Columnists
HP water heaters: where the rubber meets the road
The good news, no make that great news, for my friend and competitor who said that: he doesn't need the license to sell and install HP water heaters. The refrigerant circuit is self-contained. The potentially bad news is that failure to follow a few basic guidelines will increase operating costs for his customers and potential for service issues he'll be forced to correct. ...
Rolling stock: "Yes, we've got that"
Whether your business is service, repair and remodel, residential or commercial construction work, not having the right material at hand can be frustrating and costly. As an employer or business owner, not having enough of, or the right material, on site or in the service truck means the loss of both time and profit....
Stop calling employees salespeople
What do most people do when they hear the word salesman? Run is probably the initial jerk reaction and that's probably followed with hide. The word "salesman" has earned the ill-fated reputation of being someone who can't, or shouldn't, be trusted. Never trust the fast-talking salesman....
Finding your niche in the market
The strongest companies — in a good economy or bad — know who they are, and they communicate that clearly to their customers. To find your company's niche in the market, you need to focus on what you do better than other companies. ...
What strings come with stimulus projects?
I haven't talked to many contractors who are seeing a big resurgence in private development yet, but I do know some who have survived because of an American Recovery and Rehabilitation Act (Stimulus) funded project. Small towns that needed but couldn't afford a sewer upgrade or road extension took advantage of federal funds to quickly get a project going. But along with the Stimulus funds are Stimulus rules, and more of them than you might expect. So, you have to decide: is it worth it?...
Calculators, apps, software extend functionality
For tallying numbers quickly and accurately in the field, first came a handheld calculator. Then came dedicated programs that turned a generic calculator into a construction calculator. Now if you carry the right kind of Smartphone, you don't even need the calculator to perform fast project-relevant calculations at jobsites, at client meetings, or any place else on the go....
A time for renewal at the RPA — Part 3
Editor's Note: This is Part 3 of a four part interview conducted by Mark Eatherton with the new executive director of the RPA, Ted Lowe....
The importance of a biographical job list
I have to admit to you — my loyal readers — and everyone else that I’ve been unemployed for some months now, and if anything, things are getting tougher and grimmer by the week. The most horrific of business cycles is still a cycle. And yes, things will eventually turn around. ...
To expand or not to expand, that's the question
Your business is doing OK, you've saved up a little cash, and a few competitors have dropped out because of the recession. There’s an opportunity to expand your business and get positioned for the recovery, but it'll mean a serious investment. Should you do it?...
Estate planning for second, third marriages, etc.
From a tax-planning viewpoint, once the first (could be second, third, etc.) marriage ends, the ex-husband falls into one of three distinct categories. Each category requires different economic and tax strategies. Let’s take them one at a time. ...
Residential fire sprinklers are also green
On our front page this month Associate Editor Candace Roulo reports on the slow yet inexorable march toward universal adoption of residential fire sprinklers. Beginning Jan. 1, 2011, the International Code Council’s International Residential Code requires fire sprinklers in new one- and two-family dwellings and townhouses. ...
Heat Pump Water Heaters — Part 2
What’s in a name?
In many articles that I've read lately in trade magazines, "plumbers" are referred to as "techs" or "technicians." Now, I am completely aware of the tendency toward political correctness in our society at large and the trend toward "specialization" in all sorts of jobs, but techs or technicians? Really?...
How to hold an Oldest Water Heater contest
In the early 1990s, I created an Oldest Furnace contest as a home show promotion, generating more than 400 leads the first time it was run. The contest has since been applied to water heaters and other appliances, and has even been run as a standalone contest, not part of a home show. You can run an Oldest Water Heater contest for your business too. ...
Employee or independent contractor?
The Internal Revenue Service is being given funds for an additional 100 new "enforcement personnel" in the 2011 budget as part of a $25 million plan to crack down on the misclassification of workers as independent contractors...
Asset management tools yield big savings
Historically, the construction industry hasn't been an early adopter of new technologies, so wary HVAC and plumbing professionals can take comfort in the fact that the three technologies presented here are not new at all...
Software helps calculate residential HVAC loads, duct sizes
Developers and owners of residential homes are generally keen on keeping heating and cooling costs as streamlined as possible without sacrificing performance. A properly sized system costs less to run and provides the highest level of comfort....
A time for renewal at RPA — Part 2
Editor’s Note: This is the continuation of last month’s article, an interview with the new executive director of the RPA, Ted Lowe....
Of punchlisting and project management
The risks of an outdated estate plan
Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president of the United States, said it: "In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The next best thing is the wrong thing. And the worst thing you can do is nothing."...
When did saving energy get so convoluted?
Saving energy is good. Convince homeowners to install energy-saving home improvements by throwing some rebates their way. Contractors get the work. The homeowners and the country save energy. Everybody wins, right? Leave it up to Congress to do this and the result gets Kafkaesque. ...
Keep selling heat pump water heaters after tax credit expires
Step right up! Get your tax credits here! Well, at least up until Dec. 31, 2010. Due to expire at the stroke of midnight, the 30% up to a maximum of $1,500 Federal tax credit, www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=tax_credits.tx_index, has been a boon for business these past two years and a huge advantage for selling tax-credit-eligible products. With less than half a year to go, we’ll need to sharpen our sales skills if continued sales of more expensive, higher-efficiency equipment are to continue at, or near to, the same pace. ...
Let's get organized: how to handle project details
It would seem that the dam may be starting to spring a few leaks. According to my sources here in the Southwest, it looks like the worst of the economic tsunami we’ve been experiencing may be over and there may be a light at the end of the tunnel for the construction industry … let's hope the light is not a train....
'Gentlemen, this is a pipe wrench'
At the start of each season, legendary football coach Vince Lombardi would call a team meeting, hold up a football and declare, "Gentlemen, this is a football." Lombardi focused on the fundamentals, on blocking and tackling. So should you....
Federal project funds: understanding the laws, requirements
Doing business with the federal government is different. While it can be lucrative, it requires a working knowledge of a procurement system which is a world unto itself — as far away as you can get from the world of "in the old days we just worked on a handshake." Aside from the paperwork, inspections, delegation-of-authority issues, etc., every contractor working on federal work is presumed to know all of the laws and regulations that it must comply with....
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