After all the effort and sleepless nights trying to prepare the perfect project design, it is heartbreaking to discover that your blood, sweat, and tears will end up being too costly. More often than not, on commercial projects, this nightmare becomes a reality. With the time wasted and money lost, the ramifications of this […]
Saving Your Construction Business Time & Money
Analyzing daily work scenarios and costs can justify investing in proven technology. Imagine the following scenario: You just made the all sought after leap to owning your construction firm. You employ top talent, and you are on your way to being one of the best in the business. Your field supervisor is making around […]
Mobility in Construction
It’s hard to remember, but it wasn’t all that long ago that smart phones, tablets, and mobile laptops were not in existence. Technology has advanced so quick that mobility has become a main factor in a construction companies ability to succeed in the highly competitive construction market. A company’s efficiency hinges on their ability […]
The Importance of Daily Reports in Construction
The Importance of Daily Reports in Construction I’m not exaggerating when I say that daily reports are most likely the most important set of documents in the commercial construction industry. Most think this claim does not hold much validity. A majority of contractors overlook daily reports, so I can see why you may think this […]
Characteristics Of Top Construction Firms
After our article on the Key Behavioral Traits of Successful Subcontractors, it felt appropriate to discuss the key traits of top construction firms as a whole. The industry as a whole is incredibly competitive, and most successful construction companies can tell you, it’s a guaranteed game changer to have loyal customers. When clients are loyal […]
Common Subcontractor Disputes & How To Avoid Them
It’s unfortunately, but the days of trusting a mans word have become something of the past. In this day and age, you can never just blindly trust a person’s word; you have to get EVERYTHING in writing. As tedious as this may be, documentation becomes extremely important once faced with problems & errors resulting in […]
(Cost of Undocumented Change Orders) Crawford Construction & General Contractors Inc. v. Kemp
Court case Crawford Construction & General Contractors Inc. v. Kemp, in an all to familiar scenario, the Crawford Construction built a $1.3 million home for the Kemps with all of the oral change orders and adjustments that the homeowners requested throughout construction. The original contract between the parties included a requirement that all change orders […]
(Change Orders) Problems & Solutions
Major disputes can arise in fixed-price contracts when subcontractors perform work on unwritten change orders, and both sides can lose big. Not having the change order in writing makes it hard to prove that the change is not a defect and even harder to get paid for the work. An owner who doesn’t receive a […]
The Dotted Line: How construction firms can manage the ‘necessary evil’ of change orders in construction
How construction firms can manage the ‘necessary evil’ of change orders in construction The following is the seventh installment of Construction Dive’s “The Dotted Line” series, which takes an in-depth look at different construction contract types each month with expert input. Read the first six installments here, here, here, here, here and here. By Kim Slowey | Construction projects, […]
Construction Tips – Moving Beyond Your Niche
Sometimes, it’s easy to specialize in certain types of jobs. You may find them more enjoyable than others or they might play to your talents a bit more. It may even be that you simply got used to them after working a number of them in a row. Regardless, they’ve become something of your […]
Document Management – How It’s Hurting Your Bottom Line & How To Fix It
I think you’ll agree with me when I say:It’s REALLY tiresome dealing with manual coordination of documents, human error, missing files, and, all-in-all, leaving money on the table. But is this all necessary?Absolutely not! It turns out, you can dramatically change your misfortunes and keep your projects on track…In today’s post, I’m going to disclose […]
(The 5 P’s) Proper Construction Planning Prevents Poor Performance!
John Wiegand is a construction professional with 30+ years of experience, Wiegand has had the fortunate (and frequent) pleasure of talking to a variety of customers and construction industry experts. The more conversations John has had, the more he realized there is a sizable knowledge gap when it comes to understanding the value of proper […]
Why YouTube May be Helpful for YOUR (Electrician) Small Business
YouTube is a social network unlike any else: it allows users to share videos ranging from short and informative to in-depth and thought provoking. As a small business owner, you can harness the power of YouTube to add to your brand, expand your name and appeal to your customer base. Why Make YouTube Videos? […]
Contractors, Subcontractors, and the age of Construction Management Software
One of the consequences of the “do more with less” emphasis in construction is that everyone who participates in designing and building a project plays a more important role—subcontractors included. Building owners seek to satisfy customer demand for eco-friendly, ergonomic environments, all while keeping costs in check and projects on schedule. The result? Everyone must […]
Finding the Right Project Management System
As more and more construction companies downsize, the all-important project management role is under threat, which is compromising the overall quality of construction work. When the top-quality, experienced project managers retire they are often replaced with relatively inexperienced staff who are now more reliant than ever on data management. Without a good project management system […]