questionshas anyone else had an amish business work for…


Having worked for a Mennonite masonry company, I worked with a variety of different construction companies including Amish. I can definitely say that Amish know how to work. While at some jobs laborer stood around and smoked and chatted every chance they got, the Amish and Mennonite crews got stuff done. Obviously not all Amish are the same and many non-Amish work just as well, but, stereotypically, Amish do good work


As far as Amish work done for me, no. I'd have to travel a good 100 miles to be in Amish country. But I do buy Amish goods whenever I can. Furniture, produce, baked goods, etc.

These TV shows are just a bunch of BS drama, intended to draw in the trash crowd that is quickly taking over America. They'd rather compete for viewers with the other crap that's on TV now, instead of actually staying educational. Ever since that Choppers show went Discovery, it immediately took a nose dive.


When I was growing up back in the Stone Age, my parents hired only local Amish workers for construction and the like. Fantastic work, professional, everything done on time, always a good experience.


I'm not ready to jump full in, but I do think there is something to living life in a more simplistic way.


I agree with @retorak: there is as much diversity among Amish communities as any other. I spent a few years living in the rural Midwest, working with members of several different Amish communities, and heard stories from various "English" neighbors (Amish refer to the non-Amish as "English"). There are some work crews that are perfect professionals and others that smoke on job sites, don't complete work on time, have poor workmanship, etc. In other industries, there is a variety of behavior as well: where I lived, there was a serious problem with Amish breeding purebred dogs and drowning the unsold puppies at 8 weeks, as well as drowning the breeding stock when they reached the end of their breeding utility.

@mkentosh: glad to hear that you're having a wonderful experience!


My grandfather was a cattle dealer in South New Jersey and often went into PA for auctions. He was the kindest most honest man. No one ever had a bad word to say about him. He is dead over 20 years now, but people still come up to family members and say what a wonderful man he was and they they miss him.

The Amish would not do business with him directly because he was Jewish. They would only deal with a middle-man who would actually have to buy the cows from one and then turn around and sell the cows to the other. They would not buy/sell directly with a Jew.

I can't speak to their skill or craftsmanship, just how they did business with my grandfather.


I live in Amish country PA. The Amish are just like anyone else, it entirely depends on which community/company you go with. I've had some awesome experiences and a horrible one. One Amish roofing company that worked on my uncle's house refused to finish his roof because it was too high. They did it about half way then just stopped. They did refund him part of his money but understandably he wasn't too happy about it. A roof isn't something you want to stop half-way through.


That's great to hear. I'm just curious (no need to get too specific if you're not comfortable with it), which Amish community are you near? PA, OH, IN, other?


Peachy Brothers (in the State College, PA area) put the roof on my Dad's cabin a few years ago. Quick as lightning, exacting, and extremely professional. But now that I think of it, they might be Mennonite, rather than Amish.
When it comes to produce and baked goods, my family has always leaned toward going with Amish/Mennonite. "Kissin' don't last. Goot cookin' do."


I know a couple of Amish families up here and their going rate is around $10/hr per person for whatever they build. I have a wooden shed ( 6X8 ) made from real wood that was cheaper than what I could get a plywood shed for from Home Depot. They're also going to be installing a couple of picture windows this spring/summer.

I have to say that the Amish around here are very lazy, unless they have something to do. I often see them riding their carriages around town at all times of the day/night... When they're working though, they work hard. I've seen 30 raise a barn in a day.

I'm from upstate NY and the Amish group here has only been here for 5 or 6 years and mainly come from Ohio and a few from PA.


I grew up in northern Lancaster County, PA and worked with and around the Amish for many years. I could talk about them for days, about the way the live and work, and their religion, but the following site will give some good information about them.


@randy2126: Knowing their businesses can't survive without some technology, the elders (bishops) for each church decide what modern conveniences can be used. Therefore, most with businesses have landlines, and some use cell phones. There are also community landlines, usually a phone booth in a central area, for families to use to call doctors, hospitals, police, and other services.


Sounds good unless you're Jewish or have respect for animals. Did I get that right?


@retorak: I live about 30 miles outside of Lancaster and you're right. Didn't a number of Amish get busted a few years ago for driving sport cars and dealing drugs to the local motorcycle crew?


How'd you contact them? Cause you can't call them ...


As I sell construction materials to Amish contractors, I have to say that they are as hit and miss as non-Amish contractors in terms of ethics and quality. There are some I would pay to do work without a second thought and others I wouldn't let work on my home for free. In my area, Indiana, they all seem to carry cell phones and most the contractors have fax machines as well that they hook up to propane generators for business purposes.


No Amish here in the South, but I have had dealings with Mennonites. Most are pleasant but YMMV. Our company had to write off about $5,000 from one who didn't pay what he owed us.