Sunday, November 27, 2022
Tuesday, November 22, 2016
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Have You See This Yet?
QR Code is here.
If you are not aware of it, it is a way of using your phone to receive information. Try it here. It will lead you to a blog post at a different site.
If you are not aware of it, it is a way of using your phone to receive information. Try it here. It will lead you to a blog post at a different site.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Good Answer Tom, But Show Your Work!
When I was in school I really liked math. Unlike philosophy, or literature where you had interpretations of the readings, math had one answer. There was not a debate about whether or not 7+6= 13, only the explaining of how we got the answer. I received assignments back regularly with red ink stating "show your work". I thought , "Why?". It either is or it isn't correct. In showing my work, I could learn from errors made and the teacher would be assured that the correct answer was derived from my own thinking. This would allow me the apply this in future, tougher, calculations.
Water related damages and repairIn business I find something very similar happening. I find myself sharing how my work is done, why I is necessary, or how this can be prevented in reoccuring in the future. If a client calls me to fix a situation at their property, I want to go fix it and bill the owners - period! That is clean and efficient. The job is complete, well done, and no wasted time spent.
Long-term this is not best for business. A certain amount of trust must come before a client will be a repeat customer. So I perfer to go overboard with the details, sometimes to the point that the owner may say "Tom we don't need to know all that, just fix it." The details given to the owner or manager can come in countless ways. Photos and video of the problem, hand-drawn explanations, on-site explanations, research is similar problems, and on and on... But the details are important.
Water related damages and repairIn business I find something very similar happening. I find myself sharing how my work is done, why I is necessary, or how this can be prevented in reoccuring in the future. If a client calls me to fix a situation at their property, I want to go fix it and bill the owners - period! That is clean and efficient. The job is complete, well done, and no wasted time spent.Long-term this is not best for business. A certain amount of trust must come before a client will be a repeat customer. So I perfer to go overboard with the details, sometimes to the point that the owner may say "Tom we don't need to know all that, just fix it." The details given to the owner or manager can come in countless ways. Photos and video of the problem, hand-drawn explanations, on-site explanations, research is similar problems, and on and on... But the details are important.
If the owner or manger can understand the problem, they are more willing to solve it. They may see a dark spot on the ceiling. "Can't we just prime and paint over it?", is a common answer to such situations. But they need to understand that a slow drain leak caused by undo stress on the pipe that is causing dripping and causing mold in the drywall, and should be addressed. This sort of thing happens all the time. It would be hard to justify charging $800 to make this dark spot go away without all the necessary information. At that point it is up to the owner or manager to decide what to do.
Once that trust is built, now the client will call you. You are trusted and will be the starting point for the repair.
And the best customer is the repeat customer!
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Looking For A Local Contractor?
How do you go about finding a contractor in your local area? This doesn't just apply to contractor searches, it can be the dry cleaner, pizza, mechanic, and any other search target. Where do you start? Word-of-mouth is the most trusted - someone who has used this service before recommends them to you.
The internet has made it very convenient to do research from our home, office, and mobile phone. If you are in need of a local service, many start with a Google search. Google will list local search results at the top of the list. A great beginning but do I believe they are the best company for me? Further research may be needed. Sites like Yelp, Yahoo Local, Google Places, can pick up local businesses in your area.
The internet has made it very convenient to do research from our home, office, and mobile phone. If you are in need of a local service, many start with a Google search. Google will list local search results at the top of the list. A great beginning but do I believe they are the best company for me? Further research may be needed. Sites like Yelp, Yahoo Local, Google Places, can pick up local businesses in your area.
The idea of finding a contractor (or dry cleaner, pizza,etc.) on the internet is becoming more and more common. Finding sources of searching for what we are looking for becomes more and more important. This takes getting use to, we have to try it.
I love to hear from you about how and where you find local services in your area.
Happy searching!
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Placerville Contractor Reaches #2 Ranking on Bing Local
For the longest time, Tromler Construction did not exist in the Bing Local Ranking for General Contractors in Placerville. We filled out all the necessary infomation but waited a very long time for Bing to list us. When they did, you had to dig real deep to find Tromler Construction - I first found it at #78. I'm not sure how all the analytics work but today we are at #2 in the rankings.
With a little luck maybe we can reach the #1 ranking on Bing, as we did in Google Local and Yahoo Local.
Need a General Contractor in the Placerville, Sacramento, Ca area?
Monday, October 25, 2010
Apartment Fence Repair In Sacramento, Ca
If you are an apartment manager working hard to rent those vacant units, this may make a lot of sense to you.
How your apartment community looks has a lot to do with your ability to rent your vacant units. This may mean the landscape maintenance, the condition of the paint on the buildings, or tenant personal items hanging from the balcony - this list can go on and on. Right now it is tough enough trying to get people to come to your property to look at it, don't let the appearance of the property kill the sale before you get a chance to show the benefits of living in your community.
What if your office was located next to an existing fence that looked like this? Is it possible that the potential tenant may not believe it when you say that your community is well maintained.
This same fence may be repaired or replaced to change how the visitor sees your community. Maybe just a quick clean up and paint will do the trick. These changes may not sell the property but it certainly couldn't hurt.
How your apartment community looks has a lot to do with your ability to rent your vacant units. This may mean the landscape maintenance, the condition of the paint on the buildings, or tenant personal items hanging from the balcony - this list can go on and on. Right now it is tough enough trying to get people to come to your property to look at it, don't let the appearance of the property kill the sale before you get a chance to show the benefits of living in your community.
What if your office was located next to an existing fence that looked like this? Is it possible that the potential tenant may not believe it when you say that your community is well maintained.
This same fence may be repaired or replaced to change how the visitor sees your community. Maybe just a quick clean up and paint will do the trick. These changes may not sell the property but it certainly couldn't hurt.
A good first impression makes all the difference in filling those vacant units. Maintain the appearance of your property and better quality tenants will fill those open units.
Sacramento General Contractor
Thursday, August 26, 2010
General Contractor's Quick Response To Voice Mail Message
There are many things that take place in an apartment community to get a unit ready to rent once someone moves out. No manager likes there unit to sit empty for very long, so getting it turned around and "rent ready" is an on-going task. We often get calls from apartment managers to help do some things to get the place ready. The calls that we get vary from the minor fixes, to the major rehabs. Recently, we got a call from a community in Cameron Park to do some painting and things. The call went to voice mail, but we quickly got the job done for them.
Here is a short video of that call.
Here is a short video of that call.

Saturday, August 14, 2010
Cameron Park Contractor's 12 Second Vinyl Door Install Video Gets Hits
I'm not real sure how or why it has happened but I have a real short video that has been seen over 700 times. I don't even think that I have posted it anywhere. I shot the video to test the lighting in the area, uploaded it to YouTube just to see how long it would take, pretty much forgot about it until seeing how many times it has been viewed. Here is that video, all 12 seconds of it. Can you figure out what why all the views?
I will sit here as a baffled general contractor wondering if I should install another vinyl sliding door and make another video here in Cameron Park, Ca.
I will sit here as a baffled general contractor wondering if I should install another vinyl sliding door and make another video here in Cameron Park, Ca.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Fence Repair at Apartment Community
There has been a lot of activity in apartment communities throughout the Sacramento Region. With the warmer weather, repairs to fencing, siding, and other exterior surfaces had been on the rise. Often times, these repairs are being done before doing some exterior painting.
Property management companies, and home owners realize that now is an excellent time to make improvements in their property. Cost of supplies are down, contractors are very competitive on pricing, and improved properties are much easier to lease.
Interested in getting an estimate on your property? Contact some local contractors today.
Good luck in all your property improvements.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T
Friday, July 2, 2010
"I'm Not A Handyman, But Sometimes I Play One At Work"
I consider myself very handy around the house. Not too many things that I haven't done. Years ago I was a handyman and did well in that business. But now I'm a contractor, been one for years. Love the larger jobs that come with being a general contractor in the State of California. Lately, I find that I have been dabbling in the handyman domain.
Usually a homeowner has a minor problem and needs some advice about a big problem. I go to take a look and much to the surprise of the homeowner, the problem really isn't a big deal. I have enough experience doing so many trades, it has always been easier to just fix it right now. Homeowners and property managers love it - it costs less. Nobody wants to spend a ton of money in a tight market. Sometimes I feel like I'm getting the short stick. Almost like I'm taking business from myself. Then I think back.
Virtually all my work today comes from referrals - long time customers, customers I met yesterday, agents, colleagues, etc. The vast majority of these can be linked back to some small job that I did in the past. I still get the big jobs, so I guess I'll keep doing the small ones and be grateful.
Usually a homeowner has a minor problem and needs some advice about a big problem. I go to take a look and much to the surprise of the homeowner, the problem really isn't a big deal. I have enough experience doing so many trades, it has always been easier to just fix it right now. Homeowners and property managers love it - it costs less. Nobody wants to spend a ton of money in a tight market. Sometimes I feel like I'm getting the short stick. Almost like I'm taking business from myself. Then I think back.
Virtually all my work today comes from referrals - long time customers, customers I met yesterday, agents, colleagues, etc. The vast majority of these can be linked back to some small job that I did in the past. I still get the big jobs, so I guess I'll keep doing the small ones and be grateful.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Spring Projects Around the House
Home improvement projects, honey-do lists, yard clean-ups, the list can go on and on. Once spring gets here there is a new passion to get things done. The winter rains have subsided. The sun shines bright. We get this boost of energy that wants to get things done. So do it. Here is my advice to tackling all the things that you want and need to do.
1. Get pencil and paper and write down all the things that you would like to have done. Lists the big, small, cheap, expensive, easy and hard. Get them all down on paper, this is just the brainstorming session.
1. Get pencil and paper and write down all the things that you would like to have done. Lists the big, small, cheap, expensive, easy and hard. Get them all down on paper, this is just the brainstorming session.2. Divide the brainstorming list into three categories: Must do right away, Needs to get done soon, and If I get a chance. This needs to be quick. Why? If we spend too much time dwelling on which list to put it in, we are wasting time. The goal is to get started in doing something.
3. Start! I suggest starting with a "must do" item, pick the easiest item there. For example, replace the dead tree in the planter at the front door for the party tomorrow. Get this done, feel good about getting started. Once you've started, keep moving down the list. Begin the next easy "must do" item.
The key to this exercise is to get started by getting something done and building on it. Checking off items that are completed can do wonders for a procratinator like myself.
Hope this helps!
Monday, April 12, 2010
Placerville General Contractor Installs New Redwood Decking in Cameron Park
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Exterior Siding in Sacramento by Placerville Contractor
Over time wood siding goes bad. Maybe because of improper painting, poor installation, excessive water; the reasons are many. Installation of cementious lap siding may be the answer for your property. The produce does not rot, it's durable, and looks good too.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Monday, October 26, 2009
Cameron Park General Contractor Doing the Little Things

Sometimes you have to do the small things to make the customer happy, and refer your business. That may include checking the water heater temperature, changing air filters, or even clearing a slow drain (pictured here). And often times this is done for free! Why? I think its the right thing to do. I not saying I plan on working a bunch of tasks for nothing, but there has been countless meanial chores that I have done that has lead to much larger projects. All because of a sincere kind act.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Bathroom Water Leak Repairs
Got a call from an apartment community in Sacramento, they had a leak in an upstairs unit. The damage was extensive in the downstairs unit. Here a picture of the laundry room walls. The walls were opened and fans and dehumidifiers were used to dry out the area.
The water had traveled done the walls unforefunately we were busy getting the job completed and didn't get a chance to take many before pictures. The residents needed us to get the walls open and dried, so we could put things back to normal. Here is the new drywall up and ready for texture.
Here is the same wall a few hours later. It wasn't long before things were completely restored to normal, and we were off to the next job.
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