Category: Construction Tips

Tips for Managing a Preconstruction Meeting
Construction Tips

Tips for Managing a Preconstruction Meeting

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After a long sit down with my fellow buddy Arturo of GT Roofing Repair Company this past weekend, he shares with me that having a pre-construction meeting is aimed at ensuring that all players are on the same page before a major construction project starts. During this meeting, the players discuss the project plan and roles to avoid issues, conflicts, or unwanted surprises. Here are useful tips to help you manage your pre-construction meeting effectively. 

Send Invitations 

If you are about to start a residential construction project, invite both spouses, the architect and contractor as well as anybody else that will play a role in the project. You can also invite a neighborhood representative. Also include the foreman that will be at the construction site every day. If it’s a commercial property, invite the building owner. Inviting all the players involved in the project establishes communication between them. 

Get Ready for the Preconstruction Meeting 

Get all materials as well as information ready before the meeting. This includes information on schedule, contract, architectural design, and materials. List custom materials, their ordering and the delivery process. You can also have a design plan in hard copy or in digital format. Having the necessary information ready before the meeting will make it run smoothly. 

Analyze the Contract 

Take time to analyze the contract carefully. Make sure that every party is okay with every aspect of it including payment schedule. Additionally, find out what the contract covers and what it does not cover to avoid exceeding the budget or questions that you might be unable to answer. 

Check Responsibilities 

The main purpose of a preconstruction meeting is to ensure that the building owner, homeowner, and contractor know their responsibilities. Therefore, make sure that you have complete and clear divisions. For instance, decide who will be responsible for signing off approvals and the obligations of the owner in terms of payment. Additionally, coordinate timely delivery of materials to avoid delays. 

Outline the Project 

The owner should know how long the project will take. They should also know what can disrupt the project or cause delays. Have all this information to make it clear during the preconstruction meeting. 

When held properly, a preconstruction meeting gets all participants on a similar page. This is very important because it leads to the achievement of the best results from the project. 
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What is a Contractor’s Lien?
Construction Tips

What is a Contractor’s Lien?

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A contractor’s lien is also called a construction lien or a mechanic’s lien. It’s a claim that a contractor or subcontractor that has worked on a property and not been paid yet makes. Suppliers of the materials used on a construction project can also file a contractor’s lien. There are places where professionals like engineers, architects, and surveyors also have the right to file liens for the services they deliver on construction projects.

Contractor’s Lien Priority and Waivers

Lien’s priority on a building project is not dependent on the time a particular job is completed. Instead, it depends on everything that relates to the visible start of the work. This implies that the final work like painting has the same priority with the initial work like laying the foundation.

As such, the owner has to get lien waivers or releases from the material suppliers and subcontractors throughout the entire construction project. Without releases or waivers, the entire project can be subjected to liens by all subcontractors. This can happen even when the general contractor has been paid the agreed amount in full but did not pay subcontractors.

Contractor’s Lien Notification

There are states where subcontractors and contractors are required by the law to notify property owners before they file a lien. However, subcontractors and contractors are allowed to file a lien without notifying the owner in some states. Subcontractors and contractors are basically the lien claimants and this legal doctrine protects them. That’s because all their labor and materials are buried in a real estate project once they play a role in it. Contractor’s lien is different from a mortgage lien since these claimants’ liens can’t force a foreclosure.

Laws on contractor’s liens tend to confuse some people. It’s therefore important to conduct some research on contractor’s lien before you involve yourself in a construction project.…

What is a Construction Defect?
Construction Tips

What is a Construction Defect?

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A construction defect can be defined as a physical condition that lowers the value of a construction or structure or endangers the safety or health of the occupants. A construction defect can be caused by a design, materials, or workmanship flaw. Essentially, the defect is not caused by normal tear, wear, or aging.

Examples of construction defects include water intrusion on new constructions, faulty drains, foundation with cracks, and settlement problems that result from inadequate drainage and grading. Typically, a construction project involves different contractors. These may include excavators, carpenters, architects, plumbers, and electricians. Materials from different manufacturers are also used in a construction project. As such, defects are generally not unusual.

Initial Concerns

Identification of construction defects, its cause and source is not easy. In most cases, it requires a skilled and experienced construction professional. Nevertheless, time is very important when it comes to identifying and fixing construction defects. Remember that if a contractor gave you a warranty, its duration is limited. The statute of limitation and response can impose deadlines when you decide to file a suit.

In some cases, contractors give clients written warranties. If you don’t have a written warranty from your contractor, the state law may create it. For instance, implied habitability warranty is recognized by most state courts. This entitles a property owner to a major defect’s remedy if they make the structure unusable. Thus, you may be entitled to this warranty even without a written warranty.

In some states however, there are laws that govern construction warranties. In some cases, warranties are bought from insurers and they remain effective if a contractor runs out of business. Note that there are defects that the builder’s warranty might not cover. These can include defective appliances. Nevertheless, a product that is not covered by the builder’s warranty may be covered by the manufacturer’s warranty.…

What is a Construction Crusher?
Construction Tips

What is a Construction Crusher?

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A construction crusher refers to the equipment that is used to reduce large gravel or rock size for purposes of construction. A crusher can be used to change waste matter shape to simplify disposal or for recycling purposes. It can also be used to reduce the mix size of raw materials for segregation or differentiation.

Crushing refers to transmission of the force that is increased significantly by the use of other materials whose bonding strength is greater. The strength of the added materials enables them to resist deformation. As such, the substances required are crushed with ease.

The mechanism of a crusher entails holding the material that needs crushing between the solid surfaces. This is followed by application of a force that brings these solid surfaces closer. Energy is produced in the materials being crushed causing molecules separation. In the past, crushers were handheld stones. Human energy was enhanced by the weight of the stones.

How Crushers Function

Trucks bring raw materials of varying sizes to the hopper. Other transportation means may also be used. Entrance of materials into the crusher is regulated by a feeder mechanism. Smaller parts are prevented from entering the crusher by a screening mechanism.

The main crushing reduces the larger pieces sizes for ease management by a crusher. In some cases, a crusher can manage asphalt, rocks, and concrete into the dimensions and shape desired by compressing or breaking the materials.

Normally, crushers are categorized by the limit of the size of the materials they can process. Nevertheless, a crusher can reduce particle sizes further using grinders. Crushers have not had significant advancement in terms of their technology. Nevertheless, they have had minor improvements.

For instance, some crushers have a protection mechanism that prevents their damage when harder objects enter them. There has also been an increase in their rotating speed thereby enhancing their crushing speed. For more details on what a crusher is, check out this site for details on its meaning.…

Construction Tips

What to consider before you begin construction

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If you have decided to make use of that land that you have and choose to put a building on it. There are factors to think about before any work begins. These factors will help you put into perspective how you will go about the construction phases. Eventually, they will ease up your job.

Some of the factors to consider include

Time factor

You may want to be included in every step of the construction since you are a hands-on person. However, this may not be possible if you have other commitments that need your attention. If you are honest with yourself and realize that you can’t manage to be at the site every single day, then you should hire someone else to manage it while you are busy with other projects or commitments. Get a team that will be able to be on site every day. The team should be responsible for the materials and how they are used. They should also keep the workers on their toes to ensure that work is done in the right way. 

Money

A lot of money is required when you want to put up a building. You should have a budget to be able to set aside for the project. The amount you set aside will depend on what you want to build, the size of the building, and the duration that you want to take when building. 

Even when you have decided on all things, and you feel like you are ready to start your project, you should set aside some cash in case things don’t work out the way that you have envisioned. Some of the mishaps include having to hire more workers than you envisioned. You or your manager may decide to increase the number of staff at the site so that you can be able to complete construction within the specified time.  The workers may get involved in an accident at the site and require emergency services that will require money. You may make an addition to the original plan and hence use the funds to make the add on.

Hiring  professional consultants

Construction is an expensive investment. You need to do due diligence before you start spending your money. For you to make the right decisions, you should get professionals to help you in achieving your dreams. You will need an architect to draw how the building will look like while incorporating your wishes in it. You should also have an engineer on your team, not forgetting about a designer as well. You should have a contractor too.

Once you have all the consultants on board, you should have a meeting with them so that they can know your vision and strive to make it happen.

You need to put into consideration the weather elements as well since you can’t control them and they can affect the work. There are so many things to look into when you are building, so take your time. 

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