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Building Services in Modoc County CaliforniaKnowing what building services are available in your area is valuable information whether you're a general contractor or a do-it-yourselfer. Before starting any construction project you must decide whether you have the ability to complete it yourself or if you're going to hire a building contractor. Any project around the home is going to require building services of some kind, whether you need lumber, concrete, electrical or plumbing supplies. Naturally, if your project needs lumber to complete, you'll also need nails or screws. You have to be able to cut the boards, so you'll need a saw. You'll also need a square, hammer, drill and bits, pencil, and the list goes on. Construction materials and tools are just two examples of building services. If the project just got too hard, you have to know who to call to bail you out! This is where knowing what building services are close-by comes in handy!
As a do-it-yourselfer, you think of a project and then plan it out. During the planning stage, you've got to figure out what material and tools (and possibly help) you'll need. You'll need to know what building services are available within a reasonable distance. You'll also want to know which building services have the best value for your needs.
If you're thinking of putting in a sidewalk, you'll definitely need to know about local building services. You will need form boards, stakes and nails. You can get the boards and nails at 4-Seasons Supply Center and the stakes at Modoc Steel. You're also going to need tools if you don't have them: a hammer, saw, square and pencil (pencil's usually FREE!) from 4-Seasons, and maybe saw horses and a nifty apron from Seab's True Value. You've dug the walkway out using a shovel and wheelbarrow from Seab's (or maybe rent a Bobcat from 4-Seasons?). You build the forms, and now you need the concrete. You can mix and pour it yourself with concrete mix and a mixer rented from Ron's Tool & Equipment. However, if it's a long sidewalk, you might want to call Goodwin's Concrete to deliver a couple of yards of cement. If, after thinking and planning, you decide this is not the job for you, you can call Larranaga Trucking & Construction for an estimate. If you're a do-it-yourselfer, knowledge of local building services is very helpful. If you're a contractor, that knowledge is necessary to stay in business. You won't find any mega-retail warehouse type building services stores in Modoc County; the market is simply too small. The closest Home Depot is 1 1/2 hours away in Klamath Falls, Oregon. Lowe's is 2 1/2 hours by car in Reno, Nevada, and there's a Lumbermen's in Lakeview, Oregon, about 1 hour north. These are the closest locations for the big stores. I personally like the small town atmosphere when dealing with local stores here, though. With building services, as well as any other merchant in Alturas or Modoc County, you'll likely be dealing directly with the owner and not a 4th or 5th echelon manager. You may pay a little more for goods, but you're not lost in the maize at the checkout. You won't have any problem locating your truck in the store parking lot here, but you probably won't have a Home Depot selection to choose from either. The following list of area business services is provided as a service to new Modoc residents or prospective homeowners. It contains contractors and businesses that I personally have worked with. I can personally recommend their services and goods and attest to the professional way they do business. Bailey Plumbing, plumbing contractor, 530-233-3002. Roy helped us tremendously when we first relocated to Alturas. Easy to work with and reasonable, he also offers required winterizing/de-winterizing service to part-time residents. Services include septic system and well and pump installations as well as emergency repairs. Darril Ponti Construction & Snow Removal, general contractor, 530-233-6935. Home remodeling, and drywall, texture and finish painting; contract and on-demand snow removal. D.L. Goodwin Concrete, ready-mix concrete, 530-233-4675. Dave provided most of the concrete for our new home and shop. He provides the right mix with the right timing. Larranaga Trucking & Construction, general engineering contractor, 530-233-3785. Fernand and Victoria and their crews offer road and highway construction and paving, excavation, tractor work and grading; various gravel and rock grades and hauling (they have their own aggregate and asphalt plant), concrete work; local and long-distance equipment hauling; general contracting and driveway building and paving. There's probably not a construction job that Fernand won't tackle. They helped us get established here with excavation and concrete work on our 1000 square foot shop, a covered porch and patio and sidewalks for our house, and paved our driveway. Randall Electric, electrical contractor, 530-233-4625. General electrical work, including new construction, repair and trouble-shooting. Dave and his crew are reasonable and personable and offer good advice as well as quality work. Walt Smith Landscape Contractor, landscape contractor, 530-640-5968. Landscape design and installation, landscape maintenance, sprinkler systems, tractor work, stump grinding, stone and concrete work, snow removal. Bethel's Propane, propane heating contractor, 530-233-2134. Heating contractor and propane supplier. Ronnie Sherer did an outstanding job of installing a propane heating system for both our home and shop. Four Seasons Supply Center, retail lumber and building supplies, Ace Hardware retailer, 530-233-4441/800-552-1778. Gary and his folks answer all questions you have about building and do-it-yourself matters, and can supply just about anything for construction. They’ll help you plan any project in detail. Lumbermen's, retail lumber and building supplies, Lakeview, Oregon, 800-527-0489. Provided material and built our 1000 square foot pole-barn style shop. We couldn't be happier with the entire construction process and the end-result. This is by no means a complete list of building services in Modoc County, but just the folks that we dealt directly with and can recommend. As you can see, adequate building services do exist in this rather remote corner of California. There are no mega-stores, but there are many qualified providers. This site includes many more pages, some answer questions about Alturas area community services such as hotels and restaurants, shopping, power and water, telecommunications, and roads and transportation. Others will present a brief picture of local health care as well as some on weather and climate, fire protection and prevention and other topics of interest to folks wanting to live the country life.
For a directory of local businesses, including building services, click on this link to the Alturas Chamber of Commerce Business Directory.
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Knowledge of available building services is mandatory for any contractor hoping to stay in business. They have to know the correct source for the material to complete the job. He or she not only needs to know where to obtain materials, but also what, how and when. Knowing what building services are available allows a businessman to know immediately how to bid a job. The only way a building contractor can compete is to provide prospective customers with an accurate estimate that includes cost of materials and a timeline for completion. Building services obviously include the contractor's supply chain of necessary construction materials. But often a general contractor also has to rely on sub-contractors and their schedules to complete the job. He or she has to know who provides certain building services, and when they can provide them. The contractor who says, "I'll have to see if I can find an electrician to do this or that" has probably already lost the job. A contractor who wants to stay in business can't tell a homeowner that he doesn't know where he'll get that pipe!
