The owners of small to medium construction firms must wear many hats and one of the most vital is that of sales manager. You must convince the home buyer that their trust in you is justified and that you will build the house of their dreams. Here are some tips no how to improve your closing rate so you spend less time pitching to clients and more time building homes in the coming year.
Whether you are a professional roofer or a DIY enthusiast building a garden shed, here are a few simple steps to reduce call backs and ensure a quality roof that will last for years. Not all shingles are the same and individual manufacturers may have specific instructions for their products that have to be followed in order to meet building codes and validate warranties. Read and follow the installation instructions that come with the product, even if you have installed shingles before.
If you are getting callbacks for uneven or squeaky floors, make sure that you are correctly spacing your OSB subflooring panels. Wood expands or contracts with changes in moisture conditions and without proper spacing, the panels can push together and this causes the edges to lift which, in turn, causes the squeaks and bumps.
Winter has arrived and with it snow and ice which make surfaces more treacherous and cold hands and feet which make workers less stable. It falls to construction jobsite managers to ensure that all workers are following safety protocols to reduce the risk of injury.
For OSHA, fall prevention is a major priority because of the over 40 deaths and many more injuries that occur annually. Public safety is also a concern when construction job sites border busy roads. Not only do jobsite managers have a responsibility to create a safe working environment for workers and the public, they also need to meet OSHA regulations or face fines. From large contractors to residential home builds, everyone must comply with OSHA regulations to create safe working environments.
After the housing crash, many construction industry professionals retooled or left to pursue careers in other fields. Coupled with a drop in intake numbers, the industry is facing a lack of qualified personnel to fill positions in the coming year. When the time comes to face these shortages, how will your construction company cope? What strategies do you have in place to guarantee your continued profitability?
Modern home design is a dynamic entity that needs to grow and change with the market needs. Any builder who is building the same homes they did ten years ago will steadily be reducing the pool from which they can draw new clients. Of course the biggest influencer on the modern home is energy savings, but there are other trends to note as well. Livability is still the most important factor in home design choice and the role that technology plays is also increasing.
We’re no experts on safety, but there are some practical guidelines to onsite job safety from Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). These standards for construction sites help to reduce the risk of injury. Always remember to check local safety requirements and ensure that your crew is properly trained.
While the Atlantic storm season have been getting worse for builders and home owners over the last few years, this year offers a brief reprieve thanks to the El Niño effect which offers strong wind and shear which makes it difficult for hurricanes to form. Predictions from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association put the number of tropical storms at between 8 and 13 with 6 expected to develop into hurricanes.
As summer temperatures rise, homeowners will be closing up their homes and turning on the AC. But for some, that could mean subjecting home occupants to poor indoor air quality. Studies by the EPA show that the indoor air quality in homes can be two to five times worse than outside air, even if you live in the city. One unlikely candidate for causing poor indoor air quality is ducting design.
