement as if they are negotiating with some car salesmen.

Here are a couple of frustrating things that have happened just within the past couple days:

1.) I had a gal who is friends with our family contact me and inform me that she was quote "VERY interested in getting her basement done, for her basement leaks and she can't put carpet down because of it and loved the cocoa-bean/marble look that we have used for a couple basements." The square footage of her basement is 425 square feet. I initially quoted her at $2000. I didn't think this was unreasonable... $4.70 per square foot, for something that at most other places would cost her $7-10 per square foot. Not to mention, with it being a basement, the concrete we put on it wouldn't have the sun beating down on it to dry it, so it was going to be a 3-4 day job. She panicked after hearing the quote and was like, "oh my God, that is SO expensive. There is no way we can afford something like that! We were expecting something like $1000. Blah-blah-blah." $1000 ****ING DOLLARS FOR A 425 SQUARE FOOT BASEMENT!!! UGH!!! Long story short, we are desperate to get ourselves out there and since she is a friend of the family, we agreed to do her basement for a very low price on the condition that she did not tell ANYONE how much it cost them...that she would tell anyone who asked, that she paid $2500 to get it done. Another reason we were so accommodating is because her uncle is the richest guy in Southeast Iowa...owns a place called Fun City which consists of a casino, popular night club, bowling alley, hotel, go cart track, multiple restaurants, etc.) He owns the golf course as well as a ton of other establishments. It would be awesome landing some jobs to do for him.We were supposed to begin the job tomorrow. I just received a message from her via facebook notifying me that she couldn't go through with things because her A/C just went out. WE ALREADY HAD THE DAMN PRODUCT(S) PURCHASED AND EVERYTHING. ****!!!!!!!!

2.) Had an old guy who called me last week who wanted to put decorative concrete on his driveway. His driveway is 24 X 70 ft...1680 sq ft. I quoted him at $8400... which is $5 per square foot. A good deal...obviously better than he realized. Naturally, he wanted a senior discount and we accommodated and agreed to $7750. Fine...gave him a senior discount on top of his already existent senior discount. Driveways and basements are our favorite things to do. Driveway projects have the most potential of becoming a trend. Basement jobs will keep us busy during the winter. So we were supposed to start this job this past Monday. So, I get a call SUNDAY NIGHT from his wife and she told me not to come to their place to start the job the following morning for he hadn't discussed the project with her yet and she was pissed about it and doesn't want to have it done. WE ALREADY HAD THE DAMN PRODUCT(S) PURCHASED AND EVERYTHING. ****!!!!!!!!

3.) I purchased an ad in an advertising newspaper that covers all of Southeast Iowa. This is a free paper and very popular in our area. I was excited to see this in the paper today, but my excitement was immediately alleviated when I looked at our photo-ad....WITH THE FONT THEY USED, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO COMPREHEND THE ****ING CONTACT INFORMATION. Everything else is legible EXCEPT THE ****ING CONTACT INFORMATION PORTION.....WHERE FOR WHATEVER ****ING REASON, THEY DECIDED TO USE SOME DIFFERENT, ILLEGIBLE FONT. I called them and discussed this with them a couple hours ago. They weren't willing to give me a refund OR run the ad in next week's issue for free. WHAT...THE...****..

ANYWAYS... I was wondering if any of you guys have any experience with decorative concrete work or concrete work in general? If so, can you feel my pain with some of this shit? These examples were from the past couple days...we've run into other frustrating situations similar to these since we started.

I have a guy who is trying to sell me a curbing package...should we purchase it?

Does anyone have any business advice for me? Is doing concrete work with an emphasis on decorative concrete a good idea? Why or why not? Should we get into contact with people who do this How do you deal with some of these people who try to low-ball you when your balls are already low to the point where they are digging a hole in the ground? What are some good advertising resources that I should utilize? I've hit facebook, craigslist and the local newspapers really hard with the advertisement component. We are getting a lot of interest, but getting people to commit and/or ****ING FOLLOW THROUGH (GOD, I JUST CAN'T IMAGINE BACKING OUT ON PEOPLE A DAY FREAKING BEFORE THE PROJECT WAS SUPPOSED TO TAKE PLACE!!!)

Also, not sure what the rules are about this sort of thing (I'll edit and delete if necessary)...and I have my doubts that anyone is still reading at this point anyways, but I am from Southeast Iowa, but at this phase of our business, we would be willing to travel 4-5 hours away to do a job...so if you are interested...pm me or email the email address on the site. Or call the number on the site (link above).

**Easy 6** · 07-09-2014, 05:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rico

Thanks, man!

Without reading the entirety of your post (sorry

) , is it an applique or a chemical process?

Either way, it turns plain concrete into something that looks much more expensive.

**TimBone** · 07-09-2014, 05:03 PM

I've been meaning to tell you that the work looks good. I saw it a few weeks ago.

**notorious** · 07-09-2014, 05:05 PM

Do you have a large grinder? I have refinished wood floors for a long time, and thought about digging into stained concrete since the process is similar and I have the reputation to grow in the field.

**LoneWolf** · 07-09-2014, 05:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by notorious

Set your price, stick with it. People can be strange with how they think. If you are doing Grade-A work, charge top prices. If not, they might think you are a lower-tier company.

Do not give discounts, and if you do tell them to keep it to themselves. I did a favor for some people once and the word got out and it pissed off other customers since they didn't get the deal, too. The "Discount Shoppers" are not the customers that you want to draw, anyway. They are a pain in the ****ing ass.

Carry a tablet when you do bids so that you can show the customer photos right on the spot. Photos spark emotion, and emotion leads to sales.

When I owned my own flooring business, I gave discounts to customers that were paying in cash. It might not have been the most ethical practice, but I was in my early 20s and needed the extra beer money.

rico · 07-09-2014, 05:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by notorious

Do you have a large grinder? I have refinished wood floors for a long time, and thought about digging into stained concrete since the process is similar and I have the reputation to grow in the field.

We have one small-sized, 2 medium sized and 1 large grinder. It's really a fun process. I enjoy it a lot.

rico · 07-09-2014, 05:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flybone McTimmerson

I've been meaning to tell you that the work looks good. I saw it a few weeks ago.

Thanks, bud!

rico · 07-09-2014, 05:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scott free

Without reading the entirety of your post (sorry

) , is it an applique or a chemical process?

Either way, it turns plain concrete into something that looks much more expensive.

A bit of both, depending on the project, but mostly chemical.

**Buehler445** · 07-09-2014, 05:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by notorious

Set your price, stick with it. People can be strange with how they think. If you are doing Grade-A work, charge top prices. If not, they might think you are a lower-tier company.

Do not give discounts, and if you do tell them to keep it to themselves. I did a favor for some people once and the word got out and it pissed off other customers since they didn't get the deal, too. The "Discount Shoppers" are not the customers that you want to draw, anyway. They are a pain in the ****ing ass.

Carry a tablet when you do bids so that you can show the customer photos right on the spot. Photos spark emotion, and emotion leads to sales.

Good advice on the tablet.

I wondered if he didn't need to raise his prices. It's a slippery slope with no customer base, but it is certainly something to consider. In general, I agree if you do top tier work charge top tier price.

**lewdog** · 07-09-2014, 05:37 PM

I want to rip out my sod in the backyard and do something for an extended patio. Can you do it?

**Bugeater** · 07-09-2014, 05:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 505 Chief

We do a lot of work with GC's, and I have had to personally write up a contract tailored specifically to them because as a sub, they try to use you as a bank to float their projects.

Private individuals, especially on COD work, are MUCH easier to deal with.

God yes, this. It took me five damn years to realize that rarely any job that involves a middleman (realtor, property manager, contractor, etc) is worth the trouble. There's always complications and it always takes longer to get paid. Work directly for property owners as much as possible.

And while getting money up front to cover materials sounds great in theory, there are many people who are skittish about doing that because of the shitbags that will disappear with the deposit money never to be seen again. Even more difficult with a business that hasn't been around long enough to establish a good reputation. I rarely asked for money up front and luckily never got stung for materials from someone backing out at the last minute. Came real close a couple times though.

rico · 07-09-2014, 06:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lewdog

I want to rip out my sod in the backyard and do something for an extended patio. Can you do it?

Unfortunately, at the moment we are only working on existing concrete.

rico · 07-09-2014, 06:24 PM

Lately, we've been in training to do counter tops. Lot of money to be made doing those. They are such a hot trend right now... and the price per square foot sky-rockets.

**hometeam** · 07-09-2014, 06:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by notorious

Do you have a large grinder? I have refinished wood floors for a long time, and thought about digging into stained concrete since the process is similar and I have the reputation to grow in the field.

I have a large grinder, and still the kief storage seems to fill up too quickly.

**lewdog** · 07-09-2014, 06:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rico

Unfortunately, at the moment we are only working on existing concrete.

Well gosh. Bummed now man.

Pablo · 07-09-2014, 06:31 PM

Nice work, my man.

I hope you're hitting the Cedar Rapids and Iowa City markets.

07-09-2014, 03:01 PM
rico ON CP YOU’RE SOMEBODY’S BITCH! Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Da SEI Casino cash: $4704809	Decorative Concrete tl;dr....beat ya to it. So, a month and a half ago, my best friend and I began a decorative concrete business. We put decorative concrete on the existing concrete of basements, patios, porches, sidewalks, car ports, driveways, garages, etc...anything with existing concrete, really. You can check out the link to some of the work we've done at http://decorateyourconcrete.wordpress.com. Are any of you familiar with this sort of work? If so, chime in with whatever insight/comments you may have... Anyways. Starting this up and paying to advertise when we don't have an abundance to begin with (since we are just starting out) has been...strenuous. Dealing with the people has been strenuous as well. I mean, some of the shit we've dealt with already with people has just been mind-numbing. We literally have the lowest prices that you can find, pretty much anywhere...since we are just starting out and do not have employees to pay...it's just my best friend and I doing the work. Our prices generally range from $4-5 per square foot and the standard prices for it are $7-10 per square foot. However, with our prices being so low, people are STILL being scared off and seemingly make the decision to not move forward when we give them their quotes. People also will sit there and bicker with us about the prices, prior to coming to an agreement as if they are negotiating with some car salesmen. Here are a couple of frustrating things that have happened just within the past couple days: 1.) I had a gal who is friends with our family contact me and inform me that she was quote "VERY interested in getting her basement done, for her basement leaks and she can't put carpet down because of it and loved the cocoa-bean/marble look that we have used for a couple basements." The square footage of her basement is 425 square feet. I initially quoted her at $2000. I didn't think this was unreasonable... $4.70 per square foot, for something that at most other places would cost her $7-10 per square foot. Not to mention, with it being a basement, the concrete we put on it wouldn't have the sun beating down on it to dry it, so it was going to be a 3-4 day job. She panicked after hearing the quote and was like, "oh my God, that is SO expensive. There is no way we can afford something like that! We were expecting something like $1000. Blah-blah-blah." $1000 **ING DOLLARS FOR A 425 SQUARE FOOT BASEMENT!!! UGH!!! Long story short, we are desperate to get ourselves out there and since she is a friend of the family, we agreed to do her basement for a very low price on the condition that she did not tell ANYONE how much it cost them...that she would tell anyone who asked, that she paid $2500 to get it done. Another reason we were so accommodating is because her uncle is the richest guy in Southeast Iowa...owns a place called Fun City which consists of a casino, popular night club, bowling alley, hotel, go cart track, multiple restaurants, etc.) He owns the golf course as well as a ton of other establishments. It would be awesome landing some jobs to do for him.We were supposed to begin the job tomorrow. I just received a message from her via facebook notifying me that she couldn't go through with things because her A/C just went out. WE ALREADY HAD THE DAMN PRODUCT(S) PURCHASED AND EVERYTHING. !!!!!!!! 2.) Had an old guy who called me last week who wanted to put decorative concrete on his driveway. His driveway is 24 X 70 ft...1680 sq ft. I quoted him at $8400... which is $5 per square foot. A good deal...obviously better than he realized. Naturally, he wanted a senior discount and we accommodated and agreed to $7750. Fine...gave him a senior discount on top of his already existent senior discount. Driveways and basements are our favorite things to do. Driveway projects have the most potential of becoming a trend. Basement jobs will keep us busy during the winter. So we were supposed to start this job this past Monday. So, I get a call SUNDAY NIGHT from his wife and she told me not to come to their place to start the job the following morning for he hadn't discussed the project with her yet and she was pissed about it and doesn't want to have it done. WE ALREADY HAD THE DAMN PRODUCT(S) PURCHASED AND EVERYTHING. !!!!!!!! 3.) I purchased an ad in an advertising newspaper that covers all of Southeast Iowa. This is a free paper and very popular in our area. I was excited to see this in the paper today, but my excitement was immediately alleviated when I looked at our photo-ad....WITH THE FONT THEY USED, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO COMPREHEND THE ING CONTACT INFORMATION. Everything else is legible EXCEPT THE ING CONTACT INFORMATION PORTION.....WHERE FOR WHATEVER ING REASON, THEY DECIDED TO USE SOME DIFFERENT, ILLEGIBLE FONT. I called them and discussed this with them a couple hours ago. They weren't willing to give me a refund OR run the ad in next week's issue for free. WHAT...THE..... ANYWAYS... I was wondering if any of you guys have any experience with decorative concrete work or concrete work in general? If so, can you feel my pain with some of this shit? These examples were from the past couple days...we've run into other frustrating situations similar to these since we started. I have a guy who is trying to sell me a curbing package...should we purchase it? Does anyone have any business advice for me? Is doing concrete work with an emphasis on decorative concrete a good idea? Why or why not? Should we get into contact with people who do this How do you deal with some of these people who try to low-ball you when your balls are already low to the point where they are digging a hole in the ground? What are some good advertising resources that I should utilize? I've hit facebook, craigslist and the local newspapers really hard with the advertisement component. We are getting a lot of interest, but getting people to commit and/or **ING FOLLOW THROUGH (GOD, I JUST CAN'T IMAGINE BACKING OUT ON PEOPLE A DAY FREAKING BEFORE THE PROJECT WAS SUPPOSED TO TAKE PLACE!!!) Also, not sure what the rules are about this sort of thing (I'll edit and delete if necessary)...and I have my doubts that anyone is still reading at this point anyways, but I am from Southeast Iowa, but at this phase of our business, we would be willing to travel 4-5 hours away to do a job...so if you are interested...pm me or email the email address on the site. Or call the number on the site (link above).
Posts: 13,243

07-09-2014, 05:03 PM	#32
TimBone Mostly Ignored Join Date: Jul 2013 Casino cash: $8499985	I've been meaning to tell you that the work looks good. I saw it a few weeks ago.
Posts: 18,096

07-09-2014, 05:05 PM	#33
notorious Supporter Join Date: May 2005 Location: Who knows? Casino cash: $3015884	Do you have a large grinder? I have refinished wood floors for a long time, and thought about digging into stained concrete since the process is similar and I have the reputation to grow in the field.
Posts: 83,208

07-09-2014, 05:37 PM	#39
lewdog Mod Team Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Valley of the hot as **** Casino cash: $1991900	I want to rip out my sod in the backyard and do something for an extended patio. Can you do it?
Posts: 45,555

07-09-2014, 06:31 PM	#45
Pablo Ultrabanned Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: KCMO Casino cash: $2109356	Nice work, my man. I hope you're hitting the Cedar Rapids and Iowa City markets.
Posts: 40,201