Confessions of a job costing warrior

Christian Brown’s office assistant was so distraught she called his wife, Danielle, at home. “She said, ‘Christian is crazy. He came back from South Carolina after seeing this guy and he's like a warrior!’” That was 10 years ago when Christian had first opened his books to consultant Jerry Gaeta, and he learned he was leaving hundreds of thousands of dollars on the table. He realized his business was “organized chaos”... MORE

It’s time to raise your prices

Contractors that I talk to around the country are very busy. Many say their schedules are full to the point where they’re having to turn work down. When I ask why they think this is happening, they say, “People are confident and have a feeling of optimism about their financial future.” Getting the most out of the high consumer demand has proven challenging and frustrating for contractors. It seems the biggest obstacle is labor... MORE

Retaining walls & fences

Here in New England, we find we are being asked to build SRWs in locations that we may not have been asked to 25 years ago because good flat building lots are getting hard to find. As they build on these lots, homeowners and builders look to us for our expertise in building walls, and fences above those walls. Recently, I took the opportunity to ask Gabriela Mariscal, Director of Geotechnical Systems at NCMA some questions on this subject... MORE

Mistakes a foreman makes

Managing people has always been and will always be a challenge. The good news is that contracting cannot be outsourced to China, so there will always be a market for contracting services. The bad news is that fewer and fewer Americans see the trades as a career opportunity. Such shortages have placed more and more challenges on front line supervisors and foremen. This article is designed to identify some of the more common mistakes foremen make...

MORE

Porcelain pavers have arrived

At HNA maybe 5 years ago there was a single small booth in a back corner marketing porcelain pavers. This year a substantial portion of the show floor will be devoted to porcelain with a multitude of exhibitors. Contractor John McDonald started installing porcelain about 2 years ago for high-end single family homes. He says, “I get phone calls every day from people interested in porcelain. It's crazy. Now it's probably 15% - 20% of my business and growing”... MORE

Contractor Profiles

Fortifying a downtown lot for outdoor living space

June/July 2017

Fortifying a downtown lot for outdoor living space

Combating neighborhood noise while creating privacy and a unique space to entertain. MORE

The wall no one else would bid

April/May 2017

The wall no one else would bid

Bahler Brothers get creative in constructing a tall wall half way up a steep slope. MORE

Building a backyard showroom

February/March 2017

Building a backyard showroom

Contractor Joe Monello tells how he designed/built his backyard hardscape and uses it as a showroom. MORE

Building big walls on a shoreline

December/January 2017

Building big walls on a shoreline

Dealing with regulations, risks and a steep slope along a water way. MORE

See More Contractor Profiles

Sign up for a FREE subscription to gain access to our complete article archive including Contractor Profiles and articles by Charles Vander Kooi. This is necessary even if you are already a subscriber.

SUBSCRIBE