Work and Such

I have been working for my dad the last two weeks. He owns CedarTech Roof Care and is also a general contractor. That means he can do minor repairs (e.g. repair to vents and other roof-related things), low-level construction (e.g. manufacture and install mailboxes for a condo complex in town) and other minor tasks. One of my friends from high school aptly nick-named him "McGyver", not because he's a washed-out 80s drama but because he can fix/construct/jimmy just about anything. That said, he's really good at what he does and is even better at politely saying he cannot do something if it is beyond his expertise. Trust me, there are plenty of contractors who aren't as forthcoming. In just under two weeks, we've already run into several "projects" that other contractors have "fixed" and that we've actually fixed.

Those of you who know me may think I'm somewhat of an "eww, that's dirty" fellow, but I like rolling up my sleeves and doing traditional manly stuff. At the beginning of last week, dad said, "you know, Patrick, it's gonna be cold, stinky and dirty up on those roofs." At first, I was a little offended that he would think I was such a pussy I couldn't handle a little grime, but then I remembered who I was. In all honesty, I said, "yeah, well working on anything but another meaningless spreadsheet and making decent money sounds great to me." And great it has been.

Dad is in good with River Roofing. That's right, the River Roofing - the roofing behemoth in Eugene/Springfield. When a job comes along that is too small for them (a.k.a. not profitable enough), they pass it on to dad. Usually, the winter weather prevents much outdoor work from getting done, but dad has been overwhelmed with jobs and he keeps getting more every day. They say 95% of businesses fail within their first year and of those that succeed, they can expect to lose money for the first 2-3 years. Dad broke even in his first year and is now turning a tidy profit. This is due to the fact that he charges a very fair rate, is extremely good at what he does, and is honest every step of the way. Again, trust me, there are many contractors out there who aren't. It's a very simple process to get a contractor's license.

I put on my Carharts, t-shirt, a dirty sweatshirt and baseball cap every morning. I don't take a shower (what's the point) and get grubby all day. At first, I thought this may be something I didn't look forward to, but now that I've done it so much, I really like it. I can sleep in until the very last possible moment, roll out of bed and be ready to go in 5 minutes. Dad pays for lunch every day and we have a great time joking around, driving from place to place and making fun of crazy people.

What I've come to realize through my foray into the world of roof care and contractor's work is that I love it. When we're at a job, I can put in my earphones, start my ipod and before I know it, it's time for lunch. The fact that I actually finish a job, make someone's roof better and feel a sense of accomplishment every day has never been something I've taken with me at the end of the day. I'm not trying to sound melodramatic, but seriously, I'm used to creating spreadsheets that are obsolete 20 minutes later. The weather may be cold and rainy, but I've got layers and waterproof gear. I make good money and dad is a great guy to work for.

All in all, life has been treating me really well over the Christmas break. I'm about to be done working for two weeks, I'll have plenty of extra cash and come New Year's, we'll all be celebrating at Scott's house. For those of you I don't see, have a great holiday and New Year and drink several for me!