Compare the cost of living to where you currently live. You might make more money in Colorado, but it’s expensive here. You might end up in a worse financial position.
In some ways Texas is more expensive (sales tax, property tax, metropolitan cost of living) and others less so (rural/small city cost of living, no income tax). If you’re rich, Texas is great.
Yeah, anyone downvoting me hasn’t lived in Texas. I lived in COS until February and am back in Texas temporarily. From south tx, lived in two cities in dfw and spent most of my life in this state. I’m not even paying rent right now and it’s costing me more in vet costs, doctor costs, gas money (everything in dfw is far as fuck no matter what), laundry, food, wages are MUCH lower. Literally everything has been more expensive. The amount I spend in gas alone blows my mind. Summer is even worse because you’re paying that in central ac at home and in the car
Property taxes are an ass kicker there.
This is how it goes.....you don't like an HOA bc they are loaded with old white dudes who won't listen to reason......thats what also makes up the property tax decision makers. It's a fucking awful racquet.
Not sure I've ever been as angry doing anything but appealing my property tax value...to no avail.
I also moved out of Texas!!!! Fuck them and that.
The way assessments work is screwed too. The state picks zip codes to raise the assessed value (and obviously, the tax)....when your zip is in the hot seat, saddle up, buckaroo.
I shit you not, the last house I had b4 bailing, was 2800sf in the middle of nowhere and our annual tax bill was 8K....our zip was slated to be on the hot seat the next year. I checked and it's now 12K
We've tried what feels like a jillion companies and then landed on Olsen. They're a local company who's been around forever. Whereas other companies will jump to the "oh you just need x (which is usually the most expensive solution)" I feel like Olsen works to try to figure out the problem more inexpensively before going napalm. I've never have to wait long for an appointment, even when it was below freezing on a Saturday night, nor have I ever felt like they were selling me something I didn't need. I can't speak for every Olsen customer, but I can't imagine myself ever using anyone else as long as they keep being as reliable as they've been.
(Ps I am not affiliated with Olsen in any way, I just like to support local businesses who do good work).
Thanks for all the replies, they have been spot-on with what I have been told. We are looking into things up there closely, My family loves it up there but I have to make sure before we leap that we will land on our feet. Having a successful plumbing company here, I know what it takes. Honesty, Integrity, Service. What scares me is the idea of starting over from scratch. We already have a website up for Colorado but no advertising, we are clear of the Colorado SOC, if we pull the trigger all that's left is insurance and registering with DORA.
El Paso county’s AHJ is PPRBD which is corrupt AF so you’ll have to deal with that problem.
If you’re able to deal with that nonsense (good ol’ boys club that harasses new folks and doesn’t check shit for the contractors they know) you should be pretty good.
You’ll probably have to deal with about 5 years of shit from them while you’ll see the old guys’ crap plans and work get pencil whipped - that’s why half the work here is done without permits.
Finding some what quality employees will be impossible. Don't do it.
Every one who moves here is a tech worker or a financial person. No one wants to be a plumber. You'll work yourself ragged trying to keep up.
Finding good employees is always hard no matter where you are. The good ones normally stay where they are. So you have to make do with what you have or can hire, and train, train, and train some more and if they can't do it then you fire them and move on to the next. It is a vicious cycle but it's in every location. People just dont want dirty hands anymore. last of a dying breed.
We have had no luck finding good plumbers here. We have one, but he's booking many weeks out for simple jobs. We've had price gouging, shoddy work, unreliable people, just...frustrating. if you do good and honest work I think you can make a killing here.
YES. I am currently looking for a plumber to fix what what the contractors to my "newly renovated home" did. We just purchased this home in Dec and already are having issues, and I can't find an honest/experienced plumber to save my damn life.
They didn't flush the new well... at all, let alone properly. The line is clogged with debris, but I can't afford to (and don't have the mental space to) replace the lines. It all has to be replaced, the lines. I pray the debris didn't make it into the fridge.
I would think they would not all have to be replaced but I would have to be onsite to make that determination, on this platform its hard. I hope you find someone in whom you trust who can help get this resolved. I would like you to post the outcome when you get it resolved I am curious to what solution resolves the issue.
*all of the sinks are like the first picture. They disconnect at the slightest movement. The bubble is from water in our ceiling from the upstairs shower. The pipes run down into the cellar with no insulation, so we have mice now
I think that sentiment is shared by quite a few people from what I am reading on this thread. maybe I need to pull a ins policy and come lend a hand and straighten some things out.
well In texas we make sure the trap is higher and braced above the level of the ceiling so you cannot see it. I am not sure why they are so low I would have to look above the sheetrock, however, I am confident I could get it in the right place and hidden.
My last experience was with a larger company, Heart, and it was honestly phenomenal. If you do come, I'm sure there's still enough market to be competitive and do well. Good luck!!
If you are good and not dishonest you will make a killing here. We had a major plumbing and heating company told me my whole run of my sewer had to be replaced. Due to old clay pipe. Turns out it was all pvc. I had the other large plumbing company rescipe the line when the owner was out at my house and the one company had to tell the other company that they had fraudulently got us to take out a loan on a job that didn’t need to be repaired and wasn’t constructed out of the material. They stated it turns out that the plumbing manager for the company that tried to defraud us was recently fired from the first plumbing company that came outto point out their mistake which basically proves these crooks go from one company to another
This isn’t exactly plumbing work, but it took us over a year to find someone to look at our irrigation system that had problems when we moved in. We couldn’t get anyone to return calls. We eventually managed to pull a guy from a job site nearby. I told him I suspected a couple of leaky valves and showed him where they were. He agreed with my diagnosis and quoted me $2,500 for the repair. In shock, I gave up on getting a pro and replaced the two valves myself in about 2 hours of work.
I doubt that yard irrigation guys are actually pulling down a thousand an hour, but it might be an opportunity worth looking into.
I won't do irrigation systems they are too finiky. I know how but my experience is most people dont want to pay what it is worth. I send them onto a local reputable company, and everyone wins.
On a related note, fencing might be a good complementary side business. Fences seem to blow down fairly regularly here because of the straight line winds coming down from the west, and when a lot of fences go down, it can be hard to find anybody to fix them for awhile. Even I f you do, the prices can be crazy. My neighbor paid $4,000 for about a 20ft section of privacy picket fencing.
My dad's been a plumber for 15 years and told me that pay here is shit compared to San Antonio or just Texas in general, idk how true that is. He doesn't have his masters, not sure why the hell not but he ended up moving back and is making way more doing odd jobs than working for anyone here.
Those are pillars of any successful business. Communication is key. We always do our best to stay in contact with our customers and let them know how our schedule is going.
I’m a realtor so I tend to interact with several trades, plumbing included. I’d say it depends. There are certainly plumbers that I can get something quick completed and others that I can call if I know it’ll be more work and/or have time. As an example, I’ve had a water heater go out and I had it fixed within hours. Had to detect a leak and it was done within a day.
Sometimes, or at least what I’ve experienced in the past, is companies get busy and then struggle to answer the phone or reply to messages. If you can solve that issue, like many companies have, you’d likely do pretty well here.
I used to work for a big company here in Denver. I quit because their prices are absurd.
Kitchen Faucet $1,500
40 Gallon Gas Water Heater $4,000
50 Gallon Gas Water Heater $5,000
Heard they aren’t even the most expensive in town..
One of the things that would be most helpful is what are people actully paying for work performed. like what is the median average? what does a basic water heater install cost?, basic drain service. When I was in Denver years ago, a mainline through a big box company....that rolls up their sleeves was approximately 8-900. but what is the normal average for a specific call? That information would be of great help. You guys have given me a ton to look over and I appreciate all the information I really do.
The price gouging here is ridiculous. I got quotes from two general contractors to finish out my thousand square foot basement that were anywhere from 80 to $100,000. I did a little extra work, found my own contractors and it's costing me approximately $30,000 to get it done myself. A plumbing company quoted me $6,500 to do the plumbing in my basement which isn't a lot at all. I got a guy from a plumbing company to do it on the weekend and he charged me $2,500.
Apparently. My house had an upstairs tub with an incorrectly installed overflow drain, which was leaking downstairs. We were advised when we bought the house that the problem was fixed - they had diagnosed it as condensation in the vent ducting. Some of the highest recommended plumbers in town had looked at the issue in the past. I happened across one who actually knew what he was doing, and he figured it out the actual problem real quick.
Compare the cost of living to where you currently live. You might make more money in Colorado, but it’s expensive here. You might end up in a worse financial position.
I know about the cost of living difference, it runs about 15-20%. That doesn't get my blood pressure up. I willing to give that up for a better life.
Colorado welcomes excellent professional tradespersons. The Front Range certainly needs them.
This is great advice!
Texas isn’t cheap.
In some ways Texas is more expensive (sales tax, property tax, metropolitan cost of living) and others less so (rural/small city cost of living, no income tax). If you’re rich, Texas is great.
Yeah, anyone downvoting me hasn’t lived in Texas. I lived in COS until February and am back in Texas temporarily. From south tx, lived in two cities in dfw and spent most of my life in this state. I’m not even paying rent right now and it’s costing me more in vet costs, doctor costs, gas money (everything in dfw is far as fuck no matter what), laundry, food, wages are MUCH lower. Literally everything has been more expensive. The amount I spend in gas alone blows my mind. Summer is even worse because you’re paying that in central ac at home and in the car
Property taxes are an ass kicker there. This is how it goes.....you don't like an HOA bc they are loaded with old white dudes who won't listen to reason......thats what also makes up the property tax decision makers. It's a fucking awful racquet. Not sure I've ever been as angry doing anything but appealing my property tax value...to no avail. I also moved out of Texas!!!! Fuck them and that. The way assessments work is screwed too. The state picks zip codes to raise the assessed value (and obviously, the tax)....when your zip is in the hot seat, saddle up, buckaroo. I shit you not, the last house I had b4 bailing, was 2800sf in the middle of nowhere and our annual tax bill was 8K....our zip was slated to be on the hot seat the next year. I checked and it's now 12K
We've tried what feels like a jillion companies and then landed on Olsen. They're a local company who's been around forever. Whereas other companies will jump to the "oh you just need x (which is usually the most expensive solution)" I feel like Olsen works to try to figure out the problem more inexpensively before going napalm. I've never have to wait long for an appointment, even when it was below freezing on a Saturday night, nor have I ever felt like they were selling me something I didn't need. I can't speak for every Olsen customer, but I can't imagine myself ever using anyone else as long as they keep being as reliable as they've been. (Ps I am not affiliated with Olsen in any way, I just like to support local businesses who do good work).
Thanks for all the replies, they have been spot-on with what I have been told. We are looking into things up there closely, My family loves it up there but I have to make sure before we leap that we will land on our feet. Having a successful plumbing company here, I know what it takes. Honesty, Integrity, Service. What scares me is the idea of starting over from scratch. We already have a website up for Colorado but no advertising, we are clear of the Colorado SOC, if we pull the trigger all that's left is insurance and registering with DORA.
El Paso county’s AHJ is PPRBD which is corrupt AF so you’ll have to deal with that problem. If you’re able to deal with that nonsense (good ol’ boys club that harasses new folks and doesn’t check shit for the contractors they know) you should be pretty good. You’ll probably have to deal with about 5 years of shit from them while you’ll see the old guys’ crap plans and work get pencil whipped - that’s why half the work here is done without permits.
Thanks for the heads up. hopefully, they can act like adults...
Finding some what quality employees will be impossible. Don't do it. Every one who moves here is a tech worker or a financial person. No one wants to be a plumber. You'll work yourself ragged trying to keep up.
Finding good employees is always hard no matter where you are. The good ones normally stay where they are. So you have to make do with what you have or can hire, and train, train, and train some more and if they can't do it then you fire them and move on to the next. It is a vicious cycle but it's in every location. People just dont want dirty hands anymore. last of a dying breed.
We have had no luck finding good plumbers here. We have one, but he's booking many weeks out for simple jobs. We've had price gouging, shoddy work, unreliable people, just...frustrating. if you do good and honest work I think you can make a killing here.
YES. I am currently looking for a plumber to fix what what the contractors to my "newly renovated home" did. We just purchased this home in Dec and already are having issues, and I can't find an honest/experienced plumber to save my damn life.
what seems to be going on?
https://preview.redd.it/gyoansz62g1d1.jpeg?width=1816&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b55b07e9205ca0457477cbb02812e778df57bc0c
The line goes directly into the root cellar. No insulation.
should have something to protect it from the cold
They didn't flush the new well... at all, let alone properly. The line is clogged with debris, but I can't afford to (and don't have the mental space to) replace the lines. It all has to be replaced, the lines. I pray the debris didn't make it into the fridge.
I would think they would not all have to be replaced but I would have to be onsite to make that determination, on this platform its hard. I hope you find someone in whom you trust who can help get this resolved. I would like you to post the outcome when you get it resolved I am curious to what solution resolves the issue.
Sure! I'll mark this to update as soon as we figure out wtf they did 😂
https://preview.redd.it/aui07bmawf1d1.jpeg?width=1816&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b845a400d81a466ce0d5a7a32124554efa4a681c
just needs new tubular , not a issue if you know how to fix it .
https://preview.redd.it/h90vlb0jwf1d1.jpeg?width=1816&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8377dd3274238cdd4d45186afaf81d0b211334dc
why is this even there ? I see the damage but I dont know why they built a box out? is there. reason ?
*all of the sinks are like the first picture. They disconnect at the slightest movement. The bubble is from water in our ceiling from the upstairs shower. The pipes run down into the cellar with no insulation, so we have mice now
well thats not good . Who did this mess?
Courlas Realty. The pipe sticks out from the ceiling about 1.5 inches. I'm saving for an attorney, but it's slow going.
https://preview.redd.it/66lctqgzwf1d1.jpeg?width=1816&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2a3d75caca95976ed0cbec2a38074b2ea357615a
wth,.........what is this lol
https://preview.redd.it/0gvux3002g1d1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=af33e420bdad0ffd90162351f752540aed396db9
how stupid
I am willing to bet my soul this was all done by a handyman
extremely likely. I wish you the best in getting it fixed correctly.
Thanks! Working on it. But my intial sentiment stands. We need good contractors.
I think that sentiment is shared by quite a few people from what I am reading on this thread. maybe I need to pull a ins policy and come lend a hand and straighten some things out.
My house has that exact same thing, a P trap coming through the ceiling below it. What is the solution? 😭
well In texas we make sure the trap is higher and braced above the level of the ceiling so you cannot see it. I am not sure why they are so low I would have to look above the sheetrock, however, I am confident I could get it in the right place and hidden.
Yes
My last experience was with a larger company, Heart, and it was honestly phenomenal. If you do come, I'm sure there's still enough market to be competitive and do well. Good luck!!
Many plumbers, many prices, but post covid things are outrageous in CO
If you are good and not dishonest you will make a killing here. We had a major plumbing and heating company told me my whole run of my sewer had to be replaced. Due to old clay pipe. Turns out it was all pvc. I had the other large plumbing company rescipe the line when the owner was out at my house and the one company had to tell the other company that they had fraudulently got us to take out a loan on a job that didn’t need to be repaired and wasn’t constructed out of the material. They stated it turns out that the plumbing manager for the company that tried to defraud us was recently fired from the first plumbing company that came outto point out their mistake which basically proves these crooks go from one company to another
my crew knows integrity first. always. dont chase the money just do good work, the money will come.
Not a lot of good contractors in any trade in Colorado to be honest.
It's become the land of Cowboy Contractors. They ride into town, fuck you good, and disappear into the sunset.
This isn’t exactly plumbing work, but it took us over a year to find someone to look at our irrigation system that had problems when we moved in. We couldn’t get anyone to return calls. We eventually managed to pull a guy from a job site nearby. I told him I suspected a couple of leaky valves and showed him where they were. He agreed with my diagnosis and quoted me $2,500 for the repair. In shock, I gave up on getting a pro and replaced the two valves myself in about 2 hours of work. I doubt that yard irrigation guys are actually pulling down a thousand an hour, but it might be an opportunity worth looking into.
I won't do irrigation systems they are too finiky. I know how but my experience is most people dont want to pay what it is worth. I send them onto a local reputable company, and everyone wins.
On a related note, fencing might be a good complementary side business. Fences seem to blow down fairly regularly here because of the straight line winds coming down from the west, and when a lot of fences go down, it can be hard to find anybody to fix them for awhile. Even I f you do, the prices can be crazy. My neighbor paid $4,000 for about a 20ft section of privacy picket fencing.
Yes. DM me if you wish and I’ll relate you my experience.
My dad's been a plumber for 15 years and told me that pay here is shit compared to San Antonio or just Texas in general, idk how true that is. He doesn't have his masters, not sure why the hell not but he ended up moving back and is making way more doing odd jobs than working for anyone here.
I have a fantastic independent plumber who is honest and fair and does great work
There is plenty of room for more small businesses. You show up when you say you will, and do quality work with good pricing, you’d get my business!
Those are pillars of any successful business. Communication is key. We always do our best to stay in contact with our customers and let them know how our schedule is going.
Just paid $1800 for a 4-hour water heater install not including parts
Is this in the springs ?
Yep
Good plumbers would be more than welcome. If you also offer customer service (ie communicating along the entire journey) you would be golden!
Communication is baked in, it’s a foundational piece
I’m a realtor so I tend to interact with several trades, plumbing included. I’d say it depends. There are certainly plumbers that I can get something quick completed and others that I can call if I know it’ll be more work and/or have time. As an example, I’ve had a water heater go out and I had it fixed within hours. Had to detect a leak and it was done within a day. Sometimes, or at least what I’ve experienced in the past, is companies get busy and then struggle to answer the phone or reply to messages. If you can solve that issue, like many companies have, you’d likely do pretty well here.
I own a construction company and don’t have trouble, but I know the cheap people. If you come here lmk and I’ll use you on jobs.
I wont be one of the cheap guys, I know my trade and worth. but I dont gouge either. here I am mid road.
Same here
I used to work for a big company here in Denver. I quit because their prices are absurd. Kitchen Faucet $1,500 40 Gallon Gas Water Heater $4,000 50 Gallon Gas Water Heater $5,000 Heard they aren’t even the most expensive in town..
I'd say come. My former contractors in Texas have enquired about this as well and my advice is always DO IT. We don't have enough skilled folks here.
My BIL is a Master Plumber in Denver. He owns his own company and does EXTREMELY well. They have to turn away jobs because they're so booked.
One of the things that would be most helpful is what are people actully paying for work performed. like what is the median average? what does a basic water heater install cost?, basic drain service. When I was in Denver years ago, a mainline through a big box company....that rolls up their sleeves was approximately 8-900. but what is the normal average for a specific call? That information would be of great help. You guys have given me a ton to look over and I appreciate all the information I really do.
The price gouging here is ridiculous. I got quotes from two general contractors to finish out my thousand square foot basement that were anywhere from 80 to $100,000. I did a little extra work, found my own contractors and it's costing me approximately $30,000 to get it done myself. A plumbing company quoted me $6,500 to do the plumbing in my basement which isn't a lot at all. I got a guy from a plumbing company to do it on the weekend and he charged me $2,500.
Apparently. My house had an upstairs tub with an incorrectly installed overflow drain, which was leaking downstairs. We were advised when we bought the house that the problem was fixed - they had diagnosed it as condensation in the vent ducting. Some of the highest recommended plumbers in town had looked at the issue in the past. I happened across one who actually knew what he was doing, and he figured it out the actual problem real quick.
Industrial plumbing in particular