Sounds like you have a good set up.

Don't make a full deduction for the home office, it will raise IRS flags,
especially if you don't have a space solely dedicated to the work. Another
IRS test is how much of your income, percentage wise, comes from your home
business? Do deduct for electricity, heat, travel, flowers, food, etc.

The best thing about your situation is that you are not involved in the day
to day soap opera at the office. You do your work, you're done. Office
politics and shennigans can ruin otherwise great work. You don't have to
deal with people's personality disorders 8+ hours a day. Stay at home.

Those engineer stamps are a liability firewall, and to a lesser degree,
customer sign offs. Autocad is fine for those type of schematics, you aren't
fabricating any circuit boards or the like from them.

Sounds like you work all the time. What do you do for fun? Does the steam
plant have a Hagan Control board? Like Doug, I once worked in a 1350 psi
steam plant. Two boilers, D type. I spend my spare time fantasizing aboutr
Katysails.

Amen!

Bob Crantz


"Scout" wrote in message
...
Good points Bob.
I don't work directly for Honeywell, but through a dealer. Since I
tele-commute, I am able to keep overhead down to almost nothing. They like
the numbers and I'm ok with them too; enough is as good as a feast.

I do carry liability insurance and have done so for 25 years. In addition,
I
work for only one contractor, and they insist that all designs and
drawings
be approved and stamped by their engineers before they are issued to
clients.

I first started my business as a mechanical sub-contractor 2+ decades ago,
and incorporated at that time. In 1990, while working at a construction
site, I broke my back and I was immobile for 6 months. I used that time to
learn programming. Those new skills merged nicely with what I already knew
about the trade, and things progressed rather naturally into a modest side
business. I've been offered more money to join a design team, but I like
the
scenario I'm in now too much to tamper with it.

Honeywell provides basic wiring schematics and technical support to the
electricians. They install the network and interface equipment, do the
start-ups, and make hand drawings and notes (as-builts), which they then
scan and fax or email to me at home. I convert hand drawings to AutoCAD,
receive (emailed) building drawings from architects and modify to show
busses and other equipment locations. (I was also doing the graphics
programming, but the volume of work was more than I could handle without
hiring someone.) I email or fax data in and out. Finally, I submit a
request
for payment and the contractor deposits the money directly into my bank. I
never have to leave the house, although I try to visit all local jobsites.

My retirement plan includes doing all this from a sailboat. I wonder if I
can write off the boat as a floating office.
Scout

"Bob Crantz" wrote in message
ink.net...
At $54 an hour Honeywell is getting a sweet deal. Their overhead costs
would
put you in the $125-175 / hr range.

Are you paying omissions insurance for that work? Do you have a hold
harmless or indemnification agreement for the work? Do you know what
liability insurance for programmers cost? You aren't doing this work as
an
individual are you?

It's all sweet, until something goes wrong. Hopefully you won't be
paying
with your personal assets.

"Scout" wrote in message
...
$54/hour to work at my kitchen table. Yes, it sure is hell.
Scout

"Bob Crantz" wrote in message
ink.net...
Schematics in autocad!

How stone age!

You are in hell!

Amen!

Bob Crantz

"Scout" wrote in message
news Scotty,
I've worked 3 jobs for the past 20 years in order to put myself, my
wife
and
kids through college (6 undergrad and 2 grad degrees). You already
know
what
my day job is. At night, I draw electrical schematics in AutoCAD and
program
ddc graphics for Honeywell. On the weekends I have what has turned
into
a
cushy job operating a power plant (sounds better than boiler room).
I used to open the boilers and work all the mechanical projects, but
on
the
midnight shift I just watch gauges, flip switches, open and close
valves,
and read read read. Oh, and sometimes I come on here to make a
little
trouble. Pathetic, eh?
Scout

"Scott Vernon" wrote in message
...
That's always been my contention, unions were needed back then,
and
they worked . unfortunately they've gone too far in a lot of
cases.
Why are you up at 0400?

Bob Crantz wrote:
Autocad is fine for those type of schematics, you aren't
fabricating any circuit boards or the like from them.

Get Orcad! Bob, your work will go twenty times as fast. I wouldn't hire anybody to draw schematics
in AutoCad; I'd figure I was paying to much for their time.

Cheers
Marty

I use Cadence.Amen!
Bob Crantz

"Martin Baxter" wrote in message
...
Bob Crantz wrote:
Autocad is fine for those type of schematics, you aren't
fabricating any circuit boards or the like from them.

Get Orcad! Bob, your work will go twenty times as fast. I wouldn't hire
anybody to draw schematics
in AutoCad; I'd figure I was paying to much for their time.

Cheers
Marty

Bob Crantz wrote:

I use Cadence.

I thought that was a magazine?

Cheers
Marty

"Martin Baxter" wrote in message
...
Bob Crantz wrote:

I use Cadence.

I thought that was a magazine?

No... that's "Cannabis".

"Bob Crantz" wrote
Sounds like you have a good set up.
Don't make a full deduction for the home office, it will raise IRS flags,
especially if you don't have a space solely dedicated to the work. Another
IRS test is how much of your income, percentage wise, comes from your home
business? Do deduct for electricity, heat, travel, flowers, food, etc.

Yes, I use a factor of 15% for home and utility costs. Since it's part time,
I don't want to push it too hard.

The best thing about your situation is that you are not involved in the
day
to day soap opera at the office. You do your work, you're done. Office
politics and shennigans can ruin otherwise great work. You don't have to
deal with people's personality disorders 8+ hours a day. Stay at home.

AMEN! I love that and working in my underwear. Of course, asa fills my need
for daily distraction and drama.


Those engineer stamps are a liability firewall, and to a lesser degree,
customer sign offs. Autocad is fine for those type of schematics, you
aren't
fabricating any circuit boards or the like from them.
Yes, there are faster programs out there, but the contractor has supplied me
with AutoCAD 2000 and asked me to use it. Previously, we've used Drafix,
Designer 3.x and 4, AutoCAD Lt, and an MS product whose name has slipped my
mind.

Sounds like you work all the time. What do you do for fun? Does the steam
plant have a Hagan Control board? Like Doug, I once worked in a 1350 psi
steam plant. Two boilers, D type. I spend my spare time fantasizing aboutr
Katysails.
The boiler room is small. 4 low pressure (100 psig) fire tubes (3 Superiors
and 1 Power-Master), each 350 HP; and 2,000 tons in centrifugal chillers.
Nothing fancy. But we take good care of them and they still look new when we
open them up every year (they were built in 1953). Same year as Katy?

Hey Scout
I hope you are banking a good part of your part-time earnings, You
will need it if you get audited. One of the tests for a home office
deduction is that the space is not used for anything else. I doubt that
your kitchen table would pass that one.
JR

Scout wrote:
"Bob Crantz" wrote

Sounds like you have a good set up.
Don't make a full deduction for the home office, it will raise IRS flags,
especially if you don't have a space solely dedicated to the work. Another
IRS test is how much of your income, percentage wise, comes from your home
business? Do deduct for electricity, heat, travel, flowers, food, etc.


Yes, I use a factor of 15% for home and utility costs. Since it's part time,
I don't want to push it too hard.


The best thing about your situation is that you are not involved in the
day
to day soap opera at the office. You do your work, you're done. Office
politics and shennigans can ruin otherwise great work. You don't have to
deal with people's personality disorders 8+ hours a day. Stay at home.


AMEN! I love that and working in my underwear. Of course, asa fills my need
for daily distraction and drama.



Those engineer stamps are a liability firewall, and to a lesser degree,
customer sign offs. Autocad is fine for those type of schematics, you
aren't
fabricating any circuit boards or the like from them.

Yes, there are faster programs out there, but the contractor has supplied me
with AutoCAD 2000 and asked me to use it. Previously, we've used Drafix,
Designer 3.x and 4, AutoCAD Lt, and an MS product whose name has slipped my
mind.


Sounds like you work all the time. What do you do for fun? Does the steam
plant have a Hagan Control board? Like Doug, I once worked in a 1350 psi
steam plant. Two boilers, D type. I spend my spare time fantasizing aboutr
Katysails.

The boiler room is small. 4 low pressure (100 psig) fire tubes (3 Superiors
and 1 Power-Master), each 350 HP; and 2,000 tons in centrifugal chillers.
Nothing fancy. But we take good care of them and they still look new when we
open them up every year (they were built in 1953). Same year as Katy?

Thanks JR,
but with my equipment covering the entire table, and a few smaller tables
around it, I don't expect any IRS problems. We eat at the dining room table!
Scout

"JR Gilbreath" wrote in message
. ..
Hey Scout
I hope you are banking a good part of your part-time earnings, You will
need it if you get audited. One of the tests for a home office deduction
is that the space is not used for anything else. I doubt that your
kitchen table would pass that one.
JR

Scout wrote:
"Bob Crantz" wrote

Sounds like you have a good set up.
Don't make a full deduction for the home office, it will raise IRS flags,
especially if you don't have a space solely dedicated to the work.
Another
IRS test is how much of your income, percentage wise, comes from your
home
business? Do deduct for electricity, heat, travel, flowers, food, etc.


Yes, I use a factor of 15% for home and utility costs. Since it's part
time, I don't want to push it too hard.


The best thing about your situation is that you are not involved in the
day
to day soap opera at the office. You do your work, you're done. Office
politics and shennigans can ruin otherwise great work. You don't have to
deal with people's personality disorders 8+ hours a day. Stay at home.


AMEN! I love that and working in my underwear. Of course, asa fills my
need for daily distraction and drama.



Those engineer stamps are a liability firewall, and to a lesser degree,
customer sign offs. Autocad is fine for those type of schematics, you
aren't
fabricating any circuit boards or the like from them.

Yes, there are faster programs out there, but the contractor has supplied
me with AutoCAD 2000 and asked me to use it. Previously, we've used
Drafix, Designer 3.x and 4, AutoCAD Lt, and an MS product whose name has
slipped my mind.


Sounds like you work all the time. What do you do for fun? Does the steam
plant have a Hagan Control board? Like Doug, I once worked in a 1350 psi
steam plant. Two boilers, D type. I spend my spare time fantasizing
aboutr
Katysails.

The boiler room is small. 4 low pressure (100 psig) fire tubes (3
Superiors and 1 Power-Master), each 350 HP; and 2,000 tons in centrifugal
chillers. Nothing fancy. But we take good care of them and they still
look new when we open them up every year (they were built in 1953). Same
year as Katy?