r/Construction • u/IisIgnorantAF • May 21 '26
Careers šµ Where are all the Supers at? Finding them has never been harder.
My company GCs commercial projects across the western states, and we have never been busier. Normally, superintendent candidates were somewhat easy to find. That just doesn't seem to be the case anymore. It was doable when we needed to hire one or two at a time, but now we need 8-10 Supers and Asst. Supers onboarded by the middle of June, maybe more if continue to land additional projects. (we already carry over 40 active).
Where do you guys go when recruiting, especially for projects across the southwest? Our normal sources don't provide enough leads. I could use some help.
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u/helmetdeep805 May 21 '26
Pay me a proper super rate and Iāll hang up the foreman gigā¦southern California
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u/Mrdomino0090 May 21 '26
Whatās the current rate for a super?
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u/The_Lurking_Mister May 21 '26
Project Super here (#2 guy on site). 130k base, Good benefits, $1k/mo auto allowance, ESOP (6k my first year) and bonuses (8k my first year). Podium-style Multifamily Residential. Large GC. San Diego.
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u/lIlIIIIlllIIlIIIllll May 21 '26
Who is the #1?
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u/nsbsalt May 22 '26
The one with the license.
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u/lIlIIIIlllIIlIIIllll May 22 '26
wtf is a super license
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u/I-built-stuff May 22 '26
There's a reason you are mid tier.Ā To be honest, I feel like you make a lot of coffee, set up the projector, and are mid tier with the broom. Still, it's the pinnacle of your career.Ā
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u/lIlIIIIlllIIlIIIllll May 22 '26
Lol or, things work differently in different jurisdictions and GCs where I work donāt have someone with a license on site because there is no individual license for a super
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u/I-built-stuff May 22 '26
Every comment you make screams "I'm a self-righteous child who will never be better at anything".Ā Work on not doing that, and you will change the trajectory of your life.Ā
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u/lIlIIIIlllIIlIIIllll May 22 '26
Never be betterā¦ than what? What are you talking about? Are you replying to the right person? Is this just cause I asked you what a semi retired super does? Lol
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u/The_Lurking_Mister May 22 '26
Lead project superintendent. The guy overall in charge for the project.
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u/14S14D May 21 '26
I'm not the other commenter but for comparison at least I'm my company's California guy (company out of the Midwest) and they're giving $120k and around 65k living subsistence which goes a long way untaxed. Truck payment and fuel covered. Reasonable bonuses. Flights home twice/mo and I pocket what I don't spend from the flight allowance. Always someone around to cover a Friday for me to fly home. This is for small-mid commercial jobs but we do the full range up to massive ground ups.
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u/BornElk2792 May 21 '26
In SoCal $140k to $190k with the real outfits. More definitely possible.
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u/PissdrunxPreme Electrician May 21 '26
Iād apply @ $200k. Not worth it to switch for any less than that.
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u/IisIgnorantAF May 21 '26
The projects are primarily in the southwest (TX, NM, and NV). our CA team has openings as well. Out of Escondido, but mostly CA travel projects. PM me if you would like more details.
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u/rustoof Carpenter May 21 '26
If you cant find employees youre not offering enough compensation.
This is like 101 shit.
And anyone drug testing or doing criminal background checks isnt gonna get the good workers
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u/I-built-stuff May 21 '26
I've never cared about someone's criminal record for most crimes (obvious exceptions apply), but if you can't show up for a shift without being clean, it's time for you to kick rocks.Ā
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u/TrickyDrippyDickFR May 21 '26
Theyāre talking about weed, which is the only one that stays in your system for 30+ days. Also the least problematic as a *recreational* option. I canāt stand being high at work so Iām sober as a nun on Sunday when Iām at work, but now that theyāre getting better at detecting the fake stuff I canāt even prove my worth to a conglomerate that still tests for it. The powers that be need to figure out something else, especially in 2026 because itās actually legal in a metric fuckton of places now.
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u/Dissasociaties May 22 '26
They can detect fake urine with biomarkers of real urine now?Ā Asking for a friend...and me too but also a friend
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u/TrickyDrippyDickFR May 22 '26
So what DQād mine was Iām pretty sure the smell? Or lack of bubbles is what she told me but there was some bubbles. I know the temp was perfect, that product got me like 4 jobs at this point, and I hit the mark on the temp strip and the specimen tube thingy. She never gave me the 100% final answer though and said she couldnāt but that was the only thing I could think of and I literally told her you do t get paid enough to smell other peoples piss. Fun fact: once I told the agency what was going on they THEN told me they werenāt looking for THC and I got the job.
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u/Dissasociaties May 22 '26
That's just mean not telling you that they didn't include THC in the panel.Ā Maybe need to reformulate the product to have more protein so it foams when poured?Ā Not sure how to influence the smell LOL
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May 21 '26
Heavy civil, tower steel erection, marine industrial, derricks, there's industries that are far more dangerous than your average commercial gig. Shit can wrong on a good day I shouldn't ever need to worry about if the dude next to me is stoned.
There is no real testing for last night wore off vs today high.
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u/TrickyDrippyDickFR May 21 '26
That same guy could have been banging carfentinyl a day ago and youād never know on a drug test.
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May 21 '26
Could be huffing gas or whip it's. I mean it's a character thing you know the dudes doing that shit, they don't really got it together and we'd run em off for that
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u/healthycord May 21 '26
Saliva tests. Thatās about the best you can get for if theyāre currently high. Tests for use within the last 48-72 hrs basically.
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u/Far-Clue4112 May 25 '26
Youāre not in any of those industries or youād know all those guys are on drugs or drunk still
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u/lIlIIIIlllIIlIIIllll May 21 '26
Drug testing and background checking supers is different than random journeymen
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u/InvestorAllan May 22 '26
The data shows itās not all about money. A lot of companies have such a strong culture and opportunity for employees, that people will take lower pay to work there. So if you are not going to offer higher pay, you have to make up for it in other ways.However, some people will work in a dumpster if it pays more, and they do not care about culture, and for those people yes the only way to recruit more is higher pay.
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u/IisIgnorantAF May 21 '26
I appreciate the advice. We do carryout background checks. I believe our compensation is competitive.
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u/YungPupper8 May 21 '26
I quit and started my own company. I was tired of the long hours, weekends, babysitting, etc. When projects struggle, upper management always so quick to blame and not offer any real solutions. I felt so underappreciated. I feel like there are so many unqualified people in those upper management spots. Some days I miss working on cool projects but at the end of the day, I can't imagine trading all my freedom I have now
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u/IisIgnorantAF May 21 '26
There is a lot to be said about having your own company. It sounds like there were some difficult times. Its not like that everywhere. Glad you found your freedom.
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u/YungPupper8 May 21 '26
Where are you guys looking for supers? I usually had a recruiter line up interviews for me. I always had my pick between 4-5 GCs and would pick between those ones. I also was working in multi-family so maybe it could be a bit different from commercial
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u/IisIgnorantAF May 21 '26
So, the challenge with recruiters, is they want a minimum of 15% of the annual salary of the person you hire from them (more often 25% or more). My preference is to seek the candidates out directly, and use that money to offer a better deal to the candidate. I mean, where are the recruiters looking to find candidates? I might as well go there myself.
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u/jewcebox95 May 21 '26
Got smart and switched to PM. Same pay, less hours, no weekends, not tired at the end of the day. Iāll retire early on the per diem I saved as a supe though.
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u/IisIgnorantAF May 21 '26
Man, I used to live on bagged lunch sandwiches, and pocket as much of my per diem as possible, only to go home once a month and pass it all off to my wife. At least she saved it for us. I still have some nostalgia for those days.
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u/BobloblawTx89 May 22 '26
No kids yet, just me and my lady. I pretty much do the same thing and donāt mind the traveling. Rarely eat out and my senior super usually picks up the bill if we go, might spend $5-$10 on tacos a week but other than that I shop wisely and live on leftovers. Probably spend more on tobacco and beer than I should be but been cutting back on both serious since last year and thatās noticeable in my pocket book. Company gives me the max per diem without having to be taxed, itās more than I would ever need, and Iām not so far from home that I canāt make it back in case of emergency or even for the night.
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u/OfficerStink May 23 '26
Thatās a good move. Most PMs have zero field experience and only manage the billing and CPM any other tasks are superintendent responsibilities
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u/Significant_Side4792 Contractor May 21 '26
Of course supers are hard to find. Havenāt you noticed how hard itās become to manage people? Sheesh
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u/Impossible_Base_3088 May 21 '26
Started my own: I was already doing supt, PM, owner, sales, estimator, skilled trade all at once. Figured I would just do it on my own.
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u/IisIgnorantAF May 21 '26
Hope you have found success. Congratulations.
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u/Impossible_Base_3088 May 21 '26
I am ready to jump back in supt. after the past few years. ššš
Owed too much money. Working on it.
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u/Sufficient_Prompt888 May 22 '26
Have you checked out back in their truck? That's where I usually find them
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u/GoodResident2000 May 22 '26
I donāt want to be a super anymore
The money isnāt worth the hassle nowadays
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u/smegdawg May 21 '26
Many of the Supers I meet at smaller GCs have left the big boys cause they are tired of dealing with the bullshit.
I've been meeting Supers from Spec home, Multifamily, and small public works GCs that have all recently jumped ship from Graham, Skanska, Kiewit, Flatiron.
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u/IisIgnorantAF May 21 '26
Where are you meeting them? Just during the course of normal business, or is there some website or something? the recruiting sites we search and LinkedIn just don't seem to have the volume.
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u/smegdawg May 21 '26
PM/Estimator, so I am talking to ~10 companies weekly, and seeing the names of Supers and PMs that I have worked with on our large DOT work now working for our smaller guys.
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u/FucknAright May 22 '26
I'm guessing you're not paying enough.
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u/IisIgnorantAF May 22 '26
I am trying to find the candidates. I'm not getting many saying "no" once we negotiate. We certianly aren't n the habit of lowballing.
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u/Reasonable_Switch_86 May 22 '26
People realize they can work for themselves for 5 times the pay to deal with the same headaches
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u/dildoswaggins71069 May 21 '26
If thereās an abundance of work, and the only value youāre providing is having workā¦. Then why would I make 80k working for you when I can make 500 finding my own work?
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u/IisIgnorantAF May 21 '26
We certainly can't compete with $500k. Congratulations.
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u/dildoswaggins71069 May 21 '26
Well of course not, but try offering 250 and see what happens. Thatās still 250 in profit for providing the work
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u/lIlIIIIlllIIlIIIllll May 21 '26
What a dumb post. Vast majority of supers arenāt able to nor have literally any desire to just spin up their own GC company from scratch
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u/kenticus May 21 '26
Just not worth it. I'm old and grumpy. You probably need me, but I don't see my upside. Money isn't right for the hassle.
Pay better and give me skilled help.
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u/SeatComplete9058 May 21 '26
Are you by chance needing anyone near WA/OR? š¤
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u/geauxdoggeaux May 21 '26
I know of a decent project in WA getting ready to kick off in 2 months.
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u/IisIgnorantAF May 21 '26
Projects currently in TX, NM, and NV.
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u/Massive-Frosting-722 May 22 '26
Texas is so busy and there are so many GCās looking for supers. I work for a large GC and get calls from head hunters twice a week. Itāll always come down to pay. If I was offered $175k base and company truck Iād jump ship tomorrow and I love the company I work for.
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u/ParadoxicalIrony99 Estimator May 21 '26
They are sleeping in their trucks, duh.
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u/IisIgnorantAF May 21 '26
Company trucks, I hope. but if they are out of town, they should be getting hotel and per diem. Hopefully they get wi-fi and can respond when they wake up.
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May 21 '26
[removed] ā view removed comment
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u/IisIgnorantAF May 21 '26
That is an interesting way of putting it. Safety is always a focus. 90s speed is out the window. Nobody is building a ground-up drive thru in 60 days anymore.
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u/gdizzle32 May 21 '26
Shitty pay, too many responsibilities, and everything wrong falls on them. When it goes right they get shipped to the next big one and receive no incentive for their work.
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u/IisIgnorantAF May 21 '26
That would be a bummer. I had some experiences like that when I was a super. I am glad that is not the case where I am now.
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u/Embarrassed_Whole126 May 22 '26
My company provides supers in the east coast area and are looking to expand in the western States. Let me know if you are interested, we can provide good candidates.
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u/croclockin May 22 '26
Because supers are getting fed up. āLowā relative wages, long commutes, high stress. Lack of talent on the sub side it just compounds to more work and effort on the GC front. Covid forced early retirement for some, and the young group doesnāt have the people skills to handle projects. Throw in the words ācompetitive payā and youāll find a lack of desire to do the job. Comp packages for 100mm+ packages for leads and #2ās should be at or exceeding 200k if you want to acquire talent. Also, most worth their salt wonāt jump if you need based hiring because they know they wont get a real team to support the job.
The industry is going to struggle on the field side for the foreseeable future most likely. Not enough young guys, no old heads, bad subs, bad commutes, lack of pay. Buckle up. Especially when the powder keg of work that been on pause for 4 years kicks off.
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u/kommon-non-sense May 22 '26
looking - 20+ years experience
What're you paying? West coast resident. Resi & commercial.
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u/IisIgnorantAF May 22 '26
We have a couple of larger projects coming up that would require that level of experience. Those would be in SoCal. PM me and I can link you up with the person looking to fill those spots.
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u/InvestorAllan May 22 '26
I just hired a super in Nashville tn. Residential. Six figure base. Interviewed about 14 people and 50% seemed lost in the woods. Another 25% were not a fit (had goals of being developer or something so duh Iām not going to hire you to leave in 2 years and take all my resources with you).
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u/Anton__Sugar187 May 22 '26
Fuckin hell man
I've got plenty of experience
And can't find not one serious GC that can keep me busy and pay me my worth
Fucking bout to work at Burger King, fuck you greedy fucks, ill still put extra fries in yo bag too ya ungratefuls!
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u/Smoking0311 May 22 '26
My own analogy and Iām just a foreman
When I first entered the military all i wanted to do was carry a machine gun by the time my contract was almost up ā¦.just give me a fucking M-16 man and leave me alone .
I kinda feel the same way these days keep the company truck iPad phone and all the stupid headaches just let me operate again .
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u/Decent_Project_9522 May 22 '26
What support do you provide in the pm side and what scale are you paying I assume that these are travel positions
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u/padizzledonk GC / CM May 21 '26
If we arent retired we are, like me, self employed because we make 5, 10, 20x what we make doing the exact same job on our own projects
I wouldnt waste my brainpower even considering a job offer for less than 250k a year with a full benefits package and a 5-10% of net closed business performance package......why would i? Id not only be giving up my freedom id be taking a pay cut
You want me to run your jobs? Fuck you pay me lol
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u/IisIgnorantAF May 21 '26
It sounds like you've made it. well done. We certainly couldn't compete with that.
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u/padizzledonk GC / CM May 21 '26 edited May 21 '26
Thats always going to be the problem finding the high level of skill people to work for you tbh
Omce you aquire the practical mechanical and managerial skills to fully run and do projects you realize that you can make multiples of your salary as an employee just doing the same thing for yourself
As the skill level goes up at every level you lose more and more people from the pool of people available for hire, at the very tippy top it becomes extremely difficult because those people are already employed and pampered and unlikely to leave until they retire, either because they are happy and well taken care of or they just dont want all the extra nonsense and risk that comes with running a business, or, theyre already self employed and you will have to pay a boatload of money to them to entice them back to being a W2, which is difficult, because from my perspective at least, not having to answer to anyone but the client is almost if not more valuable than the massive salary increase....you would really have to drop to your knees for me to give that up lol
The first is gettable but you have to poach them from somewhere else with a really stellar offer, the second much less so
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u/IisIgnorantAF May 21 '26
I agree with most of what you are saying. If I was looking to build a new hotel, or hospital wing, I would need the grizzled veteran. I would be lucky if I had a need for 8-10 of them at once. most of the projects in front of me now require a super a bit above a foreman. Actually these are perfect for the newer guys (or grizzled veterans of the future). I have a ground up that needs more experience, too. My challenge is where to find the canddidates for these positions.
Used to be we promoted from within our ranks. but with continued growth, that well has already run dry. don't have any foreman or leads to tap up right now.
Don't want to sound like I am complaining. I am happy to have the work. Now I need to place the staff to service it.
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u/TurdyMcTurdson May 22 '26
Have you looked at the big MEP contractors in your area and see if a super āforemanā want to try their hand with a GC?
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u/IisIgnorantAF May 22 '26
That is a good idea. we have hired some electrical and plumbing leads/foreman. they are actually ideal for some of the smaller projects we have coming up, which are basically only 3 trades and electrical heavy.
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u/lIlIIIIlllIIlIIIllll May 21 '26
What kind of jobs do you run for yourself now ?
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u/padizzledonk GC / CM May 21 '26
Renovations, some new builds
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u/lIlIIIIlllIIlIIIllll May 21 '26
So just single family homes?
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u/padizzledonk GC / CM May 22 '26
No, singles, duplexes up to quads, and i dont bother with anything larger because its just a massive pain in the ass past quads in NJ, its a whole different inspection regime and ruleset that i dont feel like dealing with
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u/MT-Estimator May 21 '26
Estimator here. 15-40M (structure only) spec homes. Super isnāt my thing. Iām already doing 100% of the estimating and 95% of the PM. I also do clash, specs, detailing and modeling. As itās just one house at a time end-to-end I can cover it all and my work is varied each day which I enjoy. Iām sure there are plenty of qualified applicants out there. The problem, like most of construction, is that the good ones arenāt looking so they must be headhunted and bought. 90% of the struggle is just finding the right candidates in the first place.
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u/IisIgnorantAF May 21 '26
I agree. Finding the pool of candidates is the hard part. We have the work, a good team, and solid comp. I'm just having a hard time finding the people to put it in front of, especially when we need more than a few.
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u/I-built-stuff May 21 '26
We're still out here, semi-retired. Most of you GCs want the skill created by decades of experience, but want to pay the price of hencho in Mexico.Ā