I recently attended a meeting of production managers from around the country and was reminded of the importance of this position. Focusing on supporting your production manager is one of the strongest moves you can make during these challenging times. More
Earlier this year, a friend of mine had an interesting conversation with a young man who was subcontracting for a GC. The contractor owed the young man a pile of money and my friend was concerned. But the young man assured him there was nothing to worry about, because the contractor was a pal and would never stiff him. “Besides,” said the young man, “I can always put a lien on the property.” More
One question I hear fairly often from builders is, “Can a contract with a client be enforced if it’s not in writing?” The short answer is yes, it can. Back in the days when I worked at the legal shark shop, we enforced unwritten contracts all the time — though we sometimes ran into problems. More
Contractors tend to avoid calling for legal help. Partly this is because they're used to solving their own problems, and partly it's because they don't want to rack up attorney's fees. But certain circumstances — let's call them legal emergencies — absolutely require immediate legal counsel. More
The initial design contract is the linchpin to selling high-end remodeling jobs. More
Reviewing and revising your company's contract puts into writing what you've learned from your mistakes. More
Tracking direct costs looks easy, but labor presents some sticking points. What, for instance, is to be done with labor costs for a production manager who spends part of each day on more than one jobsite? More
When an employee from Home Check Plus was recently asked to crawl into an attic and eradicate some bats from a customer's home, it didn't seem like an odd request. That's because the St. Cloud, Minn., company is more than just your average remodeling company. President Dale Gruber has tapped into the lucrative and expanding market of maintenance contracts. More
You probably think that I have been around too long and have seen too many contracts to sign anything containing an important specification that isn't clearly defined. Surely I would never do something as stupid as that, right? More
I don't much like allowances, which let homeowners postpone decisions that really... More
