Alternatively, you can choose to focus on smaller projects, save your dry powder and aggressively expand during a downturn. 

However, I'd miss the mountains, the big hole in the ground that we have in Arizona, (The Grand Canyon) the dry heat, no hurricanes, no ice storms, no mudslides, no earthquakes, (think California) no sink holes.

We have moved on because opportunities have dried up and now will be building new A props in growing markets .

While your situation is not quite that cut and dried, doesn’t sound you paid the gc anything extra for doing this, it still stinks.

Then when the fresh concrete dried and sealed up over the footing their was a tiny space between the bottom of the lally column plate and footing (the inspector literally slide a piece of paper under and noted this).

Even in a dry market. 

What will you do if your rental market dries up?

I really cant remember exactly the hours I had total as it was alot of build, glue/caulk leave it dry until next day, I would guess probably about $350 total, but seeing though I had never done one and was designing it from scratch, think it went pretty well.

He said the unit was dry and that is why it cost more than usual.

Birmingham, Alabama has a warm humid temperate climate with hot summers and no dry season.Over the course of a year, the temperature typically varies from 33°F to 90°F and is rarely below 20°For above 96°F.