I would not want to be a carpenter today

[Tom M King]

Yes, things are a bit different here in Yellow Pine country. It used to not be that way, but there are few around that still remember buying a YP 2x4 that was straight when you bought it, and would stay straight. These days, even 2x12's need to be hand picked, if you are picky. And here, there are never any waiting lines at the good suppliers, only at the box stores that do have the cheaper prices.

Also, it should be noted that I was never a General Contractor, trying to keep the budget down, or satisfy a customer. I built one spec house a year, for 33 years, with only myself to satisfy. I'd start one in the Fall, finish the inside over the Winter, finish up the outside in Spring, sell it, and take the Summer off. I managed to scrape by doing it my way. I did everything myself with 2 helpers, and cutting footsteps was the only corner I cut. A benefit to loading the trailer like I wanted it was that materials could be used off the trailer, in the order that we needed them, and the trailer could be moved to the best location on the job for the work at hand. These days, if I'm still building something new, I'll still do it my way.