Figure 9. Because the slab isn’t structural, there is no need for rebar or extra-strength concrete, though the author typically specs fiber reinforcement.

Last month, JLC began this series with Rick Mills, Jeremy Kassel, and Mike Whalen to explore the roles and responsibilities of project managers. Each of these individuals works under a slightly different business model: Jeremy operates as a “bags on” general contractor and assumes the role of project manager on his renovation projects in and around Albany, N.Y.; Mike is a lead carpenter at DBS Remodel, a design-build residential remodeling company based in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.; and Rick is senior project manager for Jackson Andrews Building + Design, a custom-home builder based in Virginia Beach, Va.

In this second article, we pick up the discussion examining the project manager’s role in keeping a project running smoothly. It’s not so much about tips and tricks for organizing the site. Rather, it’s an extension of the jobsite-etiquette discussion we published in the first article. Here, the main concern is managing relationships with clients, crew, and trade partners to keep the job flowing, as well as efficiently handling problems that arise.

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