Deck Guy

Beth, hold tight, and I'm certain there will be pic's posted. I left town in a whirwind, and didn't even think to resupply my business card stash, let alone a camera. My wife wasn't there with me, unfortunately. St. Louis is a part of her sales territory, so she was there two days this week already. I literally would have had to tie her up and throw her in the trunk to get her to see that (short, 2 hour) drive again! I will say this about all rountables though. We argue about many things on these boards (politics, religion, the war, etc...). But when we all sit down together, all that seems to melt away. I have a great respect for all the people who post here, and I believe we can all learn from others successes and failures. That goes for all the suppliers and vendors too. From here on out, I'm going to try to stick with only the professional and fun stuff around here. Roundtables as a whole, ROCK! If anyone hasn't availed themselves to this opportunity to basically FREE information, you are only hurting yourselves.

Sorry John, I'm on the opposite side of this than you are. I prefer a hotel with all amenities, right down to swimming pools and bars/restaraunts.That way, you can bring wife and family if you like, and we can socialize at the hotel without fear of drinking and driving, or having to find a place to eat. Instead of socializing at the RT such as in this case, everyone could retire to the hotel and relax there. The difference in cost is worth the convenience to me. The midwest roundtable (which was the most professional of those I have attended) we just had took place exclusively at the hotel. Aside from eating, we would have never had to leave the hotel. Anybody for a round table at a Westin??? Free happy hours for guests from 5-7 now every day!

How do you measure a deck??? I hate these "how much per sq. ft.?" questions because I may call it 900 sq. ft. at .90 cents, and you may call the same deck 450 sq. ft. at $1.70. That makes you the lowballer!!! Bottom line is that we all measure differently. One of my only real competitors here measures only the floor, and charges $2.00 per sq. ft. (last I knew). I charge less per sq. ft., but I measure the floors, linear feet of railing (times three), add five dollars per step, add for benches etc...and guess what? We are nearly identical on our bids! So before you ask the next logical question of...Then why do you spend so much time measuring, adding, and ciphering this all out?...I'll answer it. It gives me time to develop a rapport with my customer, describe the process, and close the sale. I have sold plenty jobs where I was not the low bidder, but I didn't just leave a post-it on their door with the price, and my number scribbled at the bottom. Ryan hit the nail on the head. Take some time to educate yourself on closing techniques. Charge a fair price for yourself, and sell yourself so they don't question why you are worth more than Joe's Powerwash and Porta-Potty Service (JPPPSLLC).

Why not Ready Seal. You can just give it a quick clean every few years and shoot on another coat. You'll never have to strip it that way.

I almost thought it was Kirk Hammet of Metallica until I saw the bigger pic. I'm guessing he's a rocker. How about a hint?

Crop the background, and repost so we can see the faces, and I'll have a guess. As it is, the heads in your avatar are about 1/8 inch tall on my laptop. I wouldn't recognize my own mother at that size! RE: Brett Favre... I appreciate what he has done for the organization, but I had hoped he would step aside to allow them to build for the future. On the other hand, he still believes he can win, and he's very close to several major records. I just hope he isn't hanging around for his own personal glory.

If I was going to do that, I would have used this one... Of course, he grew his hair out a bit before becoming famous!

I can't believe I never noticed Ricky chasing the weed!!! I just figured you were a Dolphins fan.

We have a winner! For you young'uns...check out some Allman Brothers if you've ever enjoyed the likes of 38 Special, Skynyrd, or any other "Southern Rock" band. This guy practically invented it! Now I'll have to find another...hmmmmm....

Who on this board even knows who my current avatar is?? I try to pick interesting ones or Brett Favre (not that he isn't interesting). I'll say who it is if no-else can figure it out. My guess is that someone around 55-60 will figure it out.

It's hard to eat the expense of a professional accountant when you are already showing a loss, but a good one will save you more than he costs. I pay under $200 for a federal and two state returns from my CPA.

The Constitution is a Shield, Not a Sword! It's on my truck.

You mean Dawn and chlorine, right??

Crap! I was hoping to save on shipping some chems! That would have offset the cost of my room a bit. I imagine he's busy setting up his new shop. I believe he said he's planning on getting out of washing altogether, and concentrating on the chem sales.

Rick, Do you completely strip Ready Seal too?? I thought that a big benefit of RS was that it could be properly cleaned and re-applied.

Nice pic! Is that red hair??

Not been paying attention to our gov't lately, eh? The Bill of Rights doesn't apply during a TIME OF WAR!!! Due Process??? HA, HA, HA!!

Okay, I said I was done, but that's a bit presumtuous. I do live in the real "world." Or is the "real world," New York??? I have lived in at least 7 states, worked in at least 30 states, and lived overseas twice! It's hard to count after a few Rolling Rocks! Maybe I was a bit subtle about it, but when I said that Jeff and I shared a few things in common, I hope that at least he understood what I meant. I certainly didn't learn what I know from "google." There was never anything "cozy" going on for me. Again, we just see it differently. And Ryan...CONGRATS!!! That's totally cool!

We all would have some fun together! I was actually called a conservative (I think for the first time ever) tonight! I laughed out loud! I have no clue as to the election coming up. You can only count on the fact that I won't be voting for Hillary. Let's see who turns up in the meantime. Really, there is always a dark horse who shows up to change things. I hope there are a few. I'm surprised at John's picks, but then, maybe he's just yanking my chain.

Jeff, crack is what was once called freebased cocaine. That was a method used to further purify what was bought on the street. Crack is made from coke, and it's not rocket science, or necessarily a dangerous procedure. With crack, the work is just done for you. A smart addict would make his own, but then again, he wouldn't be in that situation if he was smart. Luckily, I was pretty much too cheap to give in to the temptation. I know people find it highly addictive, and believe me, I know why. I didn't just fall off the turnip truck either. You and I share a few things in common. I just don't see everyone as some potential addict. Some people have limits and know them. We're not all helpless in the face of temptation. I'm truly sorry for those are. My last post on this...I respect everyones opinion on this, we just see things differently. Back to Hillary bashing!

John, I respect that you have seen some sh*t...really. But is it possible that what you have seen has given you a twisted view of the way things really are. Like an abused wife who believes all women are treated that way, because that's the way her father treated her mother? Life isn't really as crappy as you believe it is, and people are generally good at heart. I also don't understand your obsession with "crack cocaine." Crack is just pre-freebased cocaine. I learned how to do it (freebase) in the '80's when you had to do it yourself. Among my friends at the time, there are a now a union tradesman, trucking company owner, golf equipment company owner and myself. None of us are addicts, and all of us are family men with happy marriages. Kinda breaks the stereotype, huh? It is possible to have an adventurous youth, but come away as a man. The increased penalties and fines for crack vs. cocaine are probably just reflective of the racial demographics of users. BTW, I have been randomly tested for drugs for the past 20+ years, so I can say, and prove, that my support for legalization is not based on current use or needs. You probably don't know anybody who smokes pot because of who you are. Your neighbor wouldn't dare take a few hits on his deck with you there, but that doesn't mean he doesn't enjoy a good buzz now and again. I know a few very good people, with responsible jobs who take a toke now and again, and no-one suffers for it. They just don't feel they have to hide it from me, since I don't crusade against it. I missed the part in the bible about drugs, could somebody find that for me?

Let's see...Subway sandwiches and reefer in the same place...Hmmmm...isn't that called cross marketing or cross promotion or something. Hell, I'd buy the next open space for a Krispy Kreme/Head Shop.

Thanks for clarifying Phillip's position. I missed the legalized murder part and the one about no laws at all! Now I see your point.

"Prohibition will work great injury to the cause of temperance... for it goes beyond the bounds of reason in that it attempts to control a man's appetite by legislation and makes a crime out of things that are not crime. A prohibition law strikes a blow at the very principles upon which our government was founded". Abraham Lincoln

I know this as well, and I find it curious that a cop wouldn't. Remember that cocaine was an original ingredient on Coca-Cola? Heroin was also legal at the time, and fix sets could be bought from Sears & Roebuck! I would think they would teach this in any type law enforcement training. Many people believe that marijuana laws were originally intended to punish and deport Mexican immigrants (both legel and illegal) who were flooding our borders at the time. LSD has a story all it's own, but understand that people were not jumping off building believing they could fly! I would have expected good training to include some historical perspective. Maybe they don't teach this because they don't want to bring these future officers to question the current policies. I agree wholeheartedly with you Doug!