Milwaukee remodeler Abby Binder, owner of Abby’s Windows & Exteriors, discusses the difficulty of holding onto subcontractors in the current labor-challenged environment in several markets across the country.
Binder’s experience with common sub problems, such as workers being poached while on the job, makes her an expert. She offers universally applicable insights on subcontractor loyalty and alternatives to subcontractors altogether.
“Not going into the trades is a huge issue, but on top of that, the quality of labor is really hard to come by,” says Binder. “And when you think you've found a crew that is of high quality, it becomes honestly like an auction. Who can add in and bid another five bucks a window? And the guy's gone. And with the siding crews, really good quality labor has been a huge struggle to find, and so it just puts your lead times out that much further because you don't want to take the chance of hiring a crew that does shoddy work.”
Watch the full segment below.