Michael Fast

Irwin Vise-Grip 10CR Fast Release Pliers

Irwin's newest Vise-Grip pliers have a 'self-energizing' jaw design that shifts... More

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Pros and cons of in-house trade workers

From the beginning to the end of any remodel, variables abound and chance may play a part beyond anyone's expectations. When a company succeeds, it does so, in a sense, by reducing that variability, by exerting as much control as possible over the job's every detail. More

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When the owner wants to supply materials

It happens all the time with siding, cabinets, decking, flooring, almost anything: A homeowner sees a flyer advertising special pricing in a local newspaper and wants to buy the material for a remodeling project himself. “It makes things tough,” says Robert Criner, owner of Criner Construction in Yorktown, Va., “when a homeowner can buy at one of the big boxes for the same price I can.” More

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Office Facelifts
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Moving on up to your own office

Have you outgrown your home office? It's a sign that the time has come to move out of your home office when you keep being woken at dawn by workers knocking on your bedroom window. Habitually drifting into the office in your pajamas is another red flag, as are subcontractors casually interrupting family meals to get a signature or to pick up a check. More

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Installing Owner-Supplied Windows

It's a familiar scenario: Your clients have just returned from Lowe's or The Home Depot, and they've decided they can save money buying replacement windows “for less” than they appear on your job estimate. More

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Pros and Cons of Using Subcontractors to Install Windows

When it comes to using subs for window installations, many remodelers just say no. Design/build companies, especially, tend to limit subcontractor involvement in any job to excavation, foundation work, mechanicals, and other highly specific trades they don't have on staff. Window installation is left to company carpenters. More

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Weekly Schedules For Field Crews

What weekly schedule have you set for your crew and why? More

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Consulting Hiring Experts

To try to avoid getting employees with skeletons in their closets, Fast hired a consultant to assist in the hiring process. More

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