Contractor City Blog

Have you ever wondered how closely related is creativity with childhood? Why do children cross all limits of convention and norms? Why is it that the grass can be red, the sun blue and the leaves all pink? The best possible reply to it may be that children are full of energy and ideas which are not yet fenced by the rule of the thumb.

Their energy level is at such a height where they are at free will to create, to destruct, to break and to mend. They do not know what is right and what is not. They just follow where their imagination leads them to. However, it is at this crucial time that the parents, the guardian and the teachers should take extra care and channelize all the energy and imagination towards the right direction ? towards creation and overall development of the child. And to help in such channelization, children are given to play with building blocks and construction kits, since time immemorial.

Building blocks and construction kits are a great way to use their imagination and enthusiasm. It enhances their scope of thought, helps in better functioning of the brain, makes them more Continue reading ‘Watch your Child Grow With Construction Kits’ »

My July 2009 column in Metal Architecture titled Reload your team: Use the downturn to improve the quality of your staff discussed strategies for using the availability of outstanding staff created by the recession to weed out underperformers among your current employees. The article failed to point out some obvious concerns, most notably that in the messy reality that characterizes most of our businesses - it is very important to protect yourself and your current employees throughout the "upgrading" process. Here is an excerpt from feedback that I have received:

"...let the survivors [of the lifeboat drill] know what you have done and assure them that there are now more cuts in the foreseeable future.? That statement is double talk for ?You are lucky today and there are more cuts coming.? I do not know if you have ever heard a boss say that, I have twice and have been on the receiving once. I can assure you that your statement will only start talk, slow work progress and have your quality people start looking around.

As for parting with Non-performers, and they work at the company?s discretion, you have many legal issues and hoops to jump through. Keep in mind that if you bring in another person after you terminated one to fill that position you have opened up your company to legal actions. This can disrupt your company?s performance due to water cooler talking as well as time off for depositions etc. Firms need to let people go in a gentle way to keep their name in good standing within the community. You do not want to be known as a ?Hire Fire? company.

Continue reading ‘In a perfect world…’ »

Texas Auto Home Insurance is always available to help businesses with free information concerning safety and savings on construction insurance. Most clients save in excess of 25% after our evaluation and coverage recommendations.

Texas Auto Home Insurance specializes in providing construction insurance information to the Texas commercial contractor. We work with artisan contractors and subcontractors from El Paso to Beaumont to anticipate the many dynamics that face each industry type, anticipate the risks and exposure each type of industry faces, and write them a construction insurance policy tailor made to their needs. Our intention is to help you locate the very best rate and to assist in in making the quotation process as seamless as possible without the many complications and hassles of the industry costing you a bid at the last minute of negotiations. Texas construction insurance policies should always give your business what you need, not what the agency you are working with wants to sell you. We recommend taking a ?no less and no more? than necessary approach to coverage options, making sure to protect you without costing you an arm and a leg.

The type of business you are in faces its own unique Continue reading ‘Texas Construction Insurance For Artisan Contractors’ »

Every home owner wants to have the best good-looking deck design for their house. In situations such as this, it is a must to get assistance and help from skilled and well-trained carpenters who can do the job for you in no time. Also, these experts can give the best result you cannot get anywhere else.

There are companies who actually do works such as this one. It is only up to you which company you will choose to complete the job as soon as possible. However, when getting services for your homes especially for home building or any home remodeling and renovation work, you must always do background checking. This is to ensure that the company you are hiring is truly capable of doing what you want for your decks.

Take note, companies servicing home buildings also provide fence building to furnish all your home needs. With the manpower they have who are ready to give assistance and help, it is a guarantee that all your home needs are accommodated all the time. You are also assured that the construction that you need for your home is properly done with expertise.

For a fact, deck construction Continue reading ‘Decks, Porch And Fence Construction For Your Homes’ »

We're talking about:
The "foundations" upon which you build your marketing program...
The "structure" that supports your marketing efforts...
The "infrastructure" that you build and use everyday to market your products and services...

Focus on these elements so you don't need to pull a rabbit out of the hat when it's time to get serious about marketing.
You'll hit the ground running.

Continue reading ‘AEC Marketing: Infrastructure’ »

Insurance issues tend to go hand-in-hand with most construction projects. From contractual indemnity and additional insured provisions to workers comp issues, contractors must be as well-versed in insurance as they are in bricks and mortar. When coverage decisions can potentially mean the difference in thousands or even millions of dollars of liability, getting things right with insurance is imperative.

For this reason, a recent decision out of the Fort Worth Court of Appeals, Jenkins v. State and County Mutual Fire Insurance Co., 2009 WL 1650071, should inspire a healthy fear in all construction risk managers. In short, the court strengthened an insurance company?s ability to deny defense and indemnity to an insured based on who provided notice to the insurer of a lawsuit.

Continue reading ‘Risk Managers Beware: Third-Party Notice of Suit Insufficient to Trigger Insurer’s Duty to Defend and Indemnify’ »

Home, is every one?s own paradise. It?s a place where one dream?s and makes them come true for now and for the generations to come. Therefore, when it comes to planning for your own home construction it becomes more and more crucial assignment for you. You need to plan everything perfectly to build the home of your dreams.

A perfect home construction plan is very important to begin with. It requires proper assessments of your actual requirements, selection of locality to build your home, fixing a budget that you can afford, and most importantly the design and architecture planning. Your home always needs a nice balance between a construction plan and further designing / styling.

Building an entire new home and understanding the process can be very time consuming and challenging. It needs lot of time and efforts to manage and monitor the construction work and required modifications as well. Hence, it is recommended to start your construction plan keeping in mind the following checklist points: -

1. Locate a suitable site keeping in mind the distance from your work, school, office, which is not too far.
2. Run Continue reading ‘Checklists to Begin With Home Construction’ »

The early part of the 20th Century saw the United States enjoy an unprecedented building boom, both for residential and commercial properties. This was obviously a benefit to the overall economy, as more people own homes and commercial property now than ever before. Owning property is one of the safest and most reliable investments available for many reasons, but there was also an upswing in one unfortunate variable in regards to this boom – a distinct rise in construction accidents.

Below is a look at some of the construction accidents that have occurred with alarming frequency in recent years, but you also need to understand that if you’ve been injured in a construction accident, you need to contact a construction injury lawyer as soon as possible to schedule an initial consultation.

Construction Falls

Statistics compiled by the government show that on average, more than 1,200 construction workers are killed every year in the United States, and this industry also leads the way in terms of workplace injuries. The same statistical compilation that was formulated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that the most common type of construction worker injury is the fall, and that makes sense.
Continue reading ‘Construction Accidents – One Of The Unfortunate Products Of The Building Boom’ »

Construction claims are happening more often now due to hurricanes, acts of nature as well as many builders and developers filing bankruptcy. If you have put money down to build a new home, only to find that the developer has gone bankrupt or a storm has destroyed the development, you may be able to make a construction claim.

Insurance companies that handle these types of claims will look at several aspects of the construction site before issuing a policy. Most insurance companies will cover any claims made from storm damage, but this may not cover everything. The insurance company will look at the solvency of the developer, the area where the construction is taking place as well as the value of the property.

Some instances where you may have a legitimate claim and be able to get money from an insurance company or developer include:

If the Home was Hit by Lightening or Destroyed by a Storm

The developer will have to have construction insurance in order for such a calamity to be covered. If the developer or builder does have insurance, then they will be covered Continue reading ‘What to Expect When Filing a Construction Insurance Claim’ »

It has always been a debate whether to buy new or used construction equipment. Smaller fleets prefer to buy used construction equipment as they attract less capital investments. Another reason for people to opt for used construction equipment is that they are sometimes as good as new and come at a very heavy discounted price as compared to that offered at the showrooms.

There had always been a skeptical attitude towards the economies in the Indian sub-continent, Russia or Latin America. But over the past years these economies have shown a constant and steady growth. The demand to construct new projects or to renew the old ones has been always in demand. Since these countries are not as cash rich and affluent, they usually have constructors who have smaller fleet. Moreover, they also do not have enough capital to be invested in developing a large fleet. They are always on a look out for used construction equipments. Along with this these constructors take on projects in the neighboring countries and shifting heavy and used construction equipment is also not feasible. Thus sales of such equipments is constantly in demandSome countries impose heavy taxes and import duties to restrict import of used Continue reading ‘New or Used Construction Equipment The Return on Investment Decision’ »