Tag: construction

Planning The Perfect Project – A Work in Progress

“A goal without a plan is just a wish.” ― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, writer and pioneering aviator

If you are like the majority of business owners and project managers working in construction, you might put projects together conceptually on bid day, but not take the detailed effort to plan them after contracts are received.  Planning can easily be the largest post bid factor to higher profits in the lifespan of a project.  For most estimators, the bid process is a scientific process of multiple hypothesis based on a set of lines and specifications mixed with past experiences.  In the wold of estimating, everything is in theory and based on past projects, but nothing is “concrete”.   In most cases, a project starts as an invitation and then moves to drawn details and plans that amount to lines on paper or a computer screen.  Taking plans and putting them into reality is a delicate process of infinite variables that nobody has complete control of; this fact is what leads many good leaders to abandon detailed plans and rely on instinct and quick reactions to drive a project.  This very same instinct can lead down a trail of costly mistakes and avoidable rework if it is not executed correctly.

While bidding is taking your best guess based on past experience, and putting a realistic number to a plan, project planning is much more involved.  This process is commonly overlooked because the daily inertia of other ongoing projects keeps focus on the NOW and not the FUTURE.  One of the most difficult transitions for a contractor is moving from bid to reality; it is hard to take the plans from an estimators desk (and mind) and transport them into the actions of field installers.  Even when managers stay on task and work with installers on a daily basis, projects can still suffer from poor plan execution if the plan is not put into place before the project begins.

A Good Resource for Project Planning

Sometimes preaching to the choir is my calling; As a manager and owner, I have suffered the shortcomings of poor planing, more times than not.  It takes one well planned and executed project to highlight all of the shortcomings that exist in other projects, and one very poorly planed project to send the team racing back to the dry erase board to fix upcoming projects.  Through my experience, below is a few steps that can guide a team through the process; it is a simple guide that needs to be fine tuned per project and scope, but can serve as a starting point for a successful project.

  • 1.  Start with the Bid Process but do not waste valuable time:
    • Look at every relevant specification and detail to your scope of work (don’t assume you know what the customer wants)
    • Start early enough to ask questions – Make sure you get the answers.
    • If in doubt – clarify your scope on your estimate.
    • Pull from past experience and make adjustments (know your limitations and price them into the project – whatever can go wrong, probably will times 2)
  • 2.  Save your work and notes (not documenting today will leave you scrambling tomorrow)
    • Keep all handwritten notes and scan them to a data file.
    • Keep any photographs of the site in a data file.
    • Keep any important detailed drawings/plans and save them to a data file.
  • 3.  Look over the Contract (if you are lucky enough to be the winning bidder)
    • Is there a reason you were the low bidder?  Qualify your bid before executing contracts)
    • Check you raw material prices – suppliers may have raised prices after you bid the project.
    • Check your work – make sure your bid was based on the most recent plans and addendum’s.   Don’t get caught giving free work for something you can clarify before entering into a contract.
    • Deal with reputable Contractors – let experience guide you into contracts with people that you can trust.
  • 4.  Schedule:
    • Place the project on a schedule as soon as you can (it can be moved)
    • Be flexible but firm – Schedule 25% extra time for a job and make sure you have the manpower to accomplish the published schedule.  Under promise on your schedule and Over deliver.
  • 5.  PLAN:
    • Meet with your teem at the time of contracting and set up a time to go over details before project begins.
    • Don’t waste time – Planning to early is nearly as bad as not planning if either the wrong people are in the meeting, or to much time goes by before the project – “timing is everything”.
    • Set out some goals for ordering materials, special tools and select preferred applicators for a project.
    • Have everything you need available before a project begins (keep in mind that you will never really have EVERYTHING)
    • Agree with your team, that the plan is a living thing – be open to its evolution.
  • 6.  Execution:
    • Always schedule a pre-construction meeting or site visit at least week before begging a project.
    • Share your plan with the project superintendent and project manager before beginning – put in in writing.
    • Start by assuming that the plan is a good one and get to work
    • Be prepared to modify your plan – the better the plan the less you will have to change; changes to your plan, if done correctly, should result in a change order.
  • 7.  Finish Strong:
    • Pre-punch all of your work and have any site supervisor inspect it before you leave – re-mobilizing is costly.
    • Many projects hold retainage until projects reach substantial completion; secure your final payment by getting any punch list items signed off on.
    • Do your paperwork – Bill the project and turn in all paperwork so that there are no hurdles holding up your final payment.

While the seven items above all appear to be common sense, my team misses many of them on every project due to project blur (the process of overlapping projects that keep a person from giving 100% attention to one thing at a time).  It is important to let a team process one project at a time, and move onto the next project once finished.  In our industry, it is nearly impossible to dedicate time to one project at a time; a team must set limits on meetings and close out one subject before beginning the next.  Try to plan ahead so that when a project is in front of you, there are no time consuming details keeping you from focusing your attention on the next bid.  Like almost everything in life, the process is cyclical and must be kept up with at all times; looking back just slows you down.

“Every minute you spend in planning saves 10 minutes in execution; this gives you a 1,000 percent return on energy!” ― Brian Tracy, author and motivational speaker

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What a Difference the Topcoat Makes.

It is hard to figure out exactly what is the best product to use for each project when there are so many options available.  While the finished products may look similar and the aggregates used can make the initial colors and textures identical; the materials used in the system are very different.  For a designer or architect, it is important to choose the best product for the customers use and the environment.  When resinous flooring first came to the United States, there were few choices, but today there are many choices to provide the best produce for each and every project.  I will try to simplify the process and help clarify the selection process.

First, it is important to understand the major material options.  There are four major options for use in most projects, and they are available from most of the more mainstream manufacturers.  Epoxy, Polyurethane, Polyaspartic, and MMA are all used as topcoats and  complete systems in many resinous flooring projects.  All of these products are transparent resins that are made up of multiple components and cure to a clear finish.  All of these products except for MMA will look very similar directly after installation unless additives are added for texture.  The danger of not understanding these products is that most people cannot tell the difference between them until the floors go into service, and by then, it is too late.

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Chemists have spent years developing resins that will work well in different environments.  While epoxies of the last century worked well, there were weaknesses that needed to be resolved.  Below, I will try to outline the best qualities of each type of material.  It is important to understand that the application of each product has an impact on the finished product and some of the products listed are more difficult to install than others.

Epoxy is the grandfather of the others in the resinous flooring industry.  It is strong, easy to use and still very relevant.  Epoxy has been used for flooring for many years and is still used on many projects.  While many systems are entirely made up of Epoxy, they are also used as primers and base coats for other types of systems.  Epoxy’s bond well to concrete and to themselves; they work well with sand and aggregates and rarely cause problems with out-gassing or fish-eyes.  Think of Epoxy as a great building block or foundation to many other flooring systems.  While epoxy has great qualities, it also has weaknesses.  Epoxy turns amber over time, and even though scientists have improved its light stability, it is still not as light stable as its newer cousins.   Epoxy is also not very resistant to heat; it is however chemical resistant, especially in its Novalac form, but much less light stable.

PolyUrethane is the next step up in Resins; it is very clear and light stable.  Urethane’s first gained popularity in the flooring industry as topcoats on epoxy systems in airplane hangers and automobile dealerships.  First generations urethane’s contained solvents and would not meet today’s VOC requirements, but there are many low and no VOC options available today.  While urethane’s solve many problems that plagued epoxies, they still do not bond well to concrete or each other.   Urethane’s are very chemical resistant and more tolerant to higher temperatures, but do not work well as a stand alone system.  Urethane’s are best used as topcoats over epoxy systems where high traffic, light stability, gloss, and temperature are issues.

Polyaspartic is similar to urethane, but much faster.  Many Polyaspartic products have little to no odor and cure very quickly.  While the rapid cure can be a positive, it can also be an extra challenge to installers who are not familiar with working quickly.  These products, like polyurethanes, do not bond as well as epoxy to concrete and do not bond well to each other without extensive preparation.  Polyaspartic systems can work well, but must be installed quickly and within redcoat windows to make sure each coat bonds to the other.  These products are very light stable and remain clear compared to their epoxy counterparts.

MMA cannot be ignored as a relevant option in the resinous flooring industry.  This product is probably the best resinous product for exterior work.  MMA bonds well to itself and is very light stable.  Unlike its cousins, it is not glossy.  MMA products cure quicker than any of the other resins and can be a challenge for installers.  These resins can be very tricky to work with and have a strong odor that cannot be used in many occupied facilities.  While MMA’s are popular due to their speed and chemical resistance, the hurdles in their installation limits the availability of quality installers.  MMA cannot be used as a topcoat on another system unless it proceeds a total broadcast or completely cured product; it can literally melt other resins.

When you have a project, it is best to consult with a professional to come up with the best system that will work for your environment.  The first step is having an understanding about the products, and realize that they all have their strengths and weaknesses.  Finding the right combination, can lead to a successful project.  For the best results, it is important to have the best product specified so that the installers (bidders) are clear about the expectations and use a product that will give the customer the best finished product for their environment.

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Lets Talk Floor Prep

Many of the floors being installed today fail due to improper preparation; in an ever growing competitive environment, contractors are pressured to cut costs to meet project budgets.  With the requirement of using specified materials, there is very little that can be done to lower costs in competitive bid situations; most Resinous flooring projects are at least 40% materials.  With labor costs on the rise, the difference between winning and losing a bid, is lowering the overall labor costs.  Much of the cost of labor is tied up in preparing a floor for installation, therefore that is where many contractors make up time to make their bids more competitive.  Owners, General Contractors and Architects need to be aware of this practice before selecting a contractor for a Resinous Flooring project; even though a very low bid is tempting, every bid needs to be qualified.DSC_9538Many of the issues that cause customers and architects to stop using resinous flooring products are not due to the products themselves; the lack of proper preparation causes as many, if not more failures than hydro-static pressure or bad materials.  While the construction market is price driven, it is always important to use contractors that have a reputation for success and  service.  While it is not always possible to have a perfect installation every time, choosing the correct professional to work with will give you a successful final product.  The goal is to get it right the first time, but what separates good from great, is how a contractor deals with adversity.WHY IS PREPARATION SO IMPORTANT?Unlike many other flooring products, finished Resinous products are technically manufactured in place.  Ceramic Tile, VCT, and many other sheet flooring goods are manufactured in a controlled environment and installed at your job site; Resinous materials are shipped in parts and manufactured onsite.  While this makes installations more challenging, it gives the customer and installer much more freedom for completing necessary details on site without creating seams and awkward transitions.  The most important part of the installation process for Resinous Flooring, is the floor preparation.  The longevity and overall performance of a Resinous Floor depends on its mechanical and Chemical bond to the sub floor, and this bond can only take place within the porosity of the sub-floor.”Mechanical bonding is a kind of chemical bond that is usually found in rotaxanes and catenanes or other molecular structures that are mechanically interlocked. In this type of adhesive bonding, the adhesive material locks physically onto the surface crevices.” Mechanical/Chemical BondsSimply put, by increasing the profile of a surface and in conjunction with the molecular bonds withing the resin, a chemical and mechanical bond results, creating a bond that is much stronger than the internal bond of the substrate.  If a Resinous Floor is installed properly, the internal bond of the substrate should fail before the Resin bond to the substrate.  This can be measured quantitatively with a elcometer pull test.  ElcometerThere are multiple ways to prepare a substrate for a Resinous floor, but most manufacturers follow standard requirements based on the Resin materials viscosity and specific unique qualities.  “A concrete surface profile, known as a CSP, is a standardized measurement for the ‘roughness’ of a surface that is defined by the International Concrete Repair Institute (ICRI). A very rough surface will have a high CSP number, such as CSP 9. A very smooth surface with almost no preparation at all will be a CSP 1.” CSP Reference  The ICRI (International Concrete Repair Institute)  CSP Chips  developed the CSP standard and provides sample chips for evaluating the profile on concrete surfaces.  Depending on the thickness of the Resinous system, a CSP profile can be achieved chemically or mechanically by many techniques.  In past decades, acids were used to profile the concrete, however due to the difficulty in neutralizing acids and the environmental impact, this practice is rarely done. While every different type of Resinous material has its strengths and weaknesses, their overall performance relies on the bond of the system to the substrate.  If proper steps are not taken, a suitable material will fail at the bond line.  Without going into great detail, below is a short guide to Resinous floor preparation based on some commonly used system types.Urethane Cements:  Most of these types of material are at least 1/8″ thick and many are installed as a mortar exceeding 3/8″.  While a CSP 3 is acceptable for most manufactures, a much higher CSP is commonly used (3-5).  Along with utilizing shot blasting Blastrac Link or scarifying; key ways must be cut around transitions, terminations, drains and any other breaks in the floor due to material shrinkage during the curing process – not only at the termination but 6″-12″ from the termination.Other Resinous Mortars:  Most other mortars are epoxy, but some other systems could include MMA or other resins;  Like the Urethane cements, a heavy CSP will add to the quality of the bond, but most other mortars will not need Key lines except at transitions to other materials like metals.Self Leveling Resins (including Flake and Quartz Broadcasts):  Many systems that fall into this category are decorative.  A CSP 3 is good for SL’s, but any higher CSP can lead to preparation lines telegraphing through the surface.   All transitions should always be keyed for any resinous system for strength.Thin Mil Coatings: Most thin mil coatings can be prepared by diamond grinding or “brush blasting” with a shot blaster.  A CSP 1-3 is suitable depending on the thickness and manufacture of the materials.NOTE:  This is just a simplified guide to preparation, and an installer should always follow the material manufactures recommendations for any system.  It is important for the end user and designer to understand the importance of preparation.  For a manufactures example please see:  Concrete Preparation Guide from Sherwin Williams Summing it up:  Because I don’t believe in long reads, I’m going to touch on some other important topics in closing that I will cover in more detail at a later time.  None of the above information accounts for slab conditions or other materials that may have been installed previously on the substrate.  Preparation is tedious and important to comprehensively understand before installing Resinous products, but if it is done correctly, those products can outlast anything on the market.please feel free to ask questions and leave comments about any other topics that you want covered.

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Is OSHA Driving Construction Costs Up?

This article is meant to spark a constructive conversation about the construction safety industry and its affect on construction costs, without ignoring the important safety concerns essential to the construction process.  Construction can be a very dangerous endeavor for many trades and the need for regulations and oversight is necessary for job site safety.  Even though OSHA is spending more money every year and making more regulations, the overall death toll on construction sites rose from 2011 to 2015.  construction-leads-industries-worker-deaths

As a whole, OSHA is a necessary governing body that needs to be in place to protect workers from unsafe practices.  They were formed in 1971, but they did not have a major presence on commercial job sites until much more recently.  With a rise in knowledge, comes a new perspective on safety and regulations.  Since its inception, OSHA has put some very important safety regulations into law and protected many people from dangerous practices. OSHA Timeline  While it is important to separate a regulating body from the business it regulates,  many of their regulations are not only costly to enforce, but very costly for contractors to comply with.  While cost should not be spared for human life, a closer look at the direct costs of each regulation needs to be explored.

Football

In Football, for example, new concussion protocol and new rules have attempted to minimize head injuries in the sport.  While high school and college players are not “employees”, their professional counterparts are.  With the new knowledge associated with head injuries, kids (and their parents) are turning to different sports with less risk involved.  Gifted kids, and those that love the sport, are still playing football in spite of the risk because of the dream of playing professional sports and the pay that comes along with that rare opportunity.  The parallel between football and construction is this; there are risks with every career, and more with some than others.  Each individual accepts those risks when they join the workforce.  It is not possible to have zero risk in any profession, and compensations are based on each jobs risk.  This is as true for construction and football as it is for business risk in white collar jobs.  The more you risk, the higher possibility for gain and/or failure.

CAution

But Why the Lunacy? 

Some very important regulations are necessary to keep workers safe, but due to the robotic efficiencies of the 21st century, common sense has been thrown out the window.    The MSDS sheets and now SDS sheets are necessary and very helpful, but do not really tell the “whole” story.  Many products that we let our kids play with at home require construction workers to wear respirators to handle.  Materials are marked with warnings that resemble cigarette cartons.  While education is the answer, there needs to be common sense used in creating warnings and regulations.  General Contractors are intimidated by OSHA and want to avoid fines, so they make small sub contractors jump through hoops that create chaos and loss in profits.  Major General Contractors have created safety positions for job sites and created an adversarial environment where cooperation should be in place.  Many safety directors are adversarial, rather than helpful creating a hamper on productivity.

EXAMPLE:

“On a job several years ago, I received a call from the “safety director”  (I will leave out GC names and job locations) stating that our crews had been ask to leave the job site because they did not have fit tests for their respirators.  I informed him that my men did not need respirators for the work they were doing and the MSDS sheets did not require them; also, they were wearing dust masks, not respirators.  He informed me (not so nicely) that my men were wearing respirators (2-strap dust masks with the N-95 stamps are considered respirators) and they could not come back without a fit test.  I asked him if I went and purchased cheep low quality dust masks could we continue?  He said, Yes.  I complained that he was telling me to put my men at greater risk with low quality equipment rather than letting them continue and he said…that’s just the way it is.  Later on the same job he made us take a ladder safety class and test even though we had no ladders and were working on the floor.”

My example is extreme, but not that unusual; it shows how regulations that don’t take common sense into consideration can put people at risk and cost time and money.  Even though many of the safety directors (even the one in the example above) try to help, they are required to meet exact written perimeters that do not allow for any interpretation.  The industry as a whole needs to continue to push safety, but in a more user friendly way.  Trade yelling for education; in place of getting kicked off a job, make crews watch relevant training videos in the job site trailer.  Creativity has been killed with the advent of rules and regulations run by people who are far away from the actual job site.  It is time to think outside the box and create a work environment that seeks to help those who want to comply.  It is much less expensive to have a 1/2 day orientation before beginning work, than it is loosing days of work from non-compliance; and less invasive to punish workers with more education rather than sending them home.

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The Money:

Safety has become a money making industry but has caused small contractors to loose profits.  Many job sites are requiring OSHA 30 trained workers on site for any size company.  Some jobs want every person to have an OSHA 10 and first aid.  While some contractors are large and need these people on staff for every job, it is a very costly endeavor for small contractors with high employee turnover and seasonal workers.  Sub contractors are pressured into low bids on competitive jobs and then required to meet standards that are designed for much larger companies.  Many companies bid projects and then discover that they will have to spend hundreds or even thousands per employee to meet tightening requirements for projects.  General Contractors and Owners do not know how costly this can be to their bottom line on each project.  The industry and its competitive nature is driving prices, but eventually the costs will make it to the overall bottom line on each and every job.

As a whole, OSHA and the new safety regulations are very needed and they serve an important purpose in commercial and industrial construction, but there needs to be a middle qualification and financial help for smaller companies who want to comply, but have found themselves in the dangerous middle ground between profitable work and compliance.  When new costly regulation are put into place, low interest loans need to be available to help companies with the costs of compliance.  In place of catching workers doing wrong and imposing high fines, why can’t OSHA use its funds for discounted education programs implemented at a reasonable rate for companies to enroll in prior to mobilizing for a job.  Why can they not develop in-house training programs for small contractors to implement and  manage themselves?  I think there are many solutions to this complicated problem that could both save taxpayer money, and protect small business profits.  If safety qualifications continue to expand at this rate, the cost of construction will continue to rise and the money that should go to the workers will be forced into compliance.  This will be one more program designed to protect the same people that it is harming.

Any thoughts?  please post them in the comments section!

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What do you want to know?

Sometimes it is hard to figure out what subject is most relevant to the projects that are going on in different regions.  This is the opportunity to request a subject or question that might be relevant to any ongoing projects; an opportunity to create a dialog to better understand the processes and details surrounding either the installation or logistics surrounding the resinous business.    Please post questions in the comments section and I will do my best to respond or expound on the subject.

Most of the common job site problems today are due to a combination of expectations and scheduling conflicts.  While most people understand how the process works, they don’t understand that the conditions required for most applications are finished conditions.  The importance of permanent lights, finished trades, and conditioned space are paramount to a quality installation.  The way that I try to explain the process is to compare resinous flooring to “manufacturing” a product in place rather than taking a pre-manufactured product and installing it in place.  The most experienced superintendents still face pressures from owners and other trades that lead to premature installations on most resinous flooring projects, and cause mistakes to be made that are avoidable.

A projects schedule can negatively influence many trades on a project if not managed properly.  the most important thing is communication and understanding.  The purpose of this post is to start an open discussion among professionals to better understand the order that finish products should be scheduled during a project.  Pool planning has led to projects moving more efficiently, however it still has not solved some of the constraints of installing a finished product without permanent lights and conditioned air due to permitting an inspection issues or other unpredictable variables.

In short, what questions can be asked to start an honest open discussion to improve our industry as a whole?  Thanks for reading and please feel free to ask any relevant question relating to installation, scheduling and process.

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Understanding the Construction “Payment Gap”

it is hard for many people in non-construction based businesses to understand the challenges that most subcontractors face in financing their businesses.  Where most of business is conducted on a point of sale or 30 day term basis, that is not the case for most commercial and industrial construction businesses.

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Subcontractors are the companies hired by a General Contractor to complete each specialized area of work on a construction project.  While there are contracts that protect both parties in this arrangement, a subcontractor is usually responsible for providing both materials and labor to perform their scope of work and that adds an extra layer of challenges when it comes to financing a project.  Most construction projects can take months and even years to to complete while many subcontractors are only on a project for weeks or days which can lead to their profits being tied up for an extended time period.  Most contracts today required the General Contractor to hold a “retainage” until the entire project is accepted and complete.  In many cases this money is not received for a year or more after the original billing; this can mean that a subcontractors profits can be held for over a year.

I have outlined the payment process in other blog posts, but the “payment Gap” that seeks to destroy subcontractors is the most difficult obstacle to overcome.   This obstacle starts with a monthly billing period and extended payment terms based on owner approved payment applications and then progresses to retainages held and warranty periods.  As explained in some of my other blog posts, the billing and payment process is quite confusing and difficult to master, but the most difficult thing is the “gap” between the receivables on a project and the payables. ( billing -resinadviser  ) . While some suppliers will allow for extended payment terms and joint check agreements, most suppliers put their contractors on 30 day terms.  When a subcontractor bills according to contact documents, payment on projects can take 45-90 days in the best case scenarios.  This difference in receivables and payables is what I call the “Payment Gap”.

This gap is not exclusive to the subcontractor, contractor relationship; the gap exists between resin manufactures and their suppliers as well.  Many material suppliers are held hostage to raw material suppliers who change their prices based on market price and demand rather than long term contracts.  They are also plagued with shortages and inconsistencies that have to be dealt with before the product is shipped to its destination.

In Short, there are many hurdles that have to be jumped over before a resinous project can be installed, and even more before it is paid.  It is very difficult for a company to overcome the “payment gap” and achieve financial stability.  Success is measured by getting 90 days ahead of your money and staying that way even when there are inconsistencies in schedules and billed work.

Moral:  If you are a contractor, do not get over extended and always communicate your payment concerns with both your General Contractor and your Supplier.  It is better for everyone involved to be aware of the payment terms.  Always stay 90 days ahead, and watch billings to project what payments will look line down the line.  Plan ahead so that you can manage any surprises.  Ultimately, there should be more advocacy for 30 day payment terms for subcontract work (especially materials and direct labor) with protections for the owner and General Contractor; most projects are bank funded and the funds are readily available before the project begins.  By working together, this problem can be ultimately solved.

 

 

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An Ounce of Prevention…

The lack of planning in the construction industry amazes me; with all of the meetings and scheduling software used, people still don’t talk to each another to solve problems before they occur.  This industry is plagued with a reactionary cycle of dealing with issues one emergency at a time.  I have done internal research and discovered that working with the same General Contractors on the same type of job is much more profitable than working with new teams on different types of projects.  I have used this information to help promote a better profit model for the future.  The problem with our industry, is that we are drawn out of our comfort zone to chase work to feed the “machine”.  It is necessary to build up a backlog, and that sometimes leads contractors into uncharted territory.  While it is not always controllable, working on jobs that are consistent and predictable can add to productivity; when consistency is not possible, planning ahead is necessary.

Don’t fall pray to the usual pitfalls!  It is easy to get stuck in the rut of business as usual during the inertia of a busy schedule; however, when you have to retool and move to a different job, you must look at it with a fresh perspective.  In our industry, one of the common issues on many of our jobs is the floor slope; as a flooring contractor, we do not bid sloping a floor into the price of a  job because it is the responsibility of the concrete contractor.  Unfortunately, the slope usually does not get checked until we arrive on the job-site.  I am amazed at how many concrete contractors are not held accountable for slopes that are clearly marked on project plans.  Flooring contractors usually get the undeserved privilege of breaking the bad news about how much it will cost to correct the problem to the General Contractor.  Why is a floor with a drain not inspected for slopes?  Because the construction industry is still operating on a reactionary production model rather than a preventative model.  This is just one example of how communication and planning can save a projects budget one solved problem at a time.

There is hope.  Many projects today are being planned with “pull planning” meetings, where subcontractors get together and work out the details of there scopes by using sticky notes on a white board.  This process sounds archaic, but the process works well and helps subcontractors react to possible conflicts before they happen.  In projects that utilize this type of communication, many pitfalls are avoided.  If the concrete contractor and the flooring contractor talk about the floor drains and slopes prior to construction, the costly slope repairs can be avoided.  Unfortunately, subcontractors are not always in control of the schedule and get trapped installing their products at the wrong time, or get their products damaged by other workers due to poor planning.  There is a solution…

Pull Planning

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What Can You do?

  1. You can plan ahead, when everybody else does not:  Even thought the companies around you don’t plan ahead, you can stand out to your customers by showing up when you are expected and planning pre-construction site visits to make sure that you have all of the details covered before you begin a job – even if (especially if) they do not ask for you to visit the site prior to beginning.
  2. Keep a list – if you cannot remember it in your head:  No matter what your trade, you have some important things that need to be completed before you arrive on a job.  If you are not the type of person that can remember it all, keep a list.  Do you need permanent lights?  Do you need HVAC running?  What are your power requirements?  What does your trade require?  If you make sure the job is ready, you will save yourself money and the General Contractor wasted time.
  3. Don’t compromise:  When it comes to providing a superior service for a reasonable price, you cannot compromise on your requirements.  Many contractors find themselves in trouble when they are convinced to start a project to early, or perform work that was outside of the original scope without proper approval.  Even the best Superintendent will sometimes get their backs up against a wall and approve something that is unauthorized to get a project moving or finished on time.  Don’t fall victim to compromising on something that is going to negatively effect your finished product or bottom line.
  4. Hold your ground:  When it comes to change orders and pre-project planning, hold your ground.  You are the pro at what you do; do not let a General Contractor or another sub convince you that they know your products or service better than you do.
  5. Ask for a meeting:  This is different from #1; beyond utilizing per-construction site visits, ask to meet with other sub contractors that might have an impact on your work.  If you are not working on a job with “pull planning”, do your own planning.  Ultimately, you are responsible for your finished product.

Moral:  “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”  In the resinous flooring industry, like many other trades in construction, we are faced with enough problems internally; we do not need to let outside influences compromise our work quality.  If you give into the pressure of a rushed schedule or a poorly planned project, your final product will be compromised.  Be uncompromising and deliver consistent quality, and all of your customers will appreciate it when the project is closed out.  In the end you are only as good as your finished product.

 

 

 

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A Slave to Social Media

This is a short post about social media and how companies today are enslaved by its power to open doors and shut them equally as fast. In construction we act like we are cutting edge when we are truly a decade behind in the technology department. I would guess that most construction companies still have fax machines in their offices and use them regularly, we do.

Light Reading on the Subject

This post is more for conversation than information; how are you using social media to promote your company?  Here are a few thoughts to get the conversation started.  You need to pay attention to how you look online to your customers.

  1. Use it or lose it:  If you don’t grab your company name or an account that has a clever title in it, then someone else in your industry will.  If you do not positively promote your company or service, then you will look out of touch to your customers.
  2. Company identity is important:  If you do not take the time to show who you are online, a customer will move on to someone who does.  You have to strive to connect to a customer in a few clever words or interesting pictures because the upcoming generation of consumers do not communicate directly by phone (in the traditional way), they look you up and get a feel for who you are before they decide who to engage.  If you don’t stand out, they will move on.
  3. Left Unchecked, It can Destroy you:  If you bury your head in the sand and don’t look out for your social image, you are likely to find some negative comments or worse.  It is not unusual to find someone else using your name that may not have the same quality of work or reputation as you do.
  4. Not for me:  If you have decided that you want to market your services to the commercial industry and not to individuals, you still cannot ignore social media.  Remember that individuals run the companies that you work for and relationship building is much different now than it was just a few years ago.  Even purchasers at large companies look you up online if they don’t already know who you are, and you never know who is out there looking for your service.
  5. Do it Quickly:  I will end this sort post on that – “do it quickly”.  Most people don’t have the time to read something they aren’t interested in or have some preconceived need for.  Make your point, make it stand out, and move on.

If you have any advice or stories to share about promoting construction companies on social media, please comment; if you have the time, read my other posts about the construction industry and resinous products.  If you need consulting work surrounding  any resinous products for any reason or you any ideas about future post subjects, please feel free to contact me.

HAVE A GREAT WEEK!!

 

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It is an unfortunate fact that construction contractors, especially subcontractors do not get paid in a way that is conducive for the growth of their businesses.  Both residential and commercial contractors have unique challenges that most other types of businesses don’t have to deal with.  Contractors have many complex issues that they must worry with like, customer satisfaction, vendor payments, personnel issues, and rent to name a few.  The complexity of problems that arise on the simplest of projects is impossible to imagine unless you have experienced them first hand. With the complexity of problems they face, getting paid is the most important, and often the most difficult.

6B70C91911Residential Construction has very specific challenges tied directly to a homeowner’s opinion and satisfaction; while lien laws can serve as protection for contractors, they do not speed up the rate of payment if there are conflicts.  Most subcontractors that do good work will get paid either weekly or bi-monthly to keep cash flow moving, and while this is a much better rate than the average commercial contractor, money is held from one project to entice contractors to the next project.  There is very little regulation protecting subcontractors from general contractors.  Payment can also be tied to customer satisfaction; if a homeowner doesn’t like the work, no matter how good or complete it is, the payment is often held for long periods of time.  In many ways, residential constitution is like the wild west of construction.  It is very hard to get predictable and fast paying customers because of how volatile the housing market is.  One wrong move and a Home Builder can get stuck with unmovable inventory and no money to pay subcontractors.  If a good relationship is formed between the contractor and the subcontractor, residential construction has the potential to pay much faster than commercial projects, however the rates for work are often lower.

8E6HMW8QMFCommercial Contractors have a whole different set of problems to deal with.  Most of my experience is with commercial construction (not all), so I have a more comprehensive description of the problems that plague commercial contractors, especially subcontractors.  To understand the billing and payment challenge I need to go through the billing – payment process for most contracts.  When a job is complete, a subcontractor is required to bill a project on a specific date (usually on the 15th, 20th, or 25th).  A contractor can bill through the end of the month (projected) but if the estimate is not accurate, the entire pay application can be denied and the billing can be pushed to the next month.  Once a pay application is received (and let’s assume that all the “i’s” are dotted and the “t’s” are crossed), then the General Contractor turns in their pay applications to the owner.  When the owner pays, and that is usually 60 days, the General Contractor has 10 days to pay the subcontractor.  If you do the math on this time table, most subcontractors can expect to get paid anywhere from 45-90 days from the beginning of their work on a project.  Retainage is the money that is held until the job is 100% complete by all contractors involved; this is money that can take up to a year to collect on most jobs and it is usually between 5% and 10% of the total contract.  In many cases, the retainage makes up a subcontractor’s profit.

Most of us make a paycheck weekly or biweekly; as you can see, this is not the case for most contractors. They must find a way to function 90 days ahead of their money.  Payroll is commonly weekly and suppliers hold firm at 30-day payment terms in most cases.  Larger subcontractors find themselves heavy on receivables with suppliers breathing down their necks for payment, while smaller subcontractors struggle to meet payroll pressure weekly as they wait to get paid.  It is common for profits to be held up for up to a year on some projects.

The Question:  Is this problem fixable?  Is there a way to promote good work and speed up funding for responsible contractors and still protect owners from the pitfalls of poor workmanship and warranty issues?

There is no short answer to the question, but the prospect of success is not impossible. When good partnerships form between Contractors and Subcontractors much of the red tape can be avoided.  Major contracts have hurdles that still must be leaped, but a good working relationship can keep costly mistakes from holding payments up in both residential and commercial construction.  With a relationship based on trust and experience, good contractors make construction finance problems almost bearable, but to build a quality company in the current environment, a contractor must be patient and responsible.  In short, relationships rule the day and partnering with the right contractor and subcontractor can make a huge difference even when their bids may not be the lowest.

Moral:  No matter what business you are in, don’t think that contractors have it made; it takes hard work, patients and a little luck to be successful in Residential or Commercial construction.  We are a rough around the edges, rag-tag group of hard working people trying to navigate our trade.  All contractors are not created equal and low bidders are not always the lest expensive way to go.  If you are a contractor, look for good relationships and do quality work for a reasonable price; if you are a customer, do your homework and don’t always choose the low bidder.

 

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Quick Common Sense Guide to Moisture Vapor Transmission

taylor-CaClThis is a common sense guide to get the basic understanding of vapor transmission.  This, short, to the point, article is to open the door of understanding about an issue that not only plagues resinous flooring but any sheet-good or barrier type flooring installed over concrete.  To grasp a general understanding about this problem, you have to travel back in time (at least in the resinous flooring industry).  This “problem” is a relatively new one to the industry and did not become a “common” problem until about 10 – 15 years ago.  While I am sure there is science to explain why this problem did not become better known, my opinion is two-fold.  First, the advances in admixtures for concrete that allowed for placement quickly and easier with less cracking, also affected the internal makeup of the concrete matrix, creating capillaries where moisture can either get trapped, or transfer through the slab more easily.  The second, is the regulations on resin manufactures by the EPA; the reduction of solvents does not allow for the products to penetrate as deep into the concrete for a proper mechanical bond.  Another probable reason added on top of these two, is the increased speed of construction and the inability of a slab to properly cure before being put into service.
Tramex

While there are easy to understand reasons for this problem, like the lack of a vapor barrier under the slab, underground water, or leaching from improper drainage. The most common problems seem to be on new construction with a vapor barrier, and on concrete that has cured more than 28 days.  Most contractors follow the specifications, yet are still unable to achieve the low reading of 3 pounds of pressure required by most resinous flooring manufacturers.  This very low threshold is somewhat arbitrary, and most of us that have been in the industry for a while know that it is unusually low to cover the liability of the manufacturers.  To confuse the subject more, nobody can decide on a testing method.

RH

Off the top of my head, there are four arguable tests to measure vapor transmission:

  1. The sheet Test:  This is an actual ASTM test used where you tape a sheet of plastic on the concrete and measure the amount of moisture that accumulates under the plastic over a period of time.  This test works, but has no actual quantitative value.  While it can identify a problem, it cannot identify the severity of the problem.
  2. Surface Test:  Tramex is a popular manufacturer of a surface test that measures the % moisture content of the slab; this test is used by many wood flooring installers.
  3. RH (Relative Humidity) Test:  This test us the newest of the tests, and it measures the relative humidity 3/4 through the slab; it gives a good reading of the curing process of the concrete, but does not give a picture of moisture movement.
  4. Calcium Chloride Test:  This test is very common among flooring contractors and was originally used by roofers to measure moisture movement.  This test measures the amount of movement over a period of time but does not measure the % of moisture in the concrete; this test tells you nothing about the curing process, but gives a good picture of moisture migration over time.

If you are confused, then welcome to the club.  Most of these tests cost more in time than effort, because they can take unto 60 hours to complete.  You can quickly see that it would be hard to do every test, and that any one test might not give you a complete picture of what is happening in the slab.  As a contractor, you learn the signs to look for and complete the test that will give you the highest chance of success unless you are required to do specific testing by the job specifications.  Many contractors have added vapor control primers to their bids to cover possible problems and eliminate some of the risk involved with moisture problems.

This information is a very brief summary of the testing methods and problems associated with vapor transmission.  To properly tackle this subject would take books of technical data that often contradict themselves.  There are some very important things to consider when faced with this problem.

Always test if you are using epoxy, MMA, or any other resin-based system.  Use a vapor primer whenever you are aware of possible problems, including accelerated schedules.  For the most fail-safe solutions, switch to urethane concrete motor systems.  Urethane Mortars will not only resist up to 14 pounds of pressure, they can also cure and bond to concrete that has a higher % moisture and in most cases can be installed on concrete that is 7-14 days old.

Moral:  Be aware of the issue and plan accordingly; if you don’t want to spend the money now, you might be replacing your floor later.  If readings are low when you install a floor, that does not mean that they will stay low; problems can develope and there are no guarantees.

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