Hello, I’m owner/operator and started last yr with my little company. I’ve been getting jobs from Craigslist and through Facebook so far. I have a Cat D5k and a Kubota SVL 75 that I have been working. My question- Do any of you guys subcontract to larger jobs like major road building, or larger sit prep for schools and such? My thoughts are that I could lease myself and equipment out if they needed extra work that they could not get to. If you have done this how did you get it and what did you price it at? Thanks for any info, by the way I’m in central Kentucky.
I have a friend who was similar to you but also had a mini exc. He was a 1 man company, also had a dump truck his wife could drive if he needed a 2nd person (little petite thing, looked out of place in the truck ). Made a very nice living working for residential builders and plumbers. He also had a brush mowing deck for the skid. Also know a smaller construction company that have a nice niche sideline for for commercial plumbing companies. They dig up the leaks, plumber fixes, they back-fill. There's also fire protection upgrade work. They rent a small excavator to do the digging. Used to own their own exc but sold it and rent as needed. The plumbing company has them on-call for the commercial watermain breaks on the weekends. Its a steady niche for them.
99% of my work is subing to a builder, plumber or concrete company. i can only think of 1 job in the last 2 years we have done direct for end customer. it varies on what a companies needs are our bread and butter is plumbing and footings with backhoes. an owner operator wont make it on to a commercial job around here direct to the builder only to the concrete plumbers and electricians. almost every excavation and or grading company i know of wont hire an outside company to do work unless there is a gun to there head and then they still wont they will just turn the work down its not worth the headache to have someone sub to them to cover the scraps because they dont make the gravy for there name being behind it. i have 2 commercial concrete companies that self perform there own excavation we only dig for them when they get behind but they only dig to put concrete in the ground they dont try to make money digging holes. same with the a plumber i dig for does most of his digging with his mini till it gets to deep or they find rock then i get it. my suggestion and its simply said not done is find some small local commercial and residential builders that are looking for a guy that will do the small PITA stuff no one else wants and after a while if you are responsive and do a timely reputable job they will more than likely start giving you more and bigger. i have found 2 really good builders this way but it was not easy and i went through some bad builders that i wont work for along the way