Some of the most effective jobsite solutions are brilliantly simple. All of the solutions shown here have become standard operating procedure for the companies featured.
Problem: Unsightly portable toilets and/or restrictive homeowners associations (HOAs).
Solution: “Necessity is the mother of invention,” says Joanne Hall of Villa Builders, in Arnold, Md. Made of 6-foot and 8-foot fence sections, this two-sided outhouse-hider is discrete, repaintable, and sturdy, thanks to a triangular brace. The HOA (which didn’t object to the Dumpster, oddly) seems placated, and “the homeowner wrote us a great little testimonial. She was thrilled,” Hall says.
Problem: Sloppy safety habits and/or time wasted finding safety gear.
Solution: A two-gallon “safety bucket” for each production employee of Harrell Remodeling, in Mountain View, Calif. In it: dust masks, respirator filters, earplugs (five sets), safety glasses (two pairs), small first-aid kid (larger jobs also have a fully stocked first-aid kid), personal CPR barriers, and rubber gloves. Staff store their buckets in their vehicles and bring them to monthly production meetings for restocking, says Deana Bond, production manager.
Problem: Disorganized permits and signage; trespassers.
Solution: Rasevic Construction, in Bethesda, Md., uses all-in-one job signs to “centralize the data and bring all the stakeholders and interests in line”: from homeowner to inspectors to “the poor delivery guy,” says Paul Rasevic, president.
The responsibility of the job’s superintendent, each sign holds all job permits (photocopied and laminated), contact information, marketing brochures, and, in large letters, “no trespassing.” “It’s really good for neighbors,” Rasevic says. You don’t want them “tromping through the yard” or endangering their safety.
—Leah Thayer, senior editor, REMODELING.
