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?