Many of the costly owner/contractor disputes I see in my legal practice involve... More
Ten years ago Medina Construction Co. started using fax machines that operate over cell phone lines to stay connected to the office from even the remotest of jobsites. For a company whose operation covers so much ground, the system has been invaluable. More
Jeff Berkowitz, project coordinator at Lawrence Murr Remodeling, Jacksonville, Fla., and his team prefer to convert large change orders into separate jobs. This allows them to use the company's full process to develop the project. The "additional work authorization" offers several benefits. More
Scott Truberg, financial manager of Creative Design Construction and Remodeling, Northvale, N.J., realized that poor communication between field and office staff was eating into company profits. More
Getting clients to make design decisions well before building helps to streamline the remodeling process and cut down on change orders and schedule glitches. Now there's a Web-based system to help with this process: RemodelVision. More
Hilliard Contracting, Raleigh, N.C., ran on trust and goodwill until late one Friday afternoon in 2002, the year the company became Big50. Owner Steven Hilliard had just met with a client whose whole-house remodel was about 75% complete. His purpose was to deliver the unfortunate news that their project, which they had hoped to do for $220,000, was on schedule to cost closer to $330,000. More
To keep up with change orders and to address client issues, Halsey Platt asked his project managers to meet with clients every two weeks. These meetings address the bigger picture, beyond the day-to-day details covered in weekly meetings. More
To prepare a realistic bid so that clients are not surprised by additional costs after the project begins, Bill Keilty invites his subcontractors to a diagnostic conference or a “bid party.” “It has cut down 80% to 90% of unforeseen change orders,” says the owner of Keilty Construction in Boise, Idaho. More
I think we all agree that some sales presentations are more effective than others. Many factors account for this difference, but one that is easily overlooked is the language used. Words that have similar meanings or that are often used interchangeably can have very different effects on the listener. The words you use in a presentation can mean the difference between a client's signing your contract or putting the project on hold. Here are some examples of words and phrases that I think you should be careful with. More
