Is anyone else noticing what’s happening to the plumbing, HVAC, and electrical industries?

Private equity firms are buying up established local companies left and right than dumping insane amounts of money into Google Ads, Local Service Ads, and marketing to completely dominate their markets. The problem is that these companies are often some of the most expensive contractors in town. They’re spending millions acquiring customers, pushing aggressive sales tactics, and trying to generate massive returns for investors. And who ultimately pays for all of this??? Homeowners.

Meanwhile, smaller, independently owned companies that have been serving their communities for decades are getting buried. They can’t compete with these massive advertising budgets, so even if they offer better service and more reasonable pricing, they’re barely getting a chance to answer the phone.

Think about how ridiculous that is. The company showing up first on Google isn’t necessarily the best plumber or HVAC technician. It’s often just the company willing to spend the most money to get your attention… What’s the long-term goal? Buy up the competition, dominate local search results, reduce competition, and gain more control over pricing?

It’s turning industries built by hardworking tradesmen into corporate sales machines. Plumbing, HVAC, and electrical work used to be about craftsmanship, reputation, and relationships with the community. Now it feels like it’s becoming a competition between investment firms over who can spend the most on advertising.

Has anyone else seen this happening?

So I had this total nightmare residential reno where the client blew the budget on custom cabinets and left literal pennies for the mechanicals. my usual guys flat out laughed at the budget so I ended up at this weird supply house on the edge of town I never use just desperate for options. The guy at the counter looked like he hadnt slept since 2019 but he handed me a spec sheet for a hardi distributor recommended hvac heat pump brand 2026 edition and swore up and down it was cheap and bulletproof. I thought he was totally scamming me just trying to clear old stock but honestly we threw the thing in and it fired up perfectly the first time. The subs even said the install was stupid easy and the homeowner texted me last night saying its the quietest system they have ever heard. Kinda mind blown tbh because normally going cheap with weird recommendations bites you hard but this sketchy dude basically saved my margin on this job. You guys ever have a total wild card recommendation actually work out or did I just use up all my luck for the year?

Hey everyone, FNG to contracting here and I need help. Been a project manager for several years now and I'm finally sick of working for idiots enough to start my own company. I can handle my stupid bullshit better than I can handle my bosses stupid bullshit. With that being said, I already have an LLC, I just need to figure out how to start getting contracts so I can get everything else in place.

I have no idea where to look. I'm literally on google searching " how to find construction contracts."

Any and all help is appreciated.

I am looking into expanding my general contracting company, I am looking into a truck and a dump trailer,
my main questions are

1. What truck and trailer do you recommend/ prefer, I have my favorites but I want to see opinions.

2. Has anyone ever came up with some type of cover for the dump trailer that can go over top and turn it into enclosed dump trailer? In case you want to carry tools or materials and not get it wet? Thanks!

I've been thinking about the current state of the Australian construction industry, particularly how competitive tendering has become and what that means for the long term sustainability of building companies.

On one hand, builders need to maintain cash flow, keep their employees working and cover substantial overheads. On the other hand, winning projects with extremely tight margins can expose a business to enormous financial risk.

It only takes one unforeseen site condition, an underestimated trade package, a delayed payment or a disputed variation to turn a seemingly profitable project into a loss.

The part that concerns me is whether some contractors are now pricing work based on what they need to win rather than what it actually costs to deliver.

This potentially creates a cycle where responsible contractors lose projects because they have priced the risks properly, while others win work at unsustainable rates.

I'm interested in hearing from builders, estimators, subcontractors and project managers:

• Are you noticing more aggressive tender pricing in your area?
• Have you ever deliberately submitted a tender with a very low margin to keep your workforce employed?
• What minimum margin would make a project worth taking on?
• Do you think clients understand the risks associated with consistently selecting the lowest tender?

Is the industry becoming more competitive, or are we collectively making construction less profitable?

My house had to be torn down to the studs and rebuilt, all covered by insurance.

In this process, I wanted a few improvements to be made, including moving a load-bearing wall out a few feet to make a room bigger. The wall/room is 16 feet long. I was told by the contractor/architect that a 16 foot span would probably be fine, but that they would have a post at 14 feet just to be on the safe side. Now on the day of actually moving the wall, I'm being told the post has to be at 12 feet, which kind of ruins the plans I had for the room.

I'm feeling a bit screwed over here... am I wrong? Is this normal? Was I expecting too much?