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Question of the Week: What is a Terra-cotta? 1. A type of Cheese from Terra? 2. A cottage on earth 3. (Italian: "baked earth",^[1] from the Latin terra cotta) is a clay-based unglazed ceramic

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Posted by: **bcd4uslw** on Thursday, August 25, 2011 @ 16:34:31 EDT

bcd4uslw writes:

Construction Forecasts

News & Analysis

Commodity Price Surge Pushes October Construction Materials Prices Up 0.6%

Posted by: **7solutionsindia** on Thursday, August 25, 2011 @ 16:21:15 EDT

7solutionsindia writes:

7Solutions India is a fasted growing cad outsourcing services firm having pride to offer cad structural services, architectural cad services and mep cad services with fast, affordable & high quality assured cad drawings service for U.S.A., Australia, Canada, UK, U.A.E & around the world clients. We are proving a comprehensive range of professional CAD Drafting, CAD Design and CAD Detailing drawing s services using latest technology. We have already proved our self by completing successful 2D cad conversion projects such as specialty hospitals, hotels, apartment complexes, commercial buildings, high rise tower, high school and university specialty center.

Our experts structural engineers teams are trained in all types of AutoCAD drafting and 2D Conversions including paper to CAD conversion, AutoCAD conversion services, structural drafting and designs, architectural drafting and designs, mechanical drafting , conversion PDF to AutoCAD drawings, piping plans, site plans drawings , hvac drawings, 2D to 3D CAD Conversions, 3D Visualization of Architectural project. Our CAD conversion services include CAD file Conversion, AutoCAD (DWG, DXF) conversion - PDF to DWG, TIFF to DWG, BMP to DWG, GIF to DWG, JPEG to DWG. Our experts have rich experience in 2D CAD Conversion Services. We offer AutoCAD conversions at competitive rate. Visit: http://www.7solutionsindia.com/inquiry.php to fill up our small quick contact form our Email: info@7solutionsindia.com to outsource your CAD conversion requirements

Our 2D CAD Conversion Services includes:
• Scanned drawings in tif, jpg, pdf etc format
• Drawings converted to pdf
• Dimensioned sketches
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• Surveyors dimensioned sketches

• Mechanical, Electrical and Civil engineers drawings.

The mail feature of using 2D CAD conversion services are:
• The final output is editable and will be in DXF or DWG format because we create the drawing as a new file.
• We can create as many layers as you require. We generate separate layers for dimensions, text, body, hidden lines, and center lines, etc.
• Text is separated and has its own layer and is recognizable as text.
• Dimensions are intact and are shown by a separate layer.

• We use blocks for different entities (doors, windows, plumbing fixtures, electrical fixtures, etc.).U.S.A., Australia, Canada, UK, U.A.E & around the world.

Contact us or send email: info@7solutionsindia.com to find out more about our cad conversion services capabilities. No job is too big or too small for our experienced professional engineers. Get response less than 24 hour.

Posted by: **trident** on Monday, July 11, 2011 @ 19:36:10 EDT

trident writes:

Reclaimed building material and supplier provides architectural salvage, second hand building materials, reclaimed roofing tiles, reclaimed roofing slates, reclaimed paving stones, reclaimed bricks, reclaimed chimney pots, reclaimed roof fittings, reclaimed flooring materials, garden building materials, etc.

Posted by: **Fish** on Tuesday, April 06, 2010 @ 17:14:15 EDT

Fish writes:

As builders, developers and trade contractors we can become so focused on line item budgets that we lose sight of the big picture. We also cling to time tested ways of doing things. However, everything we do is integrated - change one specification or process and we undoubtedly impact another. With emerging technology, products and approaches, we must step back and understand them as they create opportunities across our products. Now more than ever, we must embrace the positive dynamic of this relationship more than we should fear the negative.

If you could build more sustainably and save $100 tomorrow by spending $60 today - would you do it? WOULD YOU? Many opportunities like this are passing the industry by because change may unfavorably impact one line item of cost and the value savings for other line items are not relentlessly pursued. In other cases, the labor costs associated with doing things “the way we always have” are impacting the industry more than the increased cost of implementing new products and technology. In the context of product specification and procurement decisions, this is a meaningful challenge to embrace.

SO, let’s illustrate how a positive change dynamic can work with a simple, yet outstanding, illustration related to vent boot installation. Impending code updates are going to rock the builder world in the next year or two with mandatory protection on all openings during construction, increased air quality and efficiency standards and potentially, required duct pressure testing on all constructed units. We are headed there already, so can we afford to rely on the time tested method of installation?

Sit back while you have a moment to reflect on what it takes to install each air supply opening in your home or business. Almost every day, it’s being done the “same way we’ve always done it”.

Framer (or HVAC contractor) installs backing.
HVAC contractor installs (and likely deforms) vent boot.
Drywaller packs mud around gaps in the openings between vent boot, backing and drywall.
Someone likely covers or will be needed to cover the vent boot opening to prevent overspray in the ductwork.
Painter removes the cover and in some instances, sprays the inside of the boot black to cover any silver finish or overspray that may be visible to the homeowner.
Painter may caulk the register to the drywall. Someone then masks vent boot and register to hopefully pass the duct pressure test.

SO, let’s count. That’s five to six trips up and down a ladder for every vent boot in the house. There are 10 – 15 vent boots in an average home – do the math.

Why do we do this? Because we’ve always done it that way! We’ve also enjoyed along the way many discussions regarding whether the boot backing was properly located, true and square, who is responsible for the test passing or failing. Etc., Etc. Etc.

SO, when an innovative product comes along that eliminates all that work, enables the HVAC contractor to own the entire system installation, protects the ductwork from dust and debris and provides a sustainable seal to ensure efficient ventilation, shouldn’t we embrace change and figure out how to make it work to our advantage?

At a time when every builder is scrapping for every dollar, this product and process improvement makes sense – it’s a positive change dynamic. Lead through innovation. Surpass the code. Deliver a better, more durable product. Save wasted time, energy and money. Send a little help to the bottom line to boot!

Embrace Change and let your customer breath easier…

SPEEDIBOOT.com

Posted by: **BuilderBUG** on Monday, February 08, 2010 @ 20:30:23 EST

BuilderBUG writes:

Reputation was everything. It was America in the early 1950’s and the new home construction industry was driven by small local builders, producing quality product, and surviving on one’s reputation. Fast forward forty years later and the reputation of the same industry had diminished so much that home building ranked in the bottom five careers preferred by college graduates. What changed when there was a time when reputation was everything?

Through the growth of production building from the 1970’s to early 1990’s, the industry focused shifted to meet rising demand, reducing production costs and cycle times. Product specification choices aimed at cost reduction and piece work labor forces made housing returns rise, but quality and workmanship suffered greatly.

By the mid-nineties, as builders dealt with increasing construction defect litigation and branding strategies, the industry focus on customer service re-emerged as a primary driver for new home ownership. Options and semi-custom production programs flourished as demand for homes with “lifestyle”, tailored to the consumer, drove everything from architecture, community design and amenities. While these programs created new management challenges, they largely met consumer needs and were a key element for enhancing the “homeowner experience”.

Many companies developed internal customer satisfaction surveys to measure their success and JD Power made its bid to become the standard for satisfaction within the industry. While many leaders may have debated the benefits of driving customer satisfaction versus bottom line profit, they could not deny the top line revenue growth potential and sales cost reduction effect of raising the bar on quality and service. In fact, the builders that drove customer satisfaction into their culture and provided incentives for leadership success in raising quality found themselves ranking consistently at the top of the list. This boosted internal commitment while enhancing brand recognition and reputation management.

Not to be overlooked was the quality of life for homeowners as field teams and trades improved quality and service.. The result was a reduction in call backs for service fell and management teams could better focus on the future of their business without having to keep one eye in the rear view mirror.

In 2004 – 2005, the rising cost to acquire land driven by the fevered pitch of home ownership and investment forced builders to once again drive down production costs. Material choices at times sacrificed long-term durability for immediate cost relief. As these homes make there way through warranty and the impact of the current recession continues to pound the building industry, the question becomes - will outstanding customer service survive the recession?

The answer is yes! The importance of outstanding service will be more heightened than ever and the form of delivering that service will be quite different.

As the playing field is leveled for local, regional and national builders, and green initiatives are driven into production, customer satisfaction programs will play an even greater role for the success of building enterprises in the future. In many ways, it will become the sole differentiator between competitors. As we saw in the early 1950’s history favors the smaller enterprise that hones its craft and effectively delivers a world class home ownership experience.

So, how will this experience be delivered in the future? Today builders grapple with a tidal wave of legacy homes in warranty and the cold reality of being 25% of the size they were just two years ago. They are faced with a great dilemma. How can they right size the organization for today’s volume, position their teams for growth once the market stabilizes and begins to re-emerge, while still service the demands of a staggering level of warranted homes?

Builders today can not afford to carry huge service teams due to their reduced capacity. Builders of the future will not wish to scale up their employed forces with huge organizations to manage non-core activities. They will be reluctant to “man up” in advance of definitive sustainable growth. In order to secure success in the future, remain nimble and quickly adjust to rapidly changing market conditions, builders will have to maximize the benefits of current and new technologies. They will also seek to outsource service with companies whose core focus is delivering a “raving fans” experience for the customer and who can effectively act as an advocate for the builder in holding trades accountable for their work.

Many builders have already made this move by centralizing services and engaging with outsource service centers that specialize with specific functional support and expertise. These companies are positioning themselves well for the next cycle. These are the companies that will have a competitive advantage for growth, without sacrificing their brand or their customer’s home buying experience.

Builder’s who are slow to accept this emerging strategy will miss out on the opportunities of the future market and potentially find themselves en*****bered with processes that are not in touch with a new generation of consumers. Consumers who are not just seeking a satisfactory home buying experience in as much as they are seeking an outstanding home ownership experience.

One company, SiteOne Services, is focused on proving that reduced overhead costs and superior reputation management can coexist symbiotically by providing world class technology and home ownership service. Information on how this company may benefit your operation is available at www.siteoneservices.com or by clicking on the banner ad in the upper left hand corner of the website.

Contributing writers: Avery Kintner, Frank Sette

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