Contracts

  • RM061201052aL1.jpg(90)

    Honest Scheduling

    Michael Howes of MCB Construction, Woodside, Calif., says the schedule is the most emotional part of the job.

     
  • Q+A: Sub Standards

    What do you do to ensure that subs show up on time and communicate with on-site supervisors?

     
  • Tips From the Trades

    Ask a group of remodelers what they can learn from trade contractors, and you'll likely get a lot of muttering and more than your fair share of smirks. Trade contractors —more commonly known as subcontractors — are not perfect, of course, but they do some things very well, even better than (gasp!)...

     
  • Should you give clients an incentive to complete product selections on time?

    We offer a discount to clients who are having a hard time making up their minds on product selections. If they finalize the list of products before contract, they receive a 1% discount. If by the pre-construction meeting they have made most of the decisions, they receive a half-point rebate.

     
  • Cost Controls

    The answer to this question for me is twofold: material volatility and labor/subcontractor volatility. When the price of lumber, drywall, concrete, or any other building product is fluctuating, I reduce the amount of time the contract is good for to limit my exposure and also include a...

     
  • Keep eye on insurance requirements

    The insurance/risk management industry, like nature, abhors a void. If someone's not insured, the industry will find a way to fill that hole.

     
  • Protect yourself against unexpected materials price jumps

    In the past two years, the costs of lumber, steel, and other building materials have risen substantially and quickly. So what should a contractor do when writing jobs today that may cost much more to build if prices jump unexpectedly tomorrow?

     
  • Lack of professional liability insurance for remodelers

    When it comes to insurance, remodelers have fewer options than ever before. Insurance companies that haven't withdrawn from the market have hiked their premiums across the board.

     
  • Keeping schedules on track

    Here's a look at the scheduling strategies that three remodelers use to keep their projects on track.

     
  • Communicating your payment schedule

    Some potential customers need to hear about the payment schedule information at our initial meeting. However, we usually discuss the payment schedule after we have gone over the base bid and described what the next steps or processes with our firm will be.