Oh, By The Way... » Justin Short

Honesty.

Justin Short — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 11:00:37 +0000

Over the years I have had to be very honest with some of my clients. I would tell them if the project that they are looking at bidding is a good one for them to go after. I have told them that whoever is awarded this job will need to be careful due to notes on the drawings that can be a big “gotcha”. Sometimes it is telling the client that they just need to take the money from a claim settlement and be happy because it will cost way more to try to get more. Sometimes what I have to say may not be what they want to hear – but being honest with clients is the only way to do business.

Who And What Is BIM For?

Justin Short — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 11:00:22 +0000

If I were an owner I would love Building Information Modeling (BIM). I love looking at the nice 3D modeling, watching a fly-though on the computer screen. BIM is great being baffled with the brilliance that is pretty pictures. I would like to get a feel for how my project is going to look I would want to have BIM utilized. I am not an owner – I am an estimator and during the bidding phase of the project I could care less about how pretty the fly-though looks and I would just be happy if the design firm would be able to put out a decent set of drawings on time and with no addenda.

Float Debate

Justin Short — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 11:00:43 +0000

I was reading the article on ENR about the Float Debate. I have been told over the years that the float on the project belongs to the project not just one entity. The owners and contractors both get to utilize the float, if any, on the project. In the article there are some great points that counter the shared float of the project. I do think that the float on the project should belong to the party that is assuming the risk of the project. What do you think?

Tempest year in review

Justin Short — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 11:00:11 +0000

The major types of projects that we saw in 2011 by quantity were split between privately funded and public funded. By dollar amount the public money far outweighed the private money that was being spent. Utility projects stayed unchanged for us. The big gain was seen in the amount of claims that we have seen this year. We have seen more claims this year alone than in the last 3 years combined. What projects have you been seeing lately?

Bucket List Projects

Justin Short — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 14:49:45 +0000

I have been fascinated with construction since I was a kid. I loved to watch buildings being built and the large equipment working. I still love a site tour of a building being built. I have seen projects from houses to coal fired power plants, office buildings to hospitals. One kind of project that I would still love to see is a large underground pipeline. What kind of project is on your bucket list to see?

Podcasts

Justin Short — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 11:00:28 +0000

I listen to a lot of podcasts. I listen to them on my commute, bike rides, and while I travel. The best one that I have found about construction is at www.e-builder.net/podcasts. It is not a polished podcast but the information is good. Do you have any that you listen to? What else do you do to stay current on your trade?

New Technology

Justin Short — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 15:26:49 +0000

I was talking to an estimator and he said he had to train his new estimators how to use a scale and roller! It seems they only had a paper copy of the drawings instead of on-screen take-off. With the advent of new technology, what do you think will be the next thing that will go by the wayside due to new technology?

Unforeseen

Justin Short — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 11:00:57 +0000

I was talking with a friend today and the conversation turned to very difficult jobs that we had worked on in the past. He was telling me about a $6 million renovation of a mental health hospital that was still running over capacity while the renovations took place.

My friend had over 200 change orders by the time the project was all said and done.

The worst part about it was that he either just barely broke even or lost money on the project because of the working conditions and other outside factors.

I had done work out at the same facility, when I first got started in construction. The job that I did was scheduled for a two day job for 2 people. It ended up being a week and a half job for four people. The unforeseen problems on the project were the limited access to areas, escorts while moving about the facility and for the safety of patients, staff, and the construction teams you could not leave any tools unattended.

What “unforeseen” problems have you run into? Are they really unforeseen or is there a way to handle these problems before they cost massive amounts of time & money?

Could Zombies Help Your Business?

Justin Short — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 11:00:21 +0000

I was reading an article in the local paper about a hardware chain that started a marketing campaign “Zombie Preparedness Center”. I thought it was a great way for the company to set themselves apart from the rest of the hardware stores, especially in this time of big box retailers.

The construction market is in a similar place right now, with lots of contractors chasing an ever diminishing amount of work. But just chasing the work is not enough. How are you going to make your company stand out in this over crowded market?

While a zombie campaign may not be right for you and your company, you need something. Play to your company’s strengths and reputation. Show everyone why your company stands out from the crowd and the benefits to be gained from working with your company.

Check out the Zombie Campaign!

Anti-Ram Barricades

Justin Short — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 11:00:01 +0000

I got many comments & requests in regards to my blog Unique Items. So here are some links for anti-ram barricades. If your boss gives you grief about being on youtube just tell him it is for research.

Here is a link to Delta Scientific a leading manufacturer of “vehicle access control equipment.”

Delta Scientific