re: Construction Management - Commercial vs Residential

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I’ve got buddies in industrial and I have no desire to do what they do. If not wanting to get shipped off somewhere to work 7 days a week during a turnaround is not wanting to work hard then yeah you can say that. I’ve also got no desire to do any civil work either. I think my day to day life would suck.

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I'm a PM and estimator for a company that does 95% industrial work and while our jobsites do often times work long weeks, weekends, etc...I work 5 days a week. Yes sometimes I get a phone call from my job site on a Saturday if the guys are working, but I don't mind taking a call here and there on the weekend if its from my couch. Granted I did work onsite and weekends more often when I first started to get some field experience, but it doesn't have to be that way long term.

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I’ve got buddies in industrial and I have no desire to do what they do. If not wanting to get shipped off somewhere to work 7 days a week during a turnaround is not wanting to work hard then yeah you can say that

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People in Louisiana seem to forget that industrial doesn't have to mean refineries. There are plenty of other large industrial projects in the US (the intel chip plant mentioned earlier, government defense contracts, government contracts for waste decomissioning plants, tesla plants, the whole space industry going on in florida, even new construction LNGs in Louisiana/Texas). None of those projects are having turnarounds. Most are long term, without strict deadlines and you can work your standard 40

And the best part is that they are all unique. You aren't building 500 units of a cookie cutter apartment, or 500 units of a cookie cutter office building, or 500 units of a cookie cutter hospital. That shite has to be so monotonous

That's a good point. Everyone I know in industrial is based out of LA/South Texas, so I guess plants is what my mind immediately goes to.

I just went from custom residential to an EPC contractor. I was doing my own thing in residential and it was great, but me and the old lady moved so I found a good job. I went from running my own schedule, but being on call all the time. If a homeowner/client/Architect called I answered. If a sub called I answered. Time is money and you have to push projects otherwise your losing money. If I didn't have a reliable sub onsite to open and lock up I was there. I was sales, accounting, quality control, estimating, purchasing, scheduling, and all of the above. I had some great jobs and it was very rewarding. I think if I was in a different market at some point I could go back but dealing with someones home is a lot different than dealing with an expansion project playing with a corporations money.

At the end of the day homebuilding is personal, and if you're a halfway decent guy it will weigh on you. Last year a family begged me to get them in, so "there kids could have christmas in the house" after they made a ton of changes and delayed the project. I worked everyday for a month to get it done for them and pushed everyone hard just for a thank you and a pat on the back. That was probably my own fault but they were a great family.I am in industial/utilites now, and I am an 8-5 guy with a lot of support around me, but I miss doing what I wanted, building badass homes, and working for myself.


TL'DR: Mehhhh there's pros and cons to each.

I did high end residential for years and absolutely hated it. Stay home wives can bury you in tasks doing and redoing things to make it exactly how they want it. They envision the color looking a certain way then change their mind when they buy a new piece of furniture. You get change orders to do it twice, but it doesn’t cover headache factor and inability to plan your completion.

I’m in negotiated commercial now and it’s a world of difference as far as being better.

Have you considered that maybe it’s your company and not the industry that is the problem? If so, I’m in the BR area and looking for people to help our growth. Would be interested in talking if you’re open.

With the current interest rates, I can tell you that residential is not the place to go if you're worried about money and stress. Industrial isn't as bad as you think, probably easier than commercial, and pay is good. Like others have said, maybe try estimating. I started in commercial project management and got a gig estimating for an industrial firm. I really enjoy it, and the stress is much lower than having to deal with an a-hole owner's rep everyday for over a year. Like others have said, it's a new challenge every week. You celebrate when you win one, then hand it over to the PM's and field guys from there. If you fricked up, at least it's their problem now, and there are always ways to cover your arse in bid clarifications to make the owner/engineer at least pay for your frickups.

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Speaking of, wtf has happened to Hargrove? Their packages have been awful lately.

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Ha, I might be looking at the same package

I couldn't deal with residential after being in industrial. In industrial, the owner expects you onsite every day until the job is done. With residential, there can be weeks when subs just won't show up.

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If so, I’m in the BR area and looking for people to help our growth. Would be interested in talking if you’re open.

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this is turning into a decent recruiting thread LOL. Who says TD doesn’t have a job posting board?

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not wanting to get shipped off somewhere to work 7 days a week during a turnaround

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CM grad who chose industrial. Funny you say that because I'm currently working 7 days a week away from home. Trying to get a few years of experience in project controls / scheduling with a GC and hopefully hire on with a plant, where mentioned above, has a steadier schedule