When not to sign a contract
This month I would like to share the recent experience of a subcontractor client that encountered a situation where it did not make sense to sign the contract, at least not the one presented by the general contractor. My hope is to address a few learning points and perhaps raise your awareness of a situation where you might want to reconsider the typical advice about signing a written contract....
It's time to shut 'er down boys!
The first thing any company that’s getting ready to shut its doors in 30 to 90 days needs to do is collect all monies due. ...
Combustion efficiency health — Part 2
Many appliance manufacturers and re-badgers are under the impression that natural gas energy content is fairly consistent in the field, and they will do a test firing at the factory with 1,050 BTUs per cubic foot of natural gas. ...
Keeping drains flowing free and clear
Have you heard that low-flush toilets cause drainline and sewer system clogs? Sure. A lot of people have. Except they’re never sure where they heard it or where it happened or why or what was the outcome. ...
Mobile computing solutions for the field
Mobile computing is going nowhere but up. Everybody wants in and there are plenty of tablets suitable for field use entering the marketplace this year. However, the 10-in. Apple iPad has the advantage of a library of 300,000+ applications already written to run on it. ...
Heat pumps for hydronics
Until recently, hydronic contractors have managed to avoid heat pumps with few professional consequences. But heat pumps are an important part of the future of hydronic heating and cooling (yes, cooling). ...
Building a strong foundation
Editors Note: The following was taken from a recent interview by H. Kent Craig with Les Seigle, P.E., who is a senior-level mechanical project manager, estimator and problem-solver....
Determining combustion efficiency health
Are you properly commissioning your new gas fired high-efficiency equipment? If you are not, you just might be voiding any warranty on the consumers' equipment......
On the move: a tablet for the field
Equipping key personnel in the field with touch-screen tablet computers loaded with construction application software designed to work with a tablet will keep everyone up-to-date on project information, and fully informed on project details and issues throughout the day....
Radiant cooling: It’s coming!
Hydronic contractors who are laying tubing for infloor radiant should consider making their jobs "cooling ready" for when radiant cooling controls soon become available. ...
Drains that cannot be cleaned
“Help — our water heater is leaking and we need an estimate for a new one.” In addition, a few questions during the phone call revealed they would be interested in pricing for a new furnace and central air conditioning. This is a new potential customer who was referred by a friend of theirs who is a customer — the best kind of introduction. ...
Much ado about nothing?
We won’t argue with Johns Hopkins researchers when they say they found more Legionella bacteria in electronic hands-free faucets in their hospital than they did in the innards of manual faucets. Whether that means anything, however, remains to be seen....
We need efficient systems, not just products
The challenge, I believe, lies in changing the thought process from an efficient component to an efficient system. Ideally, I would submit, an efficient system utilizing the most efficient components available. ...
Generate a flood of add-on sales
A plumber’s greatest cost on a service call is showing up. The expense is marketing to attract the customer and positioning a fully stocked vehicle with a trade professional at the customer’s door. Thus, anything you can do to generate higher revenue on a service call dramatically boosts profitability. Boosting add-on sales should be a focus of every plumbing company....
Social media: an effective tool for the trades
Contractors using social media make sense for two reasons — your customers and your competition. It is an efficient way to create engagement with customers. A presence combines the reach of a website with the personal touch of an in-person visit. ...
New IRS rules make estate planning easier
The new estate tax law (albeit temporary for only two years: 2011 and 2012) will make estate planning easier, without added complexity. And, best of all, you can be certain of the positive results....
Planning for possible weather delays
Let's assume your scope of work is on the critical path. And let's also assume the weather has been so uncooperative that now your work is causing critical path delays. This can be potentially big money if liquidated damages are assessed. So why is this your problem?...
Life insurance policies: a victory or not?
My law school professor, who taught advanced estate planning, often said, "Life insurance, properly structured, in estate planning is the bedrock of beating up the IRS … legally." This article, based on my 50-plus years of experience, shows you why and how my old professor was then and, even today, is right....
Is BIM delivering as promised?
When Building Information Modeling (BIM) first arrived on the commercial construction scene some years back it promised to change, even revolutionize how projects were designed and delivered. ...
Rest in peace old ways, old days
Well, gentlemen and ladies, the battle to preserve what was left of the old ways of the old days is now officially lost, the latest casualty of The Great Recession, and to be honest I'm not sure if this a good thing or a bad thing....
Colo. carbon monoxide law affects contractors
"The Lofgren and Johnson Families Carbon Monoxide Safety Act" has requirements that affect pretty much everyone in Colorado as it pertains to the use and placement of carbon monoxide detectors....
Residential sprinklers remain under attack
Back in the '80s I talked with a fire sprinkler contractor who told me he had a buddy who was a homebuilder. Supposedly the builder had told the sprinkler contractor that homebuilders would make do without indoor plumbing if they could get away with it. It's just another source of leaks and another trade to deal with. ...
Software, hardware for the field
The latest trend for roving crews is to use a mobile payment application that works with an iPhone or other easily portable and affordable mobile device. Here are two free mobile payment applications that, with the use of a supplied credit card encryption sleeve, will transform a mobile device into a credit card terminal and enable the user to accept credit cards from customers — and deal with any rejected cards — while still onsite....
Piping calculator delivers accurate results
On industrial/commercial mechanical piping projects that require a high degree of precision, accurate calculations are key to a fast, successful installation. Nowadays, mechanical contractors are often called upon to measure pipe to tighter tolerances than previously customary. A dedicated piping calculator that performs construction math can be a handy productivity-enhancing tool for pipefitters on the job, mechanics in the fabrication shop, and estimators in mechanical contracting offices....
Believe it or not, service technicians can sell
Many folks say that service technicians are our best sales people because customers trust them. Or, rather, techs would be the best sales people if they were willing to sell, which they mostly are not. It would be easier to get a cat to swim than get a tech to sell, even if you're the tech! (Of course there are some who do sell very effectively, and they prove the point.)...
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