I kind of like the notion of just doing frames and maybe drying in. The mason always gets paid , but the GC sometimes is left holding the bag(empty)at the end hoping to realize his profit. I know most phases of house building , but I must admit the challenges of the GC are not to appealing. If your not the GC then your a sub I gues.

We GC almost everything we build.

I'm amazed at what some people can get paid for. Some of the projects that have come across my desk or we have been called to "fix" just leave me shaking my head. The best one was a $9000.00 set of drawings for a "timberframe" (I'm using that term loosely since most of us wouldn't have called it that)and it couldn't be built. The house had a 3.5/12 valley that ran for 37 ft on the South east side of the house. I asked the homeowner if he had a snow shovel to get the snow off the roof in the winter

The architect told the customer to "follow the blueprints".

Architects can get between 6 - 10 % of the total project even though many of them don't have a clue how to build a timber frame house. And I'm not just talking about joinery, I'm talking about HOW TO BUILD A TIMBER FRAME HOUSE.

The part thats hardest for me to swallow is we do the same thing everyday on every project we have built. The concept drawings, blueprints, mechanical and electrical drawings, footing, foundations and we actually have built a timber frame before. Yet when we ask for just a small charge for our drawings people think we should "throw" it in with the project.

Then at the end of the job after everybody else gets paid in full we have to "negotiate" a final price. Usually for thousands less than what we have in it. Plus according to state law as a GC we have to warranty it for 25 years.

I'm really thinking we just want to cut frames LOL.

Not sure what it is about the construction industry and getting paid for the services that are being supplied. If you take your car into the shop to get it fixed or if you see a doctor and they hand you the bill, there is no argueing about it. You pay or else you will not get your car or they hire a collector.
But with building the customer, even when they have agreed to the terms in the contract they still decide that they need to knock some money off. And the worst we go along with it. What a sad world.

Timbo,
Speaking from my experience I have been in the building industry for over 15 years.Ten owning my own company.
We started stick building garages .
Then we did homes and garages.
Next we concentrated on Shell Homes all dryed in with all interior partitions framed.
We began building Barns in 1999/ 2000 stick framing a few with Rough Hemlock and then doing the "POST and BEAM" thing using lag bolts and thoughtfully placed nails. This led us to Timber Framing. After years of reading about it and cutting practice joints we were as ready as we could be. I got my first job and never wanted to do "regular construction" again.
I didn't say that I never did.Only that I never wanted to. Some times you have to put macaroini on the table.It is hard to break out of the mold.
We changed the name of our buisiness we go to fairs and display frames near our shop. And still some people will say oh yeah I know what you do -- you build pre-fab homes. Many however are very familiar and they long for a quality of home or barn that only a timberframe can provide. It is easy to recognize these people. If you really want to timberframe start with a small out building and go from there. Take the time to volunteer in a local shop or go to a Guild sponsored raising.

Have fun building,

David

Good advice all. In the past my wife and I have kicked around of the ideas David just mentioned , but never got around to doing any of them in any significant way. I wish I had a dollar for every sheet of drawings and plans I've done! If I started today I couldn't build every thing I've drawn before I die. In the past whenever we did a high profile jobs we'd get tantalizing leads , but then before we knew it we where doing roofs again. Guees what kind of leads that generated. I had a week off once(unpaid vacation) and I built a sweet little dovetail cabin and the attention that little building got me was amasing. We sold another little cabin as a result but then I got sucked back into the rat-race.I think if I had a year and about 60,000 k I could make a go of it.

I know what you mean E.H.

The customer shops around, until they are certain they have the best price to start with. Then they try to negotiate a better one.

Make changes all through the project add things that they admit at the time was not in the bid. But still expect it to be done for nothing and sometimes get it.

And STILL at the end of the job they don't want to pay the bill.

Its wierd. But what do you do. You can sue everyone of them if you want to... But what does that do for your reputation.

You try to build the absolutely best house you can build and your reputation along with it knowing you are doing lots of extras, that absolutely weren't in the bid.

And all I want is a happy customer at the end of the job who pays thier bill. The one they agreed to in first place. We don't hide anything. Everything is in the contract and revised in the change orders. And STILL at the end of the job its always a same dance different partners to get paid.

The saddest part is I can't afford a timber frame home LOL.

We have come to the conclusion if the customer isn't going to be happy no matter what we do. We are going home with thier money. No sense having them be complaining and doing it with my money in thier pocket at the same time.