Cooper Custom Carpentry: A Family Tradition

I recently had a chance to sit down with Josh Cooper from Cooper Custom Carpentry to discuss some topics regarding the state of the housing market, the current recession, and other important issues that are plaguing the home construction industry.

What is the biggest challenge you are facing as we near the end of the first quarter of 2009?

It has become extremely difficult to get potential customers to commit to starting a project. The bids are out there; in fact I have bid more jobs this year than ever before. The problem is that people don’t know if they will have a job next week, next month, next year. How can they responsibly commit to a new home purchase with that sort of doubt? They have the urge to build; they just can’t get over that hump of pessimism.

What products do you notice gaining popularity recently?

I notice a lot more people requesting options for Cementboard siding. It’s a durable, paintable product with a nice warranty. The biggest thing lately, though, is energy efficient products. More people are trying to be more “green” in their products as well as their carbon footprint. Window ratings to insulation and everything in between; everything is under this new “green consumer microscope.”

How long before you think the housing market bounces back from this recession?

Well, probably not this year. I do think that we will see some slow improvement throughout 2009, but it is going to be a slow climb back to some solid ground. We are just lucky to be in the less volatile Midwest market. Things are bad everywhere, but we aren’t seeing the crash and burn markets like the extreme West and East coast markets.

What’s your favorite part of your job as a contractor?

I like building, plain and simple. Carpentry is in my blood. My father, my grandfather, my uncles, and many other family members all made their living working in the trades. There is a tradition of building that I grew up around. We used to pickup scraps on the jobsite not long after we learned to walk. We used to play in the dirt piles while our family worked. I can’t remember one year that didn’t have a jobsite involved in it.

Well thank you for your valuable time and insight, I wish you luck in the coming years.

Thanks for having me.

If you have a project that you would like to contact Josh Cooper from Cooper Custom Carpentry for your next project please feel free to send an email.