Building a hybrid permeable project

Contractor Jeremy Martin says this property was graded so that nearly all the runoff – from the driveway, the entire backyard and pool area – was all directed to where the patio is today. First step in fixing the drainage was raising the patio area about 2’ providing enough slope to carry all that runoff into the grassy area at the far end of the backyard. Then they installed a permeable stormwater management system... MORE

Biggest challenge is minimizing challenges

Contractor Marc Larsen says his company’s involvement in this porcelain project was 2 years in the making – 18 months planning and 6 months of construction. Marc’s company, Mountain West Paver Specialists, installed 9,000 sf of porcelain pavers on grade, and on 2nd and 3rd story decks. Marc says, "We focus our energy and our expertise on one thing. We are paver specialists. We do our job. We do it really well. We're detailed with it. And we're fast." MORE

How contractors get sloppy

"What goes up must come down" is a musty old adage that is still true today. The contracting market is hot. High volume can create sloppy practices that will haunt you particularly when the market slows. Growing gross profit should be your number one priority rather than growing sales without margin. Job overload creates a run-run environment rather than a profit-profit focus. Avoid these sloppy business practices that typically accompany a heavy workload... MORE

Spend the off season wisely

For those of us who have had our nose to the grindstone all year, we now find ourselves with the season winding down. Even if you’re lucky enough to work year round, spend some time to perform the following operations during the off season per se’ to get the edge on next year’s season. Here is a quick check list that I believe is critical to next year’s success... MORE

Plan for your future

About the time [our son] was born we decided we needed help with planning for our goals in life. The first order of business was to get disability and life insurance. This is something a lot of young people don’t think about. Look at my case though. Out of nowhere I had a stroke and was out of work for an entire season. Thank goodness I had disability insurance and savings... MORE

Contractor Profiles

A big beautiful wall

April/May 2019

A big beautiful wall

Overbuilding a residential retaining wall with lots of curves and lots of cutting. MORE

Awards aren’t everything; but they help

February/March 2019

Awards aren’t everything; but they help

Awards boost employee morale, build credibility with prospects and inspire employees to produce award-worthy work. MORE

Empowering employees to buy the company

December 2018/January 2019

Empowering employees to buy the company

Giving people real responsibilities allowed John Cottrell to grow his company and sell it. MORE

Learning to share

October/November 2018

Learning to share

Contractor Josh Jones is all about learning and sharing what he knows with other contractors, even local competitors. MORE

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