Defects happen. No matter what you buy, from the fanciest flat screen television to the cheapest sweater you can find, there’s a chance your product will have a defect in it. The same goes for shingles and roofing products. There are always going to be defects that creep up after a job is complete.
The current shakedown in the construction industry allows for two very important things to happen that are to the benefit of both the organization and the workers. It allows companies to refocus on training their workforce for the long term and it helps clean up the subcontractor industry.
According to a 2006 research survey titled “Towing Troubles” conducted by Customer Profiles Ltd. and Master Lock (www.masterlock.com), fewer than 13 percent of first-time owners were told how to safely load their new trailer. This procedure is critical to counteract the reactive forces a trailer contributes to common fishtailing.
The most frequent question I am asked in my travels: Do you know a good salesperson that is available for hire? My answer is always the same. If they are any good, they aren’t looking. And if you want good salespeople, then don’t try stealing them from a competitor. It rarely works. If you want good salespeople, build them.
Rooftop garden construction consists of two equally important phased applications: the waterproofing application and the garden assembly. The ultimate success of a rooftop garden depends largely on the proper design and installation of both of these applications.
Many small contractors mistake wages with what they should charge a customer for their services. Since many contractors start out moonlighting and doing side jobs, such logic is understandable. Unfortunately, side work is just that, side work, and the part-time contractor is probably earning most of his or her livable income through regular employment.
How much to charge for your services is the focal point of any trade business. Charge too much and you won’t get the job, charge too little and you’ll go broke. Then you have to face the facts that every job is different, estimating is an inexact science and customers always can get a bid that’s cheaper if they shop around.
To some of you, welcome to the Web version of Roofing Contractor. To many of you, welcome back. To all of you, thanks for reading Roofing Contractor and for putting up with this unvarnished bit of self-promotion for our Web site. But that is the point of this note: self-promotion.
Roofing Contractor caught up with Bill Collins, the former president and CEO of GAF Materials Corp. Collins has been out of the day-to-day roofing industry for a couple of years, and we asked him to let us know what he has been up to lately and share his thoughts on the future of the roofing industry.
Most construction workers do not have everyday experience trailering a load, and almost three-quarters of the employees hauling a trailer have never had any formal safety training. Even hauling a trailer once a week will not adequately qualify most untrained construction workers for this serious duty.