Download or read book How to choose the right contractor for your Project written by Charles Nehme and published by Charles Nehme. This book was released on with total page 72 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Preface Selecting the right contractor for your project can be a daunting task, yet it is one of the most crucial steps in ensuring the success of any construction or renovation endeavor. A good contractor can bring your vision to life efficiently, while a poor choice can lead to delays, budget overruns, and subpar work. Given the significance of this decision, it is essential to approach the selection process with diligence and a clear understanding of what to look for. This guide outlines ten practical and actionable strategies to help you choose the right contractor for your project. From defining your project requirements and seeking recommendations, to verifying credentials and reviewing past work, each step is designed to provide you with the insights needed to make an informed decision. By following these guidelines, you can mitigate risks, ensure quality workmanship, and establish a productive working relationship with a contractor who meets your specific needs. Whether you are embarking on a small home renovation or a large-scale construction project, this guide aims to equip you with the knowledge and tools necessary to navigate the contractor selection process with confidence and success. Audience The audience for information about selecting the right contractor for a project typically includes homeowners, property managers, and individuals involved in construction or renovation decision-making. Here's a breakdown of the audience and their specific interests and needs: Homeowners: Interest: Ensuring their home improvement projects are completed on time, within budget, and to high-quality standards. Needs: Guidance on how to choose reliable contractors, understanding contract terms, ensuring safety and compliance, and managing expectations. Property Managers: Interest: Maintaining and enhancing property value through effective maintenance and renovation projects. Needs: Strategies for selecting reputable contractors, overseeing multiple projects, adhering to legal and safety standards, and managing contractor relationships. Construction Professionals (Architects, Engineers): Interest: Collaborating with skilled contractors to execute design plans effectively. Needs: Criteria for evaluating contractor qualifications, ensuring adherence to specifications and codes, managing project timelines, and fostering communication. Real Estate Investors: Interest: Maximizing returns on investment through successful property improvements and renovations. Needs: Identifying contractors who can deliver projects on schedule and budget, assessing project feasibility, and mitigating risks associated with contractor selection. Small Business Owners: Interest: Upgrading or expanding their business facilities through construction or renovation projects. Needs: Access to reliable contractors who can meet commercial construction requirements, comply with regulations, and deliver projects that enhance business operations. Community and Nonprofit Organizations: Interest: Undertaking construction projects to improve community facilities and infrastructure. Needs: Partnering with contractors who understand community needs, comply with funding requirements, and deliver projects that benefit the public. Key Focus Areas: Contractor Selection: Criteria for evaluating qualifications, experience, and reputation. Legal and Compliance: Understanding permits, licenses, insurance, and regulatory requirements. Project Management: Strategies for overseeing projects, managing timelines, and ensuring quality and safety standards. Communication and Collaboration: Best practices for fostering productive relationships with contractors and stakeholders. Understanding the diverse needs and interests of these audiences helps tailor information and resources to effectively guide them through the contractor selection process and ensure successful project outcomes.
Download or read book Winning the Contractor Fight written by Tom Reber and published by Contractor Fight. This book was released on 2021-09-14 with total page 152 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The Contractor Fight" is what HGTV host and best-selling author Tom Reber calls the battle between your ears. We all have stories and experiences that have formed us into who we are. We are what we think, and the battleground is our mind. The Fight is not with the people you think are "cheap customers." It's not with the unlicensed competitors or the "illegals," as many contractors think. The Fight is with yourself. Sadly, most of the struggles contractors have are self-imposed. It's friendly fire. The negative ways we think about ourselves and our worth... friendly fire. The growing debt, working too much, small bank account... friendly fire. Winning the Fight is a choice. You're noble and full of integrity. You bend over backward to serve your family and clients. You have taken it on the chin more times than you can count. Now, it's time to get yours. Earn what you're worth. Create a business that serves you and energizes you, instead of one that beats you down. Choose to own your crap and get better today.
Download or read book Markup Profit written by Michael Stone and published by Craftsman Book Co. This book was released on 1999-01-01 with total page 316 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In order to succeed in a construction business you have to be able to mark up the price of your jobs to cover overhead expenses and make a decent profit. The problem is how much to mark it up. You don't want to lose jobs because you charge too much, and you don't want to work for free because you've charged too little. If you know how much to mark up you can apply it to your job costs and arrive at the right sales price for your work. This book gives you the background and the calculations necessary to easily figure the markup that is right for your business. Includes a CD-ROM with forms and checklists for your use.
Download or read book The Complete Guide to Contracting Your Home written by Kent Lester and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2017-01-12 with total page 369 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Save 30% on home construction! Whether you want to take on all the responsibility of contracting your home or simply want to intelligently communicate with your homebuilder, The Complete Guide to Contracting Your Home can help you save 30% or more on the cost of home construction by teaching you the ins and outs of managing your construction project. Learn how to get your project off to a solid start. Get financial and legal details in language you can understand. Learn what to consider when selecting a lot and how to deal with suppliers, labor and subcontractors. Gain understanding of building codes and inspections so you can manage with authority, confidence, and efficiency. This extensive guide walks you through each phase of construction including preconstruction, foundations, framing, roofing, plumbing, electrical, masonry, siding, insulation, drywall, trim, painting, cabinetry, countertops, flooring, tile and landscaping. Completely revised and updated, this edition includes a new section on sustainable building as well as the most comprehensive building resources section ever compiled. You'll find schedules, order forms, control logs, contracts and checklists to help keep your project on track.
Download or read book How to Find the Right Contractor for Your Project written by Gary L. Nash and published by CreateSpace. This book was released on 2013-12-07 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Do you know how to find the best contractor for your project for the best price? Do you know the type of contractor operation that is best suited for your project? Do you want to know how to get work completed for free? These questions and more are answered. Through my years as a contractor I developed a bid evaluation process. This system simplifies the bidding process and flushes out missing items in the contractors bids which enable you to evaluate those bids apples for apples so you know what you're getting. I know this to be a fact because I used this system in my business for 20 years. In this book I have laid out the process with step by step instructions that will guide you through the whole selection process. You won't believe how much you will save in the buy out process.
Download or read book What Your Contractor Can t Tell You written by Amy Johnston and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A comprehensive guide to building or renovating a home provides everything homeowners need to know to get the best results, covering such topics as selecting and supervising an architect and contractor, cost estimates, budget, plan specifications, dealing with permits, and more and examining a wide range of common pitfalls and how to avoid them.
Download or read book Make It Right written by Mike Holmes and published by HarperCollins Canada. This book was released on 2013-08-27 with total page 466 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: More than 1 million viewers in Canada watch Mike Holmes’ television show, Holmes on Homes, every week. Thousands more see him at his personal appearances and visit his website, looking for advice on renos-gone-wrong. Mike Holmes is Canada’s most trusted contractor, a crusader with a mission to expose botched renovations--and now the author of a bestselling book that has shipped over 60,000 copies in its hardcover edition. Mike has taken his professional expertise and tell-it-like-it-is style and turned it into the guide no homeowner should be without. Make It Right walks readers through a renovation from start to finish, from the process of finding a reliable contractor to understanding the legalities of renovation. Mike explains the inner workings of a house, covers the most popular reno projects and describes the most common pitfalls. Packed with informative sidebars, checklists, diagrams and photographs, all showing what to expect from contractors and tradespeople, and how to keep every reno running on time and on budget, Make It Right is the book you need to read before you plan a renovation. Be smart. Take charge. Get it right the first time.
Download or read book Straight Answers to the 20 Questions Building Contractors Hope You ll Never Ask written by Blake Hodess and published by . This book was released on 2004-11-01 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Q. What's the best measure of a construction company?A. A Straight AnswerIt's been said: " Education is what you get when you read the fine print, and experience is what you get when you don't. " When it comes to the process of selecting a building contractor, Blake and Brian Hodess, co-presidents of Hodess Building company say: " The right contractor for your job is what you get when you ask the right questions, and the wrong contractor-complete with headaches and financial woes-is what you get when you don't."In this book, Blake and Brian pool the collected wisdom from interviewing dozens of owners to focus on the 20 right questions decision-makers should ask, along with some straight answers to these questions, providing a valuable insider's perspective and guide.Because the contractor selection process is so complicated, it's easy for even the most experienced, sophisticated decision-maker to have a blind spot or two. So Straight Answers serves as a handy, real-world, pre-decision checklist that can help prevent costly errors during the contractor selection process, and help owners make sure they are getting the right contractor for their project.
Download or read book Homeowners It s Time to Think Like a General Contractor written by David M. Dillon and published by David Dillon. This book was released on 2011-01-09 with total page 131 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Amazon.com's publishing division "Create Space" has helped me to provide homeowners with a book written to help them successfully navigate the somewhat murky waters of hiring contractors for their home improvements. Aside from the burden of a complex process that many homeowners are unfamiliar with, there are plenty of deceptive practices which over promise and under deliver--or, worse. This book will give you practical suggestions on how to protect yourself, how to find quality contractors, how to lower the cost of any project, how to manage the process and how to achieve the quality results you want in the first place. Getting high quality work done for reasonable prices is precisely how to add real value to your home and avoid headaches. This book is loaded with practical advice to simplify the process and make any sized project more affordable. This makes your money go further, eliminates headaches and empowers you to take charge of the whole process. We'll cover exactly how to: * Size up a project * Estimate a realistic budget * Understand exactly how to hire only the best subcontractors * How to negotiate the best price with those subcontractors * How to manage them * How to pay them * How to keep everything effectively on track Chapters include: Preface A note from the author 1 Should you trust a General Contractor? 2 What does a competent GC do and why should I think like one? 3 How much do things really cost? 4 I have a project in mind. Where do I start? 5 How do I find the right subcontractors in terms of competence and price? 6 How should I pay the subcontractors? 7 What is the typical chronology of the construction process? 8 How do I estimate the time to do the whole job? 9 How do I check the quality of the work? 10 What are some issues to be aware of when making finish selections? 11 What about appliances? 12 What if I just want to hire a General Contractor? How do I pick the right one and not get taken for a ride? 13 What are some common mistakes to avoid on the road to achieving excellence? We'll also discuss how to protect your project from going over budget and the critical decisions that need to be made prior to even starting which so many people overlook, to their peril. In the end, you'll be ready to manage your own project, or if you choose, hire the very best General Contractor. You'll have a much more informed perspective of what a good General Contractor does in any successful renovation or new construction project and be able to easily distinguish the competent ones from the rest.
Download or read book How to Be Your Own General Contractor written by Robert E. Emmick and published by Tate Publishing. This book was released on 2010-08-24 with total page 116 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Want to save money on your building or remodeling project? How to be Your Own General Contractor will help homeowners save potentially thousands of dollars! This easy-to-follow guide provides the knowledge and ability you must have to become your own general contractor and complete any type of project with confidence. Inside, homeowners will find: bull; Tricks of the trade learned over the years by professional Bob Emmick that will help to avoid costly mistakes and time. bull; A guide through every aspect of your project. bull; Assistance in hiring and dealing with subcontractors, as well as guidance for those who would rather hire a general contractor. Emmick skillfully guides readers through an entire house project, helping the average homeowner to manage his or her own project no matter the size. Homeowners with little or no experience will walk away from How to be Your Own General Contractor with valuable knowledge that will help them now as well as in the future.
Download or read book How to Select the Right Home Or Building Contractor written by Randal G. Winter and published by Beyond Publishing. This book was released on 2022-09-26 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Have you recently hired a contractor to do some home improvements, but after careful inspection, you noticed the work was subpar? You are not alone. According to the National Association of Consumer Agency Administrators and the Consumer Federation of America, home improvement contracting was the top complaint category reported by state and local consumer protection agencies during the last decade. As a previous expert witness for the California Contractors State License Board, Randal Winter has met some very distraught homeowners over the years. Some of these people have been without kitchens for over two years and some without bathrooms for up to fourteen months. Others are stuck with leaking roofs after spending tens of thousands of dollars for what they thought was going to be a new roof. This book will provide you with the insight necessary to ensure your next (or first) home improvement project goes as planned.
Download or read book The Successful Construction Supervisor and Foreman written by Paul Netscher and published by Independently Published. This book was released on 2019-03-22 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Construction is desperate for good, experienced, skilled and dedicated supervisors and foremen. Construction needs you. Being a construction supervisor or foreman is challenging, it's hard work, but it's also rewarding watching projects take shape under your watch. A supervisor's job is never boring - every day is different, each project is different, different locations and different people, all presenting new challenges.A construction foreman, foreperson or supervisor, supervises a work crew, or manages a section of work. They're at the coalface of every construction project - the critical link in the construction process. Good foremen and supervisors are essential to the success of every construction project and every construction company, indeed, they're invaluable. Yet, few managers and supervisors are prepared to mentor and train the next generation of supervisors and foremen. Most supervisors and foremen have years of experience on the tools, learning their trade, sometimes through apprenticeships, but mostly learning from others. These skills are focused on a particular trade or skill. But, being a supervisor is a different ballgame. Where before, as a trades-person they were doing the work themselves, now as supervisor they must organise and manage others doing the work.I'm a construction professional with 30 years of experience and the author of several acclaimed construction books, including: 'Successful Construction Project Management: The Practical Guide' and 'Construction Management: From Project Concept to Completion'. As a young engineer and later as project manager, I was fortunate to learn from many excellent supervisors and foremen. I wouldn't have achieved what I did without the foremen on my projects. They were the powerhouse on my construction projects, and I only had to steer the project to a successful conclusion. Now it's my turn to share my 30 years of construction experience and knowledge with construction supervisors and foremen. To explain why things are done in a certain way, why good paperwork is essential, but more importantly, to help supervisors and foremen become the very best.
Download or read book Project Management for Construction written by Chris Hendrickson and published by Chris Hendrickson. This book was released on 1989 with total page 425 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Profit First for Contractors written by Shawn Van Dyke and published by . This book was released on 2018-12-03 with total page 218 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Construction industry business coach, speaker, and author, Shawn Van Dyke, has taken the core concepts of Mike Michalowicz's Profit First and customized them to address the specific needs of the construction industry. Profit First for Contractors addresses the major struggles contractors face and provides clear and actionable guidance on how to overcome them. Shawn shows contractors how to go from simply getting by to becoming permanently profitable. This book is for every construction business owner who dreams of prosperity. Using Van Dyke's Profit First for Contractors system, readers will learn how to break out of the "craftsman cycle" - the seemingly never-ending loop of urgent tasks and responsibilities that keep contractors from gaining traction toward their important goals. He guides construction business owners how to understand their financial statements and how to use them to determine the markup and margin that lead to profits. You will also learn hot to develop solid rules of thumb for the operation of your construction businesses, and how to implement an effective cash management plan that simplifies accounting and leverages normal human behavior. Using real-life stories from actual construction business owners, step-by-step advice, and his conversational twang, Van Dyke puts permanent profitability within reach of every construction business owner.
Download or read book Starting Your Career as a Contractor written by Claudiu Fatu and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2015-03-17 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This incisive, practical guide provides a thorough breakdown of the ins and outs everyone needs to know when turning contracting skills into a business. From summoning the motivation to start your own business to the intricacies of being your own boss, Claudiu Fatu artfully turns his personal experiences and those of other successful contractors into advice on every aspect of building a business. The chapters focus on: Developing a business structure, including bank accounts, tax registration, insurance, and branding Handling legal and accounting hurdles Managing employees and dealing with clients Using marketing systems to find and book work Estimating and bidding on jobs Writing contracts Creating invoices and a billing system Controlling costs, keeping records, and understanding profit margin Planning retirement and other benefits for the self-employed By teaching contractors to anticipate problems that can arise when dealing with clients, and to build a business plan that can support a contractor’s talents in the best way possible, Starting Your Career as a Contractor is the ultimate manual to getting the job done right! Allworth Press, an imprint of Skyhorse Publishing, publishes a broad range of books on the visual and performing arts, with emphasis on the business of art. Our titles cover subjects such as graphic design, theater, branding, fine art, photography, interior design, writing, acting, film, how to start careers, business and legal forms, business practices, and more. While we don't aspire to publish a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are deeply committed to quality books that help creative professionals succeed and thrive. We often publish in areas overlooked by other publishers and welcome the author whose expertise can help our audience of readers.
Download or read book Construction Contracting written by Richard H. Clough and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2015-04-06 with total page 692 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The definitive contracting reference for the construction industry, updated and expanded Construction Contracting, the industry's leading professional reference for five decades, has been updated to reflect current practices, business methods, management techniques, codes, and regulations. A cornerstone of the construction library, this text presents the hard-to-find information essential to successfully managing a construction company, applicable to building, heavy civil, high-tech, and industrial construction endeavors alike. A wealth of coverage on the basics of owning a construction business provides readers with a useful "checkup" on the state of their company, and in-depth exploration of the logistics, scheduling, administration, and legal aspects relevant to construction provide valuable guidance on important facets of the business operations. This updated edition contains new coverage of modern delivery methods, technology, and project management. The field of construction contracting comprises the entire set of skills, knowledge, and conceptual tools needed to successfully own or manage a construction company, as well as to undertake any actual project. This book gives readers complete, up-to-date information in all of these areas, with expert guidance toward best practices. Learn techniques for accurate cost estimating and effective bidding Understand construction contracts, surety bonds, and insurance Explore project time and cost management, with safety considerations Examine relevant labor law and labor relations techniques Between codes, standards, laws, and regulations, the construction industry presents many different areas with which the manager needs to be up to date, on top of actually doing the day-to-day running of the business. This book provides it all under one cover – for the project side and the business side, Construction Contracting is a complete working resource in the field or office.
Download or read book Construction Project Management written by Paul Netscher and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2017-02-15 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What are 12 steps to a successful construction project, what are habits that make a good project manager, can technology help your project, are you making errors pricing projects, can you avoid construction disputes, what are phrases we should use more often in construction, why are good client relations vital, how do you manage construction risks, how do you retain skilled employees, and who is responsible for winning new projects? These and many other questions are answered in Paul Netscher's latest book, which includes information from more than fifty articles he published on various websites. These articles have been read by thousands from around the world, many of whom added comments, several of which have been included in this book, together with additional information. This book is filled with practical ideas, tips and insights gained from Paul's 30 years of construction experience. They could provide the key to completing your project safely, profitably, on time, with the required quality, and, with a happy client. Paul's laid-back writing style makes the book easy to read.Comments on Paul's articles include; "thank you Paul Netscher for sharing this", and, "great article Paul! You did an excellent job of expanding the perspective by asking the right questions".Paul Netscher's other books include: 'Successful Construction Project Management: The Practical Guide', which is a prescribed text at some universities, 'Building a Successful Construction Guide: The Practical Guide' and 'Construction Claims: A Short Guide for Contractors'.